Women's pink and white lattice print bikini
Maker
Vanity
Date1960s
Object number00028069
NameSwimsuit
MediumCotton, elastic
DimensionsOverall: 170 x 360 mm, 5 mm, 0.1 kg
Clothing size: 36
Clothing size: 36
ClassificationsClothing and personal items
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis 1960s pink and white lattice print bikini has a triangular top with narrow shoe string halter neck and back ties. The bloomer style briefs have an elasticised waist and legs, and fabric bow embellishments feature at each hip and at the centre of the bust.HistoryThe two piece swimsuit, made famous by starlets such as Ava Gardner, emerged during the war time years of the 1940s. Its design was less about a motivation to shock, than a fabric saving necessity. The two piece of this period usually covered the naval, unlike the more daring bikini that was not to gain widespread popularity until the 1960s.
The bikini was designed in 1946, and named after the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, where the US Army had performed a series of nuclear bomb tests. It marked a reaction to the constraints of the heavily structured swimsuits popular in the 1940s and 1950s. The bikini represented freedom, with the body exposed rather than dominated by the swimsuit. The release of beach movies such as 'Gidget' and 'How to Stuff a Wild Bikini' during this period also played their part in inspiring a following.
In the 1960s French designers introduced the string bikini. This style was briefer than the bikinis of the 1950s, with a string tie at the halter neck and at the hip on both sides of the triangular pants. In the 1970s the trend was toward styles with minimal coverage featuring details such as lace-up front bodices, cut-away shaping and tie-sides.SignificanceThis bikini is representative of women’s beachwear fashions in Australia in the 1960s.
