Women's pink frilled bikini

Date1960s

Object number00008039

NameSwimsuit

MediumRayon, nylon, cotton

DimensionsOverall: 270 mm, 0.05 kg
Clothing size: 10

ClassificationsClothing and personal items

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from ADA Productions

Terms

DescriptionThis pale pink rayon bikini features two rows of white nylon lace running horizontally across the bust and three rows running around the briefs. The top's design incorporates narrow shoulder straps, and an adjustable shirred back fastened with two plastic buttons. Both the top and the briefs are lined with white cotton.HistoryThe two piece swimsuit, made famous by starlets such as Ava Gardner, emerged during the war time years of the 1940s. Its modest design was less about a motivation to shock, than 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 on July 1 of that year the US Army performed a series of nuclear bomb tests. The bikini marked a reaction to the constraints of heavily structured swimsuits popular in the 1940s and 1950s. It 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. The trend was towards resortwear styles with minimal coverage and details such as lace-up front bodices, cut-away shaping and tie-sides.SignificanceThe bikini is representative of women's beachwear fashions made in America in the 1960s.