Women's beachwear fashion

Seaside tourism began in the middle of the 18th century.[4] Before then, the coastal landscape was synonymous with danger, a place where natural disasters occurred. The sea was thought of as a boundary separating people, and literature presented it as a place of unpredictable travel and shipwrecks.[5] In the 16th and 17th, centuries there was a change in attitudes to the seaside. English doctors promoted visiting the seaside to the nobility as a therapy for melancholy and for sickness of the spleen. In the middle of the 19th century, Thomas Cook & Son began to organize escorted tours for the English nobility to the Mediterranean, particularly the French Riviera and Liguria. Between 1860 and 1914, Nice became one of the most popular places to stay.[6] Subsequent developments in rail travel helped to make the seaside a place where city dwellers could readily escape from urban noise and pollution. Those taking vacations at the beach found their bodies becoming cultural symbols representing their identity and style.[7]

The early 1800s was the beginning of a period of innovation in swimwear. Women who traveled to the beach for seaside recreation typically wore knee-length, puffed-sleeved, wool dresses that were often black in color and featured a sailor collar.[8] This outfit covered almost all of the wearer's skin[8] in order to avoid a suntan, since tanned skin was a sign of belonging to the social class of common laborers.[8]

At this time beach goers often made use of bathing machines.[9] These were wooden huts on wheels pulled by horses, and were usually located along recreational beaches where the water was shallow.[10] People undressed inside the bathing machines, which were then drawn out into deeper water in order to let their occupants bathe unobserved.

By the end of the 19th century, there was a desire to have swimsuits that were less burdensome. This allowed exposure to the sun and more comfort for popular new seaside activities.[10] However, at the time, the only game played by women at the beach involved jumping through the waves while holding on a rope attached to a buoy.

The first attempt to a modernization of the female swimsuit happened in early 20th century, by Anette Kellerman, an Australian swimmer, who designed a form-fitting and more convenient swimsuit for a competition.

The bikini was introduced in 1946 by two French designers, Louis Réard and Jacob Heim, who redesigned the female swimsuit by dividing it into two pieces.[11] Initially it was called the "atome".[9] Although the bottom of the stomach was still covered, something that is not always the case today, it was an important development because this new form of beachwear was quickly accepted and gave women more physical and social freedom.

In the 1950s, women's curves were emphasized together with vivid colors. This continued until the 1970s, by which time the sexual revolution was in full swing.[9] Designs were increasingly influenced by the media such as the 1990s TV series Baywatch, which led to the high-cut leg becoming popular, appropriating a look derived from sportswear.[12] The swimwear fashion industry has continued with this approach, following continuously changing fashion styles and the influence of media[13] such as TV,[14] advertising, and the Internet.

The Brazilian model Lais Ribeiro at New York Fashion Week, 2013

Thanks to the birth of beachwear fashion, business developed in relation to swimwear.

Industry innovations

Swimwear presented during a final walk through at Miami Fashion Week

Thanks to the development of science, society, and new technologies, there are innovations. The first concerns the birth of burkinis, created for Muslim women. This is similar to a diving suit made more feminine, so that these women can swim in comfortable clothes that respect their religious faith. Another innovation concerns ecological beach bags that are created using recycled sails.[17] Even thongs present innovations: from Indonesia comes the Paperflop,[18] the first thong made of recyclable and Eco-sustainable materials. Their bottom is made from recycled newspapers and other Eco-friendly materials, such as palm roots and husks of coconuts. As for the bikini, the Canadian Franky Shaw has developed a hydrophobic material that repels water. Something different is the Sponge Suit,[19] which is designed in California, and is a bikini made with a material that absorbs pollutants: people will use it up to twenty-five times, and then it can be recycled.

Nowadays, it is important for companies or people with private businesses to sell their products on social platforms.[20] In the past, the means of communication were magazines or TV, but now users prefer to use social network because it is faster and easier with the invention of smartphones and tablets. In fact, those who have at least one profile on one of these platforms are always increasing day by day.[21] That is why it is essential for them to use social networks as selling platforms—to not only sell their products, but also to create a relationship with the users with active participation. This happens in all the market sectors. Now there are not only pages or profiles of beachwear companies, in which the buyer can compare the price, quality, material, and feedback,[22] but also private sellers can focus directly on social platforms. In this case, users can purchase with a single click or comment. In brief, social networks simplify the sale and purchase markets in all sectors.[21]

• Bikini in popular culture
• Swimsuit competition
• Underwear as outerwear
• Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

• Alain Corbin, The Lure of the Sea: The Discovery of the Seaside in the Western World, 1750-1840, Berkeley, University of California Press, ISBN 978-0140247992
• Douglas Booth, Australian Beach Cultures: The History of Sun, Sand and Surf, Psychology Press, 2001, ISBN 9780714651675
• Emma Salizzoni, Turismo lungo le aree costiere euro mediterranee: dalla scoperta, al consumo, al progetto del paesaggio, Firenze University Press, January - June 2012