Stroll down Fort Lauderdale Seashore in the present day and also you’ll see all of it: cheeky bikini bottoms, cut-out one-pieces, speedos, sarongs—and never a lot left to the creativeness. However rewind 100 years, and the shoreline appeared extra like a Victorian picnic than a modern-day scorching spot.
Image this: You’re basking in the summertime solar, chilly drink in hand, however as an alternative of a breezy bikini, you’re decked out in an extended wool robe, full stockings, bathing tights, and lace-up sneakers. Sure, sneakers. Going to the seaside wasn’t about getting a tan—it was about not drowning in your outfit.
Within the mid-Nineteenth century, “bathing clothes” have been all the craze—heavy, modest clothes manufactured from flannel or wool that clung to the physique (and never in a great way) as soon as moist. Beneath these clothes have been bloomers, tights, and layers meant extra for masking up than cooling off.
Because the a long time rolled on, swimwear slowly loosened up. Ladies started sporting shorter sleeves, tighter tops, and—gasp—uncovered knees. Some even wore seaside corsets, which have been thought of “dainty and serviceable” however about as comfy as a sunburn.
Then got here the roaring Twenties and ‘30s, when knitted swimsuits hugged curves in new methods, even when they drooped like damp sweaters after a dip. Seashore pajamas and breezy units grew to become widespread for lounging, as individuals started to affiliate the ocean extra with leisure than only a cautious wade.
After which, in 1946, got here the game-changer: the bikini. Sufficiently small to “slot in a sardine can,” it shocked the world—and cemented its place as the last word image of summer season. From Brigitte Bardot to Fort Lauderdale spring breakers, the bikini has been embraced, reimagined, and celebrated ever since.
So the subsequent time you see somebody in a string bikini or sunbathing in barely-there swimwear, simply bear in mind: we’ve come a great distance from wool and waist cinchers. The bikini revolution is alive and nicely—and in Fort Lauderdale, it’s on full, wonderful show.
