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 seemed 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 a substitute of a breezy bikini, you’re decked out in an extended wool robe, full stockings, bathing tights, and lace-up footwear. Sure, footwear. Going to the seashore wasn’t about getting a tan—it was about not drowning in your outfit.
Within the mid-Nineteenth century, “bathing attire” had been all the trend—heavy, modest clothes product of flannel or wool that clung to the physique (and never in a great way) as soon as moist. Beneath these attire had been bloomers, tights, and layers meant extra for overlaying up than cooling off.
Because the many years rolled on, swimwear slowly loosened up. Ladies started sporting shorter sleeves, tighter tops, and—gasp—uncovered knees. Some even wore seashore corsets, which had been thought of “dainty and serviceable” however about as snug 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 standard for lounging, as folks 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 keep in mind: we’ve come a good distance from wool and waist cinchers. The bikini revolution is alive and nicely—and in Fort Lauderdale, it’s on full, superb show.
