The Swimsuit

This year marks 60 years after the birth of the bikini by Frenchman LouisReard, a seminal point in fashion history where women found liberation (tomen's pleasure) in wearing less in public than ever before. The Swimsuit, aglorious, glossy guide to the swimsuit in all its incarnations, marries designhistory with stunning photography and heralds the arrival of thisonce-practical garment into mainstream fashion. Illustrations are gathered fromsuch diverse sources as fashion photography, advertising and manufacturingarchives, and such publications as the Pirelli Calendar and Sports Illustratedthat have explored the relationship between sex and swimwear.