1960s and 1970s This era was full of the resurgence of the one piece, modesty aprons, pastels and mod color blocks. The seventies groove quickly transitioned females to prefer boyshort bikinis, stripes and boho designs. Mens swimwear transitioned to a more boxer style look with hip-hugger shorts. This era definitely followed the motto “the shorter the better!”
1940s and 1950s Say goodbye to the one-piece suit and hello to the bikini! In the 1940s, Louis Réard first created the bikini, and westerners soon adopted the new design as non-essential production was rationed during WWII — which contributed to Americans fully embracing the new design and saying goodbye to swimwear’s unnecessary material. Men, too, ditched the unnecessary material and began to simply wear swim briefs or shorts. Wool and cotton suits quickly became a material of the past as the material, lastex, took off due to its quick dry time. This new suit, with a matching cabana shirt, was a popular look.
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