Bikini's are back: Iconic inspiration from the two-piece queens
Bikini's are back! From Brigitte Bardot at Cannes in an itsy bitsy polka dot bikini to modern day swimwear icons, see how the swimwear style staple has evolved over the years (and get some retro bikini inspiration in the process)...
Rex FeaturesThe first split bathing suit was introduced by Carl Janzten in 1913 to enhance women's performance in the Olympics. Not a bikini, per se, but revealing enough to cause a stir. 1920s film stars like Claudette Colbert wore swimwear that revealed just a slither of flesh like so...
Rex FeaturesPin-up Lana Turner shows a glimpse of her two-piece in 1946.
Getty Images/WeegeeIn 1946, fur designer Jacques Heim, debuted the world's smallest swimsuit - and crowns in 'The Atome'...
Getty Images...then Louis Réard, a Parisian engineer steals Heim's thunder and 'officially' creates the 'Bikini Atoll'. So scandalous was the design that he had to hire a nude dancer Micheline Bernardini to model it. The string bikini exposed a shocking 30 inches of the backside.
Rex FeaturesProtesters in Catholic countries try to ban the bikini on the beaches, but the suit's popularity prevailed - here's Joan Collins (yes, THAT Joan Collins) modelling one.
Rex FeaturesThe bikini was perfect for the pin-up era - and high-waisted styles like this modelled by Rita Hayworth flashed just enough flesh to be acceptable in the golden age of Hollywood.
Rex FeaturesStars like Ava Gardner helped advance the bikini in America when it was considered too 'scandalous' - although these styles were far more modest than those first French bikinis modelled at a poolside fashion show.
Rex FeaturesCarmen Miranda goes for head-to-toe leopard in 1948.
Getty ImagesActress Ann Sheridan poses poolside with a soft drink in a floral bikini.
Rex FeaturesPuerto Rican actress Rita Moreno (star of West Side Story) models a ruffled, halter neck style in 1955 for MGM.
Getty ImagesActress Ava Gardner teams her bikini top with a swimwear skirt.
Getty ImagesActress Barbra Stanwyck in a cute blue two-piece.
Getty ImagesA woman in Germany in the 1950s in a more modest swimsuit.
Getty Images/Weegee1950s Pin up Bettie Page opts for the more European revealing style of bikini in this photoshoot.
Rex FeaturesIn 1957, the bikini really hits the big time when Brigitte Bardot was snapped on the shores of every beach at Cannes wearing a bikini.
Rex FeaturesUS stars like Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe follow suit and are were snapped wearing bikinis on the beach. .
Getty ImagesMarilyn Monroe was frequently snapped looking glamorous in a bikini. We love this candid shot of her in a polka dot two piece.
Rex FeaturesBrian Hyland's single Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, about a girl too shy to wear a revealing bikini on the beach, is a huge hit worldwide in 1960. The song's popularity is credited with a huge rise in bikini sales and acceptance of the two piece swimsuit in society.
Rex FeaturesIn 1962, Stanley Kubrick's film about the controversial novel Lolita featured this bikini scene with the then 14-year-old Sally Lyon.
Rex FeaturesAudrey Hepburn relaxes on a beach in a more tomboyish take on the bikini. Towelling designs like this proved popular during the 1960s and 70s.
Rex FeaturesNatalie Wood wore a striped chevron bikini for her starring role in the film Penelope.
Rex FeaturesOne of the most famous bikini scenes ever on film was this shot of Ursula Andress emerging from the water in Bond film Dr No.
Rex FeaturesAnother iconic bikini scene on film - Raquel Welch in a primitive two-piece in the 1966 sci fi movie One Million Years BC.
Rex FeaturesIn the late 1960s, Goldie Hawn frequently appeared on sketch show Rowan & Martin's Laugh In in a bikini teamed with body paint.
Rex FeaturesBy the 1970s, all kinds of bikini style were available, from crochet triangle bikinis, to loud push-up patterned styles, as seen on Bonnie and Clyde star Faye Dunaway.
Rex FeaturesBond girl Mary Goodnight, played by Britt Ekland also wowed in a bikini in the 1974 film The Man With The Golden Gun - here she is modelling a fur design (not really fit for the beach).
Rex FeaturesYSL brought the bikini to the catwalk in the 1970s with this ruffled, gypsy-inspired design.
Rex FeaturesThe [/i]Charlie's Angels[/i] TV series, which kicked off in 1976, frequently showed the girls fighting crime in a two piece.
Rex FeaturesIn the 1980s, fitness-inspired one-pieces in lycra and sportier shapes became popular - here's Yasmin Le Bon modelling an acid yellow number.
Rex FeaturesBut the 1980s also heralded the arrival of the G-string. This ultra-revealing two-piece came from the beaches of Brazil.
Rex FeaturesPhoebe Cates's swimsuit scene in 1983's Fast Times At Ridgemont High became iconic - and fuelled the imaginations of teenage boys everywhere.
Rex FeaturesHigh-waisted, high-leg bikinis were a 1990s swimwear staple - here's Elle Macpherson in a a nautical style on the nineties catwalk.
Rex FeaturesIn the early 1990s, shots of Princess Diana on the beach/aboard a yacht provided ample bikini inspiration.
PA PhotosIn 1994, the bikini (controversially) became the uniform of choice for Volleyball athletes in the Olympics.
Rex FeaturesTeeny triangle bikinis gained popularity as the decade progressed - and supermodels like Naomi Campbell set beach trends on the catwalk.
Rex Features90s minimalism, bikini style - as modelled by a young Kate Moss on the catwalk.
Rex FeaturesDenise Van Outen wears a bikini to a fashion show during the 'ladette' heydey during the 1990s.
Rex FeaturesGiselle ushered in a new age of Brazilian supermodels during the early 2000s - here she models a minimalist bandeau bikini with boy shorts.
Rex FeaturesIn 2001, Britney made headlines when she performed at the MTV Awards in this jewelled bikini - with a snake as an accessory.
Rex FeaturesGwen Stefani's trademark in the early noughties was to wear a bikini as outerwear - and with that washboard stomach, we can see why.
Rex FeaturesIn 2002, Kate Middleton modelled this revealing dress with a bikini underneath on the catwalk at a student fashion show - it was supposedly the first time her future husband clapped eyes on her.
Rex Features2002 saw Halle Berry recreate Ursula Andress's iconic bikini scene from Dr No in Die Another Day.
Rex FeaturesIn 2003 (10 years ago!) Demi Moore staged a career comeback in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle in this bikini scene.
Rex FeaturesPap shots of celebrities on the beach mean that Hollywood often becomes the port of call for bikini inspiration. Here's Mariah Carey in the ever-popular string bikini.
Rex FeaturesBy the late noughties, the bikini has become a mainstay on the catwalk - there's even Miami Swim Week, devoted to showcasing new bikinis and one-pieces on the runway every year.
Rex FeaturesVictoria's Secret branch out from lingerie and launch swimwear - meaning their 'Angels' become our new bikini style icons.
Rex FeaturesThe Sports Illustrated swimwear cover - featuring a model clad in, well, swimwear, becomes an annual event stateside, catapulting cover stars like Kate Upton into the modelling stratosphere. Since then she's graced two Vogue covers and modelled on the catwalk.
Rex FeaturesDespite the rise of the one-piece as the noughties end, the bikini still remains king for the A-List - especially when on a yacht, a la Kate Moss.
Bigpicturesphoto.comKaty Perry wears a cute ruffled style bikini in 2011.
Splash NewsRosie Huntington-Whiteley in an itsy witsy teeny weeny Missoni two-piece.
Splash NewsSelena Gomez wears a sweet bow-tie bikini on a beach in 2012.
Beyonce, a modern-day bikini icon, shows off her incredible post-baby bikini body as the face of H&M in 2013.
