Welcome to Dahlia Swimwear…We Offer the latest styles for 2008 swimwear, swimsuits, women’s swimwear, junior swimwear, swimwear separates and accessories. Treat yourself to our wide offerings of one piece swimwear and bikinis, as well as our plus size swimwear.
Dahlia Girl is designer swimwear, designer swimsuits and coordinating accessories. For 2008, we present a wide palette of colors, textures and prints in our women’s swimsuits as well as our women’s swimwear.
Dahlia Swimwear, we search for high fashion designers who offer coordinating accessories with their designer swimsuits. We also look for bathing suits that are appealing to a wide variety of interests, proportions, and ages. Our collection includes one-piece swimwear, bikinis, two-piece swimsuits, junior swimwear, swimwear separates, bikini swimsuits and coordinating apparel for women, teens, juniors, and misses.
Explore our designer swimwear silhouettes such as the many variations of the bikini, one-piece suits, swimwear separates, and the very sophisticated maillots. You can complement your new bikini swimwear, two piece swimwear, or one piece swimsuit with coordinating designer swimwear accessories. Create your fashion forward wardrobe and embellish your favorite women's swimwear or junior swimwear with a sarong, shirt, pant, and other swimwear accessories.
Two-piece garments worn by women for athletic purposes have been observed on Greek urns and paintings, dated as early as 1400 BC. Ancient artwork from over 1700 years ago in Villa Romana del Casale have depicted women in garments resembling modern-day bikinis. [1] Other bikini-style swimwear existed for many years before the first official bikini. Films of holidaymakers in Germany in the 1930s show women wearing two-piece bathing suits. They were to be seen again a year later in Gold Diggers of 1933. Two-piece swimsuits started appearing in the US when the U.S. Government ordered a 10 percent reduction in the fabric used in woman's swimwear in 1943 as part of wartime rationing. The July 9, 1945 issue of Life shows women in Paris wearing similar items.
Micheline Bernardini modeling one of the first modern bikinis.
Micheline Bernardini modeling one of the first modern bikinis.
According to the official version, the modern bikini was invented by French engineer Louis Réard and fashion designer Jacques Heim in Paris in 1946 and introduced on July 5[2] at a fashion show at Piscine Molitor in Paris. It was a string bikini with a g-string back. It was named after Bikini Atoll, the site of a nuclear weapon test called Operation Crossroads on July 1 in the Marshall Islands, on the reasoning that the burst of excitement it would cause would be like the nuclear device. Monokini, a bikini variant, derives its name, as a back formation, from bikini, interpreting the first syllable as the Latin prefix bi- "two" and substituting for it mono- "one", on the (perhaps intentionally) mistaken notion that the bi- element was the Greek prefix meaning "two".[3]
Reard's suit was a refinement of the work of Jacques Heim who, two months earlier, had introduced the "Atome" (named for its size) and advertised it as the world's "smallest bathing suit". Reard 'split the "atome"' even smaller, but could not find a model who would dare to wear his design. He ended up hiring Micheline Bernardini, a nude dancer from the Casino de Paris as his model.[4]
Catholic countries like Spain, Portugal and Italy banned the bikini. Decency leagues pressured Hollywood to keep bikinis from being featured in Hollywood movies. One writer described it as a "two piece bathing suit which reveals everything about a girl except for her mother's maiden name." Movie star Esther Williams once said: "A bikini is a thoughtless act." Brigitte Bardot helped popularize the bikini in Europe in the 1950s, but the United States took longer to adopt it. Modern Girl magazine wrote in 1957, "It is hardly necessary to waste words over the so-called bikini since it is inconceivable that any girl with tact and decency would ever wear such a thing."
In 1951 bikinis were banned from the Miss World Contest following the crowning of Miss Sweden in a bikini and subsequent protests with a number of countries threatening to withdraw. In 1957, however, Brigitte Bardot's bikini in And God Created Woman created a market for the swimwear in the US, and in 1960, Brian Hyland's pop song "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" inspired a bikini-buying spree.[5] By 1963, the movie Beach Party, starring Annette Funicello (emphatically not in a bikini, by mentor Walt Disney's personal request) and Frankie Avalon, led a wave of films that made the bikini a pop-culture symbol.
The sex appeal of the apparel prompted numerous film and television productions as much as public morals. They include the numerous surf movies of the early 1960s and the television series, Baywatch. Dr. Strangelove was among these first movies to feature a bikini in memorable scenes. The elaborately and lavishly assembled Busby Berkeley film spectacle, Footlight Parade of 1932 showcases stunning aquachoreography that profusely featured what could only be regarded as bikini swimwear.
Ursula Andress in the iconic scene from Dr. No.
Ursula Andress in the iconic scene from Dr. No.
In 1962, an icon was born as Bond Girl Ursula Andress emerged from the sea wearing a white bikini in Dr. No. Other iconic portrayals of bikinis in movies include Raquel Welch as the prehistoric cavegirl in the 1966 film One Million Years B.C., and Phoebe Cates in the 1982 teen film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. These three scenes were recently ranked 1, 86, and 84 respectively in Channel 4 (UK)'s 100 Greatest Sexy Moments in Film.[6] The Dr. No bikini scene has been quoted as one of the most memorable scenes from the British spy film series.[7] Virgin Media puts it in 9th position in its list of top ten movie bikini,[8] and the top position in the list for top ten Bond girls.[9] The Herald (Glasgow) put the scene as best ever bikini scene on the basis of a poll.[10] It also helped shape the career of Ursula Andress,[11] the look of the quintessential Bond movie.[12] According to Andress, "This bikini made me into success."[13] That white bikini has been described as a "defining moment in the sixties liberalization of screen eroticism".[14]
Ultimately the bikini caught on, due to a host of films and songs featuring the garment in the early 1960s. In Malta, bikinis took time to be introduced. In the 1960s, the police fended off Bishop Michael Gonzi's request to ban bikini clad tourists following fear of compromising Malta as a tourist destination. Malta Labour Party girls felt safe putting on bikinis during beach parties but this was unacceptable by those supporting the Nationalist Party. The lower part of the bikini was further reduced in size in the 1970s to the Brazilian thong, where the back of the suit is so thin that it disappears into the buttocks. On beaches and certain parks in Europe, the top part of the bikini is sometimes not worn.
In 1996, when the Miss World contest was held in Bangalore, a dozen Indian groups opposed the event claiming that the contest degraded women by featuring them in bikinis. Social activist Subhashini Ali commented, "It's not an IQ test. Neither is it a charity show. It's a beauty contest in which these things have been added on as sops." The protests were so intense that the organizers were finally compelled to shift the venue of the "Swimsuit Round" to Seychelles. Afghan Miss Earth 2003 contestant Vida Samadzai was severely condemned by the Afghan Supreme Court, which said, "such a display of the female body goes against Islamic law and Afghan culture."
[edit] Variants
Regular bikini
Regular bikini
Throughout its history, the bikini has spawned many stylistic variations. Topless variations may still be considered bikinis, although technically no longer two-piece swimsuits. A regular bikini (i.e. not a variant) is defined as a two pieces of garments that cover the groin and buttocks at the lower end and the breasts in the upper end. Skimpier styles have narrow sides, including V-cut (in front), French cut (with high-cut sides) and low-cut string (with string sides). Other styles include a bandeau top - a rectangular strip of fabric covering the breasts, a top with cups similar to a push-up bra, and more modest bottom pieces such as briefs, shorts, or briefs with a small skirt attached.[15]
[edit] String bikini
String bikini
String bikini
A string bikini refers to a bikini swimsuit that is scantier and more revealing than traditional bikinis. It gets its name from the string characteristics of its design. Rather than featuring a full single piece bottom, the string bikini consists of two triangular shaped pieces connected at the groin but not at the sides, where a thin "string" wraps around the waist connecting the two parts. String bikini tops are similar and are tied in place by the attached "string" pieces. String pieces can either be continuous or tied.
It is claimed that Brazilian fashion model Rose de Primo created the first string bikini when she had to sew one with insufficient fabric available to her for a photoshoot. The first formal presentation of string bikini was done by Glen Tororich, a public relations agent, and his wife Brandi Perret-DuJon, a fashion model, for the opening of Le Petite Centre, a shopping area in the French Quarter of the New Orleans, Louisiana in 1974. Inspired by a picture of a Rio De Janeiro fashion model in an issue of Women's Wear Daily, they had local fashion designer Lapin create a string bikini for the event. Models recruited by talent agent Peter Dasigner presented it by removing fur coats by Alberto Lemon on stage. The presentation was covered by local television stations and the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper, and was sent out via the wire news services of the Associated Press and United Press International.
String bikinis are one of the most popular variations of traditional bikinis.[citation needed] A string bikini or thong is also a type of undergarment worn by both men and women. It is similar to but more revealing than a bikini. Women's string bikini underwear normally resembles the bottom of the string bikini bathing suit. Men's string bikini underwear consists of a front and rear section joined at the crotch but not at the sides. The tops of each piece join with either an elastic waistband similar to that found on briefs or to a thin piece of material or "string," leaving the sides exposed except for the string or waistband.
[edit] Monokini
Monokini
Monokini
Monokini, sometimes referred to as a unikini, is a woman's one piece beach garment equivalent to the lower half of a bikini.[16] The term is used for different styles of one-piece swimsuits inspired by the bikini.
In 1964, Rudi Gernreich, an Austrian fashion designer, designed the original monokini in the US.[17] Gernreich also invented its name, and the word monokini is first recorded in English that year. Gernreich's monokini looked like a one-piece swimsuit but cut off a bit below the breasts leaving them bare. It had only two small straps over the shoulders. It was not very successful. Many women who wanted to sunbathe topless simply wore the bottom part of a bikini. Manufacturers and retailers quickly adapted to selling tops and bottoms separately. Gernreich later created the lesser known pubikini.[18]
In the 1960s, the monokini led the way into the sexual revolution by emphasizing a woman's personal freedom of dress, even when her attire was provocative and exposed more skin than had been the norm during the more conservative 1950s. Today, many monokinis are designed as the ultimate in sexy swimwear, using chains, strings, and strategic strips of fabric to join the upper and lower portions of the suit while still covering the basics of the female form. Today's styles are decidedly less racy than Gernreich's original design, but nonetheless are a revealing style of swimsuit.[19]
The term monokini is also now used to indicate any topless swimsuit,[20] particularly a bikini bottom worn without a bikini top.[21][22] In recent years, the term has come into use for topless bathing by women: where the bikini has two parts, the monokini is the lower part. Where monokinis are in use, the word bikini may jokingly refer to a two-piece outfit consisting of a monokini and a sun hat.
[edit] Microkini
Microkini
Microkini
A stick-on style of Microkini attaches with adhesive.
A stick-on style of Microkini attaches with adhesive.
A microkini is an extremely skimpy form of a bikini. The designs for both women and men typically use only enough fabric to cover the genitalia. Any additional straps are merely to keep the garment attached to the wearer's body. Some variations of the microkini use adhesive or wire to hold the fabric in place over the genitals. These designs do not require any additional side straps to keep the garment in place. The most radical variations of the microkini are simply thin straps which cover little or none of the wearer's body. The term "microkini" was coined in 1995 in an online community dedicated to enthusiasts of the extreme designs.[23][24] Microkinis fill a niche between nudism and conservative swimwear. In addition to keeping the wearer just within legal limits of decency, they have also evolved to become the ultimate in provocative sun wear.[citation needed]
The modern microkini's origins can be traced back to the early-1970's in Venice Beach, California, USA, where, after legislation was passed banning nudity there, beach regulars began making their own tiny bathing suits to comply with the new laws. The homemade suits were often little more than tiny, remnant pieces of fabric, crudely sewn together with thin twine or fishing line. Then around 1975, a local bikini shop picked up on the idea and began to make more practical styles using modern materials. Soon after, several adult film actresses began wearing the shop's suits in their films and the style began to catch on.[citation needed] Pubikini, an extreme form of microkini, is another bathing suit created by Rudi Gernreich. The pubikini is a small piece of fabric that hugs the hips and buttocks but leaves the pubic region exposed.[18]
[edit] Tankini
The tankini is a swimsuit combining a tank top and a bikini bottom of the traditional bikini that generally consists of the barest minimal fabric coverage for the top and bottoms, both are reduced to triangles of cloth connected by strings.[25] The tankini is distinguished from the classic bikini by the difference in tops, the top of the tankini essentially being a tank top. The tankini top extends downward to somewhere between just above the navel and the top of the hips. The word is a neologism combining the tank of tank top with the end of the word bikini.
This type of swimwear is considered by some to provide modesty closer to a one piece suit with the convenience of a two piece suit, e.g. the entire suit need not be removed in order to use a lavatory. Tankinis come in a variety of styles, colors and shapes, some include features such as integrated push-up bras. A tankini for pregnant women also exists, which is divided in front exposing the navel. It is named the "peekaboo tankini".
[edit] Sling bikini
The sling bikini is also known as a "suspender bikini", "suspender thong", "slingshot bikini" or just "slingshot". The slingshot is a one-piece suit which provides as little, or even less, coverage (or as much exposure) as a bikini. Usually, a slingshot resembles a bikini bottom, but rather than the straps going around the hips or waist, the side straps extend upwards to cover the breasts and go over the shoulders, leaving the entire sides of the torso uncovered, but the nipples and pubic area covered. Behind the neck, the straps join and reach down the back to become a thong.[citation needed] This style of swimsuit was infamously worn by Sacha Baron Cohen's character Borat.
[edit] Sports bikini
Sports bikini while playing Beach Volleyball
Sports bikini while playing Beach Volleyball
Female athletes who play beach volleyball professionally usually wear two-pieces. These bikinis are designed with functionality rather than fashion in mind. In 2004 Olympic Games, inclusion of bikini-clad athletes raised eyebrows, while a controversy broke out around bikini-clad cheerleaders performing at a beach volleyball match.[26][27] The costume stirred up a controversy at 2006 Asian Games at Doha, Qatar, and Iraqi team did not wear the conventional costume.[28] In 2007 South Pacific Games, players were made to wear shorts and cropped sports tops instead of bikinis.[29] In the same year, fans voted for contestants for WWE Diva contest after watching them playing beach volleyball in skimpy bikinis.[30] The popularity of Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball, a video game for Xbox, was attributed to the skimpily clad women.[31]
[edit] Bikini underwear
Bikini underwear is a type of undergarment worn by both men and women that is similar in size and revealing nature to the bottom half of a bikini bathing suit, popular among women. For women a bikini can refer to virtually any tight, skimpy, or revealing undergarment that provides less coverage to the midsection than traditional underwear, panties or knickers.
Welcome to Dahlia Swimwear…We Offer the latest styles for 2008 swimwear, swimsuits, women’s swimwear, junior swimwear, swimwear separates and accessories. Treat yourself to our wide offerings of one piece swimwear and bikinis, as well as our plus size swimwear.
Dahlia Girl is designer swimwear, designer swimsuits and coordinating accessories. For 2008, we present a wide palette of colors, textures and prints in our women’s swimsuits as well as our women’s swimwear.
Dahlia Swimwear, we search for high fashion designers who offer coordinating accessories with their designer swimsuits. We also look for bathing suits that are appealing to a wide variety of interests, proportions, and ages. Our collection includes one-piece swimwear, bikinis, two-piece swimsuits, junior swimwear, swimwear separates, bikini swimsuits and coordinating apparel for women, teens, juniors, and misses.
Explore our designer swimwear silhouettes such as the many variations of the bikini, one-piece suits, swimwear separates, and the very sophisticated maillots. You can complement your new bikini swimwear, two piece swimwear, or one piece swimsuit with coordinating designer swimwear accessories. Create your fashion forward wardrobe and embellish your favorite women's swimwear or junior swimwear with a sarong, shirt, pant, and other swimwear accessories.
Swimsuits are designed to cover at least the genitals and in most cultures women's breasts. Men's swimsuit styles are swimming trunks such as boardshorts, jammers, speedo-style briefs, thongs, g-strings or bikini. Women's swimsuits are generally either one-pieces, bikinis or thongs. The most recent innovation is the burqini, a more modest garment designed for Muslim women; it covers the whole body and head (but not face) in a manner similar to a diver's wetsuit.
The monokini, a style of swimsuit that most often takes the form of a bikini bottom without the corresponding top, leaves a woman's breasts uncovered. Monokinis are quite common in many places throughout South America[citation needed] and Europe, though due to particularly stringent taboos they are almost never seen in the United States, except in places with a strong European tourist influence. For pre-pubescent girls leaving the chest uncovered is sometimes considered acceptable.
A U.S. Marine in Jammers
A U.S. Marine in Jammers
Special swimsuits for competitive swimming, designed to reduce skin drag, can resemble unitards. For some kinds of swimming and diving, special bodysuits called diveskins are worn. These suits are made from spandex and provide little thermal protection, but they do protect the skin from stings and abrasion. Most competitive swimmers also wear special swimsuits including partial and full bodysuits, racerback styles, jammers and racing briefs to assist their glide through the water and gain speed advantages (see competitive swimwear).
Swimming without a bathing suit is a form of social nudity. Special nude beaches may be reserved for nude sunbathing and swimming. Swimming in the nude is also known by the slang term "skinny-dipping". As an alternative to a bathing suit some people use their trousers, underpants or T-shirt as a make-shift swimsuit. At beaches norms for this tend to be more relaxed than at swimming pools, which tend not to permit this because underwear is unlined, may become translucent, and may be perceived as unclean.
Swimsuits are also worn for the purpose of body display in beauty pageants. Magazines like Sports Illustrated's annual "swimsuit issue" feature models and sports personalities in swimsuits.
[edit] Women's swimsuits
Girls wearing one piece swimsuits.
Girls wearing one piece swimsuits.
[edit] One-piece swimsuits
* Tank suit, leotard or simply one-piece: Probably the most common form of one-piece swimsuit, the tank suit form is inspiration for the subsequent creation of the tank top as a mainstream article of clothing. The name "tank suit" is derived from the term "swimming tank", an obsolete term for what is now called a swimming pool.
* Monokini: a term used for different styles of one-piece swimsuits inspired by the bikini style. Most commonly, a monokini is a bikini bottom without the corresponding top, worn by women, that leaves the breasts bare. Sling bikinis are sometimes, though not often, referred to as monokinis.
* Thong swimsuit: One-piece swimsuit with thong back, buttocks exposed, otherwise ordinary
A woman in bikini
A woman in bikini
* Sling bikini: also known as a "suspender bikini", "suspender thong", "slingshot bikini" or just "slingshot". The slingshot is a one-piece suit which provides as little, or even less, coverage (or as much exposure) as a bikini. Usually, a slingshot resembles a bikini bottom, but rather than the straps going around the hips or waist, the side straps extend upwards to cover the breasts and go over the shoulders, leaving the entire sides of the torso uncovered, but the nipples and pubic area covered. Behind the neck, the straps join and reach down the back to become a thong.[citation needed]
* Pretzel suit: a one-piece suit similar to a sling bikini, but the straps encircle the torso around the bottom of the ribcage, forming a very high-sided bikini bottom; instead of the straps passing over the neck and down the back, they simply encircle the neck, joining the straps which pass around the midriff.
[edit] Two-piece swimsuits
* Bikini.
o Thong, T-back or G-string.
o Tankini: A tank top combined with a bikini bottom.
* Stringbodys, halter-necks, maillots and plunge fronts.
[edit] Swimsuit for Muslim women
Rimma Bawazier, Indonesian model in Muslim swimsuit
Rimma Bawazier, Indonesian model in Muslim swimsuit
These are an updated version of full-body swimwear, which has been available for centuries, but complies with Islam's traditional emphasis on modest dress. They are also increasingly stylish, such as incorporating intricate sequin designs with miniskirts that go over long pants. Indonesia based ZEHBA is one of the key players in the Muslim identity apparel industry while they are increasingly popular in Turkey, Malaysia, US, Australasia and Europe.
* Burqini: Designed by Lebanese Australian Aheda Zanetti for Muslim women, the suit covers enough to preserve Muslim modesty, but is light enough to enable swimming. The name "burqini" is a portmanteau of burqa and bikini.
In Egypt, the term "Sharia swimsuit" is used to describe full-body swimwear.[1]
[edit] Men's swimsuits or Swimming trunks
A boy wearing boardshorts
A boy wearing boardshorts
* Briefs: The style varies from a speedo to thongs or g-string.
* Thong (clothing): Style varies with pouch design, materials, colors and back (including Y-back, V-back and T-back variations).
* G-string: Minimum coverage front and back.
* Boardshorts: The length goes down to the knees. Most French swimming pools forbid these for sanitary reasons.
* Jammers: a type of men's swimwear worn primarily by competitive athletes to obtain speed advantages. They are made of nylon and lycra/spandex material and have a form fitting design to reduce water resistance. They provide moderate coverage from the mid-waist to the area above the knee, somewhat resembling compression shorts worn by many athletes. They provide greater leg coverage than speedos or competitive briefs, although they also have slightly more water resistance.
[edit] Competitive Swimwear
Unlike regular swimsuits, which are designed mainly for the physical appearances, competitive swimwear is manufactured for the purpose of aiding athletes in swim competitions. They reduce friction and drag in the water, increasing the efficiency of the swimmer's forward motion. The tight fits allow for easy movement and are said to reduce muscle vibration, [2] thus reducing drag.
[edit] Relation to Science
Engineers are greatly involved in the development of competitive swimsuits. It is as of late (in the year 2000 approximately) that in effort to improve the effectiveness of the swimsuits, engineers have taken to designing them to replicate the skin of sea based animals, sharks in particular. [3]
Newton’s third law, the law of Reciprocal Actions, states that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction and it explains the terms “applied force” and “friction force” –also known as drag/resistance. The applied force is the forward motion that the swimmer creates when swimming, and the friction force (in this case, it’s the water resistance) is the force pushing against the swimmer backwards. These swim suits are created in order to make water resistance as minimal as possible and thus allowing a swimmer to move more efficiently in water. The company Speedo for example, came out with a swimsuit called “Fastskin”. It was discovered by scientists studying sharkskin that human skin is inadequate at “slicing” the water because of its porous design. [4] Sharkskin is made of scales spaced very closely together called dermal denticles. It is the grooves in between the scales that produce drag resistant skin. [5] The ridges allow water to pass around the shark more efficiently.
