Retro Swimwear Styles
Instructions: From modest one-pieces to the daring bikini, how well do you remember vintage swimwear fashion?
- 1.
Which daring two-piece swimsuit, named after a nuclear test site, caused a sensation when it debuted in 1946?
ATankiniBMonokiniCBikiniDBandeau - 2.
Which 1960s movie star helped popularize the bikini in America when she emerged from the ocean in 'Dr. No' (1962)?
ABrigitte BardotBAnnette FunicelloCUrsula AndressDRaquel Welch - 3.
What type of modest swimsuit, featuring a skirted bottom, was the standard women's bathing suit in the late 1940s and 1950s?
ABoy shorts swimsuitBSkirted one-pieceCSwim dressDTankini - 4.
Which company's swimwear brand, featuring a figure of a woman diving, was the dominant swimsuit maker of the 1940s and 1950s?
ASpeedoBCatalina SwimwearCRose Marie ReidDJantzen - 5.
What fabric revolutionized swimwear in the 1960s, allowing for more form-fitting and quick-drying suits?
ANylonBLycra/SpandexCPolyesterDRayon - 6.
Which 1950s and 1960s beach movie star was known for always wearing a modest one-piece swimsuit, even as bikinis gained popularity?
ASandra DeeBAnnette FunicelloCGidgetDTuesday Weld - 7.
What type of men's swimsuit, featuring short trunks with an elastic waistband, replaced longer board shorts in the 1950s?
ACabana setsBSpeedo briefsCBoxer-style trunksDSwim briefs - 8.
What swimming accessory, made of rubber with chin straps and often decorated with flowers, was essential for women in the 1950s?
ARubber swim capBNose clipCSwim gogglesDEar plugs - 9.
What matching men's swimwear set, featuring a Hawaiian-print shirt with matching trunks, was popular in the 1950s and 1960s?
ABeach setBResort wearCCabana setDSurf set - 10.
Which French actress helped make the bikini fashionable in Europe when she wore one in the 1953 film 'The Girl in the Bikini'?
ABrigitte BardotBCatherine DeneuveCSimone SignoretDJeanne Moreau - 11.
What style of women's one-piece swimsuit, featuring a strapless top held up by boning, was popular in the 1950s?
AHalter swimsuitBTube swimsuitCBandeau swimsuitDStrapless maillot - 12.
What garment did women commonly wear over their swimsuits while walking to and from the beach in the 1950s?
ASundressBSarongCTowel wrapDBeach cover-up or robe - 13.
In which decade did the string bikini become mainstream beach fashion in America?
A1960sB1980sC1990sD1970s - 14.
What high-cut leg style dominated women's one-piece swimsuits in the 1980s?
ALow-cut French styleBBoy-short cutCHigh-cut thighDSkirted bottom - 15.
What was the name for the elegant poolside coat-dress that women wore over their swimsuits at resort hotels in the 1960s?
AResort wrapBBeach pajamasCCabana dressDPool dress
Answer Key
The bikini was introduced by French designer Louis Reard in 1946 and named after the Bikini Atoll nuclear test site, suggesting it would be equally explosive.
Ursula Andress's iconic emergence from the sea in a white bikini in the 1962 James Bond film 'Dr. No' is credited with popularizing the bikini in America.
Skirted one-piece swimsuits were the modest, fashionable choice for most women in the late 1940s and 1950s, featuring a small skirt to cover the upper thighs.
Jantzen, with its iconic 'Red Diving Girl' logo, was one of the leading swimsuit manufacturers in America from the 1920s through the 1960s.
Lycra (spandex), invented by DuPont in 1958, revolutionized swimwear with its stretch and recovery properties, enabling sleeker, more form-fitting swimsuits.
Annette Funicello, star of the Beach Party movies, wore one-piece swimsuits at Walt Disney's request, maintaining her wholesome image.
Boxer-style swim trunks with elastic waistbands became the standard men's swimwear in the 1950s, replacing the fuller, longer styles of previous decades.
Rubber swim caps, often elaborately decorated with rubber flowers and petals, were essential for women to protect their hairdos while swimming in the 1950s and 1960s.
Cabana sets, consisting of a matching short-sleeved shirt and swim trunks in coordinating prints, were a popular men's poolside fashion in the 1950s and 1960s.
Brigitte Bardot wore bikinis in several films in the 1950s, helping to make them fashionable and acceptable across Europe before they became popular in America.
The strapless maillot, constructed with internal boning to stay up without straps, was a glamorous poolside choice for women in the 1950s.
Terry cloth beach robes and cover-ups were standard beachwear etiquette in the 1950s, worn over swimsuits for modesty when not actually swimming.
The string bikini became mainstream American beachwear in the 1970s, with even smaller and more revealing designs becoming acceptable.
The 1980s brought extremely high-cut leg openings on one-piece swimsuits, creating the illusion of longer legs and becoming the decade's signature swimwear look.
Cabana dresses were stylish poolside garments worn at resort hotels and country clubs in the 1960s, allowing women to look fashionable between swims.