Although the bikini has long reigned supreme as the height of “beach appeal” in mainstream media, the one-piece still quietly remains the most popular suit option among swimsuit shoppers. In the past couple years, the one-piece has had an emerging moment as the new understated queen of swimwear. If you’re still unconvinced of how fabulous the one-piece suit actually is, here are some excellent facts to change your mind.
- Swimming pools used to be commonly called “swimming tanks”, hence why a one-piece might be called a “tank suit” or have a “tank top.”
- Australian swimmer, actress, and boss lady Annette Kellerman was arrested in 1907 for wearing a one-piece swimming suit. The “figure suit” she invented, an early-one piece bathing suit that completely challenged conservative Victorian bathing dress at the time, was designed with comfort and freedom of movement in mind.
- An antiquated term for a one-piece is a “maillot”. It’s derived from a French word for “swaddling clothes” and typically used in the fashion industry — oh la la.
- The 1920s and 1930s brought in an era of experimenting with style with bathing suits, which has only blown up in popularity today. Thousands of styles are available in one-piece suits today, ranging from simple to sultry.
- Fashionistas and successful moms Chrissy Teigen and Kourtney Kardashian have been absolutely loving one-piece styles lately as they work on their ‘post-baby bodies’ and want more ease and comfort mixed in with cute styles.
- Lebanese-Australian designer Aheda Zanetti developed the “burqini” in 2007, a swimsuit for women who wear coverings such as hijab or burqa and wanted to maintain their preferred dressing choices comfortably even when swimming. The invention of the burqini sparked a conversation about accommodating different women’s athletic clothing as high up as the Olympics.
- Ever since the classic show Baywatch aired from 1989 to 2001 and was rebooted as a movie in 2017, the iconic red one-piece suit that the Baywatch Babes don has stayed a staple of fashion culture.
- In the Barbie doll’s 1959 debut, her outfit was a stylin’ black-and-white striped one-piece swimsuit.
Do you need any more proof that the one-piece is anything but a prude-y plain swim option? Always full of class and charm, there is a one-piece style for absolutely everyone out there. Go find yours for your next beach trip or pool lounge!
Love one pieces. Just got to find a new cute one