Micheline Bernardini Models First Bikini

When considering beachwear, the bikini has perhaps become as ubiquitous in the modern travelers’ suitcase as a tube of toothpaste.

The bikini first appeared in 1946, created by French fashion designer Louis Réard.  His design was so daring that he evidently wound up hiring a nude dancer from the Casino de Paris as someone bold enough to wear his creation.

Although not evident in the photograph (right), the original bikini featured a g-string in the back, and according to Wikipedia sources, was such a big hit that Bernardini received over 50,000 fan letters.

Today, according to a modern consumer and retail information company, bikinis have become a business nearing $1 trillion dollars and have spun off other industries like suntan lotions, bikini waxing/trimming products, and many more.

On today’s beaches, the bikini can found adorning innocent baby girls, to hot-bodied 20-somethings, all the way to baby boomers who still have the goods and desire to show it.

A delightful feature for today’s travelers is that the bikini will take very little space in your suitcase!

We’ve had the privilege of traveling to many of the world’s finest beaches, and Mrs. Roaming Boomers somehow always has a new piece of lovely swimwear to dazzle the eyes of her  quarter-plus-century husband.

I suppose as a member of the male species, I shall be forever thankful to Mr. Réard for his bold, and shocking creation.

So, a hat tip to French fashion designer Louis Réard, and a big happy 66th birthday to the bikini.

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