Swimsuits have come quite a long way over the years. What started as a bathing costume evolved to cover less and less skin until they arrived at what they are today. A wide range of styles with a wide range of influences. While the retro looks have stuck around somewhat, or in some cases come back into serious vogue, it’s still interesting to look at where things came from.
A recent video made by Mode shows 100 years of swimsuits, from 1916 to today. The suits were all done using body paint by expert painter Allison Pynn, and the transformation is quite striking. Each suit took an hour and a half to paint on, for more than ten hours of labor distilled into a three-minute video debuting on Elle.
Things really kick off in 1936 when the swimsuit is split into two pieces, but become distinctly modern in 1946 with the invention of the bikini. Other iconic looks include the yellow polka dot bikini of 1966, the Baywatch red one piece in 1996, and 2016’s bondage-inspired look.
Watch below.
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