Editing Bikini (section)

== Variants ==
{{Main|Bikini variants}}
{{see also|Maillot|Thong}}
While the name "bikini" was at first applied only to beachwear that revealed the wearer's navel, today the fashion industry considers any two-piece swimsuit a bikini.<ref name=patton>{{cite web|last=Patton|first=Susan Ruiz|title=A Bikini Isn't The Choice Of Miss Pa. For The First Time In 77 Years, Contestants In Miss America Pageant Can Choose Their Swimwear. Heather Busin Prefers One-piece|url=https://www.mcall.com/1997/09/11/a-bikini-isnt-the-choice-of-miss-pa-for-the-first-time-in-77-years-contestants-in-miss-america-pageant-can-choose-their-swimwear-heather-busin-prefers-one-piece/|publisher=McCalls|date=September 11, 1997|access-date=August 27, 2013|archive-date=October 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013191926/http://articles.mcall.com/1997-09-11/news/3155841_1_swimsuit-competition-bikini-pageant|url-status=live}}</ref> Modern bikini fashions are characterized by a simple, brief design: two triangles of fabric that form a bra and cover the woman's [[breast]]s and a third that forms a panty cut below the navel that covers the [[groin]] and the [[intergluteal cleft]].<ref name=MMOA />

Bikinis can and have been made out of almost every possible clothing material, and the fabrics and other materials used to make bikinis are an essential element of their design.<ref name=materials>{{cite web|last=Rosebush|first=Judson|title=Materials|url=http://bikiniscience.com/costumes/bikiniology_SS/materials_S/materials.html|publisher=Bikini Science|access-date=August 15, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005005700/http://bikiniscience.com/costumes/bikiniology_SS/materials_S/materials.html|archive-date=October 5, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Modern bikinis were first made of cotton and jersey, but in the 1960s, Lycra became the common material. Alternative swimwear fabrics such as velvet, leather, and [[Crochet bikini|crocheted]] squares surfaced in the early 1970s.<ref name=MMOA />

In a single fashion show in 1985, there were two-piece suits with [[Crop top|cropped tank tops]] instead of the usual skimpy bandeaux, suits that resembled bikinis from the front and one-pieces from the back, [[Suspenders|suspender straps]], [[Ruffle (sewing)|ruffles]], and deep navel-baring cutouts.<ref>Fashion Correspondent, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20190116200814/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB29A230AE055D5&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D Swimsuits take some inspiration from the past]", ''Philadelphia Inquirer'', November 10, 1985</ref> Metal and stone jewelry pieces are now often used to dress up look and style according to tastes. To meet the fast pace of demands, some manufacturers now offer made-to-order bikinis ready in as few as seven minutes.<ref>Siobhan Morrissey, "[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PBPB&p_theme=pbpb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF84758A18E87D&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D Bikinis made in teeny-weeny time] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190116200740/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PBPB&p_theme=pbpb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF84758A18E87D&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D |date=January 16, 2019 }}, ''The Palm Beach Post'', page 1D, August 28, 1991</ref> The world's most expensive bikini was designed in February 2006 by Susan Rosen; containing {{convert|150|carat|g}} of diamond, it was valued at £20&nbsp;million.<ref name=YorkS>Jayne Dawson, "[http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/top-stories/sexy-at-60-1-2054675 Sexy at 60] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319050234/http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/top-stories/sexy-at-60-1-2054675 |date=March 19, 2015}}", ''Yorkshire Evening Post'', July 25, 2006</ref>
{{clear right}}

=== Major styles ===
There is a range of distinct bikini styles available — [[string bikini|string/tie-side bikini]]s, [[monokini]]s (topless or top and bottom connected), trikinis (three pieces instead of two), [[tankini]]s ([[Sleeveless shirt|tank top]], bikini bottom), camikinis ([[Camisole|camisole top]], bikini bottom), bandeaukinis ([[bandeau]] top, bikini bottom), skirtinis (bikini top, skirt bottom), microkinis, [[Sling swimsuit|sling bikinis]] (or suspender bikinis), [[thong]] and [[g-string]] bikinis, and teardrop bikinis.<ref name=barryJ />

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| '''[[Bandeaukini]]''' || [[File:Nice Woman at Beach - Playa Mamitas, Playa del Carmen - Quintana Roo, Mexico.jpg|frameless|168x168px]]|| {{center|—}} || A '''bandeaukini''' (alternatively called a '''bandini''')<ref>Kelly Killoren Bensimon, ''The Bikini Book'', Assouline, 2006, {{ISBN|2-84323-825-0}}</ref> is a [[bandeau]] top (no straps going over the shoulders) worn with any bikini bottom.<ref name=homan /><ref>Patricia Marx, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20090831050538/http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/08/03/090803fa_fact_marx On and Off the Avenue: Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny]", page 32, ''The New Yorker'', August 31, 2009, Volume 85, Issues 26, New Yorker Magazine Inc.</ref> It is the oldest form of bikini, with one of the earliest examples found in [[Sicily|Sicilian]] [[Villa Romana del Casale]] (dubbed the "[[Villa Romana del Casale#Athletic competition|Bikini Girls]]"), dating back to the 4th century AD.<ref name="Guttmann 1991 38"/><ref name="Villa Romana del Casale"/><ref>Whitney Friedlander, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-may-23-la-ig-0523-timeline-20100523-story.html That's why they're called 'bathing' suits], Los Angeles Times, May 23, 2010</ref><ref>[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/832 Villa Romana del Casale] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100826114556/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/832/ |date=August 26, 2010 }}, UNESCO</ref> Reintroduced, its appeal grew fast among young women,<ref>"[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=OSBB&d_place=OSBB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=10A7874FECFF1B68&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D Just chillin, This season's swimsuits boast new flirty styles, retro looks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190116200807/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=OSBB&d_place=OSBB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=10A7874FECFF1B68&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D |date=January 16, 2019 }}", ''Ocala Star-Banner'', June 1, 2005</ref> with bandeau tops edging into the sales of the classic tankini.<ref>Rena Fulka, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20190116200832/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=STRB&p_theme=strb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=11A1D63E08E5BD90&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D Seasonal style]", ''The Star'' (Tinley Park), June 14, 2007</ref>
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| '''[[Microkini]]''' || [[File:Microkini - pink.jpg|frameless|149x149px]]|| 1995 || A '''microkini''', also known as a '''micro bikini''', is an exceptionally meager bikini.{{cn|date=June 2023}} The designs for both women and men typically use only enough fabric to cover the [[genitals]] and, for women, the nipples. Some variations of the microkini use adhesive or wire to hold the fabric in place over the genitals. Microkinis keep the wearer just within legal limits of decency and fill a niche between [[nudism]] and conservative swimwear. They are often accepted in Western cultures, including in Europe and the United States; however, they are considered inappropriate in more conservative nations and/or in family settings.<ref>Mistrík, Erich, ''Pseudo-Concrete Ideals Of A Good Life'', Human Affairs (2/2008), Department of Social & Biological Communication, Slovenská Akadémia Vied, Slovakia</ref>
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| '''[[Monokini]]''' || [[File:Kindai Mahjong Swimsuit Festival 7-2 IMG 8119.jpg|frameless|150x150px]]|| 1964 || A '''monokini''' (also called '''topless swimsuit''', '''unikini''' or '''numokini''') is a women's one-piece garment equivalent to the lower half of a bikini.<ref>The Concise Oxford Dictionary (2004 ed.)</ref> The design was originally conceived by [[Rudi Gernreich]] in 1964.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bikiniscience.com/costumes/soutien-gorge_SS/topless_S/topless.html |title=Bikini Science |publisher=Bikini Science |access-date=November 12, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108023628/http://www.bikiniscience.com/costumes/soutien-gorge_SS/topless_S/topless.html |archive-date=January 8, 2010 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> An extreme version of the monokini, the thong-style '''pubikini''' (which exposed the [[pubic]] region), was also designed by Gernreich in 1985.<ref>{{cite book|title=Recent acquisitions: A Selection, 1985–1986 |editor=Ellen Shultz |date=1986 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iELIoreqozkC&pg=PA48 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art|location=New York|isbn=978-0-87099-478-4|page=48}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Stewart|first1=Elizabeth Gunther|last2=Spencer|first2=Paula|title=The V book : a doctor's guide to complete vulvovaginal health|date=2002|publisher=Bantam Books|location=New York |isbn=978-0-553-38114-6|page=104|edition=Bantam trade pbk. |quote=In 1985, designer Rudi Gernreich unveiled the "pubikini," a bathing suit meant to expose pubic hair.}}</ref> Today, monokinis usually refer to swimsuits in which the top and bottom are connected but provide coverage of the breasts as to be accepted in most western cultures.
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| '''[[Skirtini]]''' || [[File:Kneeling woman in bikini at the beach (4537254627).jpg|frameless|160px]] || {{center|—}} || The '''skirtini''', which features a bikini top and a small, skirted bottom, is also an innovation for bikini-style clothes with more coverage.<ref>Nada Manley, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20190116200802/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NJ&p_theme=nj&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=10A3138C75E6BF71&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D Beauty & the Beach: The perfect swimsuit is out there – honestly]", ''The Daytona Beach News-Journal'', March 17, 2005</ref> Two-piece swimsuits with skirt panels were popular in the US before the government ordered a 10% reduction in fabric used in woman's swimwear in 1943 as wartime rationing.<ref name="history"/> In 2011, ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' identified the skirted bikini as one of the top 10 swimwear designs of that season.<ref>Justine Picardie, ''[http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG8597324/The-Closet-Thinker-bathing-beauties.html The Closet Thinker: bathing beauties] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220124839/http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG8597324/The-Closet-Thinker-bathing-beauties.html |date=December 20, 2016 }}'', ''The Daily Telegraph'', July 3, 2011</ref>
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| '''[[Sling bikini]]''' || [[File:Elisabetta Canalis 0380.jpg|frameless|158x158px]]|| {{center|—}} || The '''sling bikini''' (also known as '''sling-kini''', '''onepiecekini''' or '''sling swimsuit''') is an unbroken suit, technically one-piece, which resembles a bikini bottom with the side straps extending upwards to cover the breasts and go over the shoulders, or encircling the neck while a second set of straps pass around the midriff (also known as '''pretzel bikini''' or ''pretzel swimsuit'').<ref name=JenPa>Jenny Pate, [http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/History-of-Swimsuits/461234 History of the swimsuit] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907051823/http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/History-of-Swimsuits/461234 |date=September 7, 2008}}, Article Dashboard</ref> Sling swimsuits emerged in the early 1990s, and were introduced into the mainstream in 1994.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120730105128/http://swimsuits.lovetoknow.com/Slingshot_Suspender_Bikini Slingshot Suspender Bikinis: A History], Love to know swimsuits, Glam Publisher Network</ref><ref>Fashion Correspondent, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20190116200756/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&s_site=miami&p_multi=MH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB4D23272FD283B&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D Itsy bitsy teenie weenie&nbsp;... trivia think swimsuits. If two-pieces and t-backs are all that come to mind&nbsp;... think again]", ''The Miami Herald'', page 1G, July 15, 1995</ref> When designed for or worn by a man, it is called a '''mankini''', popularized by [[Sacha Baron Cohen]] in the film ''[[Borat]]''.<ref>Steve Helling, "[http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20279623,00.html Cruising Tips from New Kids on the Block] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722111330/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20279623,00.html |date=July 22, 2015 }}", ''People'', May 18, 2009</ref><ref>Staff, "[https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-29704452 Blackpool Council considers 'mankini' outfit ban]", BBC, Aug 21, 2014</ref>
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| '''[[String bikini]]''' || [[File:Sunrise, Florida woman in bikini v2.jpg|frameless|145x145px]]|| 1974 || A '''string bikini''' (or a '''tie-side bikini''') gets its name from its design that consists of two triangular shaped pieces connected at the [[groin]] but not at the sides, where a thin "string" wraps around the waist tied together to connect the two parts. The structure of the side tie bottom leaves the hips bare.<ref>[https://www.biqiniz.com/blogs/glossary/side-tie-bottom-bikini-set Biqiniz Bikini Glossary] {{dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}} Know your bandeaus from your halters.</ref> The first formal presentation of string bikini was done by fashion model Brandi Perret-DuJon, for the opening of Le Petite Centre, a shopping area in the French Quarter of the [[New Orleans, Louisiana]] in 1974. String bikinis are one of the most popular variations of bikini.<ref>Valerie Steele, ''Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion'', page 121, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005, {{ISBN|0-684-31396-0}}</ref>
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| '''[[Tankini]]''' || [[File:Amy at the 2010 Run to the Sun Fashion Show in Anchorage, Alaska.jpg|frameless|100px]] || 1998 || The '''tankini''' is a swimsuit combining a [[Tank top (shirt)|tank top]] and a bikini bottom.<ref name=homan>Becky Homan, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20190116200745/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SL&p_theme=sl&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB05184B3196071&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D Tankini goes over the top]", ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', April 3, 1999</ref><ref name=Alisha>Alisha Davis, "[https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-20537767 It Rhymes With Bikini]{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}", ''Newsweek'', May 4, 1998</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/tankini |title=Tankini |publisher=oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com |access-date=March 14, 2013}}</ref> Tankinis can be made of [[spandex]]-and-cotton or [[Lycra]]-and-nylon.<ref>Anne D'Innocenzio, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20101111074727/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-27407189_ITM Big fish rule a bigger pond]", ''Women's Wear Daily'', January 24, 2000</ref> Designer [[Anne Cole]], the US swimwear mogul, was the originator of this style in 1998.<ref name=homan /><ref>Rose Apodaca Jones, "[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-10764345_ITM Five decades in the swim]", ''Women's Wear Daily'', Fairchild Publications, April 23, 2001</ref> A variation is named '''camkini''', with [[spaghetti strap]]s instead of tank-shaped straps over a bikini bottom.<ref>Kathryn Bold, "[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/16687650.html?dids=16687650:16687650&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Mar+21%2C+1996&author=KATHRYN+BOLD&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=Summer+Sizzle%3B+Top+to+Bottom%3B+Talk+about+bikini+anxiety.+Designers+for+Point+Conception+scrutinize+every+detail.&pqatl=google Summer Sizzle Top to Bottom] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019085313/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/16687650.html?dids=16687650:16687650&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Mar+21,+1996&author=KATHRYN+BOLD&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=Summer+Sizzle%3B+Top+to+Bottom%3B+Talk+about+bikini+anxiety.+Designers+for+Point+Conception+scrutinize+every+detail.&pqatl=google |date=October 19, 2012 }}", ''Los Angeles Times'', page 1, March 21, 1996</ref>
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| '''[[Trikini]]''' || [[File:ValerieSilverman. 519.jpg|frameless|100px]] || 1967 || The '''trikini''' appeared briefly in 1967, defined as "a handkerchief and two small saucers."<ref name=saf>William Safire, ''No Uncertain Terms'', page 291, Simon & Schuster, 2004, {{ISBN|0-7432-5812-6}}</ref> It reappeared in the 1990s as a bikini bottom with a stringed halter of two triangular pieces covering the breasts,<ref>David L. Gold, ''Studies in Etymology and Etiology'', page 101, Universidad de Alicante, 2009, {{ISBN|9788479085179}}</ref> and in the 2000s as a costume of three separate pieces.<ref>Associated Press, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20090113132429/http://www.theage.com.au/cgi-bin/common/popupPrintArticle.pl?path=%2Farticles%2F2004%2F06%2F28%2F1088392608125.html Free and easy]", ''The Age'' (Australia), 2004 -06-29</ref> The trikini top comes essentially in two separate parts.<ref>John Ayto, Ian Crofton & Ebenezer Cobham Brewer, ''Brewer's Dictionary of Modern Phrase & Fable'', page 78, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2006, {{ISBN|0-304-36809-1}}</ref> The name of this woman's bathing suit is formed from the word "bikini", replacing "bi-", meaning "two", with "tri-", meaning "three".<ref>Robert L. Chapman & Harold Wentworth, ''New Dictionary of American Slang'', page 446, Harper & Row, 1986, {{ISBN|0-06-181157-2}}.</ref> In a variation the three pieces are sold as part of one continuous garment.<ref>John Karl, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20090112081550/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-27747407_ITM Under cover Designers are wrapping swimsuits with stylish designs], ''Sarasota Herald Tribune'', 2000-02-08</ref>
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