Going to the beach wearing a bikini is something almost all of us takes for granted in 21st century. However, two-piece bathing suits are something relatively new. Check below the evolution of swimsuits.

Ancient Rome: In the 4th century, the Villa Roma de Casale in Sicily was decorated with the a representation of women wearing two-pieces bathing suits.

Mid-1800s: Women wore heavy long dress that covered legs that disabled them from swimming.

1900s: Women bathing suits’ length became shorter, being popular to use knee-length skirts with stockings.

1920s: Was the birth of the one-piece bathing suit or maillot. Yet, it kept covering part of the thighs.

1930s: Romper suits were the thing and knee-length bathing dresses were out of fashion.

1940s: Women started wearing two-pieces swimsuits due to the idolization of the hourglass figure. The bikini was born in 1946, by French designer Louis Reard, bearing much less fabric – he was inspired to name his two-piece swimsuit after Bikini Atoll in the Pacific, where the U.S. had tested the atomic bomb.

However, women were reluctant to wear such swimming suit and show so much skin. Some countries, like Belgium, Italy, Spain, even banned bikinis and in the USA it kept a taboo, even though french movies were already featuring it.

1960s: Bikinis became mainstream accompanied by softer, skimpier tops with skinnier straps.

1980s: Sporty styles became popular, special due to the red one-pieces worn by the Baywatch.

1990s: Two-piece swimsuits were already mainstream: risky cuts, big cleavages and all kinds of prints and colors.

2000s: It was the rise of sporty triangle tops, as well as the rise of mix-and-match, allowing women to individualize their looks.