Happy Birthday Bikini

The bikini celebrates it's 60th birthday this summer and made it's debut thanks to two frenchmen introduced competing versions of the two-piece swimsuit. Initially a model couldn't even be found to wear it because it was considered much too provocative, even in France. A stripper/dancer named Micheline Bernardini put it on and it became an immediate sensation. Named for the testing of atomic bomds on the Bikini atoll in the South Pacific, the bikini has never lost its popularity and every decade has brought a different version and model to go along with it including Brigitte Bardot and Jayne Mansfield. Of course, the most celebrated bikini models can always be found the the "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit editions. The history of the bikini is extensively explored, along with some great photographs in "The Bikini Book" by Assouline ($29.95).