In the dead of winter, 1950, a Los Angeles fashion designer named Rose Marie Reid–already known for designing the beachwear of stars such as Marilyn Monroe–patented a one-piece bathing suit ...

By the 1950s, two piece suits were commonplace. Essentially glorified lingerie, they created the same coveted hourglass figure as the decade’s restricting shape wear. “You start to get the ...

“You start to see cutaway swimsuits – they cut away the sides at the top – and they start adding various revealing elements.” By the 1950s, two piece suits were commonplace.