It’s that time of year again (well, almost)!

Bikini season! I love bikinis and have a fascination with fashion AND the 1960’s so I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the bikini/ swimwear fashions from that groovy era.

In the 60’s it was all about the bikini, the tan and beach parties. (No, I wasn’t around back then, bitches, heh.) No one worried about skin cancer or sunblock, in fact, women were more worried about their hair getting wet than aging skin.

Here are some of the fashions that paved the way for the bikinis of the present and future:

The 1960’s proved to be a huge decade for women to “own” their sexuality. Until then pants were frowned upon, bikinis were risque and pleasing your husband was your life’s ambition. The bikini was symbolic of women’s sexual freedom coming into fruition.

The 1960’s tan: Tanning lamps were becoming all the rage and I doubt eyewear or safety came much into play. Everyone smelled of tanning butter and tan lines were HOT. Some women looking for that perfect bronzed skin opted for self-tanning cream instead, Coppertone’s ‘QT’, which left you looking like an orange, streaky mess of a Lohan.

Swimcaps were all the rage in the early to mid 60’s but by the late 60’s a full head of flowing hair was the perfect topper on a hottie with a golden Coppertone tan and baring bikini.

No, the monokini was not invented in 2008, bitches.

Bikinis of the future were bizarre and hardly beach friendly. Far left: “The bikini of the year 2000″ included a silver cape used as a sun reflector and a plastic entrapment around your head which most likely would cook your head to a nice palatable medium-well. Middle: Are you a little chilly when you get out of the ocean water? No problem! Take along your battery powered warming jacket to get rid of the shivers. Just stay away from the water with it on! Right: This futuristic bathing suit includes a bizarre beach helmet that Marvin the Martian would mock.

Hot bikini babes of recent, as well bikini fashion designers, are still be inspired by the bikini fashions of the 1960’s. It was a bikini world back then. The music was beach inspired, as were the movies, and all because of a little thing called the bikini.