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July 5, 1946. The bikini is born

Overseas, the scanty clothing causes a real shock, because it was too scandalous for the tastes of virtuous American women

Jul 5, 2026 04:12 2

July 5, 1946. The bikini is born  - 1

On July 5, 1946, Louis Rear presented the first bikini during Paris Fashion Week.

The 19-year-old beauty Micheline Bernardini walks the first bikini at a swimsuit show in one of the swimming pools.

Dozens of correspondents cover the fashion show. Overseas, the scanty clothing causes a real shock, because it was too scandalous for the tastes of virtuous American women.

At the same time, in the following months, Micheline receives over 50,000 letters from admirers.

A curious fact is that she is not a professional model. Bernardini was a stripper at the “Casino de Paris”, but at the time she was also the only lady who responded to Rear's offer to present the swimsuits he had invented.