Belltown Messenger

Tis summer and we salute the bikini, celebrating its sixtieth birthday this year. It was invented In Paris in 1946 by automotive engineer Louis Reard, who was running his mother's lingerie business at the time. He named his atom-sized, two-piece swimsuit creation for the atomic test site Bikini Atoll. In the expanse of six decades these partnering pieces of midriff-baring equipment have been everywhere. They've beach blanket bingo-ed. They've reached French heights and returned. They've been filmed. They've been striped, belted, beaded and adorned. They've been killed. They've shrunk. They've been redesigned, redeveloped and worn out. Yet they flourish. Who can say they've never had some interest in a bikini-fitting into one, or getting into one, having the balls to wear one, or whatever (enough bikini waxing). And now, they've infiltrated their way onto the streets. What is hotter under a dress or summer top? What about paired with a backless, blousy evening top, or under a light summer jacket for daywear? A little bikini sticking out gives a lot to the imagination to work with. (I can see you thinking about it right now. Pull out a top and try, someone will notice. "Where have you been?") The teeny-weeny-itsey-bitsy-bikini is still a beach staple, no doubt about it. But it lives a double life. Try it and explore.

There is still time to see live fashion. The third annual Fashion First catwalk show is Aug. 3 at the Premier, 1700 1st Ave. S. The event, held in Belltown the previous two years, showcases fresh styles from the runway and local, independent fashion boutiques. It includes over 20 boutiques debuting the hottest threads for fall. The event is also a fundraiser for the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Tickets through TicketsWest or at the door. And Aug. 5 is the Messenger's first annual Dog Fashion Show in Regrade Park, Third and Bell. Fashion: experience it live!

Tiny Two-Piece Timeline

1946: The bikini is born! In Paris, automotive engineer Louis Reard, who is running his mother's lingerie business, names his atom-sized, two-piece swimsuit for the test site Bikini Atoll. It didn't make too big a splash at the time.

1951: Bikinis, perhaps seen as an unfair advantage to the wearer (and as "potentially dangerous to the health of some judges"), are banned from beauty pageants after the Miss World Contest. They're also nixed from television-bearing navel is ooh too lewd-only for French and kinky people. The tasteful one-piece reigns!

1957: Brigitte Bardot sports a sizzling model in And God Created Woman, creating a hot market for the swimwear. Around the same time, Hollywood markets 3D glasses in theaters.

1960: The release of Brian Hyland's song "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" triggers a bikini-buying spree among American teens, the rebellion begins.

1963: Ex-Mouseketeer Annette Funicello's curves challenge in the bikini in Beach Party, with Frankie Avalon. The experiment yields six sequels, including 1966's How to Stuff a Wild Bikini. (No special effects were used in the making of this film.)

1964: Designer Rudi Gernreich takes it a little too far when he turns the "bi" into "mono." The Vatican officially denounces the topless garb, even on the Mediterranean. Savvy Gernreich sells more than 3,000 suits in Europe, in less than a season. Coincidentally more Americans hop the pond.

1966: In One Million Years B.C., comely cavegirl Raquel Welch's fur bikini catapults both superstardom, despite mixed reviews of the saggy screen saga. 1970s: Designers in Rio and St. Tropez create the Tanga suit-also called "the thong," "string bikini" or "dental floss." The non-comfort-based design, built for maximum exposure within legal confines, eventually becomes the standard equipment for pole dancers, muscle car magazines, teen posters, and boxing ring girls parading numbers. (Don't forget the Hustler cover shot of a model wearing a tiny bikini bottom, that exposed a few wisps of nether hair, plunging the world into chaos.)

1983: Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia wears an ornate version of the bikini (studded collar optional) in Return of the Jedi. Even Yoda notices. The film is the most successful of the George Lucas trilogy-is it bikinis or inflation? 1990s: There was a sad moment when the hugging halter-top design-a boob-flattener, flattering on no one and making the wearer appear more manly-becomes the rage, thanks to flavor-of-the-month volleyball queen Gabrielle Reece and MTV.

FUTURE: More "street-kinis": bikinis tops (not tube tops) that can been worn as a short, under a shirt or how ever, not necessarily to the beach. More availability of larger-than-life starlet suits. Think super-shiny Barbarella and Ursula Andress as Honeychile Rider in Dr. No; think hip holsters and hunting knives.