The Evolution of Swimwear

Introduction

Swimwear is the term used for garments designated for swimming and beach wear. It has gradually evolved over the years from the bulky garments used to completely cover the body into the selection of brief pieces of fabric arranged to expose as much as possible of the body.

Finding the right sort of swimwear is not always that easy especially if you do not have a large budget. There is an enormous variety of body sizes and shapes for both men and women and correspondingly there are an enormous variety of outfits ranging from the very cheap to the very expensive.

Fashion Dictates

If it was just a case of having a bathing costume to wear when going swimming and replacing it when it had worn out, life would be relatively easy. But there is the matter of fashion. Every year the designers come up with a different style so that the previous year’s model suddenly looks old fashioned and we feel compelled to buy a new one. As purchasers we are confronted with one piece swimsuits, two piece swimwear, some with long tops, some with skimpy tops, high leg cut, high waist cut, different cup sizes, in a variety of fabrics, colours, patterns, two tone and so on. The choice is endless.

History of Swimwear

The earliest recorded bathing costume was in 350 BC in Greece which was a toga-like garment for bathing. During the 18th century people visited spa resorts for their health where they spent time in the spa waters. Naturally they needed something proper to wear, other than their day clothes, when they were engaged in public bathing. Later the recreation of beach bathing demanded a specially made outfit to maintain decorum and decency, so the bathing suit was developed.

Initially the swimwear was rather like ordinary daywear, and the dresses worn by the women sometimes had lead weights sewn into the hems to prevent the skirts from floating up. As the expansion of the railways enabled the masses to spend time at the seaside a more practical type of outfit was required. By the early 1900′s the swimsuit consisted of bloomers with black stocking and shoes, and the top was like a jacket belted at the waist. Swimming was considered suitable for men, while women were assisted into the water for a short dip.

Over the century attitudes changed and swimming became an Olympic sport for both men and women. Gradually the swimming costume changed to adopt short capped sleeves and more ankle was exposed beneath the bloomers. As women became more active in the water the swimming costume needed to be less cumbersome so the neckline was lowered and the tops became sleeveless. Eventually the Princess cut was introduced which consisted of the trousers attached to a blouse in one piece.

In 1909 Annette Kellerman, the Australian swimmer, film star and author, went down in history as being the first woman to ever wear a one piece swimsuit, the only person to get arrested for indecency wearing ladies swimwear! However, by 1910 “Annette Kellermans” became the new accepted ladies swimwear.

From then on the swimsuits became lighter and briefer. By the 1920′s the women wore figure hugging tank suits made from wool Jersey and by 1928 they had evolved into the swimsuit we would recognise today. In the 1930′s cotton was introduced for bathing suits sometimes with little overskirts to hide bulky thighs, but film stars wore fashionable figure hugging costumes with higher cut legs sealing the fate of the fashionable swimwear.

The corset manufacturers in the 1940′s saw that women with less than perfect figures needed swimsuits to hide or control the bulges, so seeing a gap in the market they produced costumes which had control panels for the tummy and bra cups and bones to give support to the bust. Using the techniques applied in corset making they introduced the stretch factor to bathing costumes so that they were more flattering than ever before.

With the development of modern fabrics, Nylon and Lycra became the fabric of choice for swimwear because of their stretch properties. This meant that the costume could be pulled on without openings or fastenings and gave a firmer cleaner line to the figure. Women continued to wear all in one swimsuits until the 1950′s when the bikini became popular.

Leisure Swimming or Sunbathing

Although certain garments are called swimwear, in fact some never get near the water. They are solely for sunbathing which usually means they are as small as possible, just barely covering the essential bits so that the skin gets maximum exposure to the sun and such a design would be classed as a bikini.

Two Piece or Bikinis

Over two thousand years ago early mosaics and pottery from Greece depict what in fact looks like an early version of a bikini. These garments were used by women performers and acrobats and were in two pieces to cover the breasts and the lower part of the body, much like the current style of Bandeau tops. Modern day runners and athletes wear something very similar when competing. Paula Radcliffe when running the Marathon last year, wore a garment almost identical to those worn thousands of years ago!!

The bikini resembles women’s underwear and has been described as a scanty two piece bathing suit. The lower part may be two small triangles attached together with a string tie at either side, or even a thong. The upper part may also be two small triangles attached together with a string tie but arranged in a slightly different order. Louis Reard patented the modern version of the bikini in 1946; his design was similar to the skimpy string 1970′s bikini and it shocked the world when it appeared on French beaches in 1947.

The very first bikini shown in the cinema was in the Bond film Dr No when Ursula Andress rises out of the sea in a white bikini. This created the iconic Bond girl and made her world famous. When being interviewed on television recently she revealed that the bikini had been constructed out of a bra covered with the fabric to give her the required lift of the bosom. This actual bikini sold at auction for £35,000 in 2001.

The pinnacle of the fashion for getting a great tan was in the 1980′s and 90′s and by this time swimwear bikinis had reduced in size accordingly.

Ultimately the top part of the bikini was abandoned altogether when topless sunbathing became the norm in some countries and the bottom was just a G-string or thong also called a Tanga. Oliver Saillard the fashion journalist states that the bikini is the most popular female beachwear in the world, and that the emancipation of swimwear is linked to the emancipation of women.

In the 1950′s there was a popular song entitled ‘In My little Itsy Bitsy Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’ that indicated the acceptance of the new style of swimwear. I remember my cousin persuading me to try on a bikini and I felt very exposed but she said how fantastic I looked in it because I was so slim.

Although the bikini is now an acceptable garment whatever the size, the one piece swimsuit is still the best for serious swimmers. Some firms are well known for their skill at making swimwear and make all the garments for the Olympic team and other swimming competitions. Now swimwear is available in a wide range of bust sizes and the more expensive makes have control panels for the stomach combined with clever styling to create a good silhouette. Combined with a matching sarong, older ladies may feel more comfortable when walking around the beach area.

Helen Mirren was photographed on holiday in her substantial bikini last summer with the caption commenting on how good she looked for her age and that particular bikini was snapped up from the stores within days. Perhaps the buyers believed that they could look as good as Helen Mirren in a bikini if they had the same one.

Leg Line

Some two piece bathing suits are cut so that the waist is high and the related leg line is also cut high. I believe the aim is to make the wearer look as though her legs are much longer than they are. However if you have less than the perfect shape for this style it can emphasise large hips so it’s not for all women.

Another fashion style is the tankini where the bottoms look like little shorts and shows the lower curve of the bottom, which is fine if you are young with a nice pert bottom.

Swimwear tankinis comprise a long top which stops just short of the bottoms, allowing a small section of midriff to show.

The classic bikini style is still as popular as ever though, with the cut of the leg line following the natural crease between the leg and the hip.

The most recent development in fabric is the ‘tan through’ swimwear. This allows the body to tan without exposing the body to the world. Some commentators on this style point to the effects of too much sun on the body and the occurrences of skin cancer of which the evidence indicates an alarming increase. However, the counter argument to that is if you are wearing a bikini anyway then the extra exposure to the sun through the top and bottom garments is hardly going to make much difference.

Conclusion

Swimwear is a term used these days to cover all types of beach wear and swimming gear. It is a bit of a misnomer in that many outfits never see the water and are not used for swimming. However there is a huge range of garments available for the buyer of different styles, sizes and fabrics. The one commonality of course is that everyone wants to look good once they don these garments. The main key to that is to make sure your new swimwear is the right fit and cut, for your body size and shape.

The importance of being properly measured for your swimwear is often overlooked but it is as important as being properly measured for your bra or other underwear, particularly if you do indeed intend to actually swim in your new swimwear! By wearing the right size and style swimwear for your body, will ensure you are really comfortable in it on the beach, in the pool or wherever else you choose to wear it.

Today, the Bride-To-Be Should Choose Amongst Various Varieties of Head Dress

A lot of people think of the wedding day to be one of the most important days of their lives. On this momentous occasion it is necessary that everything is planned to a “t”; absolutely must be left to chance. To make sure you have a flawless wedding, every small detail must be considered – from something as important as the place the wedding is being held all the way to the most trivial wedding highlights.

The highest care is probably paid to the bride-to-be’s outfit. Among other bridal wedding highlights taken into examination, the dress has to be excellent and the shoes must match it fully. One thing that few people no longer think about is the bride’s head piece. Looking into obtaining a aisle carpet runner that complements the bride’s hair piece can be done. Custom has it that the bride has to wear a veil on her wedding, but the wedding tiara has actually become a legitimate alternative. Discussed below are the primary variances among the 2 and why many more brides have chosen to do away with the usual wedding veil.

Usually, the veil is made to hide the face of the bride to exhibit her virginity. When the bride’s father reveals his daughter, this symbolizes his intention to offer the bride to her husband. Brides may need to research the term unity candle sets to discovery some that match the general wedding decor. This relevant accessory doesn’t only convey substance but in addition comes with a great deal of style. Wedding veils may be usually made to accent the wedding dress and some ensembles would be incomplete without it. Veils also have the effect of making brides appear more elegant and lovely.

In traditional Catholic Weddings, there should be few brides who walk down the aisle without the veil. Nevertheless, it is important to realize that brides spend a large amount of money to look their best on their wedding day. Plenty of time and hard work is put into doing the bride’s hair and make-up. As a result of this, many brides would rather show off their radiant beauty to their guests while strolling down the aisle, as opposed to concealing their face behind a white veil. This may be one of the reasons why many brides choose tiaras as the center piece of their hair wedding highlights.

Tiaras have become so accepted because of the fact that they complete any form of hairstyle. This ornament packs in a bunch of charm and makes the bride seem like the princess she ought to be. Jewelry in the hairstyle is also one of the many hair wedding highlights that can accompany a tiara. Rhinestone-studded hair combs or clips are excellent for hair that is worn up, while bits of jewelery fastened to long strands of hair will appear excellent should the bride wear her hair down.

You Can Never Have Enough Credit, Cash or Diamonds.

In spite of the attempts of state regulators to hamper this line of credit, payday loans are as popular as ever and likely even more needed. Conventional loan companies like banks were never keen on lending unsecured to less than sterling credit anyway, and challenging economic times multiply the condition. Here’s a little suggestion about obtaining a online payday loan. These types of unsecured loans are promoted numerous ways, like instant bad credit loan. Don’t apply for a number of online payday loan advances at the same time because you’ll reduce your chances of being accepted by any of them. Pay day lenders use the same database and will recognise that you have made several cash advance applications. This could be misinterpreted and make you appear to be an unacceptable risk. Take the time to evaluate several payday cash advances if you want, but once you understand the terms and you meet the minimum requirements- go with only one loan merchant and present only one online cash advance application.

Suze Ormans FICO Kit Platinum from Fair Isaac Corporation may be the perfect way offered to get an explanation why your FICO rating is bad. New and exciting features display exactly what you must do to enhance your fico score, and it is also the top value – here’s why. Three FICO scores cost you a little less than$ 50 with the FICO Credit Complete package at myfico. com. You get a few of the same tools you get with the Orman Kit, but here’s the kicker-you can only use them for 30 days. Everything is online so after 30 days your FICO scores and the tools go away. Suze Orman FICO Kit Platinum is active for one full year, and it has more useful features! Do not be fooled by inferior credit report repair products marketed with terms like bad credit unsecured loans. Suze Ormans FICO Kit costs about the same as just the credit reports. That is a very good deal. You get three credit reports and three FICO credit scores from Experian, TransUnion and Equifax plus all the tools that you can really use to dramatically improve your credit score.

A Marquise cut diamond appears like an Italian gondola to the majority of the world and like a footbal to most Americans when viewd from the top. This is considered a fancy cut because as much as 50% of the uncut diamond must be sacrificed to obtain the exact Marquise shape that diamond buyers expect. Other fancy cut stones are Pear, Emerald and Princess Cuts. Needless to say when it comes to diamonds rare is always good. And it does not always mean expensive either. Marquise cut diamonds tend toward the thin side so carat weight is seldom excessive for the size. You will find this cut in wedding rings but you will recognize elements of the design in cheap wedding ring as well or presented as an alternative.

Luxury Hawaii Holiday Honeymoon Holidays in the Sun

Hawaii is one of the places that almost always comes up in conversations about romantic travel. Hawaiian island vacations can take you to beaches, tropical forests, volcanic craters and hidden grottos. You can surf, snorkel, scuba or just relax on the sand. You’ll find a number of spas, golf courses and world class restaurants. Many Hawaiian vacation packages include an authentic luau, fine dining, airfare, hotel rooms and rental cars for one affordable price.

The first thing you must decide before looking at travel packages for your Hawaii beach vacation is which island you’d like to visit. Oahu houses the state capital of Honolulu and Waikiki Beach, which is full of soft white sand, restaurants, surfers and tourists. Lovers can snorkel at Hanauma Bay, hike up Diamond Head or swim in waterfalls at Waimea Falls State Park. The Big Island offers rare glimpses of black sand beaches, volcanic rock, Volcanoes National Park, molten lava flows and star gazing. Kauai — “The Garden Isle” — is known for its tropical vegetation, Fern Grotto cave, tourist towns like Kapaa and Lihue, white sandy beaches, kayaking on the Wailua River and hiking areas along the Na Pali trail. In Maui, you’ll see miles of pristine beaches, once-in-a-lifetime scenery along the road to Hana, coral reefs for snorkeling, humpback whale migrations (December to March), historic antiques in Lahaina and volcanic craters at Haleakala. Lanai — “Pineapple Island” — was once exclusively the Dole pineapple plantation, but has now added two resorts so you know you’ll be free from crowds and traffic. Molokai — “the Friendly Isle” — is rural and peaceful, offering horseback riding, biking, hiking and relaxation opportunities.

At www.princeresortshawaii.com, there are several vacation packages to choose for your honeymoon. The “Mauna Kea Beach 2009 Romance Package” on Big Island starts at $570/night, which includes a mountain view room, a Hertz convertible rental car, buffet breakfast for two, a $100 dinner credit, a bottle of sparkling wine and complimentary chocolates. The “Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki 2009 Romance Package” on Oahu starts at $280/night, which includes an oceanfront room, daily convertible rental, a bottle of sparkling wine, chocolate truffles, daily breakfast buffet and a $100 dinner voucher. The “Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel 2009 Romance Package” on Big Island starts at $550/night and offers an ocean-view room, a daily convertible rental, a chocolate amenity, daily breakfast buffet and $100 toward your dinner. These romantic weekends include many of the necessities for the first day of your stay and leave you the freedom to explore the other days you’re there.

Another way to find Hawaiian vacation packages is by checking the cruise lines. For instance, you can hop aboard the Golden Princess from LA traveling to Hilo, Honolulu (Oahu), Kauai, Lahaina (Maui) and Ensenada (Mexico) on a 14-night cruise for as low as $1199 ($85/night), which includes all your entertainment, meals, soft drinks and room! On the Carnival Spirit, you’ll see Honolulu, Kauai, Kona, Hilo, Kahului (Maui) and Vancouver (British Columbia) on a 12-night cruise for as low as $1069. NCL offers a special 7-night land-and-sea honeymoon package starting at $999; you’ll spend two nights at the Waikiki Resort Hotel, go sightseeing around Oahu/Honolulu, board the Pride of America ship and sail to Maui, Big Island, the Kona Coast, Kauai and back to Honolulu again.

About the Author:

Dave Stuart has worked with several travel companies over the last 10 years and is now running a Gloucester taxi and holiday travel website, offering bespoke luxury holiday packages to customers by word of mouth.

Other interests are offering cut price insurance products such as iPhone Insurance and Slate Insurance . Dave Stuart enjoys finding overpriced products and setting up arrangements with other competitors in the market place, to offer superior products at a reduced price, offering total value for money.

 

 

Discovering your perfect wedding venue doesnt have to be a task.

Getting married is one of the most exciting parts of our lives. You are finally going to tie the knot. But as exciting as weddings can be, it also takes a lot of effort to arrange everything. Planning such as looking for a good wedding venue needs to be done early. You need to read some magazines or check online for the most recommended venues and tips. Here are some tips on how to choose a good wedding venue.

First of all, you must consider the theme of your wedding. Many couples opt for the conventional church or garden wedding. Some have beach weddings and castle weddings. Yes, you can have a castle wedding especially if you are near Great Britain. Great Britain is the home of a number of castle ruins which can provide a good background for your wedding photos. You will feel like a princess getting married when you choose this theme. Castle weddings are getting really popular nowadays because it can be considered a tour and treat for those who are getting married. Castle weddings give a “vanity fair” feeling for every bride.

Second is the privacy of your wedding. Yes it is believed that the more, the merrier but you do not want your wedding to be invaded by outsiders. There are wedding venues that offer just that. Cheshire Venues offer the privacy that you need. Mancheter Venues also have a number of venues that will meet your requirements for your guests. You can also enjoy the scenery and serenity that the Cheshire area offers. You can also choose from their offering of fine dining restaurants or country pubs.

 Third thing that you should consider is the food that your venue can offer. Do they have the menu of choice? The sort of food that you dreamed of for your special day. Does the venue have a good ambience for you to enjoy the food and this very special moment?

Finally, you should consider the parking and the accessibility of the venue. Since it is a wedding, you may expect that your guests may bring their cars with them. Does your venue have a wide parking space to accommodate your guests’ cars? You may want to consider this on the stressful day that is your wedding day. If you think that your venue cannot accommodate all your guests’ cars, you may want to consider booking a form of transportation that will bring your guests to the venue. You could consider reserving a van for them. You need to consider also if you can still arrange transportation to bring them to their homes.

Finding a venue doesnt have to be that stressful for you. You just need to consider these steps in order for you to have the wedding of your dreams. Planning this in, at this early stage would free you from stress on your wedding day because you will have the venue that you want, right?

The Fun of Girls Bedroom Decoration with Bedding and Valances

The rain outside is making me think. Since it is almost time to decorate my little girl’s room again, I need to get some inspiration on what to do. She is growing up really fast and not into the cartoon kid room decor anymore. She is truly growing into a little young lady. She talks about putting her own kids wall art onto her walls and maybe girls mermaid bedding. And also decorating her floors with a fancy nancy kids area rug. I am not quite convinced yet on how to go about decorating her room.

Our house is really not that big. When she was born, we had to make do and put her in the small study room as her bedroom. It is a funny rectangle shape room, which makes it quite tricky to decorate. I think one of the first thing to consider is the type and design of bedding for her room. She is very fond of princess and thing like that, so a girls princess bedding might be a good idea. She also display an interest for flower patterns. So maybe a floral wall art or flower area rug will fit in nicely with her lady bug bedding for girls theme.

After the bedding is done. We need to consider my pony valance. I am the kind of Mom that need everything to match in her room. We cannot have ballerina bedding with fairy window valances. That simply will not work. The next step for us is to visit a store to get some ideas of how to decorate her room. I think she really enjoys the attention that she is getting and becoming a big girl.

Multi Level Marketing Basics – The MLM Business Model

MLM, or Multi Level Marketing, when combined with the Internet, creates a powerful formula for creating a successful home business and achieving financial freedom.

This business model is used by hundreds of companies to move their goods and services to the end consumer.  In this article, my goal is to provide you with information on what this industry is and what it is not.

You can only make an informed educated decision as to whether or not this business concept if right for you if you have the required information upon which to make that decision.  I hope to provide some of that information in this article.

Multi Level Marketing is simply a business model for moving products and services from production to the consumer using independent distributors with a multi level commission payout plan.  Since distributors can recruit other distributors and establish teams that work together, this business model is often also called Network Marketing.

There are many myths about MLM companies, including that they are illegal pyramid schemes or scams.  For true Multi Level Marketing companies, nothing could be further from the truth.  Unfortunately, those who believe these myths, simply do not understand how MLM companies work.

The first thing that you need to know is that MLM is not illegal and it is not a pyramid scheme.  While the organizational structure resembles a pyramid in shape, this is true of almost all businesses.  There are far more workers in the lower ranks of any business then at the top, if not, the business would collapse.  Not everyone in the company can be CEO or Vice President.  If fact, Multi Level Marketing companies are one hundred percent legal and many multi-million dollar companies use this business model to market their products.

Some well known Multi Level Marketing companies include Herbalife, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Shaklee, Amway, Tupperware, Princess house (a subsidiary of Colgate Palmolive), A. L. Williams (Insurance), Melaleuca, U.S. Sprint, MCI, and NSA.  Companies such as these have been around for decades.

There are hundreds more MLM companies and just like other companies, some are good and some are not so good.  But MLM is certainly here to stay and it is an explosive growth field!  In fact, increasingly you will find more and more Fortune 500 companies employing the Network Marketing business model for some portion of their marketing portfolio!

So why are MLM companies and programs becoming so popular?  Well, the business model offers a wonderful opportunity for the “little guy” to start his own business on a part time basis with very little investment money upfront, but with a large income potential if she or he is willing to put in some work!  Contrary to what some people would want you to believe, MLM is certainly not a get rich quick scheme and requires effort to grow your business.

John Paul Getty is often quoted as having said that he would always prefer earning 1% of a hundred peoples efforts than 100% of his own efforts.  And that is precisely what Multi Level Marketing is all about.  The Multi Level Marketing sales force members are not actually employees of the company, but instead they are independent distributors who are compensated for their efforts by commission based on the amount of product moved by not only themselves, but also by those whom they recruit as distributors.

As each distributor recruits others to become distributors, they create what is known as a downline and in addition to their own retail sales commissions, they earn a wholesale commission on the amount of products their downline distributors move to consumers.  This process goes on for some designated number of levels and is where the term “multi level” originates.

The more people a distributor can recruit for his downline, the larger will be their total commissions.  The number of levels that a distributor will earn override commissions on will depend upon the company’s compensation plan but five to seven or more levels is not unusual.  These wholesale override commissions can quickly add up for distributors with a large downline.

A strong incentive is thus created not only for a distributor to recruit more distributors for their downline, but also to train them to move products as well.  Thus a successful distributor will want to duplicate their success by teaching their downline members how to be successful.  By making their downline members successful, they make themselves more successful.

Building large stable residual income is therefore the result of successfully recruiting, training, and retaining others.  The better one is at doing these things, the larger their income will become.  While it is not necessarily easy, it can be very rewarding.

Want to be your own boss?  Millions of people are earning a solid income using this business model working from home.   A telephone, basic computer, fax machine, a HUGE ambition, and the knowledge of how to proceed to grow your business are all it really takes!  Are you ready to explore the opportunities that Multi Level Marketing offers?

If so, did you know that sponsoring people into your MLM opportunity is completely irrelevant to making money in network marketing? (And no, I’m not talking about retailing your company’s products). Find out how you can get people to PAY YOU to prospect them… rather than you having to pay for your prospects. Click here to learn more at => The Renegade Network Marketer

Algarve Apartments

Movie Wallpapers

Is it time to change your computers wallpaper? – have you thought about movie images for instance.

One that I highly recommend is wall e wallpapers for instance. This disney pixar movie makes fab backgrounds for your computer as it is very colorful and the CGI is stunning. If you haven’t seen the film by the way I really reccomend you  do. Even with such little dialogue between the 2 lead robots Wall e and Eve it is a compelling heart felt love story with an environmental slant as well.

There are even sites just for wall-e wallpaper fans ofering nothing but computer backgrounds and lots of interesting information regarding the film it self.

Another great movie that I recommend for wallpaper images are the Star Wars classics. There are lots of Free Star Wars wallpaper on offer all over the internet. Images of Darth Vader, the famous Princess Leia in the gold bikini, storm troopers, the lovely Natalie Portman as Padme and Ewan Mcgregor as Obi Wan Kinobi. There are even images of Jabba if you really want him on your computers screen and our computer generated friend Jar Jar Binks. Of course Yoda images are available as well.

There are lots of Star Wars backgrounds available as there is not only the original classic set of movies ie episodes 1, 2  and 3. There are also the prequel movies which are episodes 4, 5 and six so lots of great scenes availble. Most sites have got the key scenes available as computer desktop backgrounds free for you to download.