Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-dot Bikini

Unlike Brian Hyland’s 1960 hit, Louis Réard’s bikini wasn’t yellow or dotty – fittingly, given the column inches devoted to it 75 years ago, it was covered in a newspaper pattern.

Midriff-baring styles were already popular – wartime fabric shortages in the United States meant swimwear had to use 10% less material, leading to daring new designs – but this was the first to reveal a woman’s navel.

Though it made a splash, the tiny two-piece didn’t take off straight away.

Italy, Portugal and Spain banned it, and swimmers were wary of exposing so much skin, sticking to their all-in-ones until bikini-wearing Hollywood stars such as Brigitte Bardot and Ursula Andress made them popular with women across the world.