Styles of Swimwear Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tank suit

The style of the one piece swimming costume for women and girls evolved over the years from the neck to ankles costumes of the 1800s to the skin tight, barely-covering-the-essentials ones we are so familiar with today. Originally called a tank suit when it was introduced, the immediate predecessor of today's one piece was introduced by Australian swimming sensation, Annette Kellerman, in the early 1900s. Because swimming pools were originally known as swimming tanks, this early one piece was accordingly known as a tank suit. Sleeveless, collarless, cut to only one or two inches below the neck, and with a leg length that finished eight inches above the knee, this swimsuit, when worn by Annette in the USA, saw her arrested in Boston for indecent exposure, the scandalous floosie.

Answer: The Vatican

Based in Rome, but as a separate entity, the Vatican is the "headquarters" for the Roman Catholic religion world wide, and the Pope, at its head, is looked upon as the successor of Saint Peter. The bikini, or two piece, as it was also known, was designed in 1946, by a French engineer of all people. That was one Louis Reard and, because the atom bomb was big in the news at the time, with further tests being carried out on the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific, Reard decided to name his shocking new swimsuit design after that unfortunate location. It almost created the same amount of shock waves as the bomb, when revealed to the world, and in many countries around the world, it was banned from all public swimming venues, including beaches and pools. The Vatican took this one step further and declared the bikini to be sinful. Seriously, when looking at an image of Reard's design, it really was shocking for the times, particularly the bottom half - what there was of it. Another French designer, Jacques Heim, also came up with a similar design for the bikini in 1946. He named his design "the atome" and advertised it as "the world's smallest bathing suit", but it modestly covered the navel.

Reard couldn't find models anywhere who were prepared to strut down the catwalk in his designs. He had to resort to hiring a nude dancer, Micheline Bernardini, from the Casino de Paris in France for the job. Shortly after she revealed his shocking new design to the world, she was swamped with more than 50,000 fan letters - most of which were from men. Over the years since then, nuclear devices have become more and more powerful, while the size of the bikini has become less and less, so there's some sort of negative correlation happening there.

Answer: Surf Trunks

The name of boardshorts, rather unsurprisingly, had its origin in aquatic sports that use a board. Surf trunks quickly evolved in boardshorts as a result, but were occasionally referred to as jams as well, or boardies in Australia. Just to be different, the South Africans also referred to them as baggies - and they are certainly that. Any bigger or longer today and they may as well wear a woman's ankle length skirt to do the job. One rather comical fact associated with boardshorts is known as their double fail-safe that prevents surfers losing them during a wipeout. This, unlike the elasticised waist of ordinary swimmers, has a rigid waistband which is then reinforced with a lace up tie at the front. How ironic that the male modesty is so preserved, while the female one-step-removed-from-total-nudity today is so blatantly encouraged.

Boardshorts often come with a velcro closing fly as well. The following snippet of information may make most men wince. However, because most boardshorts are worn without underpants underneath, this creates the real problems of having one's public hair entangled in the Velcro. Velcro clings onto whatever is attached to it like grim death, so the experience can be quite painful. Never fear, lads, some boardshort manufacturers have recently come up with the neoprene fly instead. That leaves the male adornment safely intact. These manufacturers have also come up with the idea of using glue rather than sewn seams for the joins of the boardies, because the inside seam areas can rub against the skin. Finally, and perhaps the most clever design of all, boardshorts also come with a small pocket - sealed with Velcro - to enable swimmers and surfers to safely hold their car or house keys.

Answer: Microkini

Forgive me for saying so, but it's my opinion that this style of swimwear is disgusting. It is described as keeping "... the wearer just within legal limits of decency and fill(s) a niche between nudism and conservative swimwear". To be honest, nudity would be preferable to this extremely suggestive swimwear.

There are levels of exposure to this fashion, but taken to its extreme limit, and believe me, that is the case with those determined to expose themselves, this fashion is basically only straps that only just manage to cover the genital area and points of the breast - on a good day.

Answer: The top

A monokini is basically just a topless swimsuit, and with the bottom section often worn as a G-string. It is also known occasionally as a unikini as well. The original monokini, designed by Rudi Gernreich in 1964, came with two straps over the shoulders that attached to the bottom half of this swimwear, but that left the breasts completely uncovered.

When first released that year, and because it was only priced at $24, it was sold in record numbers, but then, peculiarly so, hardly ever worn in public.

Instead, your average sensible female, if she wanted to swim or sunbake topless, simply just wore the bottom half of a bikini instead. One suspects the monokini was akin to the trend of owing a pet rock. It came and went quickly. So the manufacturers, determined to have women as naked as possible in public, removed the straps and just sold the bottom half instead under the delightful new name of a pubikini.

Answer: Swim briefs

Also known as racing briefs, or speedos, in several major countries, or, vulgarly so, as budgie smugglers in Australia, swim briefs are usually worn by men in many forms of competitive swimming sports such as spring board diving, sprinting, long distance events, and water polo. For more intense swimming events, such as scuba diving, wakeboarding and water skiing it is the custom to wear a wet suit instead but often with the swim briefs worn underneath same.

These swimmers for men, with a style that dates dates back to the 1930s (but with somewhat longer legs at that time) are secured by thin bands around the hems of the legs, usually with a strong drawstring at the waist, and with the front section, in the interests of modesty, lined with a non-transparent further piece of material.

Answer: Shoulder straps

The bandeaukini is a rather fetching piece of swimwear that features a full bikini bottom, and a strapless piece of cloth worn around the woman's breasts. A form of this fashion has been around, very surprisingly so, since the days of Ancient Greece, when women wore them to play sport.

It was known as an apodesmos back then, or various other words that all meant breast-band. The good thing about it for beach wear today is that it allows a full shoulder tan to occur without having two white strips of skin showing up on the shoulder lines where straps usually rest.

The bad thing about it is that one can't help wondering about the forces of gravity. It probably would be more comfortably worn by a small-breasted woman rather than one more amply endowed, BUT as long as you don't give a hoot what you look like in one, then go for it, ladies.

Answer: It features a type of crop top

The tankini is really rather pretty. Made of spandex and cotton, or nylon and Lycra, it comes with a full bikini bottom and a type of tank or crop top. Designed in the 1990s, the tankini comes in a variety of styles and sizes and can even include a push-up bra if you desire.

It's proving to be very popular for mothers of small girls as a practical and modest form of swimwear for the littlies. It is also ideal for the playing of sports such as beach volleyball or triathlons, and allows women the freedom of shoulder movement that would otherwise call for a degree of restraint if one doesn't wish to pop out of a skimpier top.

Answer: Cycling shorts

Jammers are swimsuits worn by male swimmers in order to provide support, but also, far more importantly, to give them a speed advantage in races where speed plays a primary factor. Usually made from Lycra or spandex, these fit so snugly against the body that not only do they decrease drag, but that streamlined fit right down to the knees also boosts performance, even to the extent of giving a smoother entry into the water when doing racing starts.

Another form of swimwear for the male swimmers were the legskins that went down to their ankles, but since 2010, these have been banned from competitive swimming.

Answer: Burquini

Designed to satisfy the strict Islamic dress code for women, the burquini (also known as the burkini) covers the entire body of a Muslim woman, including her head, so that only her hands, feet and face is free. Made of a light material, various styles of the burquini are available, and, to a degree, many of these rather resemble the early bathing suits that western women wore back in the 1800s.

They look a little cumbersome but not particularly so, and, one imagines, that once the women are in the water and enjoying its coolness and the freedom of movement it allows, it must feel rather wonderful - if they are given permission to go swimming in the first place.

It really is a rather brilliant idea.