Monokini
From Academic Kids
Monokini, a term used for different styles of one-piece swimsuits, which all have in common that they are inspired by the bikini.
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The Original Monokini
In 1964 Rudi Gernreich from Austria (but in the US) designed the original monokini, a topfree bikini. The word is a back formation from bikini, interpreting the first syllable as the prefix bi- "two" and substituting mono- "one." Since Gernreich seems to have been the one who coined the term, his definition of it ought to be considered most correct.
A picture of Gernreich's monokini can be seen on this external page (http://gernreich.steirischerbst.at/pages/kat1.htm).
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Other Uses of the Term Monokini
- The term monokini has later sometimes also been used to describe a swimsuit which resembles a bikini but where the top and bottom parts have been made in one piece, usually connected at the sides of the body.
- Monokini can also refer to what is perhaps more commonly known as a sling bikini.
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