Micheline Bernardini

This article is about the dancer and model. For the racehorse, see Bernardini.

Micheline Bernardini modeling the bikini

Micheline Bernardini (born 1927) is a former nude dancer at the Casino de Paris before being chosen by Louis Réard to model the first modern-day bikini on July 5, 1946 at Piscine Molitor in Paris.

The first bikini

Réard could not find a model who would dare to wear his design. He ended up hiring Bernardini, a 19 year old nude dancer from the Casino de Paris as his model.^[1][2] That bikini, a string bikini with a g-string back made out of 30 square inches (194 cm²) of cloth with newspaper type printed across, was "officially" introduced at a fashion event at Piscine Molitor, a popular public pool in Paris. Her photographs from the show and stories of the event were widely publicized by the press. The Herald Tribune alone ran nine stories on the event.^[3] The bikini was a hit, especially among men, and Bernardini received over 50,000 fan letters.^[4]

Personal life

Bernardini later moved on to perform at the Tivoli Theater and was reported in newspapers as appearing in wild students' parties.^[5]

References

1. ^ Rosebush, Judson. "Michele Bernadini: The First Bikini". Bikini Science. http://www.bikiniscience.com/chronology/1945-1950_SS/LR4601_S/LR4601.html. Retrieved September 17, 2008. 
2. ^ EMILY MITCHELL, THE BIKINI TURNS 50, July 1, 1996 Volume 148, No. 1, Time Magazine
3. ^ CLAUDIA A. MITCHELL and JACQUELINE REID-WALSH, Girl Culture: An Encyclopedia, page 182, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007, ISBN 0313084440
4. ^ "Bikini Introduced". A&E Television Networks. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=VideoArticle&id=6949. Retrieved September 17, 2008. 
5. ^ Alan Lindsey McLeod, R.G. Howarth, Australian man of letters, page 81, Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd, 2005, ISBN 1932705538

Persondata
Name	Bernardini, Micheline
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Date of birth	1927
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