How Swimsuits Have Totally Transformed Through the Years

One-pieces and bikinis have changed a lot over the years, going from super simple to crazy cutouts, metallics, and embellishments. Find out which suit was the most popular the year you were born!

In the early '80s, simple one-pieces were all the rage, particularly in black and white and with spaghetti straps.

Classic designs started to get more colorful in '81.

Phoebe Cates pretty much changed the swimsuit game when she hit the screen in this teeny-tiny, ruched red number in 1982's Fast Times at Ridgemont High. All of a sudden, you saw copycats everywhere.

Cates' red suit wasn't the only one influencing swimwear around that time. The following year, Princess Leia's sexy gold number, though not actually a swimsuit, inspired many a bikini style.

String bikinis were widely popular in 1984, particularly ones with triangle tops. The prevalent style continues to be on trend today.

When you think of '80s swimsuits, odds are you imagine something like this gray suit with a thick white belt from a 1985 editorial.

And if you're not thinking about belts, you're definitely thinking about this kind of suit, with a scooped neck and back, which was immensely trendy in 1986.

Either suit (belted or scooped) would have looked excellent when paired with excessive gold accessories, as Goldie Hawn's 1987 movie Overboard demonstrates.

By 1988 one-pieces were out of favor, and two-pieces were very much à la mode - particularly bandeau-style bikini tops with high-cut bottoms, as Nicolette Sheridan illustrates here.

Speaking of high-cut bottoms, they got even higher in 1989 with an added sexy detail: thong backs.

Almost as a reaction to how much booty was showing the previous year, boy shorts became a popular option for people who wanted a tad more coverage at the beach.

The year 1991 was all about neon swimwear, both in one- and two-piece designs.

Baywatch debuted in 1989, and as it rose in popularity, so did its iconic red one-piece swimsuit. The style was all over the place by 1992.

1993 was the year of the logo, as Naomi Campbell demonstrates here. You would have seen all the luxury fashion house logos, including Dior and Chanel, all over the beach at this time.

Things got much more sparkly in 1994, when rhinestones became a popular embellishment for bathing suits.

The mid-'90s were all about bold patterns and prints, as Kate Moss illustrates in this 1995 photo shoot.

Oh, hey, Salma Hayek! Her stint in this sexy burgundy push-up suit in the 1996 movie Dusk Till Dawn inspired a host of bra-like suits that year.

Pearl accents - in faux-necklace form and as rhinestone-like details - were huge circa 1997, as these models show.

In 1998, swimsuit styles simplified a tad, going back to the classic string bikini, often with sweet polka-dot patterns.

In 2000, sporty styles, particularly from the athletic swimwear brand Speedo, were on top.

With the advent of the sporty trend, even high-fashion brands went more minimal with their designs in 2001.

The movie Blue Crush came out in 2002, inspiring young women everywhere to give off mismatched surfer vibes at the beach.

Metallic lamé one-pieces and bikinis were huge in 2003, as this runway model proves.

Bold, geometric patterns like chevron took center stage in 2004.

You couldn't go anywhere in 2005 without seeing someone in a high-necked halter swimsuit.

In 2006, it was all about one-pieces that showed as much skin as possible - aka monokinis - as the model pictured illustrates.

Oh yeah, 2007 was the year sarongs were big. People liked them because you could paired them both with bikinis and with one-pieces, and they provided a little extra coverage for when you weren't sunbathing.

As you can see, sarongs were still having a moment in 2008 - but, more importantly, so were edgy, studded accents, as our friend Kim Kardashian illustrates here.

As an alternative to patterns, it was common to spot color-blocked swimsuits all over the pool in 2009.

Strappy swimsuits reigned supreme in 2010. Bottoms at the time commonly had at least two strings or straps, if not a woven strap situation much like the model's here.

2011 was all about futuristic shapes, which often went hand-in-hand with metallic fabrics. Here, a model struts in an illusion mesh design at a Norma Kamali runway show.

The result of Kate Upton's super steamy Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover in 2012? Ultra low-rise bikini bottoms everywhere you looked.

Embellishments, particularly sequins and beaded details, were hot in 2013, as this pageant-show contestant illustrates.

Delicate scalloped trim was everything in 2014, whether it appeared on a boyshort bikini, like Kendall Jenner's here, or on a one-piece.

Do you remember the moment a few years back when every single swim style was crochet? It was a major trend, and the Tommy Hilfiger show, pictured here, epitomizes the whole look.

The '80s were back in a major way in 2016, with multiple runway shows including styles like this neon, belted look.

Knotted suits, like this retro gingham and polka-dot design, were all the rage in 2017.

The '90s are back in 2018, with bold colors and patterns mixed with high-cut, hip-bone showing silhouettes.