View source for Tankini

{{short description|Two-piece woman's swimsuit}}
[[File:Amy at the 2010 Run to the Sun Fashion Show in Anchorage, Alaska.jpg|thumb|A woman wearing a tankini.]]

The '''tankini''' is a bathing suit combining a [[Tank top (shirt)|tank top]], mostly made of spandex-and-cotton or Lycra-and-nylon, and a bikini bottom introduced in the late 1990s.<ref>''Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary'', "[http://www.oup.com/oald-bin/web_getald7index1a.pl?cc=global&search_word=tankini Tankini]", Oxford University Press, 2005</ref><ref name=Alisha>Alisha Davis, "[http://www.newsweek.com/id/92352 It Rhymes With Bikini] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224072300/http://www.newsweek.com/id/92352 |date=2008-12-24 }}", ''Newsweek'', 1998-05-04</ref><ref>Becky Homan, "[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SL&p_theme=sl&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB05184B3196071&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Tankini goes over the top]", ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', 1999-04-03</ref> This type of swimwear is considered by some to provide the coverage of a one-piece suit with the convenience of a two-piece suit, as the entire suit need not be removed in order to use a toilet. Tankinis come in a variety of styles, colors, and shapes, and some include features such as integrated [[push-up bra]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Australia|first=Curvy Swimwear|title=What is a Tankini?|url=https://www.curvyswimwear.com.au/blogs/news/what-is-a-tankini|access-date=2021-07-01|website=Curvy Swimwear Australia|date=July 2021 |language=en}}</ref> It is particularly popular as children's beachwear,<ref>Samantha Critchell, "[http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2004455556_tankinis04.html Tankinis and rash guards rock with comfort, protection for kids]", ''The Seattle Times'', 2008-06-04</ref> and is considered an athletic outfit fit for a [[triathlon]].<ref>Zoe McDonald & Lisa Buckingham, ''Triathlon Made Easy'', page 52, Collins & Brown, 2008, {{ISBN|1-84340-433-8}}</ref> According to Katherine Betts, ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue's]]'' fashion-news director, this amphibious sportswear for sand or sea lets users go rafting, play volleyball, and swim without worrying about losing their tops.<ref name=Alisha/>

A tank top consists of a sleeveless shirt with low neck and adjustable shoulder straps that vary in width and style. It is named after ''tank suits'', the one-piece bathing costumes of the 1920s that were worn in 'tanks' or swimming pools. The upper garment is worn either by men or women, having a greater variety of models available for women. In men it is usually used as underwear.<ref>"Tank Top." Thefreedictionary.com. The Free Dictionary, n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tank+top>.</ref>

==Etymology==
According to author [[William Safire]], "The most recent evolution of the ''-kini'' family is the tankini, a cropped tank top supported by spaghetti-like strings."<ref>William Safire, ''No Uncertain Terms'', page 291, Simon & Schuster, 2003, {{ISBN|0-7432-4955-0}}</ref> The tankini is distinguished from the classic bikini by the difference in tops, the top of the tankini essentially being a tank top. The tankini top extends downward to somewhere between just above the [[navel]] and the top of the hips. The word is a [[portmanteau]] of the 'tank' of 'tank top' and the -kini suffix of 'bikini'. This go-between nature of the tankini has, in turn, given its name to things ranging from a [[lemonade]]-based martini (''Tankini Martini'')<ref>Cornelia Schinharl, Sebastian Dickhaut & Kelsey Lane, ''Party Basics: Everything You Need for the World's Best Party'', page 98, Silverback Books, 2002, {{ISBN|1-930603-91-6}}</ref> to [[Systems Management Architecture for Server Hardware|server architecture]] (''Tankini HipThread'').<ref>Don Jones & Mark D. Scott, ''Using Microsoft Commerce Server 2002'', page 211, Que Publishing, 2002, {{ISBN|0-7897-2763-3}}</ref> The ''[[Language Report]]'', compiled by lexicographer [[Susie Dent]] and published by the [[Oxford University Press]] (OUP) in 2003, considers lexicographic inventions like bandeaukini and camkini, two variants of the tankini, important to observe.<ref>"[http://www.articlearchives.com/humanities-social-science/language-languages/644034-1.html The Language Report: The ultimate record of what we're saying and how we're saying it] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005073022/http://www.articlearchives.com/humanities-social-science/language-languages/644034-1.html |date=2015-10-05 }}" </ref><!--<ref>''Science News'' (from ''Article Archive''), 2004-08-07</ref>-->

==History==
[[File:SaniyaSyona.jpg|thumb|left|Tankinis are popular as children's [[beachwear]]]]
Tankini and the concept of mix-and-match [[swimwear]] were the two major innovations in that genre in the late 1990s.<ref>Valerie Steele, ''Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion'', page 255, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005, {{ISBN|0-684-31397-9}}</ref> Designer [[Anne Cole]], the US swimwear mogul, was the originator of this style.<ref name=homan>Becky Homan, "[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SL&p_theme=sl&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB05184B3196071&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Tankini goes over the top]", Page 42, ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', 1999-04-03</ref> She was the woman behind the California swimwear label bearing her name, an offshoot of her family's swimsuit company. Called by some {{citation needed|date=February 2024}} the first major innovation in women's swimsuits for decades, Cole's two-piece, which blended the 'freedom' of a bikini with the coverage of a one-piece bathing suit, soon captured nearly a third of the swimwear market.<ref>Laura Avery, ''Newsmakers '07: Cumulation'' page 117, Thomson Gale, 2007, {{ISBN|0-7876-8091-5}}</ref> Her tankini, first devised by Cole for herself as a young girl, came out in 1998.<ref>Rose Apodaca Jones, "[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-10764345_ITM Five decades in the swim]", ''WWD'', Fairchild Publications, 2001-04-23</ref> Aimed at "closing a gap in the swimwear market, the popularity of tankini largely came from Cole's tapping into women's anxieties about swimwear."<ref>Laura Avery & Thomson Gale, ''Newsmakers: Cumulation'', page 118, Thomson Gale, 2007, {{ISBN|0-7876-8091-5}}</ref> In the six seasons following its introduction, tankinis diversified in style and range, variations being offered by designers like [[Ralph Lauren]], [[Donna Karan]], [[Nautica]], and [[Calvin Klein]].<ref>Bridget Quinn, "[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2005/06/17/DI2005061700951_pf.html Stickline: Swimsuit Fashion for Women]", ''Washington Post'', 2005-06-22</ref> In 2005, a controversy broke out when [[Buddhist]]s complained about swimwear manufacturer Ondade Mar and lingerie company [[Victoria's Secret]] marketing tankinis with Buddhist iconography.<ref>Lisa Nakamura, ''Digitizing Race'', page 186, University of Minnesota Press, 2007, {{ISBN|0-8166-4613-9}}</ref> In the same year, [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]]'s breast cancer awareness swimwear collection featured four different cuts of tankini.<ref>Samantha Critchell, "[http://www.sptimes.com/2005/09/29/Floridian/Cancer_charities_pink.shtml Cancer charities pink at heart]", ''St. Petersburg Times'', 2005-09-29</ref>

==Usage==
Tankinis are suggested as an option for women who have gone through [[mastectomy]], i.e. removal of one or both breasts by surgery,<ref>[[Carolyn Kaelin|Carolyn M. Kaelin]] & Francesca Coltrera, ''Living Through Breast Cancer'', page 133, McGraw-Hill Professional, 2005, {{ISBN|0-07-144463-7}}</ref> women who have modest [[Brassiere measurements|bust sizes]],<ref>Lloyd Boston, ''Before You Put That On: 365 Daily Style Tips for Her'', page 161, Atria Books, 2005, {{ISBN|0-7432-8169-1}}</ref> and long torsos.<ref>June Ambrose, Richard Buskin & Aimee Levy, ''Effortless Style'', page 51, Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2006, {{ISBN|1-4169-1896-5}}</ref> For women who do not have '[[Rectus abdominis muscle|washboard abs]]', Betts commented, "If you don't feel comfortable wearing a bikini, the tankini's an option that's sort of in between."<ref name=Alisha/> In [[April Masini|''Think & Date Like a Man'']], fashion writer [[April Masini]] suggests the tankini is the most flattering choice of beachwear, with the right amount of coverage along with the feeling of a two-piece suit.<ref>April Masini, ''Think & Date Like a Man'', page 82, Date Out Of Your League, 2005, {{ISBN|0-595-37466-2}}</ref> A not-too-close-fitting tankini, ensembled with a sarong, has been suggested for [[gymnophobia]] or the fear of nudity.<ref>Veronique Henderson & Pat Henshaw, ''Color Me Confident: Change Your Look - Change Your Life!'', page 124, Hamlyn, 2006, {{ISBN|0-600-61499-9}}</ref> Tankinis, sometimes divided in the front exposing the navel, exist for pregnant women.

==Variants==
[[File:Model at the Fall 2011 Run to the Sun Fashion Show (IMG 3012) (6793973345).jpg|thumb|307x307px|Camkini]]
[[Gucci]]'s crystal-studded tankini, on the May 1998 covers of both ''[[Harper's Bazaar]]'' and ''[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]]'' was as expensive as US$2,425, while bargain tankinis were available at less than US$10.<ref name=Alisha/> Variations of the tankini, made mostly of [[spandex]]-and-[[cotton]] or [[Lycra]]-and-[[nylon]], have been added by designers and retailers, chiefly [[Cole of California]] and [[Mervyns]] in the US, to maximize the tankini sales.<ref>Anne D'Innocenzio, "[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-27407189_ITM Big fish rule a bigger pond]", ''Women's Wear Daily'', 2000-01-24</ref> Fashion guides also suggest tankini-style [[wedding dress]]es for brides of certain body types, such as women who are athletic and have long legs.<ref>Tracy Effinger & Suzanne Rowen, ''Wedding Workout: Look and Feel Fabulous on Your Special Day'', page 35, McGraw-Hill, 2001, {{ISBN|0-07-138916-4}}</ref>

===Camkini===
A '''camkini''' is a tankini with the [[spaghetti strap]]s of a [[camisole]] top, over a bikini bottom. [[Ebony Fashion Fair]]'s traveling fashion show in 2000 presented camikinis as one of the top trends that year.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Jet Magazine|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-28044512_ITM|title=Summer fun in sexy swimwear|date=2000-06-03|volume=98|page=30|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|access-date=2009-02-08|archive-date=2009-07-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090722100011/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-28044512_ITM|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Point Sol]], a fashion house, offers higher-waist bottoms and a sports camisole as a more sports-oriented swimsuit style for volleyball and in-line skating.<ref>Kathryn Bold, "[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-03-21-ls-49755-story.html "Summer Sizzle: Top to Bottom: Talk about bikini anxiety. Designers for Point Conception scrutinize every detail]", ''Los Angeles Times'', page 1, 1996-03-21</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Bikini variants]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Tankinis}}

{{clothing}}

[[Category:Swimsuits]]
[[Category:Bikinis]]

[[de:Bikini#Tankini]]