2000s

Island in The Sun

The first two decades of the 21st-century were a time of significant highs and lows on a global level. The development of the Internet greatly expanded access to information and made nearly instantaneous communications possible. Despite these advances, which facilitated everything from trade to improved access to medical treatment globally, terrorism, the expansion of nuclear weapons, and rapid climate changed threatened the world like never before.

In America societal changes in the period from 2000 to 2020 have grown out of the country’s increasingly multi-cultural population. This has thrust diversity into the forefront of the nation’s consciousness. Fashion at the beach embraced many styles at the same time as a result of this multiplicity during the first 20 years of the 21st-century.

Developed by Guest Curator, James Hanley

Scroll through the timeline below

Indicates what can be viewed at The Bryan Museum

Indicates Galveston History

2000
  • Woman's Bathing Suit

    The evolution of women’s swimwear in the 20th-century was so remarkable that it is hard to envision how it could change much more than it already has. In the years since 2000, most of the variations that have occurred are associated with a nostalgic reworking of previous styles.

    One of the trends in the early 2000s was the re-appearance of bikinis with boy short style bottoms. Examples worn by celebrities Angelina Jolie, Kate Bosworth, and Eva Mendes appear in the photographs above.

  • Men's Swimwear

    Knee-length board shorts ruled the beaches it the early 2000s. This fashion remained in style for a number of years and encompassed variations in styles and patterns. They were invariably cut to accentuate the abdominal lines and six-packs of the men wearing them.

  • Hollywood Inspired

    Probably the most important single man’s swimsuit that has made a splash since the beginning of the 21st-century was worn by the movie star Daniel Craig in the role of James Bond in the film Casino Royale in 2007. This is not the first time the Bond franchise has spawned a major reaction in the bathing suit industry.

    2007
  • Space-age

    One-piece swimsuits, with futuristic space-age cutouts, like the one worn by model Miranda Kerr here, were among the newest styles to appear at fashion shows in early 2012.

    2012
Present