As the bikini turns 70 this year, an exhibition titled “Bikonic” will celebrate the iconic women’s swimwear silhouette during the upcoming MarediModa trade show in Cannes, France. Unique pieces selected from the archive of A.N.G.E.L.O. Vintage Palace will be on display Nov. 8-10 at the Palais des Festivals. Fittingly, the exhibition will take place in Cannes, where actress Brigitte Bardot created a scandal by wearing a bikini on the Croisette during the film festival in 1953.

French tailor Louis Réard first designed the “two piece” and unveiled it to the press on July 5, 1946, at the Molitor swimming pool in Paris. So explosive was the revealing design that renowned editor Diana Vreeland defined it as “the atomic bomb of fashion.” The Bikonic exhibition will explore the evolution of the bikini and feature styles from such labels as Triumph, Jantzen, La Perla, Gianfranco Ferré and Gianni Versace. For more information, visit maredimoda.com.