The figural inspiration was more evident in earlier versions, which had the symbol's segments billowing out like bell-bottoms where they met the outer circle.
By the late 1980s leotards for exercise wear had become little more than bikini bottoms with straps over the shoulders, generally worn with cropped shirts.
The bell-bottoms of the 1960s and 1970s can be distinguished from the flare or boot-cut pants of the 1990s and 2000s by the tightness of the fabric at the knee.
