Summer is coming! The history of swimwear: Turn of the century until today...

Hello Paper Dolls!


Swimsuit season is around the corner so we thought we'd post a short history of the bathing suit. Paper Doll Vintage carries several retro reproduction syles and authentic vintage suits at the shop so come down and try some  on after you read this fashion history!


It was not until the mid 1800's that swimming at the seaside was considered to be a form of relaxation and enjoyment. Victorian costumes were the ultimate in cover up, at least while they were dry. Once wet, the woolen fabric clung to the body removing the need for a vivid imagination. The weight of the sodden wool also turned swimming into a bit of a challenge.

Mixed bathing became acceptable at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Edwardian ladies even took to walking openly along the beach while in their costumes.

In 1921 Jantzen Knitting Mills launched the first one-piece ‘elastic’ suit that immediately gained popularity with the Bathing Beauty Pageant that was held in Atlantic City.

For the next 15 years, wool knit swimming suits were worn by both men and women.

Knitted wool swimsuits were eased into history in the mid 1930's when California swimsuit maker Mabs of Hollywood began to fashion swimwear from Lastex, a woven satin finish elastic and silk material first used for girdle manufacture.

In 1946, designer Louis Reard was obliged to hire Micheline Bernardini (an exotic dancer at the Casino de Paris) to model his latest creation – the ‘Bikini’ – because his regular models flatly refused to wear it.

The introduction of Reard’s bikini (named after Bikini Atoll in the South Pacific where atomic bomb testing had taken place) caused quite a stir in the United States.

Popular in the 1950's were one-piece costumes constructed like that of a foundation undergarment in a variety of styles, although these gradually gave way to the two-piece body baring styles.

By 1956 the bikini was finally accepted and became popular
 largely due to Bridget Bardot who was frequently photographed strolling the French Riviera wearing hers!

American and UK teens went wild in the 1960's, scampering 
everywhere to find the ‘Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’ made famous by Brian Hyland who rose to the top of the music charts with a song of the same name!

Gernreich continued with his body baring designs by introducing his thong bathing suit in 1974. This was followed by Rio and St. Tropez, introducing the ‘Tanga’ suit, or Brazilian Thong, which required not only the dental flossing of ones buttocks but a derriere without a trace of cellulite and nerves of steel!

Another innovation in swimwear in the 1970's was the tan-through swimsuit but as the issue of skin protection from the sun emerged, their popularity was a short-lived novelty.

Enter the age of the V-kini. Those leg lines don’t lie, people. The heightened leg line is an easy way to identify just about any 1980's bathing suit. This feature was added to both bikinis and one pieces in all their variations. 

Bikinis are becoming all that more customization with strings on both tops and bottoms while one pieces are becoming more unique. Plunge one pieces were super sexy.

Meanwhile in America, Baywatch was making a huge impact on swimsuits. The high leg lines and V-kinis remained for the beginning part of the decade. Athletic influences also began to take hold thanks to famous athletes/models like Gabrielle Reese. I personally think Sporty Spice had a lot to do with it too.

Oh! And speaking of athletic influences – does anybody remember the tankini? Those were introduced in the late 1990's. They were essentially a two piece suit comprised of bikini bottoms and a water friendly tank top. I loved wearing the tankini as a kid because I thought it made me look like a surfer.

Sources:

http://hellogiggles.com/have-times-changed-for-the-better-a-look-back-at-womens-swimwear/

http://vintagefashionguild.org/fashion-history/swim-wear-history/

Currently we carry three Hell Bunny Styles in sizes XS-XL plus authentic vintage suits!