SWIMSUITS
THROUGHOUT HISTORY FASHION HISTORY // TREND RELATED RESEARCH PROJECT // EVA PERALEJO KALIAKOUDA IED BARCELONA // CWK-6
INTRODUCTION As summer approaches, we begin to picture ourselves relaxing at the beach with a refreshing drink in one hand and a book in the other, surrounded by good vibes, good company and wearing our most fashionable, comfortable or simply our all-time favourite swimsuit. Nowadays they come in all shapes, sizes and colours, which allow people to choose which one suits them best: some of us care more about how the swimsuit looks on us, and some care more about its purpose and the tan we get after being out in the sun, but this freedom to choose has not always been around and it has been very hard to achieve. Throughout the years, women have been repressed in several ways, from their daily duties to the clothes they wore, ruled not only by men, but also mainly by the different societies they lived in. Keep reading and you will find a chronological guide through the history of the swimsuit, from bloomers to bikins, and the liberation of women – the way they took control of themselves and their bodies in a world of social change and fashion.
19th CENTURY 20th CENTURY 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1940’s 1950’s 1960’s 1990’s
MOVIES
Scarlett Johansson wearing a Dolce & Gabanna sea green metallic bustier with a built in bra that resembles a 50’s swimsuit for Vogue Magazine, 2007. Source: http://coolspotters.com/clothing/dolce-and-gabbana-seagreen-metallic-corset/photos_videos/434330#medium-434330
THE 19th CENTURY «When going to the beach was fun and fashionable, but not very comfortable»
During the 19th Century, women were still very reppreseed, both socially and in the way they dressed but nonetheless had a lot of free time and many daily activities. With England being the world’s first industrial and urban society, the wealthy middle class families started going to the seaside, which became a very popular entertainment destination among those who could afford it and invested in holiday properties. The fact that women started leaving their houses more often for travelling during summer holidays, visiting the country and the seaside, enjoying leisure activities and sports, demanded the need for a more practical and comfortable garment for women. This garment consisted of a knee-length dress over a loose pair of trousers gathered at the waist and ankle. That covered the woman’s body completely so that it provided the modesty that the times required. At the same time, it provided much more freedom of movement than the tight corsets and trailing skirts that they usually wore. This is when bloomer – named after the American feminist Amelia Jenks Bloomer - pants were finally accepted as a functional and practical piece of clothing for women. The arrival of the bloomer pants coincided with the launch of campaigns in favor of women rights, for which Amelia believed in and fought really hard. Though bloomers were not widely accepted as outerwear in the 19th Century, they did become fashionable underpants for women, and by the late 1800’s most women wore them under their skirts instead of petticoats.. Furthermore, since visiting the seaside became so popular, there was also the need for a special costume that would retain modesty but be free enough to allow women to swim and dive in the sea. This is when the first swimsuits for women appeared, wich consisted of a two-piece outfit: a gown from the shoulders to the knees, and for the legs bloomer pants and black stockings.
Sketch of young girls walking by the seaside, 1800’s.
Young girl wearing the swimsuit of the time with bloomer pants, 1900’s.
Source: www.pinterest.com
Source: http://pinterest.com/ pin/26880928998263575/
Bathing suit made out of wool and cotton, 1876.
Bathing suit made out of wool ,cotton, and straw, 1885.
Bathing suit made out of wool and cotton, 1890.
Source: http://www.metmuseum. org/Collections/search-the-collections/80008022?rpp=20&pg=1&ft= *&when=A.D.+1800-1900&what=B athing+suits&pos=4
Source: http://www.metmuseum. org/Collections/search-the-collections/80005669?rpp=20&pg=1&ft= *&when=A.D.+1800-1900&what=B athing+suits&pos=1
Source: http://www.metmuseum. org/Collections/search-the-collections/80008023?rpp=20&pg=1&ft= *&when=A.D.+1800-1900&what=B athing+suits&pos=5
1900’s «Modesty over Fashion» Cabarets, casinos, music, the Folies Bergère, the Moulin Rouge, beauty, love, bohemia and freedom. All these describe the moment of optimism and national pride that France was experiencing during these years before the outburst of WWI. Women’s fashion saw the gradual disappearance of the bustle, replaced by a new, slimmer silhouette featuring enormous leg of mutton sleeves and pointed waists wrapped by belts falling into bell shaped skirts. Even if this was a “beautiful era”, it was only so for the rich and the privileged, making the class bridge still very large. When it comes to swimwear though, the style from the 1800’s still remained, covering women from shoulders to toes and not giving them enough freedom to swim and relax in the beach, only jumping around close to shore. These clumsy Victorian-style swimsuits were were more of a burden than a solution, and therefore the need for a new type of swimwear wich offered both modesty and comfort was born. In 1907, the swimmer Annette Kellerman from Australia went to the United States as an underwater performer and was arrested for indecent exposure because her swimsuit showed arms, legs and neck. She changed the one pieced suit into having long arms and legs and a collar, but she did not change the fact that the fit of the swimsuit revealed the shape of the body underneath, which was very revolutionary and indecent at the time.
Young women enjoying by the seaside wearing bulky, heavy and almost totally covering swimsuits, 1910. Source: http://shine.yahoo.com/photos/swimsuits-through-the-decadesslideshow/1910s-photo-1544880669.html
Annette Kellerman in her famous custom swimsuit, 1900’s. Source: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/ggbain.03569/
1892
Source: http://theredlist.fr/wiki-2-24-525-770-925-view-1900s-1profile-loie-full.html
1910’s “Break with Tradition” The barriers broken in this period laid the foundations for the more relaxed clothing that would follow in the 1920’s. Women defied previous social values by wearing strong make-up, dark painted eyelids, red lips, matt and clear skin thanks to powders and garçon haircuts. Moreover, a large group of women who called themselves “The Suffragettes” forced a social revolution to give women the right to vote (suffrage). They were considered terrorists and thrown into jail, but it is important to state that this was a huge social revolution, which would further on prove effective since women gained their right to vote. Last, Annette Kellerman’s onepiece suit became the generally accepted swimsuit for women and therefore the female body shape was no longer camouflaged, just covered. After that, swimsuits began the trend of becoming lighter, briefer and more comfortable.
Suffragettes demanding vote for women, 1909. Source: http://www.longfellow.org/
Swimsuit made out of cotton, 1910.
Jersey swimsuit made out of cotton, 1910.
Source: http://fashionhistorian. net/blog/2011/08/05/books-inbrief-unravel-knitwear-in-fashion/
Source: http://fashionhistorian. net/blog/2011/08/05/books-inbrief-unravel-knitwear-in-fashion/ p27-4/
Bathing suit made out of wool, 1916.
Bathing suit made out of cotton, 1912.
Bathing suit made out of cotton, 1910.
Source: http://www.metmuseum. org/Collections/search-the-collections/80094238?rpp=60&pg=2&ft=*&when=A.D.+1900-present&what=Bathing+suits%7cBeachwear%7cSuits&pos=102
Source: http://www.metmuseum. org/Collections/search-the-collections/80008028?rpp=40&pg=1&ft=*&when=A.D.+1900-present&what=Bathing+suits%7cBeachwear%7cSuits&pos=29
Source: http://www.metmuseum. org/Collections/search-the-collections/80008035?rpp=40&pg=1&ft=*&when=A.D.+1900-present&what=Bathing+suits%7cBeachwear%7cSuits&pos=32
Bathing at West Palm Beach - Florida, 1910.
Source: http://tribalmind.blogspot.com.es/2012/08/1910s-to-1950s-vintage-pictures.html
1920’s “Thw New Woman – Roaring Twenties” The 1920’s was the first major fashion forward movement in swimwear. When the WWI ended, women did not want to give up the freedom that had been forced on them during the war. Morals had changed, and so had the clothing: they wanted to enjoy themselves, dance, drink, smoke, meet men, experience new things, treat sex lightly, move freely and be independently active. Therefore the feminine image changed drastically and fast. Haircuts went from complicated coiffures to loose cuts, skirts went up from the ankles to the knees, leaving the legs uncovered and adopted a boyish look. Women took control and wanted to live their life as if everyday was their last. They continued working outside their homes after the war and attended university in record numbers. Finally, they achieved the right to vote, which was a huge step in woman liberation. This social and moral revolution also had a very clear and big effect on the swimwear of the moment. Taking into account that women adopted a boyish look, this was also reflected in their swimwear, which was very similar to one-piece male swimsuits. Women could be free and more comfortable in athletic tank suits and shorts, which revealed the body more clearly than ever before. But we all know that freedom comes with a price, and even though swimsuits were more revealing than before, there were still some rules established about modesty. Women’s swimwear had to be measured by the police in case it was too short, and if it was they were arrested. Moreover, you need to understand that women at the time had a very provocative attitude and acted carelessly, doing whatever they felt like doing.
Still from the movie “Our Dancing Daughters”, 1928 where you can clearly see all the changes that came with the 20’s. Source: http://www.doctormacro. com/Movie%20Summaries/O/ Our%20Dancing%20Daughters.htm
“Smokey” Buchanan from the Beach Fashion Show, 1928. West Palm Beach police force, measuring the bathing suit of Source: http://theyroaredvintage.com/ Betty Fringle on Palm Beach, to ensure that it conforms with regulations introduced by the beach censors. - 1925.
Bathing Suits in the 1920’s.
Bathing Suits in the 1920’s.
Source: http://pinterest.com/peeputt/ vintage-photos/
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ peopleofplatt/4609810042/
Source: http://pinterest.com/ pin/134474738844817650/
Women being arrested for wearing indecent swimsuits in Chicago, 1922. Source: www.pinterest.com
1940’s “The Bikini”
Even though during the 1930’s women embraced two-piece swimsuits, it was not until after the WWII, concretely in 1946, when Louis Reard introduced the “explosive” new swimsuit Bikini, named after the atomic bomb site called Bikini Atol. This new type of swimwear was really small and just covered up cricuial spots of the woman’s body. At the beginning, it was viewed as something provocative and sexual, so society – especially women - rejected it and thought it was an insult against their modesty. Men on the other hand, got really easily used to the idea of women wearing bikinis (obviously).
First modern Bikini, 1946 Source: http://www.bikiniscience.com/chronology
Bikini with a similar pattern nowadays worn by Scarlett Johansson, 2010.
Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2006-05/24/content_613173_10.htm
Top model Bar Rafaeli in a bikini, 2011 Source: http://globalgrind.com/entertainment/hot-female-celebrities-bikinis-photos?page=9
1950’s “Taking Control” During the 1950’s, the results of WWII still had huge effects on society, but they entered into a new world of mass consumption that nowadays still goes on. The canon of beauty at that time was mainly women with curves and therefore swimsuits became form fitting and curvaceous, really focusing on the body of the woman. They were colourful and with different patterns. The hourglass look was in fashion; shaping and support were key factors that also made swimsuits resemble corsets in many ways. Strapless one-piece swimsuits were mainly used instead of the daring two-piece bikini but were still very sexy with bias shaping, and padded cone shaped bra cups. As shorter curled hairstyles became popular, so did the swim cap to protect the hair from swimming, but not ceasing to be fashionable and often matching the swimsuit. Clebrities and fashion icons such as Marilyn Monroe, Sofia Loren and especially Brigitte Bardot- who starred in the movie “The Girl in the Bikini” in 1952 - … were not afraid to show their bodies and therefore created an internal revolution in women’s minds that they were “allowed” to show their bodies, to be beautiful and morally correct, without caring what other people could think.
Swimsuit by Hermès, 1950’s.
Swimsuit by Tom Brigance,1952.
Swimsuit of House Schiaparelli, 1949.
Swimsuit by Tom Brigance, 1952.
Source: http://www.metmuseum. org/Collections/search-the-collections/80000832?rpp=60&pg=1&ft=*&when=A.D.+1900-present&what=Bathing+suits%7cBeachwear%7cSuits&pos=4
Source: http://www.metmuseum. org/Collections/search-the-collections/80005411?rpp=60&pg=1&ft=*&when=A.D.+1900-present&what=Bathing+suits%7cBeachwear%7cSuits&pos=23
Source: http://www.metmuseum. org/Collections/search-the-collections/80008060?rpp=60&pg=1&ft=*&when=A.D.+1900-present&what=Bathing+suits%7cBeachwear%7cSuits&pos=51
Source: http://www.metmuseum. org/Collections/search-the-collections/80008064?rpp=60&pg=1&ft=*&when=A.D.+1900-present&what=Bathing+suits%7cBeachwear%7cSuits&pos=53
Marilyn Monroe, 1957.
Source: http://pinterest.com/pin/123356477265841331/
Sofia Loren, Rome 1955.
Source: http://pinterest.com/pin/123356477264790390/
Brigitte Bardot in a bikini, 1950’s.
Source: http://pinterest.com/pin/193232640234465896/
1960’s “The Power of Youth” During the 60’s, the young population of the world started a revolution against the political and social situation of their times. They tried to find their own and different way of expressing their opinions, and they did this through culture and intellectuality. You could hear the voice of youth protesting in the lyrics of The Beatle’s songs as seen in the movie Across The Universe (2007), in movies, especially in France with the Nouvelle Vague (The New Wave) movement as seen in the movie The Dreamers (2003), and in fashion. Young people thought that through showing their image they found the best way to differenciate themselves from other generations and make a statement. There was a clear example of this in the field of swimsuits, when designer Rudi Genreich made a swimsuit made out of wool and with a striped pattern that in the upper part of the body had only a pair of suspenders that left the breasts uncovered which became known as the monokini. This new design was clearly very revolutionary and also highly criticised and rejected, but it represented the new concept of the body that youth wanted to transmit: that they were the owners of their own bodies, of their own ideas and their own conscience. Another revolutionary fashion was the birth of the miniskirt by the hands of Mary Quant who popularised this idea of showing off the legs and providing women with comfort and freedom of movement, as seen also back in the 20’s. Swimsuits in general became much more practical, colourful and minimalistic. Celebrities and icons of the time such as Twiggy, Marisa Berenson or Sue Lyon in the movie Lolita (1962) and Ursula Andress as the ultimate Bond girl in the first James Bond movie Dr. No (1962) showed off their bikinis and bodies proudly, popularising the standards of beauty and the idea that a woman’s body was meant to be shown, to be seen as something beautiul and as a demonstration of self-confidence. Sue Lyon in a famous scene from the movie Lolita wearink a twopiece swimsuit, 1962. Source: www.hollywood.com
Ursula Andress in a still from the movie Dr. No, 1962 showing off her amazing body in a white bikini.
Source: http://www.becauseiamfabulous. com/2012/07/halle-berry-vs-ursula-andressin-bikinis-guess-who-was-voted-best-bondbeach-body-of-all-time/
Young girl wearing a hippie-style floral bikini, 1960’s. Source: http://shine.yahoo.com/photos/swimsuits-through-the-decades-slideshow/late-60s-photo-1544882998.html
Rudi Genreich’s monokini, 1964. Source: Fukai A., Suoh T., Koga R., Nii R., 2002 “MODA Tomo II” Taschen.
1990’s “Fashion as an identity” In the 90’s, with all the huge technological progress made by human kind, such as television and Internet, allowed companies and brands to communicate with the real consumer world, creating a bond between brand and consumer never seen before. People started believing that fashion was much more than just a piece of clothing, but more like a source of information, of communication. During this period, swimsuits were extremely fashionable and became even more so with the popularisation of one of the top American TV series of all time: “Baywatch”. We all remember Pamela Anderson and Carmen Electra running along the seaside of Los Angeles in their tight, red, high-cut leg swimsuits saving lives fabulously. One piece suits and tankinis –tank top on the upper side of the boy – usually made out of lycra and with bright neon colours, tropical or animal print, were the most commonly characteristics used in 90’s swimwear.
Young girl wearing tropical print and neon coloured swimsuit, 1990’s. Source: http://shine.yahoo.com/photos/swimsuits-through-the-decades-slideshow/late-80s-photo-1544883169.html
Pamela Anderson in a still from the T.V series Baywatch, 1990.
Source: http://www.cinemagia.ro/filme/baywatch-baywatch-echipa-de-interventie-1708/imagini/375132/
Calvin Klein swimsuit, 1991.
Source: http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/80002573?rpp=60&pg=1&ft=*&when=A.D.+1900-present&what=Bathing+suits%7cBeachwear%7cSuits&pos=17
REFERENCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY
Leymarie J. 1988, “CHANEL” Ediciones Destino. Fukai A., Suoh T., Koga R., Nii R., 2002 “MODA Tomo I” Taschen. Fukai A., Suoh T., Koga R., Nii R., 2002 “MODA Tomo II” Taschen. Garner P. and Alan Mellor D., 2012 “Cecil Beaton: Retrospectiva 19201970” Lunwerg Editores. Kennedy S., 2010 “The Swimsuit: A History of Twentieth-Century Fashion” Movies mentioned throughout the project. www.pinterest.com www.dazeddigital.com www.metmuseum.org www.fashionhistorian.net
Alexa Chung wearing a swimsuit photographed by Guy Lowndes, 2012.
FASHION HISTORY // TREND RELATED RESEARCH PROJECT // EVA PERALEJO KALIAKOUDA IED BARCELONA // CWK-6