A Brief History of the Swim Costume
Bathing is a sport
Enjoyed by great and small
In suits of any sort
Though better none at all.
[Anonymous,19th-century poem]
It’s that time of year again - searching for our togs in the nether regions of the sock and undies drawers. Exclaiming in dismay when we stand in front of the mirror squeezed into last year’s suit or bikini. It’s tough to venture into public at the beginning of summer before we’ve been sun-kissed. Swim suits, bathing suits or togs haven’t always been so revealing the last two hundred years have brought many a change to the dreaded swim suit.
Bathing in the ocean became a popular and fashionable activity in the 18th century when the introduction of railroads made travel much easier and faster. People flocked to the beaches in summer, seeking sun and rejuvenation. Until the 1800’s most swimming was done in the nude or in one’s under clothes until laws were passed dictating appropriate swimwear. The swimsuits invented during this period hid the body, making swimming (especially for women) restrictive and difficult.
The first swim suits do not in any shape or form resemble what we wear today. A Victorian women’s swim costume consisted of a bonnet, gloves, a long gown with long sleeves, and long trousers. In the early 19th century women changed in the privacy of their own ‘Swim Machine’ a type of covered carriage house that was drawn out to sea by horse , where a Victorian woman could change out of one petticoat costume into another swimming costume.
As time ticked on the swim costume became more revealing but only just, with heavy flannel or woollen suits that included stockings. The early 1900’s finally saw the swim suit literally take shape. More skin was revealed, the suit sat against the body and women were able to swim and participate in water sports more freely.
In the 1940’s the bikini took the world by storm. A Frenchman by the name of Réard invented the "bikini" naming it after Bikini Atoll, one of a series of islands in the South Pacific where testing of the atomic bomb took place. Historians believe that Réard called it the bikini as he thought it would be as explosive and controversial as the Atom bomb.
However, the bikini is not a recent invention of the 1940s; cloth covering the breasts and hip region dates back to 1600 BC. In Sicily there are mosaics showing women exercising from the 4th century AD in bikini type garb with exposed torsos. Fashion shows us more than fabric; it reveals our thoughts on culture and society. It demonstrates the swinging pendulum of civilization and how our collective thoughts do change, even if it takes 1,500 years.
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