The earliest bathing dress for women in the United States may have been
an old smock or shift, followed by a bathing gown based on the shift or
chemise. Although women's bathing and swimming costume achieved an
identity of its own during the 19th century, the evolution of this garb
followed certain innovations in women's underclothing, namely, drawers
in the first half of the 19th century, the "combination" of the late
1870s, and the brassiere and panties of the 1930s. The greatest number
of minor style changes, however, were direct reflections of fashions in
street dress. The rising hemline and, at times, the discarding of a
skirt during periods when women wore long dresses for other activities
can be attributed to changes caused by the functional requirements of
bathing and swimming; the shortening of sleeves and trousers in the last
quarter of the 19th century were also functional improvements. The
benefits of the shorter trousers, however, were minimized when modesty
required women to cover their exposed legs with stockings.
Swimming suits have been considered a 20th century innovation; in fact
one corporation is under the impression that a member of their staff was
responsible for the first use of the term "swimming suit" early in the
century. The findings presented in this paper show that some women were
wearing "swimming suits" that were distinctly different from bathing
dresses as early as the 1870s and that both co-existed for some 50
years. Bathing dresses disappeared in the 1920s with the widespread
acceptance of its functional counterpart; "bathing suit" no longer
referred to a special type of costume but became interchangeable with
the term "swimming suit."
The insistent trend toward more functional costume reached its ultimate
conclusion with the refinements of the knitted swimming suit in the
1930s. Subsequent changes have not improved upon the functional design
of this classic suit. In many instances these variations have been
merely to satisfy the feminine desire for distinctive apparel and the
industry's need for perishable fashions. Female competitive swimmers
have continued to wear the simple knitted suit--now of nylon rather than
wool.
The changes since the 1930s have shown a trend toward diminution in the
coverage of the swimming suit. One cannot be certain what this means for
the future, but it is unlikely that either the swim suit industry or
standards of modesty of the near future will permit a total elimination
of swimming costume. We can be assured, however, that so long as women
swim, they will not repeat history by swathing themselves with yards of
fabric.