Swim Wear
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Fun wear designs Swimwear This site is all about swimwear. There are so many swimwear designs for women it’s amazing. Swimwear designs for women include one piece suits, thong swimwear, Bikini swimwear, g-string swimwear designs, mono-kini swimwear styles, Tan through swimwear styles, boy short swimwear styles, lip exposing swimwear designs, Now that most of the younger women are shaved or waxed hair free. Brazilian style swimwear designs including swimwear designs that are classified as bikinis But covers as little as 15% of a women butt. Fabric choices in swimwear for women are simply amazing with so many custom designs and just about all the solid colors that are imaginable. There are women using men’s swimwear designed board shorts with small women’s swimwear style tops. When we discuss women’s swimwear style tops there are just as many variations as with bottoms.
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A Short History of Men’s and Women’s Swimwear.
When we pop on down to the beach, we don’t give much thought to the background of the swimwear we’ll be wearing. Sure, we put a lot of thought into what we’ll be wearing – bikini, tankini and board shorts, one piece, Speedos, boardies, t-shirt and undies, neck-to-knee covering or a hessian sack. But once we’ve agonised in the mirror for many an hour, donning a cossie and then tearing it off in despair when we discover we didn’t take enough off our bikini line, or our winter whiteness looks glaring in the brown swimwear, this makes up the extent of our forethought into swimwear. At home, anyway. Then once we actually get to the beach, it’s a whole other story. We regret wearing the bikini when our tummies get burnt, or the beautiful patterned cut-outs or crochet leave odd shaped tan marks resembling Egyptian hieroglyphics. Perhaps the lack of swimwear at a nudist beach leaves body parts red and tender and we regret not dousing these areas in sun block. If there is someone else wearing our designer swimwear then both parties wish the ground would open up and swallow them – there just does not seem to be enough beach for the both of you. Or the carefully constructed swimwear that took 47 minutes to put on and arrange comes apart in the surf and floats away on a piece of seaweed. Last year’s designs look obsolete and this year’s designs take a little getting used to. And of course if you’re a little on the cuddly side, then nothing you put on feels any good. You shuffle from the car to the sand, struggling with the umbrella and your beach bag, all the while desperately hoping the oversized beach towel you painstakingly positioned to hide your love handles doesn’t slip. And then when you find a patch of sand and unload your gear, it’s mad dash from your marked territory to the water, praying no-one notices you as you launch yourself into the ocean, in your swimwear the sales assistant guaranteed will ‘flatter your figure’. And have you ever worn those swimmers that seem to attract the sand to your ‘gusset’? So when you exit the water even ladies look like they have a male appendage? You spend several frantic minutes in the waves before you leave the surf, trying to scoop out the sand, making it look like you’re pleasuring yourself in the water. And who hasn’t lost a bikini in a wave, or been dumped headfirst into the sandy bottom when swept off your feet (and not in a good way) and had to reposition swimwear before you stand up? Then you have to contend with uneven tan lines by surreptitiously slipping down shoulder straps or, if you’re trying to avoid a tan, making sure you apply sun block evenly over your exposed skin. Any uncovered flesh will burn and leave you looking like you tipped a small tin of paint over one part of your leg or back. Worse still (and I am speaking from experience here) you forget, wipe the excess sun block off on your thighs, and spend the rest of summer explaining the hand-shaped white patch amongst the tanned skin on your leg.
So, how swimwear came about isn’t something people dwell on, apart from when they see the old black and white photos of people actually wearing the neck-to-knees, frilly swim caps atop heads, and men swimming in one area, ladies in the other. Then perhaps all we do is give thanks that fashion has come such a long way and we are now freer to express ourselves – or, we mourn the fact that the neck-to-knee swimwear has gone and we are doomed to wear skimpy pieces of lycra that shows every lump and bump.
Swimwear Through The Ages.
There are recorded images of people wearing swimwear about 2000 years ago. And in the 8th century B.C. bathing was done nude (although sometimes clothing was used) – so we know people were at least attending beaches then. Grecians in 300 B.C. wore swimwear; later they wore togas. In Pompeii, paintings and murals have been discovered that show women wearing something similar to the bikini of the 1960s – covering the bottom and breasts but leaving the rest exposed. Tiled mosaics in Sicily have found the same thing.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, swimming at the beach grew out of favour and people saw it purely for recuperative purposes – and hence, swimwear too lost its way. Swimming – whether at the beach, pools or baths – disappeared as a hobby for quite a long time, about several hundred years.
In the European Middle Ages swimming was seen as immoral and, believe it or not, unhealthy.
1700s.
In the 1700s, men wore woollen suits with long arms and legs that looked more like underwear, not swimwear. This design would be around for more than 100 years. Women wore long dresses (‘bathing gowns’) that did not become see-through when wet. In fact, they were even weighed down at the base so they did not float up when the ladies were swimming, and risk exposing their legs. Bathing in spas became popular in France and England, but even then bathing was restricted to a fast dip in the water and men and women always bathed separately. Beachside bathing was still not as popular. The swimwear for men and women were similar – neck-to-knee and very modest. Trousers began to flare during the 1700s.
1800s.
During the early 1800s, women’s bathing gowns became two-piece. But they were still not exactly as we know it now – they consisted of a pair of pants to the ankles, and a dress from neck to knee – the dress covered the groin and the trousers covered the legs. Modesty was still a priority.
In the latter half of this century, ‘bathing machines’ came into being (although there are records of them being used as early as the 1700s). These were designed to prevent people from seeing others in their swimwear, particularly men seeing women, but even people of the same sex seeing each other. The person entered the machine (which was actually a large wooden cart and usually windowless and dark, made sometimes of canvas over a wooden frame), undressed and placed their street clothes on a high shelf so they didn’t get wet, then dressed in their swimwear. The cart was rolled or slid into the water, and the person exited the cart via a staircase into the water – so no one else saw the person in his or her swimwear out of the water. When the person was finished swimming, they re-entered the cart (sometimes raising a flag to indicate they were finished swimming and required a tow back to shore), dressed, and exited the cart onto the sand. Of course when mixed bathing became more popular and accepted (at the beginning of the 1900s; in 1901 it was no longer illegal for people of the same sex to bathe together), the bathing machines were gradually phased out. Interestingly, the term ‘bathing’ originally meant just that – people bathed (washed) in their clothes, in the water.
It was during the mid-1800s that the previous decline in the popularity of swimming as a recreation reversed. Because all of a sudden people wanted to swim, swimwear started becoming even more important – the balance between style and modesty was still a factor, though. Circumstances of the day enabled beachside swimming to bloom – innovations such as railways bought people to the beach, and in some countries economic improvement meant more leisure time and the desire for more fashionable swimwear. Indoor plumbing meant visiting water holes or the beach was not necessary to bathe or wash (for cleanliness) and so swimming became popular again. People could bathe at home; the beach was reserved for recreation. About this time, people ‘bathing’ at the beach in almost everyday wear declined and swimwear gained popularity and standing. People wanted something functional to swim in, not ‘bathe’ in.
In the mid-1800s, swimming was still considered a male’s domain, and so women’s swimwear was slow to pick up. It wasn’t really until swimming became an Olympic sport, and something done at schools and universities, that it became more acceptable for women to swim. In the late 1880s, women’s swimwear came into its own and swimsuits for women were a blouse (or jacket) and three-quarter length trousers (all in one piece) – known as the ‘Princess’ cut. Headwear was a straw hat or ruffled cap. These are the images popular in some of the old photos you might still see today. Although still awkward, it was definitely more fashionable and practical than earlier models. Swimwear was more fitted, and a knee-length skirt arrived on the scene in the late 1800s. Shoes were still worn in the water, and they were typically slippers with laces. Beach chairs made of rattan dotted the sand and caps were waterproof.
1900s.
Come the 1900s, swimwear was seen in bright colours, not the drab grey and black of the old woollen suits.
In 1907 an Australian, Annette Kellerman, visited America as an underwater ballerina (a precursor to the synchronised swimmers of today) and was arrested because her swimwear was too revealing – showing her arms, legs and neck. It was not long after this that swimwear began to grow smaller anyway, maybe as a result of Kellerman, with the arms first being exposed and then the legs. Instead of high collars hiding the neck, the necklines plunged to the breasts. The loose-fitting style became popular and accepted. The apron on women’s swimwear (a piece of material that lay across the crotch, hiding the shape of the genitals) fell by the wayside in about 1918, but a long tunic still covered the shorts.
Stockings were still worn, but the legs became exposed from the bottom of the trunks to the start of the shorts. In some cases, lacy footwear was still worn.
1920’s.
Swimwear into the 20s was still made of a dark wool, believe it or not. Although it was quite heavy when wet, it at least became soft when wet, so it was not too scratchy to swim in. The 1920s saw, however, a new kind of swimwear with legs and arms being freed from the confines of the woollen suit and for the first time fully exposed. This caused shock and awe as many of the older generation thought it immodest, even though there were often built-in modesty shorts to prevent people from seeing the exposed thigh. The swimmers were usually in quite bold patterns, and those who couldn’t afford new swimwear hid theirs in cloth. The hats worn at this time were much like the hat known as the cloche, and was more suited to short man-styled hair than longer flowing locks. Women’s swimwear at this time was very similar to previous men’s styles. A two-piece swimwear consisting of a blouse and shorts became popular as thighs were exposed. Shoes were now canvas, and belts on suits were made from rubber. Street wear around this time was also man-like, with women cropping their hair short and wearing pants and blouses. In fact, this new breed of female was called a ‘flapper’ – they listened to the new music, wore short skirts, drove cars, smoked, engaged in casual sex and generally did things that were, until now, reserved for males. As cocaine was legal, they sniffed it and danced in a very unladylike manner at clubs, and with the demise of corsets and the rise of ‘step-in’ panties, it is no surprise that the swimwear of the day reflected the newfound freedom of these women.
In the mid-20s, the American Rubber Company created a new fabric. Called lastex, it was made from latex and was stretchier than the older wool varieties of swimwear. Later it was shown to be non-colourfast and it didn’t retain its shape well enough for continued successful use in swimwear.
An increase in the popularity of activities revolving around water saw the need for swimwear to advance with the ages, and so this was another reason why the corset was done away with. Skin was being exposed at an increasing rate, with women’s swimwear becoming skimpier and tighter.
It was still considered immodest for men to bear their chests in public, even in the late 1920s. The Jantzen swimsuit was a one-piece elasticised suit for men.
Parasols (or umbrellas) began to become popular seaside accessories.
1930s.
The 30s saw the introduction of a one-piece swimsuit with a belt (one-piece suits are also called maillots by designers, sometimes called tank suits as well). Cotton gradually overtook wool as the material of choice for swimwear, and pretty feminine prints were being seen more and more.
Men had the option of not wearing the top, but many chose to continue wearing it. It was still thought of as tasteless for men to expose their chests, and even though men were gradually starting to do it, sometimes to go topless lead to being arrested for indecent exposure! It was in the year 1937 that men could finally go topless for bathing. Some say it was all downhill from there. It took an Olympian wearing a pair of bathing trunks that looked more like cut-off trousers (complete with fake button fly and belt buckle) for people to accept men going topless.
Due to the introduction of lastex (and later, rayon) into swimwear, women found that they could wear more figure-hugging swimwear, and the legs grew shorter and shorter (the legs of the swimwear, not the ladies). Women’s swimwear was designed so the straps could be lowered for a more even tan line. The swimwear hugged the body and was very sleek.
Many swimsuits still had little skirts to cover the thighs and preserve that all-important modesty. The added benefit was the masking of thighs that were a little on the podgy side. Any two-piece swimsuits around still usually covered the bellybutton.
1937 saw the creation of spandex (otherwise known as polyurethane).
In 1938, the company DuPont invented the first fully man-made material. They called it nylon, and it was made from coal, water and air and was spun into fabric. Spandex and nylon revolutionised swimwear.
Movies set on the beach became popular, too, paving the way for swimwear to become real fashion statements as well as functional pieces of wardrobe. And ready-to-wear swimwear meant people could go from home to beach and not get changed – skirts that could attach to the swimwear were popular.
1940s.
Come 1940, women wore accessories with their swimwear – jewellery and high heels became popular, and the pin-up girl was seen in a piece of swimwear as well as other fashionable items of clothing. The ‘glamour photography’ of the 1940s and then later, the 1950s, was the precursor to the modern-day swimsuit photography. Sports Illustrated and their ilk, with their swimwear models, have a lot to thank the 40s and 50s for.
The gap left in the street wear clothing market for corset makers saw many of them again working with swimwear; they designed swimwear to help hide the imperfections in a woman’s figure. Panels sewn into swimwear helped shape the stomach, and boning helped shape the bust. The body shape was again being altered by clothing – in this instance, swimwear. The corset-like design in swimwear survived into the 1960s. Zippers were at the back to hold the shape of the swimwear.
1946 saw the bikini hit the fashion scene, just after World War II. Its designer Louis Reard was said to have named it after the South Pacific’s Bikini Atoll, and it caused quite a stir; women could now be offered a two-piece article of swimwear, showing not only a more tighter-fitting item but also their midriffs – and their knees and bellybuttons. Because of this exposure, the name bikini was appropriate – Bikini Atoll was the site of several nuclear bomb tests, and the bikini was said to have an explosive affect on those seeing it. In fact, Reard was once heard to say about the size of the bikini “It was so small that it revealed everything about the girl except her mother’s maiden name!” The minimal two-piece was also perfectly timed due to the rationing during the war of fabric manufacturing. Even though the war had ended, fabric was in short supply and this suited the makers of the bikini quite well. The bikini was seen to be the domain of the exotic dancer, movie star, or other rich and famous woman.
Not to be outdone, men demanded more ‘shocking’ swimwear, and the result was the already existing boxer-short design but with loud patterns and later, matching shirts. These beach outfits remained popular well into the 1960s. Hawaiian and Polynesian prints were the order of the day. Vogue ran a special on the effects of too much sun exposure, showing ‘cover ups’ as a solution to the problem. Ready-to-wear apparel brought us the sarong culottes – sarongs can still be seen on any beach today, and are used as anything and everything from a skirt to a dress to a nappy-like bottom cover to a head cover. In American, the explosion of beach related and Disney movies only served to fuel the popularity of swimwear.
Matching swimwear was all the rage, with couples or mothers and daughters ensuring they hit the beach in swimwear that complimented – or outright matched – each other.
1950s.
Come the 50s, swimwear began to see some changes as they became more and more like undergarments, complete with support, and even modesty panels. The tops now had padding, and were in some cases strapless. Women were encouraged to be big busted, with large breasts being very popular, and about now women began to have their bottom rib surgically removed to create the perfect hourglass figure. The fashion of the body and clothing went hand in hand (as it had in the past and continues to in the future) – big bosoms were the in thing and if they couldn’t get them from their genes, then their swimwear helped. Panty girdles gave women even thinner waistlines.
Lycra came to be in 1958 thanks to DuPont again; finally swimwear was more streamlined – and lighter to wear in the water. In bikinis, the bellybutton was still covered.
Men’s swimwear resembled the modern-day boxer shorts – short, patterned and with an elastic waist they were functional, and not terribly fashionable.
Stores began selling beach accessories – beach bags, sunglasses, and beach towels were the must-have items in the 50s. Stripes and plaid were in, as were swirls and prints of ponies.
1960s.
Bikinis got even smaller, revealing practically everything apart from the breasts (usually only the nipples were covered) and genitals. However, bikinis with more support were still the most popular. It was during the 1960s that the previous decade’s big-bosomed popularity dwindled and thin was in – women were encouraged to be small-framed and leggy. The monokini was introduced (by Rudi Gernreich) but never really took off – basically a bikini bottom with no top, so the breasts were uncovered. It was just as well that the big breasts of the 50s were now out-of-date! Again, bodies and fashion went hand in hand and the style of swimwear reflected that. Thin was in, and you had to be thin in order to wear the new styles of swimwear. Larger ladies and larger swimwear were so last season.
To keep up with the ever-increasing popularity of the bikini, the one-piece saw changes too. The middle of the swimsuit was now missing, replaced with mesh or plastic rings (as too were the sides) creating a kind of faux-bikini, a one-piece that resembled a two-piece. Many suits boasted crochet, with nylon and lycra being seen more and more. Due to the skimpy nature of swimwear the need for ready-to-wear apparel increased.
1970s.
The 70s saw the introduction of the thong from Brazil (where the bottom is uncovered due to a g-string). The thong was said to be inspired by Amazonian tribes’ native apparel. One-piece swimwear was still the most worn item. On the other hand, women were burning their bras and soft, natural shapes were in. The padded look of the 50s was well and truly a thing of the past. However this only caused another concern – women did not want to be seen as a pair of breasts, but they did not want the small breasts of the 60s. This rather contradictory view persisted into the 1980s and beyond.
Previously, the erogenous zones were seen to be the waist and just below it, and swimwear drew attention to this area with increasingly lowered waistlines for two-pieces – now, the erogenous zones were the breasts, and swimwear focussed on this. In one-piece swimwear zippers moved to the front, and crochet and mesh were still in. Swimwear became popular across cultures with the first black female to win in swimming at the Olympics.
1980s.
Hips grew higher with the French cut, revealing more skin at the sides. Armholes dropped. The conflicting feelings of women surrounding their breasts was resolved with breast surgery – either to make them bigger with implants or smaller, so they felt more comfortable both physically and mentally. Bikinis became more popular as women felt better about their surgically enhanced bodies. When Reard passed away in 1984, bikinis made up 20% of beach attire in America and Canada, more than any other item of swimwear.
Swimwear was heavily inspired by – and borrowed from – the exercise culture. Conversely, exercise apparel turned from swimwear-styled fabric and design to knitted fabric, and t-shirts and leggings. Neoprene (the material used in wetsuits) was introduced to swimwear in the 1980s, widening the range of available swimwear. Ready-to-wear apparel expanded to plain old every day wear, with jeans and t-shirts the new cover ups seen on beaches. People arrived at the beach in street wear, stripped to their swimwear, then dressed again in their street wear to go home, out to dinner, or to the shops.
1990s.
Men’s swimwear appeared to have gone back in time during the 90s, with baggy long shorts becoming popular on the beaches and once again covering skin, not exposing more of it. These board shorts, or boardies, usually reached the knees and were worn lower on the hips than other forms of swimwear (that were worn higher and showed more skin). Although, the new board shorts only just covered the genitals and buttocks.
Women’s swimwear also took a step backwards, with the discovery of the silicon breast implants of the 80s leaking and requiring removal. This meant that swimwear had to again resort to padding and support to generate a fuller bosom. The 1950s bigger bosom was in demand again – but naturally. Well, artificially, inasmuch as they were enhanced using swimwear, padded bikini tops and the like – and not surgery. Push-up bras became popular, too, with cleavage on and off the beach highly in demand. In bikini bottoms the look was important too, with many designs finding new and interesting ways to cover the intimate parts of a female’s anatomy whilst still being as revealing as they possibly could. Once again, what was fashionable in body shape and size dictated, and was dictated by, clothing fashion. Cleavage was important and attained via swimwear. And with the changes in swimwear fashions changed in response – the Brazilian wax came to be, and some women (and even men) opted for permanent hair removal to compliment their swimwear. Horizontal lines came back too, with the advent of the boy leg. No more high-cut legs with thighs exposed – the straight cut was back and worn by all, even those whose figures it didn’t flatter.
Fabric was invented that allowed people to tan all over their bodies without having to go naked. Brown was in, white was out – and people all over were cooking themselves on the beach.
Nowadays.
Recently we have seen the invention of the burkini, a one-piece item of swimwear designed for Muslim women so they can attend the beach and swim whilst still being covered – previously, they were forced to swim in their clothing in order to preserve their modesty. The burkini looks rather like a wetsuit, with the face showing but the head covered, and the body covered but the hands and feet not. This has allowed Muslim women to become lifeguards on many beaches – something they could not have done in years gone by.
The over-tanning of the 1990s has resulted in an increasing incidence of skin cancer in the present day, and this has meant many people are now wearing more to the beach, rather than less. ‘Rashies’, as they are known, are all-in-one neck to thigh suits (or more simply, t-shirts and shorts) with high sun protection built into the fabric. People are more aware that burning their skin to get a tan can kill, and their attitudes to beach wear have changed accordingly. Parents dress their children in rashies to protect their delicate skin from U.V. rays and potentially lethal damage. The boon in sunhats with this kind of protection also means people are reverting to wearing headgear to the beach again. Any visit to the beach might see you thinking you had gone back in time, to a period where people covered up for modesty – not to prevent sun damage. The added bonus is that larger people now feel more comfortable with going to the beach, with t-shirts giving them some cover that many other pieces of swimwear don’t. Of course, the mankini seen in the recent Borat movie is an exception!
In men, once again body fashion and clothing fashion went hand in hand. As their swimwear got more and more revealing (with the advent of Speedos and the thong) bodies became less hairy – chests, backs and even groins were waxed and creamed in an effort to look as good in their new swimwear as possible. Board shorts were being seen off the beach, too, with men donning them and a t-shirt to hit the local pub or shopping mall. This resulted in an explosion of board short designs, with many music bands pairing with surf wear manufacturers to design board shorts – Metallica and Bon Jovi are just two bands to bring their own range of board shorts out.
In sport, more and more records are being broken in the pool, with the advancement of swimwear fabrics and design – all aiding to prevent drag and friction in the water. Swimmers are going faster and faster as bodies are being moulded into shapes resembling torpedoes, and swimwear is now so tight that swimmers need to pour themselves into their swimwear – some take up to 30 minutes or more to get into, and can only be worn once or twice before the streamlining effect wears off with the stretching of the suit. Being so tight, the suits prevent the muscles wobbling while the swimmer is in the water, and hence friction is lessened more. With so much money being spent on researching streamlined swimwear (identifying parts of the body that produce more drag than others, and designing suits to minimise drag in these areas), the suits themselves are costing more and more – and in some cases sponsorship is essential in order for swimmers to be able to afford the new swimwear. Previously (as with bike racing) men removed the hair from their arms and legs in order to reduce drag; this is now done purely through the suits.
Swimwear (both one-piece and two-pieces) now comes in a wide range of sizes to suit many shapes – including different cup sizes for busts and different thigh-heights to help minimise the perception of thicker thighs. Tops also have gone back to built-in bras and support, so many swimwear tops can actually be worn off the beach. Figures can be flattered and in some cases, made to look completely different just with a pattern or cut of swimwear. Ladies with larger busts can accentuate their favourite feature – or minimise it, if they wish – simply with their choice of swimwear. Large tummies similarly can be hidden with a correctly-patterned one-piece, or large buttocks can be made to appear smaller with the right bottom. Maternity swimwear is abundant too, with pregnant women recognising the importance of exercise, particularly in water where their burgeoning stomachs can be supported. And once confined to the home, pregnant tummies are now accepted on the beach so maternity costumes are in demand.
Swimwear is available all year round, with the advent of online shopping. Bargains can be had on designer swimwear through auction websites, and every figure and taste can be accommodated in the privacy of your own home – no more embarrassing trips to the swimwear store!
Swimwear through the ages has echoed, to some extent, the coming of age of society and street fashion. As people became less modest and society’s values declined, fashion (including swimwear) used less and less material. Whilst this may sound prudish, it is true. Go back 100 years and every day language did not involve vulgarities, people were modestly dressed, and manners were in abundance. Nowadays, you pass people in the street and in many cases you can’t hear the conversation for the swearing. Young people are barely wearing anything, and there is not a lot of difference between what is worn in the home, at the movies or on the beach. Who is to blame is not the subject here, but the fact remains that times do change and fashion changes with it. And as fashion shifted from neck-to-knee (and sometimes ankles!) so did swimwear.
Many swimwear designers are now using older, vintage swimwear designs and creating new, modern looks from them. Perhaps we can rejoice in a day, sometime in the near future, when we begin to cover up again in the name of fashion. Surely with the increase in skin cancers and larger-figured people who want more flattering suits, this can’t be a bad thing? And perhaps we can see a return to the days of manners and modesty? Never! The more skin the better, swimwear designs for men and women that show more are the way to go. Micro swimwear and nude should be the norm!
