1920s Swimwear

Hey, it's summer now! That means swimming. Swimming means swimsuits. I often feel a bit uncomfortable in modern swimsuits, as they tend to be very immodest (not a problem for plenty of people, and if you enjoy wearing modern swimsuits, that's great! I just don't feel comfortable being that level of bare out in the world.). Time for a historical sewing project relating to that theme... I want to sew a (mostly) historically accurate "bathing suit" from 1920 to 1930. Originally I wanted to make a Victorian one, but then there's swimming corsets, and lace, and frills, swim shoes, (which were a thing in the 20s but became mostly optional as ladies started to stray away from stockings) which I frankly do not have to time (or skill) to make. So I decided on a simple 1920s style swimsuit, either in the one piece or two piece variety. Time for some pictures!

Here we see the one piece style of the time. Likely worn over a brassiere only, I have seen some examples where clearing nothing else is worn below, however this is a bit immodest for me, but if you are comfortable, go for it! The one piece was seen as less modest than the two piece...

Here we see the two piece style that was very popular - essentially a really long tank top and shorts. Held with a belt around the waist to keep the shirt from floating up. Note lack of stockings for the first time since their introduction in the medieval times! Scandalous!

The "Annette Kellerman" style one piece was very popular, even though it sparked scandal at it's release in 1907.

Rumour has it that Kellerman was arrested for wearing such a daring swimsuit in public, but there is no proof of this. By the 20s, the style had seemed to have caught on.

The one above does seem to be worn over some sort of corset... But then again she was a professional athlete, which seems unfair as competition wear (I'm not saying that corsets restrict movement, but steel bones would certainly rust, and the garment would probably not hold up)

Swim wear in bright colours became popular - black had been traditional as it does not turn transparent in the water!

I think this is the shape I will be going for, but I might try a two piece if I have time.

Checking the modesty of swimwear... While I like my swimsuits on the modest side, I find it horrible that this was the norm. Women should be allowed to wear what makes them feel comfortable, and it's sad that this wasn't (and often still isn't) the case. Many women wore stockings when swimming, which eliminated this problem.

Another two piece with belt. The two piece was seen as more modest due to the little "skirt", but these ladies don't appear to be wearing stockings!

Okay, so while doing research, I found that there has been a comeback of the Annette Keller man style of swimsuit! People like how size inclusive and comfortable the style is, and it has been used to promote body positivity! So this is definitely the style I think I will try to make, though it will be harder.

Below: modern adaptation of an Annette Keller man Style suit

All right, so I will update the blog with the attempted recreation! Thanks for reading!