Swim With Me: The History

 Hello once again! In this post I will be sharing with you a sewing passion of mine, Swimwear “Bathing suit”. I love to design and make swimwear. I made swimwear for customers, friend and family especially for my two sisters. I had the opportunity to get back into sewing swimwear for 2014 carnival for a couple of ladies who wanted Monokinis for carnival Monday. Of course that trigger my love once more.

Sizing for swimwear can be tricky, so I resort to custom making swimwear for women of different sizes. At the end they are satisfied and I feel fulfilled doing one of my favourite thing

I will share with you the history of swimwear and then I will go into the different style for your body type I hope this excites you as much as it excites me.

Swimwear “Bathsuit” The History.

I hope it not surprising to you that the fashion history of swimwear was principally from dresses and the outfits worn in the 18^th  Century which was very modest, their body was almost totally covered because it was considered improper to skin.

http://www.victoriana.com/library/Beach/FashionableBathingSuits.htm

   18th Century:

"This 1797 Gallery of Fashion print shows two ladies protected by face-shading bonnets, shawls and glove ^"

Regency Era:

Fashionable Sea-Side Walking Dress La Belle Assemblee Fashions, Sept 1810

"A gown of white French cambric, or pale pink muslin, with long sleeves, and antique cuffs of thin white muslin worn over trowsers of white French cambric, which are trimmed the same as the bottom of the dress. A figured short scarf of pale buff, with deep pale-green border, and rich silk tassels; with gloves of pale buff kid; and sandals of pale yellow, or white Morocco, complete this truly simple but becoming dress."

Mid-19th Century:

“In the mid-19th century bathing dresses covered most of the female figure. These garments were highlighted in Godey’s Lady’s Book in 1864. the long bloomers exhibit the influence of Amelia Bloomer’s innovative ideas for women’s clothing. The ”turkish” pants and “paletot” dresses are made from a heavy flannel fabric which would surely weigh down the swimmer”.

1890s`:

1900: “Swimsuit retains modesty but was free enough to allow the young lady to engage in swimming was obvious. 1910: “By 1910 bathing suits no longer camouflaged the contours of the female body. The yards of fabric used in Victorian bathing skirts and bloomers were reduced to show a little more of the figure and to allow for exposure to the sun.” 1915: “Up until the first decades of the 20th century, the only activity for women in the ocean involved jumping through the waves while holding on to a rope attached to an off-shore bouy. By 1915, women athletes started to share the actual sport of swimming with men and thus began to reduce the amount of heavy fabric used in their billowing swimsuits” 1920s: “By the early 1920s women’s bathing suits were reduced to a one piece garment with a long top that covered shorts. Though matching stockings were still worn, vintage swimwear began to shrink and more and more flesh was exposed from the bottom of the trunks to the tops of the stockings. By the mid-1920s Vogue magazine was telling its readers that “the newest thing for the sea is a jersey bathing suit as near a maillot as the unwritten law will permit http://www.victoriana.com/library/Beach/FashionableBathingSuits.htm  Hmmm! what a long way we have come. Some of the  swimwear of today is by no means modest. but i must say they did inspire a lot other garments we wear under our clothing today. STAY BLOGGED ON FOR MORE....