1930's Women's Bathing Suits

Feminine cotton printed bathing suits often with little over skirts to hide the thighs gradually replaced the ugly 20's fashion.  The 20's suit which sometimes sported cutout sections in the midriff panel disappeared as it evolved into a two piece garment.  By this era most of us would recognise the late 1930's swimsuits as one that bears some relationship to swimwear of today. The swimming costumes shown left were made of lastex and the styles would not look too ridiculous when swimming today.
Hollywood stars also added glamour to the swimsuit so that bathers needed to consider having one in the latest fashion.  Esther Williams and Dorothy Lamour along with films featuring synchronised aqua swimming whipped up interest in figure hugging costumes with higher cut legs and which revealed every body contour.

 1940-60 Corset Like Swimsuits

In the 1940s, corset manufacturers saw a gap in the market.  Corsetry was losing ground, but the new more revealing swim suits really needed experts to design garments that hid faults in a woman's shape.  They achieved this by adding stretch tummy control panels to hold in the stomach. Manufacturers also used bra cups and boning to give bust support. Costume could then be worn either strapless or with small straps that buttoned onto the inside.

Women still continued to wear all in one swimsuits in the 1950s.  They also took great care to cover up their hairstyles with a swimming cap or bathing cap, usually holding their head well out of the water when swimming.  The swimming caps shown right were decorated with plastic petals or leaves to make them appear prettier than a bald fitting bathing cap.


The bikini was still thought of as risqué and best suited to film stars and exotic dancers.The bikini was still thought of as risqué and best suited to film stars and exotic dancers.

A wide range of fabrics including lined cotton, stretch Lastex and elastic ruched waffle nylon was popular for a while.  Zips were still used in the centre back of swimsuits retaining the corset like appearance until the early 1960s. 

Bikinis were seen in Crete thousands of years ago.  After that pictorial evidence of 200 A.D., suggests that bikini clad women were cavorting in Sicily's Piazza Armerina.

The modern version was patented by Louis Reard in 1946.  His design was more akin to the skimpy string 1970's bikinis.  Bikinis made news then and as versions have become skimpier they have always attracted attention.  When the Bikini was named its impact was likened to the test atomic explosion on Bikini atoll.