Swimwear fashions have changed quite a bit in the past 100 years!
Some of the first swimsuits were worn in the 1800s. For women of this era, swimsuits were long dresses called swim dresses, that had weights in the hems to keep the skirts down while in the water. Eventually, the swim dresses gave way to the improved swim suit of long bloomers and heavy fabrics. By the late 1800s, women were wearing knee-length wool dresses over long stockings, lace-up swim slippers and fancy swim caps. Mens swim suits of this era were basically just their traditional skivvies (envision a union suit).
Long Beach, Long Island, NY 1910
By the 1900s, women’s swim suits were getting smaller – they were a one-piece tank jumper that came to the thigh, and were tight enough to allow actual swimming. Men’s swim suits were also still very modest at this time.
By the 1920s, men’s swim suits were flannel knee pants with a vest and a fly front. It wasn’t until the 1930s that swim suits started looking more like the swim suits we see today. They were made of latex and showed bare arms and legs, but the women’s swim suits always covered the belly button. Men’s suits of the 1930s were a “speed suit” one piece with deeply slashed armholes and closed leg trunks, that led to a two piece convertible-style suit that allowed the top to be removed. By the late 1930s, the first swim trunks for men started to make an appearance.
Then came the 1940s and the revolutionary bikini, which dared to expose the belly button – a first in clothing history. Men’s swim suits were high-waisted shorts – both slim fitting and boxer-short styles were popular.
Huntington Beach, 1950s
The 1950s one-piece swim suits strived to help a woman show off her curves. They had built-in corsets to flatten the tummy and cinch the waist. Men’s swim suits of the 1950s were still the boxer-short styles, but were now made with bright colored patterns and fancy detailing, and often had a terry-lined shirt to match – called “cabana sets”.
Bikinis became more popular in the 1960s and were made of lycra and spandex. Bikinis still covered as much as possible. Men’s swim suits were still the boxer-short styles in bright colors and patterns, without the fancy embellishments of the 1950s.
By the 1970s, swim wear designs started to have high-cut legs, and string bikinis were introduced (those crazy hippies!). Men’s swim suits were also a lot more revealing with tight cutoff shorts that had low waists.
The bikini was a lot less popular in the 1980s. One-piece swim suits with high-cut legs, low necklines and scooped backs were all the rage, and were quite revealing for a one-piece swim suit! Skin tight lycra briefs swim suits were popular for men (think Speedos).
Some of the most skimpy women’s swim suits were introduced in the 1990s. These bikinis and one-piece suits barely covered anything – it was almost like being completely nude! The rise of the surfer culture during this era saw men doning long board shorts.
Swim suits from 2000 to present show a lot of variety. Not only are they made of a wide range of materials, come in many styles (from bikini to one-piece and everything in between) they also have a lot of additional details and embellishments.
100 Years of Swimwear in Videos
Take a step back in time with these fun videos, created by Mode Video Productions, then be sure to share your favorites in a comment below.
100 Years of Men’s Swimwear
100 Years of Women’s Swimwear
how fun! I had to do a double take on the ab roll the male model did in the navy and white swim shorts!
Oh my! We’ve come a long way baby!!
This was fun to read!
Oh la la! What fun!
This is a great, well-written history of swimwear. It was enjoyable to read and I learned a lot that I did not know.