self-appointed guardians of derenry. In 1917 the 

 con\ention of the American Association of Park 

 Superintendents at New Orleans adopted a series 

 of bathing regulations for city beaches which dealt 

 with the problems of the changing bathing suit. In 

 general these regLilations specified that "... No all- 

 white or flesh-colored suits are permitted or suits that 

 expose the chest lower than a line drawn on a level 

 with the arm pits." "' In regard to ladies' bathing 

 suits these men agreed that 



Blouse and bloomer suits may be worn with or without 

 stockings, provided the blouse has cjuarter-arm sleeves or 

 close-tittins; arm holes, and provided the bloomers are 

 full and not shorter than four inches above the knee.^" 



Regulations for knitted suits were similar, with the 

 added caution that the skirt hem could be no more 

 than two inches above the lower edge of the trunks. 

 As late as 1923 these regulations were in effect at 

 public beaches in Cleveland and Chicago. 



By 1923 a permanent change was occurring in the 

 design of beach apparel. The chemise-style bathing 

 dress of black taffeta or satin still appeared in the 

 fashion magazines (fig. 15), but by 1929 it had dis- 

 appeared. The result of the struggle between the fancy 

 bathing suit and the plain knitted suit became obvious 

 e\en in the popular magazines of the period. In the 

 opening paragraphs of a short story, Shirley, the vil- 

 lainess, donned a smart bathing suit of puffy black 

 taffeta, with a patent-leather belt and a scarlet scarf, 

 and baked in the shadow of a big umbrella. Margaret, 

 the heroine, in a plain knitted suit and black cap was 

 intent only upon diving, plunging, and splashing for 

 her own enjoyment. In another story a young lad)', 

 who came out of the sea wearing a ". . . bathing suit 

 so scanty it seemed a mere gesture flung carelessly to 

 the proprieties . . ." described herself as a modern 

 yoimg woman."'' 



In the early twenties adxertisements capitalized on 

 the functional characteristics of swimming suits. A 

 1923 advertisement declared: 



No ! No ! Not a bathing suit ! No ! The Wil VVite is a 

 swimming suit. The difference is great — very great. A 

 bathing suit is something in which to ""Sun" oneself and 

 wear on the beach. A swimming suit is a garment made 



I' ''Bathing Regulations for City Beaches," American Cily 

 (May 1917), vol. 16, no. 5, p. 537. 



«2 Loc. cit. (footnote 61 ). 



«3J.^NE Pride, "Pick-up," Ihlnuntor (May 1927), vol. I U). 

 no. 5, p. 1."). 



expressly for those who swim. It is free from frills and 

 furbelows. It follows the form with the same sincerity 

 that a neat silk .stocking clings to a trim ankle. It fits when 

 dry or wet ... it is a real swimming suit.'"' 



The knitted swimming suit which achieved domi- 

 nance over the bathing stiit in the 1920s was similar to 

 its earlier xersion except that both the armhole and 

 the neckline were lower. This made it possible to put 

 on the suit without unbuttoning one of the straps at 



Figure 1 7. — Bathing shoes, 1910. (Smithsonian photo 

 P 65417.) 



the shoulder — a feature that was ouiiited in this newer 

 stvle. Sometimes a sash was loojjcd loosely around the 

 waist; a geometrically shaped monogram pro\'ided a 

 smart decoration. The affluent swimmer could distin- 

 guish herself from the masses by wearing silk jersey. 

 During the last half of this decade women coquet- 

 tishly adopted a man's swiiiiming suit, consisting of a 

 striped slee\eless jerse\' shirt with dark colored trunks 

 and a white belt. 



Perhaps the last stand for the isathing dress was the 

 appearance of the ""dressmaker suit" toward the end 

 of the 192()s and on into the early 1930s. The neck and 

 shoulder line copied those of currently fashionable 

 evening dresses, with a parallel treatment of the skirt, 

 which was shortened to end just below the hips. This 

 suit was worn by women reluctant to brave the re- 

 N'calingly unadorned but popular swimming suit. 



.\ depilatory adxertisement took advantage of the 

 increasing '"stockingless vogue" and explained that 

 "Women who love swimming for the sake of the sport, 

 find stockings a great hindrance to their enjoyment."^ 



«< Harper's Bazar (June 1923), 56th year, no. 2528, p. 

 " Delineator (June 1923). vol. 102, no. 6, p. 95. 



PAPER ()4: women's b.\thing .\nd swimming costume in the united ST.^TES 



29 



