Bv tlic end of the twenties, the stocking for bathing and 

 swimming had become an article of the past. 



Although w^omen were accepted in athletics and 

 had achieved a generally wider role in public life, 

 white, untanned skin was still the ideal in the 1920s. 

 Thus sunproof creams, beach coats, and beach um- 

 brellas were still important. 



According to the well-known "trickle-down" 

 theory of fashion, styles of dress first become fashion- 

 able among the socially elite and wealthy and are 

 then, in time, emulated by those at lower socio- 

 economic le\-els. The knitted swimming suit, however, 

 entered the fashion pages by a difTerent route. It had 

 its insignificant start with the skirtless bifurcated 

 garments of the late 1860s. Going against popular 

 opinion, some women did swim. They \iolated pre\- 

 alent standards of modesty by continuing to wear a 

 functional suit. Gradually the demand grew. A plain, 

 utilitarian garment was needed; pressure increased. 

 Thus, by the 1920s the swimming suit prexailed, 

 complimenting the image of the newly emancipated 

 "modern w'oman." 



SWIM SUIT INDUSTRY 



Along with the increased popularity of swimming 

 and the appearance of the knitted swimming suit we 

 note the rapid development of the ready-to-wear 

 swim suit industry. During the last half of the 19th 

 century women frequently made their own bathing 

 dresses with the aid of paper pattern supplements 

 that appeared in women's magazines of the period. 

 Dressmakers also may have used these patterns to 

 outfit their clients for their summer excursions. On the 

 other hand, ladies in the large cities could purchase 

 bathing dresses at furnishing stores or rent them at 

 the large public beaches. A small advertisement in 

 Harper's Baz'ir, August 9, 1873, announced that in 

 addition to gauze undershirts, linen drawers, collars 

 and cuffs. Union Adams & Co. of New York had 

 bathing dresses for sale. The notice is noteworthy 

 when one considers that the ready-to-wear clothing 

 industry and the field of advertising were in their 

 infancy. 



With the increased popularity of the knitted suit, 

 knitting mills included inen's and women's swimming 

 apparel in their more prosaic lines of underwear and 

 sweaters. Many companies advertised the new prod- 

 uct, steadily increasing their range until the inex-itable 

 occurred. In 1921 a national advertising campaign 

 for swimming suits was initiated by Jantzen, a 



hitherto obscure knitting mill whose production had 

 been limited to sweaters, woolen hosiery, and jackets 

 for Chinese workmen. Capitalizing on the growing 

 interest in swimming, Jantzen prominently adver- 

 tised swimming suits instead of bathing dresses. The 

 retail stores selling these suits advertised locally, 

 but national advertising became the domain of the 

 manufacturers, educating the public to associate 

 certain positixe qualities with their names. 



To the delight of the swim suit industry, swimming 

 was more than a passing vogue. In 1934, a National 

 Recreation Association study on the use of leisure 

 time found that among ninety-four free-time acti\ities 

 swimming was second only to moxies in popularity.^* 

 Although the number of swimmers was increasing, 

 competition caused the swim suit industry to take 

 a new approach. Manufacturers attempted to increase 

 the \olume of sales through advertising by empha- 

 sizing st\le. In 1927 one company ad\'ertised a national 

 appeal to woman's \anitv by declaring that beach 

 uniforms were out and that beach styles were in. 



It was a general characteristic of the 1930s that 

 swimming suits covered less of the bather. The 

 attached trunks of the swimming suit no longer 

 extended down the leg but it siirvi\ed unseen beneath 

 the vestigial remains of a skirt. 



The diminishing coverage of the swim suit was also 

 related to a changing attitude toward sun exposure. 

 For years women had protected their delicate skin 

 to prevent any imladylike, healthy appearance. The 

 barrier against a lady having a tan deteriorated as 

 women became accepted into athletic activities. 

 By 1930, women eagerly sought a sun tan. Not 

 only were there lotions to help the neophyte sun- 

 worshiper acquire a rich even tan, but creams were 

 available for the impatient who wished an instant 

 tan. In line with this trend, swim suit manufactin-ers 

 and sellers promoted and sold low sun-back or 

 California styles, halter necks, and cut-out sections 

 that exposed various portions of the luidriff. The 

 favorite suit, however, was the form-fitting maillot 

 of wool jersey with no skirt. 



In the early 1930s, the textile trade jom-nals 

 applauded the increasing stress on styling as a means 

 of encouraging the consumer to buy a new suit 

 rather than to use "last year's." Stylishness was 



''" The- Lfiiure Hums of 5,000 People; a Report of a Study of 

 Leisure Time Activities and Desires (New York, National Recrea- 

 tion .\ssoc., 1934). 



30 



BULLETIN 250: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY .AND TECHNOLOGY 



