* boys' uniforms: sports and athletics -- swimming costumes and suits








Swimming Costumes and Suits


Figure 1.--A pattern for this knitted swimsuit was offered in a Dutch knitting magazine, we believe in the early 1960s. It was made out of wool yarn.

The long history of seaside bathing and swimming has meant that swimming costumes and suits have varied widely. Primarily due to changing attitudes toward modesty, the suits have varies frim covering almost the entire body (including the head) to covering only the bare minimum. Early bathing costumes covered almost everything and were normally made out of wool. The wommen and girls even had caps for their hair. One aspect of competitive swiming suits is that unlike other articles of athletic wear have never either transllated into popular casual clothing or even casual swim suits, although here there are dfferences over time and among countries. The disconect is especially the case today. Since the 1970s, bathing suits for boys tend to be extremely long and baggy. Apparently this is primarily a fashion concern as such suits are tollay unsuitable for swiming, especially competitive swiming. Quite a range of fabrics have been used, including fabrics entirely unsuitable like wool. Knitting magazines often had patterns for children's bathung suits. One development in the 1990s has been sunsafe clothing, including swimwear. This has been a development of some importance, especially in Australia and New Zealand near the hole in the ozone lawyer.

History of Beach Resports

The long history of seaside bathing and swimming has meant that swimming costumes and suits have varied widely. >br>

Modesty

Primarily due to changing attitudes toward modesty, the suits have varies from covering almost the entire body (including the head) to covering only the bare minimum. Europeans in the 19th century became extremly modest concerning clothing. Women and girls were expected to cover up completely as were men. Children even wore pantalettes to cover their legs. Even the display of the ankle was considered risque. Shorter bathing costumes were developed for women after the turn of the 20th century, but women were expected to wear them with long stockings. More practical bathing costumes developed sooner, but through much of the early 20th century, men were still expected to cover their chests when swimming. Strangely the idea that girls should cover more than boys seems to have changed in the 1990s when girls wore very short suits, boys began wearing swiming trunks doen or even below their knees.

Resort Clothing

Clothing for beach resorts and seaside vacations did not just mean swimwear and other casual clothing. Well to do people in the 19th century might bring extensive wardrobes to beach resorts which could be used for strolling along the beach are playing genteel games on the beautifully manicured grounds. And of course one always dressed up for dinner. This began to change as working class people began to take vacations as well. The clothes they wore, while perhaps casual by the convention of the day, seem amazingly formal and heavy to our modern eyes. One of the most popular choices for boys was the white or light-colored sailor suits.

Early Swimming

Swimsuiits commonly called bathing suits during the 19th century were commonly a clothing item for the well to do. This changed as beach resports near large cities became popular in the late 19th century. The railroads mean that the urban working-class could reach beach resorts for day trips or brief vactions. Some boys swam in their underwear. Away from the resorts, groups of boys would often swim without swim suits. In many cases they probably did not own any. A famous photograph of Toronto boys getting in trouble for swimming was taken by John Boyd. After World War I this became less common

Early Bathing Costumes

Early bathing costumes covered almost everything and were normally made out of wool. The wommen and girls even had caps for their hair. These outfits, especially the ones for girls, seem very corectly described as bathing costumes. It must have been difficult to actually swim in them, especially for any distance. They seem more suited for playing on the beach or paddling in the water. Early bathing costumes include shirt-like garments to cover men's as well as women's torsos. It was a first not considered oroper for men to swim without their chests covered. This did not begin to change until after World war I (1914-18), but even in the 1920s and 30s men and boys often had bathing costumes with singlet-type shirts.

Modern Trunks

Early swimwear for men and boys had tops as well as bottoms. We note both black and stripes. I believe the stripes were meant to be a nautical style. Some seem rather similar to union suits. After World War I a transition was made from the one piece union suit style to the short pants styles commonly used today. After the War the tops began to be smaller and by the 1930s wre optional for boys. Additionally there was a point when lining was added to swimwear. In the 1970's a Hawaiian style shorts with a matching button up the front style shirt was popular for boys. I believe some samples maybe found on the old Brady Bunch television series. The shirts were generally removed before going in the water, however this style probably lost interest due to the swim trunks or shorts faded and the shirt no longer matching in color from when it was new.

Country Trends

Swim suit fashions seem remarkably similar drom country to country. For the most part, unlike clothing, it is not really possible for the most part to identify the country from swimsuit fashions. Of course this may be in part becuse of our limited archive on swim suits. We are not sure what if anything was worn in the early 19th century. By the late 19th century we see men and boys wearing coordinate shirt and knee-length pants, mostly done in wool. Bold stripes were popular, but we are not sure about the colors. We suspect that the stripe convention was a naval influence. The bathing suits gradually became brirfer, especiall after World War I (1914-18). The trunks became briefly cut short pants and the shirt part gradually shrunk, but was still worn in the 1930s, becoming optional by the ed oif the decade. The tops for men and boys we not longer seen after World War II (1939-45). The same basic trends occurred in most countries, although the time lines could vary. The only basic difference we have noted in swimwear among countries, is that after World War II, very brief swim trunls became popular in some European countries, especially France and Russia. This brief swimwear was never popular with American boys.

Competitive Swiming

Unlike casual swim suits, competitive swim suits are less influenced by fashion. Competitive suits have to be more practically based. Here the primary issue is that the suits not slow the swimmer. This means that the uits should be as small and light-weight as possible.

Casual Swiming Suits

One aspect of competitive swiming suits is that unlike other articles of athletic wear have never either transllated into popular casual clothing or even casual swim suits, although here there are dfferences over time and among countries. Bathing costumes began to change radically after World war I. A good example of interim styles in the 1920s are Pete and Pearl Carter. American boys in the mid-20th century wore primarily short boxer-style bathing trunks. We note some European boys wearing brief-style swimming trunks. These seem ti have been especially popular in France. The disconect between casual swimwear and competitive trunks is especially the case today. As casual short pants began to become more popular with american boys in the 1960s, boys often wanted to just swim in their shorts rather than bathing trunks. Many swimming pools discouraged this, largely for sanitary reasons. Since the 1990s, bathing suits for boys have tend to be extremely long and baggy. Apparently this is primarily a fashion concern as such suits are tollay unsuitable for swiming, especially competitive swiming.

Bathing Caps

Recrational sea bathing is a relatively recent phenomrnon beginning at first for the welathy in Britain (late-18th century). At first it was mostly men that were enthusiastic about taking a dip. The women that did dip their toes were concerned abput their hair. Hair styles could be quite elaborate at the time. Various cloth devices, basically hair net wer devised to protect thar hair. Women used bonnets done in silk or otgerr favrics to cover their heads in or even around the water. Women tended to try to their hair covrered outdoors, espeially around the water. Hats and other headwear were almost umiversal. And th elite at seaside resorts were known to devise ornate bathing caps. hese were only for women. Men and children did not normally wear them. The modern bathing cap did not appear until the industrial production of rubber began and people began making rubber and ruberized prpducts. The first rubberized swim cap appeard (1883) when a combination of rising oncomes due to industrialization and improved transport because of the railroads were creating the conditions for modest income families to enjoy seaside vacations. We do not notice children wearin batching cpas in the seaside portaits taken in the late-19th and early-20th century. We begin to see girls wearing bathing capd after World War I. They became increasingly common. We are not sure why, especially because short bobbed hair became stylish (1920s). We think that the increased opening of swimming pool may have been a factor. Caps styled like aviator helmets becme standard. Bathing caps by the time of World War II were common in America (1940s). We are less sure about other countries. During the War, rubber was a strateic material and restricted for commercial use. suctitutes had to be found. Women continued to be concernedcabout maintaining stylish hair which was expensive, explaining theie use of bathing caps to make styled hair last longer. Girls also cpmmonly wore them. a factor here was pobably public swimming pools. Many pools had rules required women and girls with long hair to wear bathing caps (1950s). This was both for sanitartreasons as well as to prevent drain clogs. Highly decorative caps became popular. They were so common that we also see them for beach wear. Colorful petal swim caps became popular (1960s). Men and boys began wearing longer hair (late-1960s). They refused to wear bathing caps. Public pools bean abadoning swim cap requirements for girls.. Women and girls stopped wearing them. They began to be seen as not only old-fashiojed and restrictive, butalsodiscrimitory. They only continued to be worn for comptitive swimming. For some reaon they are still requird in many Italian public swimming pools..

Fabrics

Quite a range of fabrics have been used, including fabrics that seem entirely unsuitable like wool. Knitting magazines often had patterns for children's bathng suits using wool yarn. A reader tells us, "Wool does not absorb water in the same way that cotton does. So it would not drag down, lose its shape the way cotton does and that is why wool was used." We have seen, however, these old bathing suits that look all soggy and hanging own when the person comes out of the water. Our reader tells us, "Yes, but cotton was even worse, you can look it up, cotton absorbs more water than wool which is why diapers were made out of cotton and the diaper covers called soakers were made out of wool." This is why after Wrld War II we begin toi see bathing suits being made out of blended fabrics with synthetic material. When these suits became available, wool suits quickly disappeared. A reader tells us that latex was especially important.

Sun-safe Garments

One development in the 1990s has been sunsafe clothing, including swimwear. This has been a development of some importance, especially in Australia and New Zealand near the hole in the ozone lawyer.







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Created: 10:47 PM 10/2/2004
Last updated: 4:08 PM 1/15/2020