"Lastex Swimsuit" (Distinction, Spring-Summer 1957-8)

On the cover of Distinction we have a:

 Strapless lastex swimsuit, shirring at top and shirred pants.

As you can see, it's a fairly structured garment.  Though we aren't given any details, it's clear that a lot of internal scaffolding was needed to hold the swimsuit up and mould the wearer's figure into shape.  Lastex had been introduced in the mid-1930s, but was only just becoming popular for swimwear.  Cotton was another popular material for swimsuits in the 1950s, and nylon was starting to make a splash (first used for swimwear in 1956).

Distinction was a bit of an oddity of a magazine.  Published in Sydney between 1948 and 1972, it set out to describe what was in fashion with few words and lots of pictures.  It carried no feature articles and no advertisements, but sold a few dressmaking patterns through its pages.  Its pictures were largely uncredited (which makes me wonder whether some of them were pirated from other magazines).  While it's a great reference for mid-century fashions, I'm left wondering who was its intended readership.  Perhaps it was aimed at people in the rag trade looking for designs to copy?

Anyway, here is some of the magazine's advice to readers in the Australian Spring and Summer of 1957-58:

Waistlines have moved again; this time to a position 2 or 3 inches above the natural waist, demanding attention by high placed belts, wide cummerbunds, draping and short jackets...

Shorter sleeves will play an important role for warm weather practicality.  Capelet and balloon sleeves vie with the dolman, set-in and unmounted styles for popularity.

Hemlines for street dresses remain approximately the same position, perhaps an inch longer, but certainly no more.

More detail is given to skirts, they look freer and easier, but it really isn't so—they are still basically slim.  This illusion is created with pegged skirts being curved at the hipline but tapered below...

The mood for absolute femininity is expressed in fashion by the use of soft clinging fabrics...

Fun In The Sun (Vogue Patterns, January 1948)

Recently I got hold of a Vogue Patterns counter catalogue from 1948.  Needless to say I'll be posting a lot of scans from it in the future!  For today I thought I'd start with some pictures of bathing suits and beachwear from the catalogue's "Work and Play" section. 

5766 One-piece Bathing Suit

A one-piece bathing suit with interest added by shirring.  The pattern was designed to be made up in either rayon or wool jersey.  By the 1940s there were swimsuits made of new, water repellant fabrics—such as lastex—but they don't appear to have been available for home dressmakers.

What We Wore In '74: Beachwear (David Jones, Spring and Summer 1974)

 This year I'm going to do a series of posts looking back fifty years to the styles of 1974, an era which seems at once strangely modern and a very long time ago.    And since it's now the Australian summer, what better place to start than looking at what we wore at the beach?

F: You'll have it all wrapped up in this nifty beach wrap.  Drop shoulder style makes for comfort and of course it's styled in Bri-Nylon—what else?

G: Itsy bitsy, teeny weeny bikini.  A little nothing to turn heads on the beach this season.  Elasticised under the bust and back strap.  Fibre filled bra to give shape while still looking natural.  Bri-Nylon.

A: Handy chenille cover-up...

B: Comfortable hip-length cover-up...

C: Cool bias stripes on jersey...

D: Snappy shift to match bikini...

E: Ada jersey bikini.  Fibre filled bra, 3" side brief.  Fully lined...

F: Long-singlet shift in carefree cotton/nylon towelling.  Crisp stripes on white with flattering neckline and silver ring trim.

In spite of the number of "cover-ups" for sale, 1974 was the heyday of the deep, dark, fashionable tan.

Bikinis are front and centre in this catalogue, though a few one-piece swimsuits lurk around the edges.  You'll notice that there are no "string bikinis" for sale.  They had just been introduced in 1974 and were presumably still so new that David Jones didn't have time to include them in their catalogue.  However, The Australian Women's Weekly had things covered (or not so covered), with a pattern for a string bikini included in it's October 30 issue.

"But Yes, You Have Time..." (Elle, July 23, 1951)

 This one is for my readers who are enjoying a northern summer—a simple pattern for a terry towelling beach coverup.  The instructions are minimal, alas, and the translation my own (with help from the Dictionary and Google!)

Cut, Stitch, Love the Terry

Terry cloth is everywhere, in all bright and cheerful tones ... it washes easily, it does not wrinkle, it has, in short, all the virtues especially the essential: it is furiously fashionable.

The terry tunic.  Two rectangles assembled by the side and shoulder seams, short and straight sleeves, a horizontal neckline bordered by a lapel, two patch pockets, an elastic drawstring at the waist, English seams (so that the fabric does not crumple)...All this is as easy as pie and will make you an ideal bathrobe to wear over a bikini. 
(1 m. 60 by 90 cm)

Front

Back

100 Years Ago (The Delineator, June 1922)

Though I posted something very similar before, I can't let my series exploring the fashions of 100 years ago go by without at least one post depicting the beach fashions of 1922.

 The Delineator describes the tops of these two-piece bathing costumes as "blouses" and the bottoms as "knickers".  Suggested materials included wool jersey, gingham, taffeta, crȇpe de Chine, satin and foulard.  In other words, these garments don't seem intended to be worn by serious swimmers (especially when you consider that the figure second from the left is wearing ruffles, and the model wearing gingham has pockets in her costume!)   Swimwear would steadily become more streamlined and spare through the 1920s and into the 1930s, but would remain impractical by modern standards until the invention of waterproof and elasticised synthetic materials.

Motoring Modes (The Lady's Realm, February 1904)

 In 1904 "motoring" was still very much a recreation for the well-to-do.  It was also a fairly rugged pastime, as many early automobiles were completely open and roads were mostly unsealed.  Protective clothing was order of the day.  A smart lady motorist would require an all-enveloping dust coat to protect her other clothing—such as this example in moleskin, illustrated in the February 1904 issue of The Lady's Realm.

"Motoring modes have done a great deal for the economical woman who does not motor, for she can avail herself of the cosy fur coats in opossum, pony skin, musquash and several of the lesser furs which have been revived with new and improved dressings, and many of which are quite smart enough for ordinary occasions, as well as for travelling, motoring, driving, etc."

"London and Paris Fashions": The Lady's Realm, December 1904

 

The lady motorist would also need to protect her hair, either with a hood (as illustrated above) or by tying her hat on firmly with a veil (also illustrated above).  

However, problems in staying clean and tidy while motoring apparently had their 'up' side.  An article on the Ladies' Automobile Club appearing in the December 1904 issue of The Lady's Realm actually opined that women were slower and more careful drivers, because "very high speed... destroys a woman's every vestige of beauty and neatness"!

Tennis Dresses (David Jones, Spring-Summer 1977)

 I just realised that I'd let the entire Olympics slip by without posting any pictures of sports wear.  To remedy this, I'm going to post this photo of these three lovelies in their fab seventies tennis outfits.

All three costumes are made in a mixture of terylene (polyester) and viscose (rayon).  Game, set and match!
 

Skiing With Spiegel (Spiegel Catalog, Fall-Winter 1938)

 It looks like snow outside.  Maybe it's time to crack out the ski gear?

The costumes above were advertised in Spiegel in 1938.  The functions of ski wear haven't changed since 1938 (keeping the wearer warm and dry while allowing them freedom to move) but the fabrics  certainly have!  In 1938 rayon was the only synthetic fiber available, so all these costumes are made of heavy, waterproofed wool.  (Eddie Bauer created the first quilted "puffer" jacket in 1936, but stretch ski-pants, waterproof nylon and Gore-Tex all lay in the future.)

You've probably noticed that the woman on the right is dressed in a skirt rather than pants.  She was not meant to wear it on the ski slopes.  It was part of a three piece outfit advertised by Spiegel consisting of jacket, ski pants and skirt.  Worn with the pants the jacket was part of a ski costume, and substituting the skirt turned it into the top half of a suit!  The skiing version of the outfit is shown on the miniature figure at the far right.
 

Getting Physical (Sears, Spring-Summer 1981)

 In the late seventies and early eighties fitness (as opposed to exercising merely to lose weight) became all the rage with women.  Here's a quick chronology covering some of the highlights:

1969: Foundation of "Jazzercise"
1979: Publication of "The New Aerobics"
1980: Debut of "The Richard Simmons Show"
1981: Olivia Newton John releases "Let's Get Physical"
1982: Jane Fonda releases her "Jane Fonda's Workout" video
1983: First "Jazzercise" VHS release

Once aerobic exercise was established as a popular leisure activity the next step was to develop specialised clothes to exercise in.  Luckily Sears was on the ball: the first 47 pages of its Big Book for Spring-Summer 1981 was dedicated entirely to exercise wear and equipment. 

 

 

For outdoors wear "Bright Terrycloth Knits" in cotton/polyester.  These could be worn for jogging or—as depicted here—for cycling.  Lycra bodysuits and bike helmets were not yet in fashion.

 

 

 

For indoors exercise (think of all those aerobic workouts!) we have tights and leotards in nylon.  Still no lycra, and all those synthetics must have made for quite unbreathable active wear!

 

But what about the legwarmers, you might be asking?  Those ubiquitous woolly leggings so typically eighties?  Well the sad news is there are none in this catalogue.   No, not a single pair.  Though legwarmers had been invented decades before (for dancers) it took the movie (1980) and the TV series (1982) Fame to popularise them as amateur exercise wear.  1981 must have just been on the cusp on the trend, because by 1982 no pair of leotards was complete without them.

"Gay striped and plain separates mix 'n match" (David Jones, Spring-Summer 1959)

 From 1959 some bright casuals, made up in imported Italian cotton pique.

"Mix n' Match separates bring endless variety to your wardrobe.  These fun-loving clothes are so versatile, can be teamed with other tops, skirts and pants you already possess.  In fabrics, imported from Italy, that have been carefully colour co-ordinated; are easily washed, minimum iron.  Stripes are in graduating tones of pink to lipstick, aqua to teal, blue to navy, lemon to pumpkin; plain colours are in the palest of these tones."

"Les Costumes de Bain" in Le Miroir des Modes, July 1922

 Le Miroir des Modes was a French magazine promoting Butterick patterns.  Most of the illustrations were lifted straight out of Butterick's American publications, The Delineator and Butterick Quarterly.

 

 

The 1920s was the decade when women were supposed to have shaken off the shackles of Victorian prudery, but the models in this illustration look almost as covered-up as their nineteenth century predecessors.  Bathing costumes here consist of thigh-length tunics (some daringly bare-armed!) and trunks hovering just above or a little below the knee.  Most of the models are wearing some kind of bathing cap or hat, all wear some kind of footwear, and all but one sport stockings (mostly rolled down below the knees).

These outfits look more decorative than practical.  One could imagine the wearers taking a quick dip in the sea—if they didn't mind wetting their dainty ruffles and ribbons.  Anything more athletic would be out, and I suspect the main function of these costumes was to look pretty on the beach!

"Bikes and Bloomers" by Kat Jungnickel

Let's start by quoting Susan B. Anthony:

“Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel…the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.”

The invention of the safety bicycle and the subsequent cycling craze of the 1890s enabled many a woman to pedal her way to freedom, but it wasn't a completely smooth ride.  Cycling women not only ran counter to Victorian ideas of Woman's Place (in the home, not gadding around on the roads!) but there was also the problem of what they should wear.  Conventional dress—long skirts and petticoats—was inconvenient, and sometimes downright dangerous, whereas "rational" dress (i.e. bloomers) was considered indecent and apt to get one harassed on the street.

In Bikes and Bloomers, Kat Jungnickel looks at this dilemma and some of the solutions for it arrived at by Victorian women inventors.  She makes a detailed examination of five patents for cycling costumes and the women who took them out: Alice Bygrave, Julia Gill, Frances Henrietta Müller, Mary and Sarah Pease, and Mary Ward. 

 Alice Bygrave created the most commercially successful cycling costume, the "Bygrave" with a skirt that could be raised or lowered with a system of cords, pulleys and weights.  (It is shown on the cover of Bikes and Bloomers as worn by her cousin Rosina Lane, a competitive racing cyclist!)  Julia Gill's invention, on the other hand, was never put into production.  As she was a court dressmaker and as her costume was "daring" by the standards of the day, it's possible that she only created it as a publicity stunt.  Frances Henrietta Müller was a lifelong feminist, one of the first female students at Cambridge and the founder of a women's newspaper.  Her patent was for a three-piece costume including knickerbockers and a skirt that could be folded up for riding and let down for ordinary wear.  Mary and Sarah Pease devised a costume with a garment that could be worn as a cape while cycling, and as a skirt after dismounting from the bike.  Mary Ward's costume was the most conservative— a skirt with a hem that could be raised or lowered as convenient.

As a part of her research, Kat Jungnickel reproduced every one of these costumes, drafting patterns from the original patent specifications and trying out the finished garments on a bike.  (The patterns are included among the illustrations in Bikes and Bloomers, if anyone is game to try them!)  However the book is more than just a costume history—it is a social history exploring the changing lives of Victorian women, the development of technology and invention, popular recreations in the late nineteenth century and much more.    

  

Kat Jungnickel
Bikes and bloomers: Victorian women inventors and their extraordinary cycle wear
9781906897758
London: Goldsmiths Press, 2018.

"Anyone for tennis?" Sports Costumes 1919-1939

 When lawn tennis first became popular in the 1870s, women wore their everyday dress to play—complete with bustles, corsets, petticoats and trains:

Punch, July 7th 1877

In time a specialised costume started to evolve for women tennis players—beginning with protective aprons with pockets to hold spare tennis balls!   By the turn of the century some women were playing competitive tennis, usually dressed all white tennis outfits consisting of skirts and blouses.  Unfortunately these women were still encumbered by long skirts, stiff collars and corsets.

By the end of the First World War, however, women's ordinary clothing had become much less cumbersome and restrictive.  Naturally their sportswear followed suit!

Le Petit Echo de la Mode, Juillet 6 1919

[Left: "Dress for a young girl aged 14 to 16, in two-toned jersey, shirt-shaped with turndown collar, closed with a fancy tie.  Short kimono sleeves and narrow waistband tied and finished with wool pompoms."

 Centre: "Tailored suit in twill.  Straight jacket with long lapel collar, decorated with pockets and closed with a belt.  Narrow, plain skirt."

Right: "Jersey dress with collar, lapels and short sleeves in white jersey.  Long waisted bodice over a lightly gathered skirt."]

At a guess, these outfits would have been worn for a social game rather than a competitive tournament.   The silhouette is the same as fashionable dress, but the dresses are made up in plainer fabrics with less ornament.

Miroir des Modes, Juillet 1924

Blazer, blouse and skirt—all available from Butterick.  The look owes a lot to contemporary men's sportswear; only the skirt is distinctly feminine.

 

Fashions For All, June 1928

Summer is coming!  So all prepare your tennis outfits.  This white dress with strap sleeves is smartly cut, and has two box-pleats in the skirt, which are arranged in a new pointed fashion at the waist.  Happily there is the cardigan included in the pattern—to slip on when the game is over.

Judging by other illustrations in the magazine "strap sleeves" appears to mean "sleeveless".  Made up in more colourful materials, this design would have easily served for a day dress of the period.

Pictorial Printed Patterns, May 1933

These three girls from Pictorial Patterns appear to be playing tennis in ordinary sun frocks—with bared backs to get a fashionable tan.  Each dress came with its own jacket or cape (not show here) to be donned after the game.

Weldon's Ladies' Journal, June 1936

From 1936 Weldon's advertised patterns for "Your Smart Sports Kit... Crisp lines, trim details, and plenty of room for play".    The two illustrations on the right are not of dresses.  No. 98193 in the centre is for

"Shorts and shirt—the perfect choice for games on deck or on shore"

While on the right pattern no. 97573 is described as 

"A trouser-frock is as smart as it's comfortable; nobody could say more!  And if you don't want shorts, yet find a skirt hampering, it's an ideal solution of your problem."

Le Petit Echo De La Mode, 18 Avril 1927

["Set for sport, consisting of jacket... and dress.  Fitted jacket, buttoned in front and lined with tailored flap pockets. Turn-down collar.  Sleeves gathered at the shoulders.  Plain wool dress is adorned with a waistcoat inlaid with the same fabric as the jacket..."]

Once again I get the impression that this outfit was intended to be worn for social games rather than competitive matches: the puffed sleeves and coloured trim would have been unusual wear for a tennis tournament.

Wakes catalogue, Spring and Summer 1939-40

In 1939 Wakes advertised "this cool white petal crepe with its slim-making pin-tucked bodice, young square neck."  This hem of this dress has risen above the player's knees to give her freedom of movement.  From this point on, nearly all tennis dresses be this length or shorter, no matter where the fashionable hemline sat at the time!

"Sun-Shine Companions" (Spiegel Anniversary Sale, 1955)

The Spiegel "Anniversary Sale" catalogues were miniature versions of their "Big Book" catalogues, with pages packed full of clothes and other consumer goods. 

 Casual wear for outdoor activities (you can see the clothes accessorised by a beach back and a picnic basket).   These postwar play clothes for women consist of mix n' match shorts, tops and capris.  All  are made of cotton, and bright colours, stripes, and modernist prints predominate. Women's pants were still strictly for casual or home wear in the 1950s!

Wool is no longer the material of choice for making swimsuits.  The costumes above are mostly made of "rayon faille Lastex".  (The exceptions are the two at centre bottom, which are made of cotton broadcloth.)   They are more glamorous and form-fitting than their pre-war predecessors though they are also obviously more structured.  All have built-in bras.

From the same catalogue: play clothes for little girls!  They are wearing garments not unlike their mothers', but the manufacturer seems to have eschewed patterned fabrics for plain colours with trimming.  There also seems to be a bit of a Western theme going on.

These beach styles for girls are also very like their mothers' (or older sisters') costumes, right down to the materials they are made of.  However they are obviously less structured (there's no need for built-in bras for a start!)  Ruffles and shirring are used to underline the girlish innocence of the costumes.

'Going Swimming' (Stitchcraft, June 1949)

As I said in my previous post, "knit-your-own" swimsuits were always a possibility for the beach-goers of the 1930s and 1940s.  Here is a pattern from Stitchcraft which promises to not stretch out of shape.

I've scanned the whole pattern in 300 dpi, so it should be possible for keen knitters out there to print it off.  Since there are many more types of yarn available to knitters in 2020 than in 1949, it would be theoretically possible for someone to experiment by making this costume in synthetic fibres.  On the other hand, one could make it up in wool for that full 1940s experience.

In either case, happy knitting to anybody who would like to try it!

National Bellas Hess Midsummer Sale Catalog (1936)

These swimsuits look almost modern, and their wearers almost liberated—but oh dear, look at the materials they're made off!  All these costumes are made of knitted wool which was heavy, sagged when wet and took ages to dry.

Help was at hand, though, because the 1930s was the decade that saw the introduction of "lastex".  Lastex was an elastic fibre that was made with a core of rubber surrounded by wool, silk, cotton or rayon.  It was perfect for girdles and bras—and of course, swimsuits.  It made possible the sleek "glamour" swimming costumes worn by the pinups of the forties and fifties.

Meanwhile, "all wool" outfits like these continued to be made and worn into the early fifties.  Lastex costumes were not cheap, war interfered with production, and if all else failed it was still possible for a hopeful beach-goer to find a pattern and knit her own swimsuit to order.

Beachwear from "Wakes" Catalogue, Spring-Summer 1947

Apart from bushfires, there's nothing as typical of an Australian summer as a day at the beach.  After the Second World War ended people had time to play again—and "Wakes" marketed this boldly printed outfit to women wanting to enjoy sun, surf and sand.

HOLIDAY WEEKEND WARDROBE IN ONE.  In an exclusive-to-Wakes border printed, tub-fast cotton linene.  The long wear will amaze you as much as the tiny price. Big border shells, shrink to periwinkle size at waist.  Button-on easy-to-iron coat dress as smart as its classic simplicity.  Sun-suit features faultless shorts, knot-in-front bare midriff blousette.

 Though the war was over, rationing still continued (and would continue until 1948) in Australia.  This outfit cost a total of 23 ration coupons—as well as 49 shillings and sixpence in money.

"Playsuits" in Florida Fashions (1957)

Fifties fashions were mostly very adult and formal.  On the other hand, leisurewear could sometimes be downright childish—as, for example, these "playsuits" which appear to be grown-up versions of rompers.  (Note, however, how they both came with their own wraparound skirts for when their wearers wanted to cover up and be adults again!)

DAISY DARLIN'... gay appliqued daisies on cuffed bodice and down the button-front skirt.  1-piece playsuit has two pockets, self-belt, side zipper.  Drip-dry—Little or no-iron cotton.

CALYPSO CHARMER... it's the new rage!  Be the first to wear it in your town!  "Banana" button skirt has solid color waist-cinch cummerbund to match gay "calypso" print.  1-piece playsuit has cool halter-back, smart cuffed leg.  Self belt.  Washable silky-fine cotton.

"Autumn Cycling Costumes" in the Delineator (September 1898)

The "safety bicycle" was invented in the late 1880s.  With the addition of pneumatic tyres in the early 1890s it turned cycling from a dangerous sport (think of the penny farthing!) into a pastime that could be enjoyed be almost everybody.   It was an especially liberating recreation for women, who suddenly found themselves able to roam at will upon two wheels.

Of course there was also the problem of what to wear.  Some women wore versions of their ordinary day dress (though there was always the danger of getting one's long skirt tangled in the bicycle chain).  Some daring souls essayed bloomers—but there was always the danger of seeming immodest and inviting the ridicule of strangers.  Then there are the bicycling outfits depicted below, which seem to be a compromise between mobility and decorum.

But at this point I think I'll just quote the Delineator at length on the topic of the "well-bred" cyclist, and let them have the last word on what she was wearing:

"Cycling has become more and more a universal pastime, and the approach of Autumn heralds many new devotees who will enjoy its delights.  In order to appreciate to the full the pleasures of cycling it is essential to be properly and becomingly gowned, and the well-bred woman will plan her costume upon neat, simple lines and choose serviceable materials and colors.  Trimmings, when used, consist of braid and buttons, and in some instances velvet or silk is inlaid in the collar or cuffs.   The tailor finish is always in good taste and most satisfactory.  Cheviot, covert in plain and two-toned effects, homespun in various colorings, meltonette in serviceable colors, whipcords and suitings having plaid backs are among the materials suitable for making cycling costumes.  The skirts are planned to look equally well whether the wearer walks or is mounted, and those which are in the best taste are about seven or eight inches shorter than the ordinary walking skirt.  Low shoes are preferable to the high boots, since they afford greater freedom to the ankle.  Golf stockings are worn with low shoes and also with three-quarter shoes, the fancy colored tops being turned over the shoes.  Cycling gloves have kid fingers and palms and are of silk net at the back, though gloves of dogskin or heavy kid are quite appropriate." 

"The corsets to be worn when cycling are short and do not compress the body.  Hats suitable for this purpose are of soft felt in Alpine style having a soft trimming of silk wound about the crown, or with a simple band and quills at the left side.  Tam-O'Shanter caps of the material used for the costume are worn, as are military caps.  Thoroughly up to date are the modes shown in the following group of figures."

Vintage Swimwear Advertisements (1960s)

The heatwave continues!  It's far too hot to compose a blog post, so I think I'll go for a dip instead.  Hmmm.... what shall I wear?  Maybe these vintage ads will give me some ideas...

From Germany in 1963 we have this advertisement for Benger Ribana.  Well I've got to admit these swimsuits look cute!  However I'm not sure I'd want to sit on a metal beach-buggy on a scorching hot day...

How about these one-pieces from Jantzen (1963)?  Once again, the word that springs to mind is "cute".

Maglia in 1964 offers a choice of a bikini and a one-piece—both in Bri-Nylon!

Also in Bri-Nylon, this costume from 1969, with an up-to-the-minute daisy pattern!

Finally, two girls splashing happily in the sea in costumes made of diolen (1969).  A quick google tells me that diolen has some of the properties of kelvar, but I don't think these swimsuits are bulletproof!

And... oh look!  I think I just wrote a blog entry after all!