Bathing Beauties
Elaine Henson’s vintage
swimsuit collection from the
Roaring 20s to the 1950s
S
32
WBM august 2012
1940s Jantzen
This pale jade 1940s suit is made from Jantzen’s
Velva-Lure fabric. It was a cotton, rayon, lastex
blend and had a short, nap-like velvet and a
slight sheen. (Lastex is rubber thread wrapped
with wool or cotton with a two-way stretch.)
The top has four darts under the bust but no
other support or boning. The straps are worn
over the shoulders and pass through little tun-nels
of fabric on each side of the back opening,
and tie in the middle of the back. The bottom
has a modesty panel in the front and the back to
conceal the fabric between the legs. The famous
Jantzen swim girl logo is on the left near the
hem. Jantzen began as a knitting mill in 1910
and by 1923 had evolved into a swimsuit maker
with its slogan, “The suit that changed bath-ing
into swimming.” Beachgoers from the 60s
may remember the slogan, “Just wear a smile
and a Jantzen.” Purchased by Perry Ellis in 2002,
Jantzen remains in the swimsuit business today.
altwater and sea air were
discovered to be therapeutic
and good for your health
in the late 1800s. Bathing
became immensely popular
as hundreds flocked to Wrightsville Beach
seeking improved health.
Bathing costumes were a far cry from
the simple swimsuits we wear today.
Women wore modest, knee-length dresses
with skirts, sleeves and middy collars for
a nautical look. Underneath they wore
corsets and bloomers that went below the
knees, wool stockings, bathing shoes and
matching headgear. The dresses would
often have lead weights sewn in to the
hems to anchor the skirts while in the
water. Victorian modesty
ruled supreme in
those days. Men
wore wool-knit,
collarless shirts with sleeves and knee-length
shorts.
Swimwear has evolved in countless
transformations over the years since those
early bathers. We look at some of the
actual suits and vintage print ads depicting
styles from the 20s to 1950s.
BY ELAINE HENSON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALLISON POTTER