Swimming shorts, part of a two piece swimming costume
Date1963-1964
Object number00008325
NameSwimsuit
MediumCotton
DimensionsOverall: 365 mm, 0.1 kg
ClassificationsClothing and personal items
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Ada swimwear
DescriptionThe high waisted shorts and high collared top of this two piece design allowed modesty for the wearer, while following women's fashions of the period. 1950s daywear trends are reflected in the use of details such as the pleated front panel and faux mother of pearl buttons.
HistoryThe two piece swimsuit, made famous by starlets such as Ava Gardner, emerged during the war time years of the 1940s. Its modest design was less about a motivation to shock, than fabric saving necessity. The two piece of this period usually covered the naval, unlike the more daring bikini that was not to gain widespread popularity until the 1960s.
The bikini was designed in 1946, and named after the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, where on July 1 of that year the US Army performed a series of nuclear bomb tests.
The bikini marked a reaction to the constraints of heavily structured swimsuits popular in the 1940s and 1950s. It represented freedom, with the body exposed rather than dominated by the swimsuit. The release of beach movies such as 'Gidget' and 'How to Stuff a Wild Bikini' during this period also played their part in inspiring a following.
SignificanceThis two piece swimsuit is representative of 1950s and 1960s beachwear fashions produced by Watersun in Australia.
c 1920
