Women's Bartex Bartok's swimsuit
Datec 1950
Object number00003368
NameSwimsuit
MediumCotton
DimensionsOverall: 750 x 390 mm, 0.2 kg
ClassificationsClothing and personal items
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis Bartey Bartok's cotton swimsuit features a shirred back and half skirt for modesty. The Australian design includes adjustable straps with double plastic buttons that fasten at the shoulder, wire stays at the bust, and a heavily structured lined fabric panel at the front.HistoryIn the 1950s and early 1960s swimsuits and sunsuits were often shaped with paneling and built-in supports in order to create a curvaceous, ultra-feminine silhouette that emphasised the bust, waistline and hips. Known as a 'constructed' swimsuit, they were first developed by a Canadian designer, Rose Marie Reid, in the 1940s.
Various swimwear designers drew on engineering and corsetry technology incorporating internal wiring, padding and elastic panels to achieve a sculptured cantilevered bust over a pinched-in 'wasp' waist. This voluptuous look was championed by film sirens Brigitte Bardot, Jayne Mansfield, Jane Russell, Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe.
SignificanceThis swimsuit is representative of women's beachwear fashions produced in Sydney, Australia by Bartey Bartok's in the 1950s and 1960s.
