Swimwear Exhibition in London

[Bulgerunner]

Yes indeed. I have now been to the exhibition and it is fascinating, but it stops around 2007, with a bit about the 2012 Olympics, and doesn't deal with the arrival of board shorts.

Sea bathing was segregated in the 1890s, with the men often swimming naked. Then beaches were integrated but many poorer people couldn't afford the cover-all swimsuits required. It was apparently illegal for men to exhibit their torsos up to the 1930s and all suits were mainly knitted wool, which performs very badly when wet, until the gradual arrival of new yarns.

One panel - sadly without exhibits - celebrates the efforts of Gloria Smythe, designer for Speedo. "for each Olympic Games from 1964 onwards Smythe reduced the amount of fabric used until by 1972 they were down to 1.25cm at the sides."

Worth a visit if you're in London!