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!

[PSDave]

when I was a teen I was invited to a Halloween swim party. Hard to do a costume that was swim worthy. I finally found a pair of 1940's swim trunks in a trunk in the attic. They were cut very similar to the square cut trunks now and quite brief for the surfer mania suits that ruled California beaches. It was navy blue knit with the belt around the waist. The only problem was it was made out of wool. It itched so bad that I was going crazy. Besides the itching, once I had been in the pool the old wet wool smelled like a wet dog. The host (a member of my swim team) took pity on me (and those within nose shot of the wet suit) and loaned me a suit of his. He thought i had worn a speedo under it so was surprised I was having the problem - wish I had! I have no idea how they dealt with the suits that had tops and went to the knees that were made out of wool. Besides the weigh when wet, they had to be hot when in the sun and itch even more.

[Torchwatch]

Those who wore woollen suits itched and sagged, all good for ones character. The wet dog smell comes with attic storage over several decades.
The British Army that brought down Tippu Sultan in the 18th century wore woollen uniforms in India, they sweated, itched and suffered in the heat while the East India Companies Indian Troops wore cotton uniforms and sarongs. There is something to be said for choosing appropriate fabrics for applications.

[sebbie]

Originally Posted by PSDave

when I was a teen I was invited to a Halloween swim party. Hard to do a costume that was swim worthy. I finally found a pair of 1940's swim trunks in a trunk in the attic. They were cut very similar to the square cut trunks now and quite brief for the surfer mania suits that ruled California beaches. It was navy blue knit with the belt around the waist. The only problem was it was made out of wool. It itched so bad that I was going crazy. Besides the itching, once I had been in the pool the old wet wool smelled like a wet dog. The host (a member of my swim team) took pity on me (and those within nose shot of the wet suit) and loaned me a suit of his. He thought i had worn a speedo under it so was surprised I was having the problem - wish I had! I have no idea how they dealt with the suits that had tops and went to the knees that were made out of wool. Besides the weigh when wet, they had to be hot when in the sun and itch even more.

Heck, maybe your suit was made by the same company as the one I wore as a little kid, above. It sounds the same, basically.