It is finally June, which means we are that much closer to summer! What better way to cool off on those hot, sticky days then by throwing on your swimsuit and diving into Georgian Bay. With beach season on its way, we wanted to highlight one of the vintage swimsuits in our collection.

This black wool one-piece bathing suit is from the Annette Kellerman women’s swimwear line. Annette Kellerman was an Australian professional swimmer who advocated for the right of women to wear one-piece bathing suits. She is credited with being the first woman to wear such a swimsuit, for which she was arrested in 1907 on charges of indecency. Her love of competitive swimming led her to create her own swimwear line, which boasted this new, more revealing style that allowed for better movement and functionality.

Before this risqué bathing costume became all the craze in the early 1900s, women donned black knee-length, puffy sleeve wool dresses that were paired with bloomers or pantaloons and long black stockings. Despite their bulky and cumbersome nature, the strict sense of decency and the desire to have one’s skin appear untouched by the sun kept women covered up in the 19th century, until the popularization of competitive swimming throughout 1915-1930.

Fashion trends of the past are continually re-emerging in today’s culture, but hopefully the vintage wool bathing suits and heavy flannel dresses with pantaloons, remain a style of days gone by.