History of one-piece swimsuit

The term "one-piece swimsuit" is most frequently used to describe a type of bathing suit used largely by women and girls while swimming in the ocean or a pool, playing water polo, or engaging in other outdoor activities like sunbathing. Today's one-piece swimsuits are often skin-tight coverings for the torso, while some styles reveal the upper chest or back.

Before the two-piece and subsequently the bikini became fashionable, almost all women's and men's swimwear totally covered the wearer's torso at the very least. The one-piece swimsuit has continued to be worn on beaches today despite the bikini's growing popularity since the 1960s.

The current one-piece swimsuit first appeared in the middle of the 20th century, at a time when the fashion was commonly referred to as a maillot. Annette Kellerman, an Australian swimmer, is credited with popularizing the look. In 1907, she was arrested for indecent exposure on a Boston beach because her swimsuit, which she had imported from England and modeled after men's swimsuits of the era, revealed her arms, legs, and neck. Widespread public outcry over the arrest increased the style's adoption. These swimming costumes were promoted by Kellerman, who gave the design the nickname "the Annette Kellerman."By 1910, among other countries, the one-piece swimsuit had become the standard swimsuit for women in parts of Europe. It was also the recognized outfit for women's swimming in the 1912 Summer Olympics, the first time that women competed in sports.

The Annette Kellerman bathing attire is marked by an unmatched, daring beauty of fit that always stays polished, according to Harper's Bazaar, which lauded it in June 1920. These swimming suits were described as being "famous... for their perfect fit and exquisite, plastic beauty of line" the following year, in June 1921.Beginning in the 1880s, ladies competing in beauty pageants while wearing bathing suits gained popularity in the US.Such activities, however, were not thought to be honorable. With the first contemporary "Miss America" competition conducted in 1921, beauty competitions gained more respectability, even if less acceptable contests continued to be organized. The Annette Kellerman, however, remained the subject of censorship efforts in the 1920s and was still regarded by some as the most objectionable swimsuit design. In Esquire v. Walker, Postmaster General, images of the Kellerman bathing suit were presented as proof of decency even in 1943.

In bathhouses and spas, throughout the 1920s and 1930s, patrons started to switch from "taking in the water" to "taking in the sun," and swimsuit designs started to add more ornamental elements rather than just practical ones. In the 1920s, rayon was utilized to make form-fitting swimsuits, but the fabric had issues with durability, especially when wet. Jersey and silk were also occasionally used.

By the 1930s, women's swimwear had sides that were tightened and chopped away, plunging back necklines, and no longer had sleeves. Through the 1930s, new garment materials, especially latex and nylon, were developed. As a result, swimsuits increasingly became to hug the body and included adjustable shoulder straps for tanning. The one-piece swimsuit still has a place on beaches today, but the bikini has gained more and more popularity since the 1960s. The two-piece worn by Heim is no longer in style.