Women's Swimsuits from the 1930s to 1846s
The 1930s can be said to be the golden age of swimsuits. Many new styles were launched, and there were also major breakthroughs in materials. New popular themes appeared almost every year, especially after 1933.
1. Basic decorative elements: belts and stripes
Among the fashion elements, two elements ran through almost the entire 1930s. One was the belt and the other was the stripe. However, both of them were decorative parts for the swimsuit and the structure was not changed since the 1920s. From the 1930s, the models wearing swimsuits in the pictorial were decorated with belts. The features of this swimsuit were: one-piece, the same color or different colors for the top and bottom. There was a belt at the waist. From 1930 to 1932, most swimsuits had different colors for the top and bottom, and the color of the belt was generally different from that of the swimsuit (Figure 1), with a width of about 3 to 4cm and buckles made of metal and plastics. There were also decorative belts made of the same material. After 1933, there were many types of belts. Sometimes there was just a tie, which was tied around the waist for a circle or two circles and then tied and knotted (Figure 2).
Figure 1 The swimmer named Baoshu Li from "Picture Times" in 1930
Figure 2 Female athletes participating in the North China Swimming Competition from Picture Times in 1934
The striped pattern was also popular together with the belt. The top with cross stripes with a belt was the most common to be seen, which was popular in the early 1930s (Figure 3). There were many types of stripes and the stripe in swimsuits was irregular, which could be on the vest, at the hem of the culottes, around the waist, or all over the body (Figure 4). There were vertical stripes, diagonal stripes and wavy stripes. In addition to stripes, other patterns such as geometric patterns were also very popular.
Figure 3 By the swimming pool in Hongkou, Shanghai from Picture Times in 1930
Figure 4 Swimsuits from Picture Times" in 1933
2. A turning in 1933-1935: swimsuits showing the back and split swimsuits
In 1930, "The Beauty of the Back" was published in the 21st issue of "Women of the Present Generation" This article was of photos of Western beauties in open-back swimsuits, but people did not keen on this, which may be related to the conservative atmosphere at that time. In 1932, "Movie Monthly" published a photo of Mingzhu Yin wearing a backless swimsuit on the beach, but it should be an exception. Chinese women firstly tried the swimsuit that exposed their skin on the waist and shoulders. In 1932, "Saturday" magazine published a group of swimming photos, in which a woman's swimsuit has holes on both sides of the waist (Figure 5). This style was common to be seen by 1933, and appeared successively in "Good Friends" and "Picture Times". There were also more and more styles showing the feminine shoulder line, such as thin-shouldered styles like contemporary camisoles (Figure 6).
Figure 5 Miss Ren from "Saturday" in1932
Figure 6 Tourists at Gaoqiao Beach in Shanghai from Picture Times in1932
In 1933, the backless swimsuit was popular again. "Liangyou X Photography Pictorial" and others have recommended backless swimsuits. The image of Chinese women wearing backless swimsuits also began to appear one after another. Since 1934, backless swimsuits have been accepted by more and more Chinese women. On September 2, 1934, the "Picture Times" published a photo of three women in backless swimsuits sitting on the beach (Figure 7), with the caption: "Girls in Shanghai were also influenced by the Hollywood style, loving brown skin and sitting on the beach with backless swimsuits. From 1935 to 1936, the trend of backless swimsuits was continuing. There were many kinds of backless swimsuits, those with double shoulder straps from the shoulders to the waist, crossed shoulder straps, and hollow waists on both sides expanding to the back and exposing the back. See Figure 8.
Figure 7 Tourists at Gaoqiao Bathing Beach in Shanghai from Picture Times in 1934
Figure 8 The swimsuit in "The Ark" in 1935
The split swimsuit began to emerge in 1935. The 110th issue of "Good Friends" in 1935 published a recent photo of "Mermaid" Xiuqiong Yang's swimsuit, who just won the 100-meter freestyle championship at the Far East Games and broke the Far East record. Yang Xiuqiong's swimsuit was split, with thin shoulder straps, a camisole with a low V-shaped neckline similar to a bra and triangle shorts underneath. Although there was a thin belt between the upper and lower garments, it was a clear split swimsuit (Figure 9). In the same year, in the group photo of the female members of the Guangdong swimming team in Qingdao Pictorial, one member's swimsuit was also the split type. The top has a strip around the neck. These two styles were also the most common styles of split swimsuits (Figure 10).
Figure 9 Xiuqiong Yang, the Mermaid from Liangyou Pictorial in 1935
Figure 10 The group photo of Guangdong female swimming team from Qingdao Pictorial in 1935
Since then, the one-piece swimsuit has often appeared in major pictorials, especially from 1937 to 1939. It's just that it was not as popular as one-piece swimsuits among Chinese women, and only movie stars or socialites wore them at that time. For example, photos of Yuejuan Tong, Lili Li, Saizhu Liang, Qinian Li and others wearing one-piece swimsuits have been published in major pictorials. After 1945, the pictorial began to promote the new style of split swimsuits popular in Europe and the United States. The top became shorter and shorter and had no straps. The pictorial called it "a three-point swimsuit". This attracted a lot of attention at the time, and "Hai Tao", "Black and White" and "Jeep" all reported on it in 1946. However, no Chinese women wore this kind of swimsuit. It's just that in 1947, "Xinning Magazine" published a piece of news, saying that there was a tourist in a novel swimsuit with a bra-style top made of clear glass with pigment. We don’t know if that was true, but even if it was, it was just exceptional.
1. Basic decorative elements: belts and stripes
Among the fashion elements, two elements ran through almost the entire 1930s. One was the belt and the other was the stripe. However, both of them were decorative parts for the swimsuit and the structure was not changed since the 1920s. From the 1930s, the models wearing swimsuits in the pictorial were decorated with belts. The features of this swimsuit were: one-piece, the same color or different colors for the top and bottom. There was a belt at the waist. From 1930 to 1932, most swimsuits had different colors for the top and bottom, and the color of the belt was generally different from that of the swimsuit (Figure 1), with a width of about 3 to 4cm and buckles made of metal and plastics. There were also decorative belts made of the same material. After 1933, there were many types of belts. Sometimes there was just a tie, which was tied around the waist for a circle or two circles and then tied and knotted (Figure 2).
Figure 1 The swimmer named Baoshu Li from "Picture Times" in 1930
Figure 2 Female athletes participating in the North China Swimming Competition from Picture Times in 1934
The striped pattern was also popular together with the belt. The top with cross stripes with a belt was the most common to be seen, which was popular in the early 1930s (Figure 3). There were many types of stripes and the stripe in swimsuits was irregular, which could be on the vest, at the hem of the culottes, around the waist, or all over the body (Figure 4). There were vertical stripes, diagonal stripes and wavy stripes. In addition to stripes, other patterns such as geometric patterns were also very popular.
Figure 3 By the swimming pool in Hongkou, Shanghai from Picture Times in 1930
Figure 4 Swimsuits from Picture Times" in 1933
2. A turning in 1933-1935: swimsuits showing the back and split swimsuits
In 1930, "The Beauty of the Back" was published in the 21st issue of "Women of the Present Generation" This article was of photos of Western beauties in open-back swimsuits, but people did not keen on this, which may be related to the conservative atmosphere at that time. In 1932, "Movie Monthly" published a photo of Mingzhu Yin wearing a backless swimsuit on the beach, but it should be an exception. Chinese women firstly tried the swimsuit that exposed their skin on the waist and shoulders. In 1932, "Saturday" magazine published a group of swimming photos, in which a woman's swimsuit has holes on both sides of the waist (Figure 5). This style was common to be seen by 1933, and appeared successively in "Good Friends" and "Picture Times". There were also more and more styles showing the feminine shoulder line, such as thin-shouldered styles like contemporary camisoles (Figure 6).
Figure 5 Miss Ren from "Saturday" in1932
Figure 6 Tourists at Gaoqiao Beach in Shanghai from Picture Times in1932
In 1933, the backless swimsuit was popular again. "Liangyou X Photography Pictorial" and others have recommended backless swimsuits. The image of Chinese women wearing backless swimsuits also began to appear one after another. Since 1934, backless swimsuits have been accepted by more and more Chinese women. On September 2, 1934, the "Picture Times" published a photo of three women in backless swimsuits sitting on the beach (Figure 7), with the caption: "Girls in Shanghai were also influenced by the Hollywood style, loving brown skin and sitting on the beach with backless swimsuits. From 1935 to 1936, the trend of backless swimsuits was continuing. There were many kinds of backless swimsuits, those with double shoulder straps from the shoulders to the waist, crossed shoulder straps, and hollow waists on both sides expanding to the back and exposing the back. See Figure 8.
Figure 7 Tourists at Gaoqiao Bathing Beach in Shanghai from Picture Times in 1934
Figure 8 The swimsuit in "The Ark" in 1935
The split swimsuit began to emerge in 1935. The 110th issue of "Good Friends" in 1935 published a recent photo of "Mermaid" Xiuqiong Yang's swimsuit, who just won the 100-meter freestyle championship at the Far East Games and broke the Far East record. Yang Xiuqiong's swimsuit was split, with thin shoulder straps, a camisole with a low V-shaped neckline similar to a bra and triangle shorts underneath. Although there was a thin belt between the upper and lower garments, it was a clear split swimsuit (Figure 9). In the same year, in the group photo of the female members of the Guangdong swimming team in Qingdao Pictorial, one member's swimsuit was also the split type. The top has a strip around the neck. These two styles were also the most common styles of split swimsuits (Figure 10).
Figure 9 Xiuqiong Yang, the Mermaid from Liangyou Pictorial in 1935
Figure 10 The group photo of Guangdong female swimming team from Qingdao Pictorial in 1935
Since then, the one-piece swimsuit has often appeared in major pictorials, especially from 1937 to 1939. It's just that it was not as popular as one-piece swimsuits among Chinese women, and only movie stars or socialites wore them at that time. For example, photos of Yuejuan Tong, Lili Li, Saizhu Liang, Qinian Li and others wearing one-piece swimsuits have been published in major pictorials. After 1945, the pictorial began to promote the new style of split swimsuits popular in Europe and the United States. The top became shorter and shorter and had no straps. The pictorial called it "a three-point swimsuit". This attracted a lot of attention at the time, and "Hai Tao", "Black and White" and "Jeep" all reported on it in 1946. However, no Chinese women wore this kind of swimsuit. It's just that in 1947, "Xinning Magazine" published a piece of news, saying that there was a tourist in a novel swimsuit with a bra-style top made of clear glass with pigment. We don’t know if that was true, but even if it was, it was just exceptional.
