Holidaying in London with an eye for the history of fashion? Riviera Style, an exhibition focusing on different swimwear throughout the years, looks at the way design was affected by social convention with an analytical eye.

A cocktail dress by American designer Arnold Scaasi, 1961, using Eustacia Liberty fabric. From the Ernestine Carter Archive.

Showing swimsuits and sarongs, brightly patterned cover-ups, boat necks and beach pyjamas, playsuits, bikinis and burkinis, the Riviera Style exhibition currently showing at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London, the UK, brings together over 100 years of clothing worn in and by the sea.

Celebrating fashion at its most fun, the exhibition is organised by the museum and Newham College and also features a selection of prints and vintage posters celebrating fashion and travel over the last 100 years, curated by King & McGaw.

Exhibition research carried out by curator Christine Boydell shed new light on the relationship with swimwear, beachwear and the body.

“A key feature of the items selected is the importance of material. From early examples to produce the perfect fabric that didn’t bag or sag when wet, to more recent technical developments designed to improve fit and increase speed in the water.”

The curator identifies the changes in swim- and beachwear as a reflection of the changing mores of society.

“Days at the beach began as a health cure when sea air was prescribed by doctors in the Victorian era. Before the 1920s, swimming costumes were for bathing. But the trend for sunbathing, which emerged later, led to a radical change in the design of swimsuits and beach attire. By the 1930s men’s and women’s suits had cut away sections and, later, two-piece models became popular, though many 1940s and 50s swimsuits still had modesty skirts.”

In the early 20th century, specialised dress was all about preserving the wearers’ modesty

In the 1940s, swimwear became more like corsetry and a lot of companies used the idea of the corset-cut as a selling point.

The exhibition includes original source material gathered from the extensive archives at Leicestershire County Council, private collections, fashion magazines and trade journals.

From Edwardian bathing dresses, which preserved the wearer’s modesty and knitted swimsuits, to barely-there Lycra, it’s all on show at the museum – including the burkini which hit international when worn by Nigella Lawson on holiday.

There are glamorous swimming costumes worn by beauty queens at the seaside resorts of Britain – and there’s even a one off-the-peg Symington’s design which was worn by the winner of Miss Great Britain in 1965.

The exhibition is divided by five themes. The ‘1900–1920: Bathing Beauties’ section focuses on the early 20th century, when bathing became a recreational pastime and specialised dress was all about preserving the wearers’ modesty.

Resort wear was quite formal and the only difference from ordinary fashion was the use of lighter fabrics, often in paler colours. Early swimwear was knitted – men wore one-piece garments designed to cover their chests, while women’s bathing dresses were made of serge, cotton or jersey fabric. Stockings and hats were essential accessories.

Different fabrics were already in use a decade later as evidenced in the ‘1920–40: Cling, Bag, Stretch’ section, which looks at the different fabrics which have been used over the years.

One of the great challenges to designers of swimwear has been the maintenance of good fit when the suit was dry and wet. The introduction of elastic-based yarns in the 1930s was a real innovation and this period saw top designers including resort wear in their collections.

By the ‘1940–60: Mould and Control’ section, visitors can see how designs moved to more sculpted models, based on corsetry. Manufacturers exploited the growing trend for an annual summer holiday, creating daywear and beach ensembles in bright, colourful prints.

Whirlygig print impression, by Colleen Farr for Liberty and Co. Ltd. Right: Eustacia print impression, printed at Liberty and Co. Ltd Merton.

Swimwear was essentially a form of underwear worn in public and many of the techniques used in underwear manufacturer were used for swimming costumes, particularly through the 1940s and 1950s.

Manufacturers exploited the growing trend for an annual summer holiday, creating daywear and beach ensembles

The more time went by the more the swimsuit started shrinking. The ‘1960–90: The Body Beautiful’ section shows a marked decrease in fabric and internal support as it became more important for the wearer to improve the physique through exercise and diet.

Bengal Bernard Nevill for Liberty and Co. on silk.

The exhibition reaches the beginning of the 21st century with ‘Second Skin’, marking the introduction of sophisticated fabric technology which has found its way to the beach via competitive swimming at the highest level.

The exhibition delves into over 100 years of fashionable bathing, showcasing fashions and costumes from popular summer destinations that range from the English seaside to the Côte d’Azur and California.

The Riviera Style exhibition runs at The Fashion and Textile Museum, London, until September 13.

www.ftmlondon.org