Suits you!

From knee-length numbers to a scandalous suit denounced by the Pope, the colourful history of swimwear has been brought to life by a glamorous London exhibition. Deborah Nicholls-Lee dives in

- Deborah Nicholls

WHEN the weather warms, cool water beckons. However, as we cast off our layers and slip into our swimsuits, we might perhaps spare a thought for our ancestors: it wasn't so long ago that going for a dip entailed donning soon-to-be-sodden woollens, stockings (for women) and even shoes.

Few garments' evolution reveals more about our social history and our changing relationship with our bodies than the swimsuit. 'It really gives us an insight into themes such as modesty, display and which bodies are allowed into public spaces,' notes fashion historian Amber Butchart, curator of 'Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style', a major exhibition currently running at London's Design Museum. Divided into three sections—the pool, the lido and Nature—it charts the shifts in our love of swimming over the past 100 years alongside the clothing we have worn in the water, whether we're splashing in the shallows or competing at the highest level. Highlights include a Union Flag-inspired swimsuit belonging to Paralympic champion Ellie Robinson and Olympic gold medallist Tom Daley's Adidas trunks.

Wading a little further back to 18th- and 19th-century Britain reveals a nation populated by a majority of non-swimmers, who took to the water primarily to wash, cool off or revive themselves. ‘The salutary effects of sea-bathing... cannot be too strongly recommended,’ wrote Dorchester physician John Crane in 1795, extolling ‘the benign influence of the sea air’ and the water's ‘purer’ vapour. Yet, the lack of suitable clothing made such exploits treacherous for women, particularly those who weighed down their hems with lead shot to prevent floating fabric compromising their respectability.