Black bathing dress with white trim

In the late 1800s it was modesty and the beauty ideal of pale skin that dictated the appropriate fashion for swimming. This bathing dress is made from dark coloured fabric thick enough not to become see-through when wet. Once in the water these became heavy and not at all conducive to swimming. 

Details

Credit: Garment loan courtesy of Dion and Kaye Coleman
Copyright: Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 Licence
Designer: Unknown
Manufacturing location: Unknown
Garment type: Bathing dress
Material: Polished cotton
Features: Decorative covered buttons and bound edges in white sateen
Colour: Black, white
Label: Unlabelled
Date: Circa 1910