This week, one of my favourite topics: the history of swimwear! My guest is Christina Johnson, Associate Curator at the FIDM Museum at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in California. Christina is co-curator of the excellent exhibition, ‘Sporting Fashion: Outdoor Girls 1800 to 1960’ along with FIDM Museum Curator Kevin Jones, and is the co-author of the accompanying publication.
The traveling show ‘Sporting Fashion: Outdoor Girls 1800 to 1960’ was organised by the American Federation of Arts and the FIDM Museum, and is the first exhibition to explore the evolution of women’s sporting attire in western fashion from 1800 to 1960. It features 480 historic objects from the collection of the FIDM Museum.
So stay tuned as we discuss the history of swimwear and chat through some of the ensembles in the exhibition, from 18th century sea bathing to the seaside becoming a fashionable space in the mid 19th century, and then the Modernist designs of the 1920s. You can head to my Instagram, @AmberButchart, to see some of the pieces discussed. We also consider California swim culture, swimming in hot mountain springs in the Sequoia National Forest, and why we should most definitely bring back the beach cape….
You can follow FIDM Museum on Instagram, and find out more about the ‘Sporting Fashion’ touring exhibition here, the 2024 show at FIDM here, and get the fantastic catalogue here. You can find my book, Nautical Chic, here.
And follow me @AmberButchart, #MakingASplashPod to find out more about future guests and episodes.
*Please be aware that cold water swimming can be dangerous. Read and follow the advice at the Outdoor Swimming Society if you are new to it*
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