E Carnival Shoes

bathing suits

Going to the beach as a form of entertainment really gained popularity after the onset of railroad travel. While the ladies of the day knew that it was improper to have tanned skin, they still needed some type of womens swimsuits. Therefore, the bathing suits that became available resembled smocks and the women actually sewed weights into the hems of the garments so that they would not float up and reveal their skin.

The next step in the evolution of swimwear swimsuits saw creations that were more like full length gowns, usually made from cambric or muslin. The garments had long sleeves with thin cuffs and were worn over pants or “trowsers,” as they were called then. The ensemble also required a scarf, sandals and even gloves. It wasn’t until sometime later that women were allowed to show a little leg.

Amelia Bloomer came up with the innovative idea of wearing bloomers under womens swimsuits in the mid 19th century when bathing suits still pretty much covered a woman’s body. They were made of heavy flannel, as were the Turkish pants, which seriously weighed a swimmer down. These were most assuredly a long way from the one piece swimsuit or sexy bikini of today.

Wherever the water was shallow near the beach people would change in little houses on wheels, which were drawn out into deeper water by horses and hauled back to the shore when the water play was finished. At some of the larger resorts on the shore, where the most glamorous ladies of the day were, hundreds of these little change carts would be in the water at one time. Their broad wheels gave them the advantage of not getting stuck in the sand. In some areas the idea of wearing a little less, including shorter bloomers and skirts, was starting to be kicked around a little; but the implementation of those ideas would not come into play until the early 1900s, or more accurately 1910.

The little cabanas that the horses would haul in an out of the water gave the modest ladies of the day a chance to spend a day at the beach privately. Adding a hood to the contraption allowed the ladies, clad in their soaking wet bathing suits, to emerge from the water without being seen. Then they would pull off the layers of their swim suits and get back into the many layers of petticoats and dresses that they had arrived in earlier.

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