Swimming Costume Collection

Its the minikini. The tiny strapless triangle which is spring-loaded so that it seems to stay up by magic. Student teacher, Jackie Kerr-Moller and her friends, Vera and Kate from Germany and Belgium

Holiday Haunts guide book, 1947
A 1947 edition of the popular Holiday Haunts guide books published by the GWR. A glamorous blonde poses in a white two-part swimming costume in front of a lively beach scene

Young woman with blindfold balancing on diving board

A man on his boat looks admiringly at model Carol Dwyer, wearing a revealing swimsuit May 1976

Swimsuit Fashion: Fashion show of Spirella foundation garments and new made-to-measure Swimsuits, was held today at Spirella House, Oxford Circus, London

Gertrude Ederle, American swimmer, 1926. On 6 August 1926 Ederle (1905-2003) became the first woman to swim across the English Channel, which she achieved in a time of 14 hours and 30 minutes

1960s Surfers Running in the Water
Group of surfers running in water with surfboards, smiling. Tom Kelley Archive

General view of the Piscine swimming pool, where the smartest foregather, and sport the most arresting beach wear. June 1954 P012311

Woman in swimming costume up to her ankles in the sea on a beach holding a crab. Costume de bain
5893045 Woman in swimming costume up to her ankles in the sea on a beach holding a crab. Costume de bain. Handcoloured pochoir (stencil)

Water, from Falbalas & Fanfreluches, Almanach des Modes Presentes, Passees et Futures, 1926 (colour litho)
STC226843 Water, from Falbalas & Fanfreluches, Almanach des Modes Presentes, Passees et Futures, 1926 (colour litho) by Barbier

Women body boarding in the surf at Newquay June 1960 M4303-002

Four stages of swimmer performing rapid turn

Miss UK, Della Dolan, aged 20 from Grimsby, prepares for next months MIss World contest at a Marbella hideaway. 25th October 1982

Prince Charles pulling up his shorts on a beach in Australia royal Prince of Wales having fun in the water Funny picture taken from behind in the ocean March 1979

Sylvia Syms Actress on a boat at sea May 1959

Prince Andrew with Vicki Hodge on Mustique October 1985

George Best with Angela MacDonald ex Miss World before their marriage began to crumble 1976

George Best and Susan George on the Beach in Majorca

Catherine Bach (27) actress who stars as Daisy Duke in tv series The Dukes of Hazard; pictured at home in Los Angeles California May 1982

Prince Charles plays with model Jane Priest on Cottesloe Beach, Perth, Western Australia. Prince Charles girlfriends March 1979 1970s

Ruth Calvert seen here modelling the latest 1959 springtime fashions posing with blossom. May 1959

Unsinkable swimsuits worn by Jean Marsh and Lillemor Knudson. September 1952 P017653

Ruth Calvert seen here modelling the latest 1959 springtime fashions posing with blossom. May 1959

Top glamour model Stephanie McLean posing on a sailboat January 1975 75-00129

Glamour girl / actress June Barry at Hammersmith Pier. June 1960 M4372-004
Glamour girl/actress June Barry at Hammersmith Pier. June 1960 M4372-004

Vicki Michelle left the world of showbiz to take over a boutique but soon returned a little later to make a television commercial

Old Fashioned swim suit. So this is what grandma used to look like on the beach in Edwardian times. Trying out the swimsuits is Yvette Carroll, 18 from London who travelled north to Scarborough

Yvonne Marsh and Ann Hanslip seen here bathing in the sea at West Wittering. August 1952 C3902-001

Valerie, 1938. Creator: Unknown
" Valerie", 1938. Valerie Hudson was a well-known model and showgirl in the late 1930s and 1940 s. From " Modern Beauties"

Joan Jay, 1938. Creator: Unknown
Joan Jay, 1938. From " Modern Beauties"

Bather, August 1931
GWR publicity image of a woman wearing a diamond patterned swimming costume and cap leaning over a wall at the seaside in August 1931

At the Seaside: Swimming
3786682 At the Seaside: Swimming; (add.info.: At the Seaside: Swimming. Illustration of 1910. Liebig Collectible Card (Series: In Riva Al Mare). S999 (F998)); Lebrecht History

Colombia, Bird's eye view of Woman swimming
2040-210674-01

Nevada, Las Vegas, Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden And Dolphin Habitat
1431-202455-01

2 female surfers at the beach

Female surfer riding a wave

Male surfer riding a wave

Starfish couple vacationing in Florida

Florida, Miami Beach, South Beach, Carol A. Feuerman's sculpture called STRENTH

Florida, South Florida, Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse

A young athletic woman using a stand-up paddle-board in a calm bay of Hawaii, United States of America, Pacific

Champagne in Endell Street open air swimming pool for the 500, 000th visitor since it opened in 1946, who is Ann Reeve. 17th June 1957

Simone Silva (left) and Harriette Johns, actress stars of play Meet Mr. Callaghan at the Garrick Theatre in London, enjoy a day off at Brighton Beach in Sussex, Saturday 26th April 1952

Miss World contestants go for a swim at the Butlins Hotel, Margate. The girls are relaxing before the final tomorrow. 13th October 1957

The Oasis Lido Pool, Endell Street, London was almost crowded to capacity with men and women sunbathing. August 1953 D5086

Filming on the new series of the BBC comedy programme Monty Pythons Flying Circus at Walton On Thames. Actor John Cleese dressed in a bikini poses with five other girls wearing bikinis alongside

Miss Great Britain 1965, Diane Westbury, 21 year old model from Bowden, Cheshire, pictured at Morecambe, 25th August 1965

Beauty contest girls playing on the beach at Torquay, Devon. 7th September 1960

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

"Dive into the Past: A Fashionable Journey through Swimwear" In the pages of the vintage "Holiday Haunts guide book, 1947, " a young woman with a blindfold delicately balances on a diving board, capturing the essence of summer fun. Meanwhile, an admiring man aboard his boat gazes at model Carol Dwyer in her alluring swimming costume from afar. Fast forward to the vibrant 1960s, where surfers energetically run through crashing waves, their colorful swimwear reflecting their carefree spirit. Alongside them stands a woman on a beach, clad in an ankle-length swimming costume and holding a crab - an enchanting scene reminiscent of Tommaso Antongini's Journal des Dames et des Modes. The allure of water transcends time as showcased by Falbalas & Fanfreluches' Almanach des Modes Presentes, Passees et Futures from 1926. A handcoloured pochoir (stencil) etching portrays a woman immersed up to her ankles in the sea while donning an elegant swimsuit - capturing both grace and style. Moving continents to Newquay in June 1960, women body boarding amidst rolling surf paint an exhilarating picture of adventure and thrill. Their choice of swimwear reflects both functionality and fashion-forwardness. Witnessing four stages of swimmers performing rapid turns showcases not only athleticism but also how swimwear has evolved over time to enhance performance. From Australia's sunny shores in New South Wales to Sydney's bustling beaches, these athletes embody determination and skill. Glamour takes center stage as actress June Barry graces Hammersmith Pier in June 1960. Her radiant smile matches her stylish swimwear perfectly – epitomizing elegance against London's picturesque backdrop. Lastly, we encounter moments filled with laughter and joy as snorkel-clad men proudly present lobsters beside smiling women.