ZEITGEIST IN SWIMSUITS

Swimming is unnatural activity for human beings. Unlike most of all other animals, we are not born with an instinct for swimming. However, ancient peoples who settled along seacoasts, lakeshores, and riverfronts had to learn to swim for gathering food and for simple survival. From this necessity, recreational swimming would have developed, both as an activity for individuals and as a group social practice. In many ancient civilizations, communal swimming and, later, bathing rituals were an integral part of society. By the nineteenth century, a growing middle class in Europe and America began to enjoy vacation time at beaches and resorts with the convenience and efficiency of the expanding network of railroads. “Taking the waters” at a seashore meant wading out into the shallows buoyed by a floating canopy to prevent sunburn and to shield against prying eyes. Not until the mid-1800s did special forms of attire develop for public bathing. Even then, bathing costumes still closely resembled street clothing. But, such outfits were terrible weight burdens in wet, and drownings were common for the unwary. So, as more and more people began to request bathing costumes from their dressmakers, fashion styling diverged from daytime modes. Clothing for swimming, bathing, and seaside wear has been an important and influential area of fashionable dress since the late nineteenth century. The evolution of swimming and bathing costumes has been closely associated with trends in mainstream fashion and advancements in textile technology, but has also reflected broader societal attitudes about personal hygiene, body exposure, and modesty, and whether or not it was appropriate for women to participate in active sports. In this study, aimed to examine changes in model and material of swimsuits from the introduction to the end of twenties. Trial data obtained by the document analysis clothes illustrations, pictures and photographs and the material (fabric) is composed of information. The resulting visual analysis of data analysis models and colors in line with the spirit of the times (Zeithgeist), in terms of features was evaluated by examining the materials used. Nowadays fabric technology features and models demonstrate the importance and contribution to the sport of swimming in terms of work is considered to be important and interesting.