Inventing the Summer: Evolution of Swimsuit in the 20th Century

Abstract

The close link between fashion and from a historical and sociological point of view is the focus of this chapter. Since the Industrial Revolution, these two industries have been part of the path toward modernity in Western Europe. The new industrial society created a different relationship with leisure time and bodies. On the other hand, fashion tourism accelerated and intensified this process toward unforeseen outcomes: new social relations and the loosening of traditional morality constraints. The swimming costume represents the point of encounter and overlapping between these two spheres: a significant element of novelty despite its ever-shrinking dimensions.

Citation

Visentin, C. (2023), "Inventing the Summer: Evolution of Swimsuit in the 20th Century", Gravari-Barbas, M. and Sabatini, N. (Ed.) Fashion and Tourism (Tourism Social Science Series, Vol. 26), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 21-32. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1571-504320230000026002