The first formalized bathing costume in the modern era was not a piece of clothing at all but a piece of architecture: a bathing machine. Invented by a Quaker in 1753, the horse-drawn half carriage contained a “modesty tunnel” that allowed a fully clothed Victorian woman to enter the sea privately.
~Lencek, Lena and Gideon Bosker. 1989. Making Waves: Swimsuits and the Undressing of America. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.
I'll have photos soon.
I wonder how a modesty tunnel looks like! I'm a firm believer in looking back for inspiration, but I'm not sure how modern clothing manufacturers could develop a design based on this.
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