Finished Garment

My swimsuit is a deconstruction of the original male swimsuit, worn by Annette Kellerman when she was famously arrested on a beach front in Boston for indecency.

I have created a simple, clean line that gives the illusion of the swim suit wrapping around the body. Flowing down from the '20's inspired swim cap, the swim suit moulds to the body, emphasising the healthy, contoured shape of the contemporary Australian woman.

I have broken down the male swim suit of the early 1900's and transformed it into a fresh one piece that embodies both the feminine flair of the modern Aussie woman and the strength and confidence of Annette Kellerman.

I was happy with final design choice. I had wanted to experiment a little further with different cap designs but ended up sticking with the one both myself and my lecturers all liked.

Patternmaking the cap was the hardest part. I started by making a toille of a hood from a basic hood pattern (top picture). I then altered this to fit and sculpt the head. It was divided into three parts, the top or skull cap section, then the two back sections, so

the back could wrap around the neck and flow into the bathing suit, as seen in the two lower images. I worked the pattern and toille's to a perfect fit before adding the pattern to the front leotard.

Sketching the design

After deciding that I would like to include the swimming cap in my design I looked at more contemporary examples of swimwear and how the swimming cap was included in the design. I particularly love the last picture with the fish. Its very unusual but eye-catching.

I like the simplicity and the clean lines of the designs.

The sketching process followed this research.

Taking into consideration the fact that we had only two weeks with which to complete the design, patterns, toille's and finished garment I knew it was important to design a swimsuit that was realistically achievable.

I continued with my research by looking through some books about the history of the swim suit. I found some fantastic images that helped me further in my design process.

I chose these three images because they all featured an interesting way of twisting the centre front and crossing over at the neck. I thought that for the time, they are all from 1945 - 1950, they are very contemporary and I like the way the fabric has been manipulated to flatter the female form.

These early images from the 1920's show that the move towards experimentation with women's swim wear was rapid.

I love these images from the '20's, so daring and fun.

I started to really focus on the swimming cap as a prominent feature in early women's swim wear. Nowadays it is merely used as a practical way of keeping your hair dry, and in racing to help the swimmer move through the water faster. Through my research i found that over time, the swimming cap was as much a fashion item as the swim suit itself. I knew I would like to include it in my design.

These three images are my favourites. They capture the essence of my theme; Annette Kellerman's original need for a simplictic and practical swimsuit that was to be later mixed with the golden age of '30's Hollywood.

I started sketching some simple ideas but they all seemed very generic and boring. I needed to think outside the square. I felt as though I should be going all out and over the top. My inspiration however, came from my muse in her earlier years, before heading to Hollywood. She was a no nonsense sort of a woman, and that practicality combined with a personal pride in her health and physique was at the core of where I wanted my design to be focused.

Woollen Mermaids for the National Maritime Museum

Upon receiving the design brief for the woollen mermaids competition I was immediately excited. I had never heard of Annette Kellerman and so after completing further research was completely inspired by her courage and determination.


I have always been inspired by strong women throughout history who have broken through the boundaries of what society deemed appropriate for a woman. Annette Kellerman is no exception and I'm surprised that more is not spoken of her as a pioneer of the gender equality in the sporting and film industries. Certainly she was recognised for this in the United States but as usual, it seems Australia was slow on the uptake. Or maybe it was that dreaded Tall Poppy Syndrome so embedded in our Australian culture. In any event, I was dumbfounded that as a independent young woman I had never heard of her.

Perhaps what stood out to me most was the reporting of her allegedly being arrested in Boston for indecent exposure at the turn of last century. Wearing a men's style swim suit, which would have exposed her arms and legs, she opted for the sensible and practical style of a men's style bathing suit rather than the multitude of layers a woman was expected to wear when bathing. I think this is a fantastic story and it really inspired my initial creative idea's.

I have always been inspired by female designer's such as Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel. Women who pushed boundaries and changed the way women dressed and Annette Kellerman is no exception. This image of a swim suit by Schiaparelli has always been a favourite and I looked to her work again for some initial research.

There were many avenues to follow in terms of the creative path I could follow due to the fact that Annette Kellerman was involved in so many different things. Not only was she a swimmer and a diver but she was famous for dancing, acting and even has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. he is thought to have been the founder of synchronised swimming and was the first woman to attempt to swim the English channel. Though unsuccessful, her desire to achieve a level of fitness and strength equal to that of a man paved the way for a new appreciation of the female form. It is this facet of her life, the promotion of health and fitness in women that most inspired me.

Along with using Anette Kellerman as my muse I was given some images with which to take inspiration from.

These images feature a photo from the 1930's and a contemporary image of a personal game consol and a city scape. At first I was a little unsure as to how to incorporate both the images. I really liked the idea of the Aussie lifesavers. I was immediately drawn to its cultural imagery and how it related so well to what I had learnt about Annette Kellerman.

I was unsure at this point how the other image was going to inspire me, but I knew some further research was needed before I could begin designing.