The Well Designed Beach Costume of 1928

This short article appeared in Harpers Bazar June 1928

Truly Chic Bathing Ensembles are Never too Elaborate

For the Beach, more than almost any other sports occasion, the costume must be extremely simple and faultless in design. The elaborate beach costume with a hint of the Orient, or worse, the musical revue, always has a slightly comic element about it. The too Chineese pajama, the nautch-girl bathing ensemble, the bathing cape with the dragon rampant sprawled on its full and glamourous length, one sees them and marvels at the bravery of womanhood.

One nice thing about bathing costumes this year is their sailor wool jerseyness, a certain marine touch that is exactly right and has the much-mentioned tang of the sea. The Paris designers snip up bits of wool jersey and sew them together in a mosaic of blending color - blue and darker blue, green and chartreuse green, yellow and orange yellow. Certain houses make the tri-colored suits; they are charming. The brief trunks are beautifully cut with the slight side flare that makes the characteristic 'shorts' line, the bodice is cut with the V or the round neck, according to one's type, or discretion.

Wool jersey has superseded silk jersey, just as the well-designed monogram has taken the place of almost all other ornament. Stripes and degrade colors are used.

One thing permitted us is the gay wrap, simply cut, and designed, perhaps, to match a beach pillow and rug. This is often of heavy linen crash, combined with plain fabric.

A beach-set of heavy linen crash, gaily flowered, consists of coat, pillow and rug. The coat is worn over a Patou pajama of blue flat crepe. From Saks Fifth Avenue.

Pink and dark blue silk crepe is sewn together in a smart design, typical of this briefly cut bathing costume made by Mary Nowitzky this season. Saks Fifth Avenue.

(Upper Middle) Blue pink silk jersey, with bands of darker pink, orange and blue.

(Right) White jersey top, red monogram, blue jersey shorts. Bonwit Teller.

(Beginning lower left) heavy silk crepe, in dark blue for the shorts, is joined to the same fabric in white for the bodice, which is banded with dark blue, and monogrammed red and blue. Saks Fifth Avenue

Beach crepe in black is used for this cleverly cut suit, made with amusing shoulder tabs, over a straight-cut bodice underneath. The edges are all piped with yellow, and the lower edge is curved. Bonwit Teller.

(Upper left) Dark blue wool is used by Patou for this three piece costume, made with shorts fitted into a yoke and a knee length coat. Yellow monograms on sleeves and blouse. Saks Fifth Avenue.

(Upper right) An unusually well cut little bathing suit is of dark blue silk, made with an abbreviated skirt over shorts. It has a small buttoned vest set in. Black monogram. From Saks Fifth Avenue.

(Extreme right) The becoming cape is white and fastens at the throat. Worn over a silk jersey suit with fine lines of black and white, and a green band around the hips. Nat Lewis.

(Right center) A beach costume from Mary Nowitzky with bright green flannel shorts and cardigan, green and white jersey bodice, and matching sash, cap and slippers. From Saks Fifth Avenue.