Olympic Swimsuits through the Years
Competitors have always looked for the edge and nothing has been more competitive than the engineering of a fast swimsuit. We found a collection of photos that show the evolution of the swimsuit from a heavy material that was meant to cover you up to the most recent that clings so tight to the body that it acts as a second skin.
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(Photo/Omar Vega / May 14, 2008)
In the Victorian era of the 1800s, swimmers typically wore long-sleeved, full-length flannel or wool swimming gowns with weighted hems to keep the dress from floating up with bloomers underneath. It made it difficult to swim. Many said it was like swimming in draperies when the suit got wet and led to numerous drownings.
