At the Beach: 100 years of summer fashion in New Zealand

At the Beach: 100 years of summer fashion in New Zealand celebrates changing beach fashions and fun since the early 1900s. What we did and what we wore reveals our relationship to the coast and the changes in social attitudes to modesty and participation in leisure pursuits. From the neck to knee bathers of the Edwardian era to the skimpy bikinis of the 1970s and beyond see how and why swimwear shrank. With over 100 archival and recent photos the book shares some personal beach experiences, explores the relationship between glamour and the beach, the rise of the perfect tan and uncovers the history of our swimwear industry riding the local and global fashion wave. At the Beach goes in search of the influence of the beach on our New Zealand identity.

The New Zealand Fashion Museum is for anyone with a love of fashion, heritage, innovation and creativity. With no fixed abode other than this online address, it is a museum dedicated to the curation of New Zealand’s rich fashion past, making it relevant for the present and future. Established in 2010 as a Charitable Trust, it records and shares the stories of the people, objects and photographs that have contributed to the development of New Zealand's unique fashion identity, making them visible and accessible to a broad audience through pop-up exhibitions, publications and our online museum. The Fashion Museum undertakes its own research and also draws together the collective knowledge held in our public institutions and by many individuals all around the country who are invited to contribute. Read more

Contact

T: +64 9 625 4827
E: doris@fashionmuseum.org.nz