Woman's Swimsuit

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© Margit Fellegi Estate. Reproduced with permission of The Warnaco Group, Inc. All rights reserved. For Authentic Fitness Corp., Cole of California
My gallery Comment Tag Order Photography*
© Margit Fellegi Estate. Reproduced with permission of The Warnaco Group, Inc. All rights reserved. For Authentic Fitness Corp., Cole of California
My gallery Comment Tag Order Photography*
© Margit Fellegi Estate. Reproduced with permission of The Warnaco Group, Inc. All rights reserved. For Authentic Fitness Corp., Cole of California
My gallery Comment Tag Order Photography*
© Margit Fellegi Estate. Reproduced with permission of The Warnaco Group, Inc. All rights reserved. For Authentic Fitness Corp., Cole of California
My gallery Comment Tag Order Photography*
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Woman's Swimsuit

United States, California, 1936
Costumes; principal attire (entire body)
Cotton plain weave, printed, with elastic smocking (Matletex)
Center front length: 20 1/4 in. (51.44 cm) Center back length: 13 in. (33.02 cm)
Gift of Margit Fellegi (M.74.76.11)
Costume and Textiles
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

Having begun his career with an underwear company, West Coast Knitting Mills, Fred Cole introduced glamour and sophistication into women’s swimsuits by changing the style, cut, and weight of knits pre...
Having begun his career with an underwear company, West Coast Knitting Mills, Fred Cole introduced glamour and sophistication into women’s swimsuits by changing the style, cut, and weight of knits previously used for undergarments. His head designer, Margit Fellegi, further revolutionized the swimwear industry in 1936 with the “Matletex” process of shirring cotton on elastic thread. For the first time, swimsuits that hugged the body like knits could be made in floral and geometric prints in brilliant “California” colors.

(California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way," 2011-12)
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Bibliography

  • Kaplan, Wendy, ed. California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way. Los Angeles: Los  Angeles County Museum of Art; Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2011.
  • Kaplan, Wendy, ed. Living in a Modern Way: California Design, 1930-1965.  Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2013. 

Exhibition history

  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way" Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, October 1, 2011 - June 3, 2012