Bathing suit

During her twenty-year career in fashion, from 1944 to 1964, Carolyn Schnurer (1908-1998) was a pioneer in the newly emerging American sportswear industry. Directing her designs toward young active women, Schnurer developed coordinates and dresses that were unfussy, required minimal foundation garments and could be worn for a variety of occasions. Particularly renowned for her culturally-inspired resort collections, rather than a blatantly costumed appearance, Schnurer's designs typically featured one or two understated thematic details in the cut or fabric, while maintaining a classic American silhouette.

This bathing suit is one of the rare examples in the Brooklyn Museum collection of Schnurer's non-culturally inspired designs. The gold lurex fabric and classic line illustrates the wider pantheon of her design repertoire and are characteristic of Schnurer's bathing suits throughout her career. The double-layer trunks indicate however that the suit is likely from a summer collection from 1949 or 1950.