Swimwear is a part of the Okanagan lifestyle. That’s why Kelowna Museums is paying tribute to the evolution of the bathing suit with an exhibit called Babes and Bathers: A History of the Swimsuit.
The exhibition was brought to Kelowna by guest curator Ivan Sayers, a fashion historian who has one of the largest private collections of historical clothing in Canada.
Sayers brought dozens of bathing suits from his collection to display at the museum. The outfits span a century, dating from the late 1800s to the 1980s.
Jen Garner is the education and programming co-ordinator at the museum. She said when Sayers was installing the exhibit, he shared countless stories about the collection.
“He told us amazing things about the bathing suits themselves, the people that wore them, the people that made them,” Garner said. “So we’re taking all that information that he shared with us and we’re putting on tours for the public.”
The new tours will be held on Thursdays from July 12 to July 26. There will be two tours a day, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Curatorial manager Amanda Snyder says, along with the swimwear, the museum added images from the Kelowna Public Archives dating back to the early 1900s.
“They feature a lot of Kelowna residents,” she said, “It’s a nice way to show that these sort of suits actually were being worn by local residents.”
Admission to the Okanagan Heritage Museum and exhibit tours are free of charge, although a $5 donation is suggested.
For more information on the Babes and Bathers exhibit, which is on until September 3rd, visit the Kelowna Museums website.