Vintage Swim Caps & Retro Swimwear

Every era left its mark on the swim cap (or bathing cap, or swimming hat, depending on who you ask), from silk bonnets to wartime shortages to a garden of rubber petals.

early bathing caps and the Victorian era

Swim caps have a deep and interesting historical significance. In the days of old, women used cloth or silk bonnets to cover their heads while they went swimming. These bonnets weren’t super practical, so bathers looked for better ways to protect their hair. Victorian bathing caps were often made of oiled silk or waxed linen, and in 1873 one good bathing cap was described as an oiled silk cap with a crown roomy enough to hold the hair loosely. Later in the century, caps had large full crowns and wired brims, and fashionable bathers wore a rubber or oiled silk cap under a bright silk turban when the surf was up.¹ Caps made of rubberized fabric followed in the early 20th century, and latex caps by the 1920s.² While most every woman desired to keep her hairstyle covered when out in the elements, the elite in society were known to have the most ornate bathing or swimming caps.

swim caps in the 1920s and 1930s

In the early 1920s, caps were designed in the style of aviator helmets worn by pilots during that time period.² Other swim caps of this era featured a voluminous bonnet-like shape. For the most part, the designs were simple with minimal decoration. A similar gathered shape lives on in today’s fabric swim turbans.

Waffle Weave Chin Strap Swim Cap Today’s take on the aviator style shop →

Gathered Retro Swim Turban The gathered bonnet shape today shop →

swim caps during the 1940s and World War II

By the 1940s, rubber became a much-needed resource for war efforts in the US, as well as overseas, making rubber caps a scarce and coveted item.² Women during this era spent a great deal of hard-earned money to keep their hairstyles current. Swim caps provided a way for women to help make their expensive and chic do’s last longer.

swim caps in the 1950s and 1960s

Public pool rules in the 1950s dictated that women with long hair must keep their hair covered with a swim cap to keep the drains from clogging and to keep the pools clean and sanitary. Decorative caps were more mainstream due to more rubber availability and up-and-coming fashion trends. The 1960s saw a rise in popularity of colorful petal swim caps.²

Some caps went further than flowers. One late-1950s rubber cap in the FIDM Museum collection is textured and printed to look like a woman’s hairstyle, and a 1962 New York Times advertisement described an “aqua wig,” a rubber cap covered in synthetic hair that needed no resetting when wet.³

Triple Flower Swim Cap A 1950s-style decorated cap shop →

Waffle Weave Chin Strap Swim Cap Textured, not flowered, now in black shop →

swim caps in the 1970s through the 1990s

As long hairstyles for men became more and more popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s, some public pools extended their swim cap rules to men with long hair. Cap wearing became less common as fashions changed in the late 1970s, and seeing a woman in a bathing cap became a rarity. The free-spirited generation during this era saw swim caps as representative of an older generation and ditched what they saw as a cumbersome accessory. Caps found their way back to the pool in the 1980s and 1990s, as competitive swimming and swimming for fitness grew more popular.⁴

swim caps in the 21st century

As retro and vintage-inspired clothing became trendy in the beginning of the 21st century, decorative swim caps made a major comeback. Many women all over the world now sport retro-style bathing caps at the beach, pool, and anywhere else they want to swim in style. Today’s vintage-inspired caps, ours included, are newly made designs that borrow the shapes and details of earlier bathing caps.

Retro Petal Swim Cap In multicolor shop →

Retro Petal Swim Cap In white shop →

Champion swimmer and 1940s screen star Esther Williams left a lasting mark on swimwear fashion. Many popular swimwear fashions can be traced back to Williams and her original 1940s and 1950s style. In fact, retro swim fashions are almost synonymous with her name.

Esther Williams the swimwear fashion icon

The post-World War II era ushered in the age of fashion exploration, and swimwear was no exception. People finally had time and money to spend on better-fitting, more fashionable poolside attire. General rules requiring women to keep long hair contained under a swim cap at public pools in the 1950s saw a rise in the need for fashionable swim caps. At that time, Esther Williams’ swim style was being splashed across movie screens nationwide, and her attire, which focused on both fashion and function, became all the rage. Colorful caps with intricate designs, like the swim caps Williams wore in her swimming films, became a staple of many women’s swimwear wardrobes.⁷ Flourishing flowers and geometric patterns adorned the rubber and latex caps that helped protect hair and provide an element of fashion.

She later lent her name to a line of home swimming pools, and in the 1980s she launched her own Esther Williams swimwear line, designed so women could swim laps without worrying about their suits or swim caps staying in place.⁸

Turban Bathing and Swim Cap Lined in waterproof material, a water aerobics favorite shop →

Galaxy Swim Cap shop →

Celebrities such as Florence Welch of the band Florence and the Machine have been seen wearing retro-style swim caps on the world’s beaches. In 2016, Uma Thurman and her daughter even sported matching swim caps.⁹ Movies and TV shows have cashed in on the popularity of this fashion accessory by featuring vintage caps. In the 2007 hit movie Atonement, set in the 1930s, Keira Knightley wears one of our aqua fitness bathing caps poolside. Our Sheridan Retro Swim Cap was featured in an episode of the popular TV show My Name Is Earl.

Costume designers have come to us too. The Glee costume team bought our petal swim caps for a musical number, Sandra Bullock wears a limited edition petal cap in All About Steve, our waffle weave chin strap caps appear in the synchronized swimming scene in Mona Lisa Smile, and our petal caps have turned up on CSI: Miami, Gossip Girl, The Bachelor and Ramona and Beezus. See them on our TV and movie features page.

Fashion designers Prada, Marc Jacobs, and Victoria Beckham have all featured retro swim caps on their runways. In some runway shows, designers use bathing caps as fashion accessories designed with sequins, silk, or even leather construction.

Our line of Sync Swimwear features fashion-forward swim cap designs, inspired by high fashion and retro style. In fact, some of our swim caps were even featured on the runway with brand Chromat at New York Fashion Week. Our Petal Swim Cap can be seen in the pages of Vogue magazine and on the heads of stars in movies. Shop Sync Swimwear here.

If you love the look of that golden era of swimwear, our line of Retro Swim Caps carries it on. Wearing a swim cap can help protect your hair from sun, salt and chlorine, but wearing a vintage-style Retro Swim Cap can take your swimwear style to new heights and help keep you on trend. Working to keep you looking fabulous and keeping your head covered out and about and in and around the water, we make the retro look so easy.

Triple Flower Swim Cap shop →

We love vintage swim caps for two reasons: they’re fashionable, and they’re functional. Any swim cap will help to provide protection from chlorine, salt, and sun for the hair. However, vintage caps provide the element of fashion to give the functionality of your cap a boost. If you have hair, the swim cap will protect it from the water and sun to keep it healthy throughout the summer. If you prefer to keep your scalp covered in the pool, a swim cap gives you that option. Swimming during treatment? Our guide to swimming during chemo covers what to ask your care team and what to wear.

Whether you have hair or not, vintage-inspired swim caps elevate your poolside style to the next level. With their fun, flattering, and playful look, vintage swim caps make a statement and can take your swimwear from drab to fab in a snap. Matching your swim cap to your bathing suit or beachwear can help make accessorizing fun and interesting. With lively and fun designs, vintage and retro-inspired caps are a unique way to protect your hair and scalp. Many of these caps feature interesting textures and bright colors, making them the perfect choice for anyone wanting to stand out from the crowd.

A petal cap is an easy detail to build a swim look around, and the finishing touch for vintage swimwear. Pair a white cap with a simple black suit, or pick a cap that repeats one color from a printed suit. The petals add texture, so the rest of the outfit can stay simple.

• Add a layer underneath. Although vintage caps do help protect the hair and scalp, it is often necessary to add a protective layer underneath the cap to help keep water out. Our Hair Guard swim headband is ideal for wearing underneath vintage-style caps to help create a seal that will repel water and provide an extra layer of protection. Made of 100% silicone, it is easy to use and can be worn with any of our swim caps over the top. With a cap over it, it keeps hair almost completely dry for dips in the pool and light swimming; lap swimmers may still see a little water at the edges. Latex and silicone swim caps are also helpful in creating a better seal and giving your vintage-style swim cap another layer of protection.
• Put it on gently. Swim caps can tear and stretch if they are not put on properly. Make sure that you read our guide on how to put on a swim cap and put yours on correctly.
• Rinse and dry it. Rinse your cap in clean water after swimming and let it dry away from direct sun and heat.
• Plan to replace it. With regular use, a swim cap needs replacing every few months, and sooner if it tears.

No matter when or where you wear a vintage swim cap, you’re sure to make a fashionable splash!

Have a question we didn’t answer, or a vintage cap story of your own? Tell us. We’d love to hear it.

In 1990, my grandmother Carol went through breast cancer treatment and could not find anything comfortable or attractive to wear. She was a hairstylist, and she promised herself that if she came through it she would fix that for the women who came after her. She and my mother started Headcovers on that idea in 1995.

Swim caps sit on our shelves for the same reason the hats do. A cute cap makes a woman feel special at the pool, whether it’s covering a fresh blowout or a bare head. I love that a petal cap is every bit as fun to wear now as it was in the 1960s.