Harmon Knitwear label, of black wool jersey with elasticated waist and two straps, waist 66cm, 26in
Gernreich had prophesied that it was only a matter of years until the topless swimsuit would be worn on beaches, an opinion Emilio Pucci in Italy echoed. Gernreich, fearing that Pucci would beat him to it, decided to push ahead.. When Gernreich first showed Peggy the design, she asked, “Who are you going to get to model that?” She was taken aback when he replied, “You!” She replied, ‘Ho, ho, ho’. It took him two months to talk her into wearing the swimsuit and even then on condition that her husband the photographer William (Bill) Claxton should shoot it and that she had veto as to where it was published. Claxton took various angles and poses. Women’s Wear Daily was one of the few who published the photograph as desired – showing bared breasts! Peggy also refused to model the monokini on the catwalk and swore that she would never wear it in public. “It was a political statement. It wasn’t meant to be worn,” she said. She saw it as a statement of women’s freedom. Playboy Magazine offered her $17,000, more than she was earning in a year at the time, which she immediately refused.
After the photographs went viral amid the furore, Lord & Taylor initially cancelled their order. Gernreich recalled showing the suit to Diana Vreeland who pronounced it ‘Maaaarvelous!’ and advised that ‘If there’s a picture of it – it’s an actuality. You must make it.’
Harmon Knitwear, working with Gernreich, produced 3,000 suits retailing for $24 each, the equivalent of around $240 today. However, only a few women had the courage to wear one in public and faced arrest if they did so. Even so, every major store in the US eventually carried an example. Hess Bros in Allentown were picketed and Milgrim’s in Detroit received a bomb threat. The suit was condemned by the Vatican, the Kremlin and the governments of the Netherlands, Denmark and Greece.
Peggy had seen it as a political statement on women’s freedom, ‘Rudi’s aim was to free the breast rather than glorify it sexually’ She had not anticipated the outrage and ferocious backlash once the pictures were published.
’The Women’s Wear Daily Picture, which I think is beautiful. Really shook-up Madison Avenue. If the breast stops being a sex symbol – and it does the moment you uncover it – how could they tease any more in ads? How were they going to sell toothpaste?’
Monokinis are rare as either moths or prudery led to their ultimate destruction. Gernreich presented Peggy with the example she modelled in plain black knit, but she never wore it again.
“Think of something in your life that took one sixtieth of a second to do,” she said in 2012. “Now, imagine having to spend the rest of your life talking about it. I think it’s a beautiful photograph, but, oh, am I tired of talking about it.”
However, William Claxton’s fashion image came to symbolise something more profound - the era of sexual revolution and liberation- especially for women.
Literature: 'The Rudi Gernreich Book' Peggy Moffitt & William Claxton page 71 for the iconic photographic of Peggy wearing this swimsuit which caused a worldwide sensation.
Exhibited:
‘The Total Look The Creative Collaboration between Rudi Gernreich, Peggy Moffitt, and William Claxton’ - Museum of Contemporary Arts, Los Angeles, Feb 26 -May 27, 2012, Scad Museum of Art, June 22 - Oct. 7, 2012; Cincinnati Arts Museum, Feb 28 - May 24, 2015,
‘Fearless Fashion: Rudi Gernreich’ Phoenix Art Museum, April 7-September 26, 2021
1960s