Listen Live
Donate
 on air
Schedule

KCRW

Read & Explore

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Events

Listen

  • Live Radio
  • Music
  • Podcasts
  • Full Schedule

Information

  • About
  • Careers
  • Help / FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Contact

Support

  • Become a Member
  • Become a VIP
  • Ways to Give
  • Shop
  • Member Perks

Become a Member

Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

DonateGive Monthly

Copyright 2025 KCRW. All rights reserved.

Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
Cookie Policy
|FCC Public Files

Back to Design and Architecture

Design and Architecture

Swimsuits, Swimming Pools and the Birth of Modern Body Culture

We explore the evolution of body culture in post-war LA, through the radical designs of Rudi Gernreich, and the rise of the suburban swimming pool.

  • rss
Download MP3
  • Share
By Frances Anderton • Feb 21, 2012 • 28m Listen

Rudi Gernreich created Modern fashion to liberate the body; model Peggy Moffitt and photographer William Claxton completed the "Total Look." Hear about it from Peggy Moffitt and Cameron Silver. Also, Daniell Cornell on the beauty and peril of the suburban swimming pool in "Backyard Oasis;" and Sidney Williams and Frederick Fisher on Sunnylands, renewed.

Banner image: Michael Childer, The Hockney Swimmer, 1978, C-print;

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Frances Anderton

    architecture critic and author

    Culture
Back to Design and Architecture