A lovely look at the history of vintage swimwear

✯ Day 220 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

For various reasons (not being a jet-set millionaire definitely being one of them ), it's been a long time - far longing than I care to admit, actually, since I last frolicked around at the beach.

Chalk it up to poor health, living away from bodies of water, and a hectic life. Yet, these excuses really don't seem to cut it any more. I miss swimming a great deal (I'm very allergic to chlorine, so I can't use chlorinated public pools and Toronto, to the best of my knowledge, does not have any public salt water pools unfortunately), and wish dearly that I could blink my eyes, tap my heels, and suddenly find myself on a tropic beach somewhere gorgeous, the ocean lapping at my ankles.

Alas though, as the fan whirls in my ear and the constant rush of city traffic roars past below my balcony, I know that such a dreamy vacation is just that, a dream for the time being. Nevertheless, even if (like me) you're not en route to the Caribbean, Mediterranean or Riviera right now, a gal can still have fun thinking about what kinds of vintage swimsuits she's wear to the beach if she was suddenly standing in the sand.

 

 

For a quick, yet thoroughly delightful overview of the history of swimsuits as they evolved through the first decades of the twentieth century to help bolster your vintage bathing suit inspiration file, be sure to check out one of Glamourdaze most recent Youtube videos, a look back at vintage swimwear.

The styles seen in this lovely clip run the gamut from gamine to vixen. Some are relatively modest, others full-on pin-up girl worthy beguiling, leaving just a hint to the imagination.

All, however, share in common the fact that they are beautiful, well-tailored, elegant, becoming, feminine, and marvellously appealing. Whether you prefer one pieces of the 1920s and 30s, or go gaga for flirty 40s two piece suits, these examples of yesteryear swimwear are exceedingly easy to swoon over.

As I sit here, the hours of another beach-less summer day ticking past, I can't help but feel refreshed by this wonderful vintage swimwear video, which has made me even more determined to get to the beach next summer!

Whether you're diving into the lake every day, just get a few hours at the each summer, or have your own backyard pool to splash around in any time you please, I hope that you enjoy this charming look back at the history of bathing ensembles as much as I did. Here’s to hoping we all make to the beach a whole lot sooner than later!

Vintage 365: It's never too early to go vintage bathing suit shopping!

✯ Day 46 of Vintage 365 ✯

It's the middle of February in Canada, this means that we're still trudging through the dark, dreary depth of winter (though to it's credit, the sun has finally started sticking around a smidge longer in the evening - which is awesome because it means my darling hubby no longer arrives home in the pitch black!), and the glorious return of summer feels as though its eons away (it's not, of course, but there's only so much snow one's mind can take before it starts forgetting how to even spell summer - let alone what it felt like!).

Recently my wonderful sister had the chance to escape the doom and gloom of winter and spend a few days in the tropics (lucky gal!), which naturally enough, suddenly had me pining for a Caribbean holiday of my own. While that's not in the cards at moment (drat and double drat!), there's nothing stopping me from daydreaming about a sun-kissed beach, miles of coconut and palm trees as far as the eye can see, and the kind of ultra cute vintage swimwear I'd want to toss in my luggage if I was jetting off on a mid-winter vacation.

Actually, for those looking to grow the size of their bathing suit collection (and/or replace any that no longer fit/are too far-gone to use for another season), the off-season can be a stellar time to go shopping (a lot less people are looking for swimwear in February than in July!), whether online or in person.

 

While putting together my (fantasy) beach wardrobe on etsy recently (got to love the "add item to favourites" button!), I chanced upon one of the most darling 1950s swimsuits I've seen in a long time. Bursting with an absolutely beautiful, immensely charming pink and green rose print pattern, this darling vintage bathing suit is such a special gem of a piece.

I love how the bottom is cut a big longer (almost like a pair of short shorts) and that this great one piece swimsuit can be worn strapless, if so desired (you could also very easily slip a pair of short, pants, or a skirt over it and turn it into an adorable summer top).

Measuring in at 34 inches in both the bust and waist, and 39 inches at the hips, this playful, delightfully girly number (which is available for $84.00 from etsy seller Swanee Grace) would look amazing whether worn on a tropical beach, the deck of a cruise ship, while lounging around the hotel pool, or even as you catch a few rays in your very own back yard!