Wartime Swimsuit Photos, 1945

Dick Pope was the owner of Cypress Gardens in Florida and also a photographer who did publicity shots for other Florida resorts.  Because of gasoline restrictions during WWII, Pope was forced to stop his travels throughout the state and take all of his photos at Cypress Gardens.  But without a beach or palm trees, Pope had to be innovative in his use of props.  These photos were taken in 1945.

 The photographer built a fake beach with some sand and beach grass on a wooden platform.

 Here, Pope uses a sawed off trunk of a palm tree to emulate a real one.

Who cares about the swimsuit.  I want the SHOES!!!!!!!!!

The model sits on a large stump while Pope holds a reflector to dramatically increase the sunlight.  Still want the SHOES!!!!!!!

A palm branch is held in place in a wooden contraption so the model can stand under it.

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Vintage Swimsuit Inspiration - 1973

Dots and stripes.  Didn't Barbie have a striped suit like the one on the right?  You can see from today's photos how lycra changed swimwear dramatically.  Both suits by Ungaro Parallele.

Strategically placed cut-out, bracelets, and fabulous sunglasses!  Suit by Nautic
.

Simple black halter suit with a low low low-cut back.  The only accent needed is long straight hair.  Silhouette.
 

Twiggy wears a barely there hand knitted string bikini.  You can just see the openwork knitting on the top.  These teeny handmade bikinis were hugely popular in the early 70s.  Twiggy wears hers with a black wig.

Set off a simple black bikini with a printed head scarf worn around the head and then wrapped and tied at the neck.  Pierre Cardin Diffusion.

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Vintage Swimsuit Inspiration - 1966

How about a swimsuit with a hood?  Oh yeah.  Nina Ricci Boutique.

Newsboy cap atop a wild pop-art print.  Tom Brigance for Sinclair.

Reversible?  You bet!  Purple and mustard wool knit suit and cape by Maljana.  Both pieces reverse to the opposite color.  Cool.

How does that teeny-tiny top stay up?  I'll bet is has wires.  Bikini bottom is wrapped and tied in front.  John Weitz.

Halter neckline with tiny little buttons and loops to leave open or attempt to close.  Beach towel makes a huge turban for your wet hair.  Cole of California.

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Vintage Swimsuit Inspiration - 1956

Check out the neckline of that little jacket.  See how the opening extends into rounded tabs with buttons?  Love that!  Set by Andre Ledoux Sports.

At the beach, wear your hair in a simple braid.  Blue and white polka dot rayon skirted suit by Laure Belin.

Border printed fabric offers lots of opportunities to change the look of a design.  Simple white mules and a parasol are the perfect accessories.  Set by Laure Belin.

Slits in the skirt mimic the V-neckline in a nice example of design symmetry.  A vintage swimcap adds that extra je ne sais quoe. Suit by Marie-Rose Lebigot.

Cat's-eye sunglasses and a parasol add the perfect touch! Yipes stripes in cotton by Jeanne Lanvin - Castillo.

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Frances Sider - Swimsuit and Play Clothes Designer

Frances Sider, 1957.

 Frances Sider was an American designer of swimsuits, play clothes and sportswear in the 40s and 50s.  I had honestly never heard of her until I came across an image of one of her swimsuits in my archives.  Of course my curiosity was piqued and I had to find out more.  Unfortunately, there is not much known about Sider today, but here is what I did find out.

1946

 Sider started her business about 1938 in New York designing swimsuits and beach wear.

1946

 She was designing two piece swimsuits earlier than most as you can see by these first two images from 1946.

1948

 She also designed play clothes, sportswear and casual separates.  All of Sider's swimsuits and strapless dresses were constructed with inner foundations for support and slimming.

1949

 Most of her swimsuits were available with matching separates so a woman could go from the pool to the town with ease and comfort.  The swimsuit above was available with a separate wrap skirt that turned it into a sarong style dress.

1950

This dress could be made strapless by removing the halter style strap.

1950

 In 1950, Frances Sider became the first designer to be granted a patent regarding the construction of a swimsuit for the inner foundation she designed to go in her swimsuits.  It was attached to the front of the suit only and the panty was separate from the bra at the back for ease of movement.  She called this inner foundation the "Sun Body" and it came in all her suits.  She started designing separate foundation garments in 1951 and was granted two more patents, one for a long line corset and one for a strapless bra.

1951

By the early 1950s, Sider was also designing loungewear and dressier separates.  In 1954, Sider decided to leave her career and closed her business.  At the time, she said she wanted to be at home with her husband and daughter and regretted the years she had missed watching her daughter grow up.  She moved to Florida to be near her daughter sometime before 1957.

1951

In 1957, Sider once again began designing swimsuits and sportswear, this time based in Miami, but her newly launched line was never as successful as it had been in the past and she disappears from media mention by 1958.

Please note: This biography about Francis Sider is copyright of Couture Allure and may not be copied without permission.

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Vintage Swimsuits - 1953

I've always felt that more coverage is sexier than trying to show as much as you can.  Perhaps these swimsuits from 1953 will help illustrate my point.  Do you think these suits are more enticing than a tiny bikini?

And I just love the idea of a little swing jacket as a swimsuit cover-up!

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Jantzen Swimsuits and Playwear - 1955

 In June of 1955, Jantzen joined with several advertising partners for this 5 page spread.  The Italian Line was a cruise ship line that offered trips to Europe.  Two of their ships were fully air-conditioned (we take that as a given nowadays!) and express service meant 6 days to Gibraltar from New York.  Have a month of free time?  Cruise on over to Europe the first week, spend 2 weeks on the continent, and spend the last week cruising home.  Now that's what I call a vacation.  Getting there is half the fun!

Take a look at these wonderful Pete Hawley illustrations of Jantzen swimsuits and playwear from 1955.  They sure make me want to jump on a ship!  Above:  taffeta swimsuit with criss-cross lacing at the center front and legs.  Came in red, black, and navy.  Sold in 1955 for $18.95 (about $156 in today's dollar.)  Warshfest was the maker of the Laton-powered sun taffeta fabric.

Striped cotton swimsuit with Jantzen Crinkelastic shirring.  Came in red, turquoise, and navy striped with white.   Sold in 1955 for $8.95 (about $74 in today's dollar.)

Solid swimsuit with Jantzen Crinkelpuff shirring in all nylon.  Came in red, blue, navy, and black.  Sold in 1955 for $9.95 (about $82 in today's dollar.)  Travis was the maker of the nylon fabric.

Cotton tee-shirt with a zip-front turtleneck and matching walking shorts.  Set sold in 1955 for $10.90 (about $90 in today's dollar.)  Conmar made the zippers.

Cotton gabardine sleeveless blouse and cuffed shorts.  Set sold in 1955 for $9.90 (about $82 in today's dollar.)

Looking for a swimsuit like those shown above?  The best place to find vintage swimsuits online is Glamoursurf.  The fact that the site is owned by my sister Pam is irrelevant!  Pam carries only the finest quality in vintage swimwear and you can be assured that the suits she sells are as wearable today as they were 60 years ago.

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Teeny Bikini, 1959

Yes, 1959! Are you surprised? I sure was! Like most of you, I would have guessed 1970s. Perhaps more suprising, this image is from an American fashion magazine! The magazine used this photo as a tickler for a spread on swimsuits called, "South: The Rebirth of the Body." It suggested a woman might dare to wear this bikini "to bathe from a lonely beach in a great empty ocean....or for....a deserted early morning hour on the beach, a trip to an uninhabited cove."

The Darlene green Ban-Lon bikini sold at Bonwit Teller.

Of course, the magazine realizes the reality for the American woman....." she will no doubt be less abandoned and poetic. Trimming her sails to social propriety, she will pull on one of the dashing but more modest bathing suits" like this one. Sea B's elasticized Orlon maillot in black and white. It will be another 15 years or so before the teeny green bikini will become accepted as the norm.

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Carolyn Schnurer Swimsuits, 1955

Carolyn Schnurer began her design career in 1940 working for her husband's bathing suit company, Burt Schnurer, Inc. It's no wonder that as the years progressed, she continued to feature bathing suits every year. In 1955, Schnurer designed several suits with low-cut back treatments. I find it interesting how changing the strap placement entirely changes to look of the suit.

1. Everglaze rayon crash in a black and white embroidered design. The straps in back close with silver buttons. Sold for $30 in 1955 (about $244 in today's dollar.)
2. Black nylon velvet suit. Sold for $28 in 1955 (about $228 in today's dollar.)

3. Cotton pique embroidered with brown flowers with brown cotton sateen straps. Sold for $23 in 1955 (about $187 in today's dollar.)
4. Blue, black, and white gingham checks in a blend of acetate, cotton, and elastic. Sold for $23 in 1955 (about $187 in today's dollar.)

5. Brown and white striped wool and Lastex jersey. This one is my favorite of all. Sold for $18 in 1955 (about $146 in today's dollar.)

Here's the same suit in a color photo. I'll bet this look influenced Rudi Gernreich about 10 years later.

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Greta Plattry, 1955

Greta Plattry was an American designer of sportswear in the 1940s and 50s. Her work was on par with that of Claire McCardell, Tina Leser, and Joset Walker. Her clothes were versatile, comfortable, and extremely wearable. The following photos were taken by Richard Avedon in 1955 for a 4 page advertisement for Greta Plattry co-ordinates. Finding any of these today would surely make me smile!

Left: One-shoulder sundress in a cotton border print. Sold for $25 in 1955 (about $204 in today's dollar.)
Right: One-shoulder swimsuit with drawstrings at the side legs. Matching beach shirt to wear over it. Set sold for $30 in 1955 (about $245 in today's dollar.)

Left: Boat print swimsuit. Sold for $15 in 1955 (about $123 in today's dollar.)
Right: Boat print cotton sundress with rope belt. Sold for $25 in 1955 (about $204 in today's dollar.)

Left: Fish print cotton dress with tiny bows. Sold for $20 in 1955 (about $163 in today's dollar.)
Right: The same fish print cotton is used for a two-piece swimsuit and sailor collared beach shirt. Set sold for $22 in 1955 (about $180 in today's dollar.)

Left: White eyelet full skirt worn with a black cotton one-shoulder top. Set sold for $33 in 1955 (about $270 in today's dollar.)
Right: Swimsuit in white eyelet lined in pink broadcloth worn with a coordinating beach shirt. Set sold for $43 in 1955 (about $351 in today's dollar.)

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