
Monday, February 28, 2011
Paper Doll Swimwear Fashions of the 1930s - The Women

Friday, February 25, 2011
Women on Waves Exhibit at the California Surf Museum

This week my husband and I went down to Southern California to visit the California Surf Museum in Oceanside to see the Women on Waves exhibit. It's a very well done exhibit which focuses on Women & Surfing History. Glamoursurf supplied a number of vintage swimsuits for the exhibit and it was fabulous seeing them on display along with supporting images and placards discussing the history of the sport. Roxy is a major sponsor of the exhibit and purchased the suits Glamoursurf supplied for their archives.






And just a small video on the history of surfing in general.
If you have a chance to get to Oceanside before the end of Feb. go and visit the museum. It's a fabulous exhibit.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
When You Need that 'Poured In' look for Swimwear
Yes really, a girdle for your swimsuit. And 'As seen on TV'. That's right, turn your swimsuit into a SLIM suit.
The ad copy reads:
For a slim, sleek, whistle provoking figure under bathing suits and all summerwear, try a Playtex panty Brief. Fits like a second skin...makes you look inches slimmer instantly...and goes in and out of water as gaily as your bathing suit. Dries in a wink too! The secrets in the new material, Fabricon...a figure slimming blend of downy soft cotton and stretchy latex.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
1935 Jantzen Contentment Swimsuit Ad


Isn't it fabulous? I've seen the Jantzen 1933 'Topper' men's suit that has the top that zips off from the trunks. That was invented for decorum purposes but by 1935 the attitudes about swimwear had changed and most public beaches allowed men without to tan or sun sans tops. I wonder if the woman's swimsuit could have been the companion piece to the 'Topper'? What do you think?
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
A look at Early 1900s Swimwear
Can you imagine frolicking at the sea fully dressed? My how times have changed!
Monday, February 21, 2011


Friday, February 18, 2011
Ahoy Mate

Thursday, February 17, 2011
Vintage Swimwear Photo of the Day

Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Claire McCardell Brilliance in Wool Ensembles



Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The Iconic Artwork of Florenz & Frank Clark for Jantzen
Jantzens co-founder J. A. Zehntbauer says: "After weeks of discussion and searching for a name which we could use as a trade-mark, we were unable to agree upon any of the many names which were submitted to us. We were using the brand P. K. at the time, the initials of the Portland Knitting Company... Both the names Zehntbauer and Jantzen were suggested to us by our friends, but neither of us was willing to use our own name because it did not sound right to us... Combinations were also suggested; one I remember was "Jan-Zen" or to be used without the hyphen, "Janzen. " Another was "Portknit". Up to the very last minute no one could decide to use either of the names suggested, so one day shortly previous to the time Mr. Gerber brought over his proposed advertising program, I was in his office to order stationery which needed to be printed at once, as we had waited as long as possible to make a decision on the trademark before printing new stationery. After a short conference I gave him the order to go ahead and print the stationery using the Jantzen trademark on all of it. The name of the company of course was not affected, being Portland Knitting Company making Jantzen trade-marked merchandise."

The Jantzen Red Diving Girl has remained on of the most recognizable icons in branding history.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The Arwork Collages of Vivienne Strauss


Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Early Japanese Bathing Beauties
It's so fascinating to look at this video. The supporting text reads "Photos of GEISHA and MAIKO Posing as Bathing Beauties During the Meiji and Taisho Eras of Old Japan." The Meiji era extended from September 1868 through July 1912 and the Taisho era spans from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926. So if the supporting text is correct these truly are early images of Japanese 'bathing beauties'. Interesting to me is the use of stripes! Enjoy.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Vintage Beach Themed Hand Towel




Monday, February 7, 2011
Make your own Beach Tote Blanket

Stuff management at the beach is often a sandy challenge. Here’s a solution to keep as much order as possible while minimizing the number of things you need to lug to the shore.
The Inspiration
For this project, use four standard beach towels, each approximately 30" x 58 ½", which make great-size beach bags when folded into thirds. Three of them go into the construction of the bag, while the fourth pulls double duty as a pillow (when folded up in the handy pouch) and a towel you can bring out when it’s time to dry off. Add in a few smartly placed zippers, and this tote can easily (and securely) accommodate all your favorite sunbathing accessories.
Materials and Construction
Start by cutting the pouch towel (in orange and red stripes here) down to about 32". Then fold it up about 14" toward the raw edge, and set two 14" zippers along the top (a few inches below the raw edge) so that they zip outward like a purse. Finish the top piece by sewing up the sides just inside the selvage, and create three pouches by placing two seams up from the bottom to where the finished edge meets the zipper. Set aside the pouch piece and place the blue and turquoise towel on top of the pink and magenta.
Connect the top two thirds of the towels with 20" zippers, recessed an inch in along both sides. Set the base of the zippers at the fold where the top two thirds meet, with the teeth facing outward, so they come together to form an enclosed bag when zipped up. Now, with everything unzipped, flat, and with the blue and turquoise towel face up, connect the sides and bottoms of the long towels together, and attach the pouch piece (zipper side up) between the tops.
Decide which towel you want to be sand-side down (blue and turquoise, in our case) and attach an 11' loop of 1" belt webbing to that side to create a shoulder strap. To make sure the strap will wrap around the bag and hang comfortably from the shoulder, test the length by assembling the bag and pinning the strap in place.
Remember that one side needs to be significantly longer so it can wrap all the way around the bag and meet up at the same spot with the other loop. Once it’s in place, attach it in four spots to the top third of the sand side- down towel. Pack up your sunscreen, iPod, and some light reading, and you’re ready to hit the beach!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Farrah Fawcetts' iconic Swimsuit Donated to the Smithsonian

