Vintage Swimwear - 1950's

After purchasing our first vintage 1950's swimsuit, we decided to do some investigating to see how swimwear has evolved in the past 50 years. Evident by the photo, swimwear has definitely come a long way! A typical bikini today uses less than a yard of fabric, and after examining the cumbersome materials on this suit we thought it was appropriate, as swimwear professionals, to delve in to the history of swimwear.

The first fashion swimming costumes, were structured around a corset with control panels that held in the stomach. There was also a bra cup and a zipper for closure in the back, which captured the fitted look. The suit was cut straight across the top of the leg, in a style resembling an apron. This beach corset was constructed using lined cotton, stretch Lastex, elastic ruched waffle nylon, and even wool. Comfortable right? Spandex wasn't even invented until 1958! Our brown and creme colored vintage suit is pretty stiff...we can't imagine how heavy it is when it gets wet!

1950's swimwear was also highlighted by Fred Cole, who convinced Christian Dior in 1955 to design a swimwear collection. Mr. Cole, once an actor himself outfitted Hollywood actress Esther Williams in all her movies. Cole was also president of Cole of California, one of the leading swimwear retailers of the time who also published swimwear ads in Vogue.

As for bikinis...they were still thought to be a little risque, in fact they were still banned from the Miss World competition. Although bikinis were gaining popularity throughout Hollywood, it wasn't until Bridget Bardot was photographed strolling the French Riviera in a bikini did they general public catch on. The bikini's attractive reputation quickly made it a hot item throughout the 1960's. Be sure to check out our next post which is all about the 1960's bikinis!

Interested in viewing one-of-a-kind vintage swimsuits from the 50's? Here is a great website that has an amazing selection, and each suit has a historical description!

http://www.glamoursurf.com/

Love Yourself Enough ~ Part Two

This is the second installment of the blog post I wrote about 'Loving yourself enough to CARE for yourself.'

The concept 'what you put into it is what you get out of it' came to mind when I wrote this. Your body can only be and do its' best when you give it the best fuel possible.


Love yourself enough to Eat Right

a. Give up Fast Food. Period. There is no such thing as healthy fast food. It is as empty a calorie as cookies and chips only with tons of fats, preservatives and fillers. You deserve better, so eat that way!! Shower yourself with fresh fruits, nuts, lean meats, fish, veggies, cheese (yes cheese!) and you won’t miss that nutritionally deficient fast food filler.

b. Clean out your cupboards. Like cleaning out your closet of clothes you no longer wear, cleaning out your cupboard of chips, cookies, cakes, pies, pretzels etc. will help you stay on track. Instead replace these nutritionally empty snack foods with better choices. Since no one is perfect, if you do get the urge to splurge, try to limit your intake of these types of foods to ‘special occasion’ single serving sizes – and try to eat just one.

c. Drink water or tea instead of juice, soda or alcohol whenever you can. By keeping your body well-hydrated, you are allowing it to operate with maximum efficiency allowing you to burn more calories and digest foods more efficiently. Hydration is crucial, but what you use to keep hydrated is just as important - fruit juices, alcohol and even soda are full of sugars that your body metabolizes as FAT. Diet soda is just as bad – it is all chemicals that still cause your body to read the artificial sweeteners as sugar that create FAT. Get bored of water and tea? Buy naturally flavored sparkling water, or buy plain and flavor it yourself with lemons, limes, berries, apples and other fruits.

d. Eat more foods that are plant-based. Fruits, vegetables and nuts, should be a big part of your daily menu. They taste best when they are freshest (even frozen is okay, just not canned – too many preservatives and sugary syrups). They make you full faster and help your skin, hair and nails look better.

e. Had enough on food changes? Not sure you can make them all? That’s okay, just do your best each day, keep track of what you eat and make sure each of your three meals (skipping meals equals a slow metabolism) include fresh fruits, vegetables and lean protein and no fast food or snack foods!

Love Yourself Enough ~ Part One

I was recently asked to provide tips for women who want to get or stay in shape through winter. I realized women don't really want more 'diet advice' or 'fitness tips' though I believe those tactics, when practiced regularly, do help women feel better about themselves, instead I believe women need to be reminded to love themselves enough to actually take CARE of themselves the way they deserve to be cared for. This is the first of the three sections I wrote about 'loving yourself enough to.....'

Love yourself enough to embrace your Assets

a. No one loves everything about their body. It’s true. Whether young, old, famous, infamous, thin, not-so-thin – EVERY woman has something about themselves they don’t like. Accept that this is okay and that you are not alone in your dissatisfaction about whatever body part it is, and you’ll feel better about yourself – truly you will.

b. Find one part of yourself you are satisfied with. Once you’ve made peace with your imperfections, it is kind of nice to also find at least one thing about yourself you like. It could be your toes, or your hair, or your waist or your shoulders, but find something and then focus on it. Lavish praise upon this part you like– and maybe slowly you can become friends with the other parts that aren’t your favorites.

c. Enhance the parts you like. Learn to dress to enhance the part or parts you like best. This is true at work, play, at the beach or in the snow. There are SO many designs and styles of apparel available, there is certain to be a dress, shirt, skirt or swim suit style that helps you enhance the parts you like so you feel better about yourself as you are today. Once you gain the confidence that comes from showing off what you like about yourself, deciding to take care of the rest of you seems only natural.