Swimsuit sewing: favorite vintage types and inspiration

So in my previous post I mentioned that one of my goals is to sew a bathing suit (or, ahem, 3) for this summer. Living in Hawaii has the luxury of being in swim wear climate all year long- which I find to be both a good and bad thing. Pros: surfing, beaching and general outdoorsy stuff is nice; Cons: skin health and sunburns are a major priority, and keeping in swimwear shape too. Anywhoo- back to my point. I have already drafted and executed (both senses) a bathing suit which I  will post about really soon (I know I keep saying that but I just haven't gotten the courage to post a picture of myself in a bathing suit on the interweb for all to see). But I thought I would share some of my inspiration and favorite vintage pics....

This image is courtsey of LIFE, but I first stumbled upon it on NibsBlog about vintage and retro bathing suits. She also mentions Orla Kiely who I am sooo digging.

I just really love this next one. The picture and the bathing suit. Not the cotton so much, but the boards are really doing it. Check out more images from the Getty! Love them.

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These next two I just threw in just because. Google vintage or retro bathing suits and I'm sure you'll come across this. The thing I notice is that most vintage bathing suits are strapless. I love the look but I'm not so sure I can pull that off. Plus I want a bathing suit that will stay on in the water, especially if I'm surfing. How do I combine vintage with modern surf capabilities?

These two images are from national archive of australia . they have a lot of other cool images as well

 

 And the winner of the worst Sports Illustrated Cover Bathing Suit award goes to.....

Sue Peterson, 1965 

 probably one of the most unflattering suits i've seen. It highlights the worst par of the body....

 

And lastly here are some vintage inspired modern styles that I love. Although, I love retro, I can't imagine having a cotton swimsuit with a zipper! That would be unreal. Also, I can't imagine anyone who's hair stays looking that good at the beach....

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