I absolutely LOVE, LOVE the vintage photo archives by LIFE Magazine! It is such an amazing source for vintage fashion inspiration of really wonderful photographers that are not well known.

Here are some fantastic vintage 1950s beach fashion photos photographed by Loomis Dean. All images are from Life Photo Archives hosted on Google. If you search "BEACH 1950s" you'll find a lot more photos from this series, but these were my favorite!

I adore these vintage photos of showgirls in Florida photographed by LIFE photographer Allan Grant. Their swimwear and beachwear is so darn cute! The weather in LA has been so wonky and chilly lately, it's making me a bit nostalgic for warm beach days in Florida. Although, nothing quite beats beach weather in California, it's just the Pacific coast is frigid! Enjoy the photos!


















Source: LIFE Photo Archives keyword: Florida

A new feature for the AV Blog, "WEAR & SEEK" will be a pairing of one of our beloved vintage items with a beloved photograph. Vintage textiles can be so inspiring sometimes! We chose this image because it reminds us of the arbor print on this vintage 1950s bombshell maillot.


WEAR: Vintage 1950s Golden Poplars Maillot, $168
SEEK: Yellow Walnut Flowers, Flickr

A Maillot is a one piece bathing suit and was first used in the 1920s to describe tight fitting swimwear. Remember, bathing suits in the earlier part of the 20th century looked more like sundresses with full skirts and sleeveless styles.


Usually when I see the word "Maillot" to describe a bathing suit I imagine a strapless or heart shaped bust bathing suit or one with vintage inspired details such as ruching at the waist. To me, a Maillot is synonymous with the bathing suit styles of the 1950s.


Now a days we just call it a one piece. But if you want to be a bit more fancy, you can say you're planning on sun bathing in your gorgeous maillot bathing suit instead of sunbathing in your one piece. *hehe*

Image credits: 1.] Vintage Maillot Advertisement by Catalina Swimwear, 2.] Yellow Maillot With Matching Swim Cap, 3.] Maillot Pin-up at the Beach, 4.] Modern Maillot, 5.] Vintage Inspired Maillot, 6.] Anthropologie.com