Swimwear

About Vintage Swimsuits

Vintage swimwear runs the gamut from modest 1920s wool cover-ups to 1940s and 50s Catalina one-piece swimsuits to fun surf prints and early 1960s bikinis. You name the style trend, and it's had its day at the beach. Often paired with fun fashion accessories like hats, parasols, and surfboards!


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Interviews & Articles

An Interview With Vintage Swimwear Collector Pam Fierro

I started collecting swimwear in 2000 or 2001. I really like how vintage swimwear looks on people. It accentuates t… [more]

An Interview With Vintage Dress Collector Cherie Federau

I’ve pretty much always been a little bit fashion-nutty, ever since I was about 16 years old and I discovered Vogue… [more]

An Interview on Vintage Fashion, Sewing, and Aprons with Author Amy Karol

I think I started collecting vintage aprons seriously probably in 1991, my first year of college. I was an absolute… [more]

An Interview with 1950s Vintage Rockabilly Clothing Collector Kim Casamassima New!

Jayne Mansfield is buried in my hometown. You could drive past the cemetery and see her heart-shaped headstone from… [more]

Guest Column: The Ins and Outs of Buying Vintage Clothing

The benefits of wearing vintage clothing are numerous and rewarding. It's truly a delight to realize that no one el… [more]

Guest Column: Collecting Vintage Sewing Patterns

Paper sewing patterns were first manufactured in the middle of the 1800s. These first paper patterns were designed … [more]

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Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

1960s Fashion and Textiles

1960s Fashion and Textiles

Put on your go-go boots and check out this wavy, groovy tribute to 1960s fashion and textiles, courtesy of the Vict… [read review or visit site]

LACMA Luxury Textiles

LACMA Luxury Textiles

Textile collectors shouldn't miss this microsite from the LA County Museum of Art, a great reference on European an… [read review or visit site]

Vintage Fashion Guild

Vintage Fashion Guild

While primarily designed to steer buyers to online vintage clothing shops, this blog is chock full of interesting, … [read review or visit site]

Fashion-Era

Fashion-Era

Bursting at the seams with content, this site contains hundreds of pages of fashion and costume history, including … [read review or visit site]

The Antique Corset Gallery

The Antique Corset Gallery

Take a deep breath, and check out this sparse, simple, and beautifully designed site showcasing 250 years of corset… [read review or visit site]

Flickr Vintage Aprons

Flickr Vintage Aprons

This Flickr photo pool, moderated by Amy Karol, showcases over 1000 vintage aprons from various personal collection… [read review or visit site]

Uniformfreak.com

Uniformfreak.com

Cliff Muskiet's incredible collection of 600 vintage stewardess uniforms from over 250 airlines since the 1950's, i… [read review or visit site]


Got a site to suggest? Let us know.




Clubs & Associations: Fashion


Other Great Reference Sites: Fashion

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Top eBay Auctions  Help | Get weekly Swimwear email

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Persian Pin Up Vtg 50s Swimsuit Vlv S Rose Marie Reid$61.00 Ends Monday 4 bids 18 watchers
Vintage 50s Pink Grey Hawaiian Sarong Bathing Suit Vlv$51.00 Ends Thursday 8 bids 44 watchers
Vintage 50's 40's Hawaiian Halter Dress Bikini Swimsuit$51.00 Ends Sunday 7 bids 72 watchers
Vintage Gantner California Yellow Swimsuit 1950's Cute$48.00 Ends in 20 hours 9 bids 26 watchers
~tpoo~vtg Vixen Pin-up Black Nude Illusion Swimsuit!$47.01 Ends in 9 hours 7 bids 25 watchers
Vintage 50's Gabar Pin-up Swim Bathing Suit Romper M$47.01 Ends in 3 hours 9 bids 25 watchers
~tpoo~vtg 1950's Amazing Girdled Zipper Swimsuit!$47.00 Ends in 8 hours 8 bids 37 watchers
Vintage Jantzen Swimsuit Bathing Suit Pink & White 12$46.00 Ends Thursday 14 bids 23 watchers
~tpoo~vtg Pink Ruched Marilyn Sex Kitten Swimsuit!$42.56 Ends in 9 hours 10 bids 23 watchers
Vintage 1940s Floral Rayon Two Piece Swimsuit Dress -sm$41.00 Ends Thursday 9 bids 21 watchers
Vintage Ladies One Piece Swimsuit 1940s Pin Up$39.99 Ends Saturday 1 bid 17 watchers
70s Vtg Men's Speedo Swimsuit Nylon Venice Italy Nos 28$31.00 Ends Thursday 3 bids 1 watcher
Vtg 1950's Leopard *bettie Page* Swim/bathing Suit$31.00 Ends Sunday 8 bids 30 watchers
1950s Atomic 2 Pc Playsuit/swimsuit Vlv$31.00 Ends Thursday 7 bids 14 watchers
Vtg. 40s Rare Resort Pin-up Swimsuit Grable Playsuit S$29.99 Ends Monday 1 bid 10 watchers
90s Vintage Body Con Neon Pink Crepe Swim Suit M/l$29.90 Ends Sunday 1 bid 1 watcher
40s/50s Burlesque Pinup Bullet Swimsuit Pixie Skirt Vlv$27.00 Ends Sunday 3 bids 19 watchers
~tpoo~vtg 1950's Black Satin Girdled Zipper Swimsuit!$26.00 Ends in 8 hours 5 bids 17 watchers
50's Hot Leopard Swimsuit By Esther Williams (xs) Vlv$26.00 Ends Monday 5 bids 9 watchers
Vintage Jantzen Sheer Onepiece Bathing Suit$24.99 Ends Sunday 1 bid 9 watchers
50s Pinup *fringe* Bullet Swimsuit Wiggle Vlv Burlesque$24.99 Ends Thursday 1 bid 15 watchers
40s/50s *bullet* Pinup Black Swimsuit Vlv Pool Party!$24.99 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 5 watchers
Vintage Blue Us Howland Bathing Swim Cap Large Size$23.05 Ends Saturday 6 bids 9 watchers
Vintage 50s Busty Halter Pin Up Swimsuit Drape Skirt S$21.27 Ends in 19 hours 1 bid 11 watchers
Vintage Womans Bathing Suit Bradley Knit Wear$20.51 Ends Saturday 2 bids 4 watchers
70s Vtg Men's Usa Speedo Swimsuit Nylon Olympic Nos 28$20.49 Ends Sunday 2 bids 4 watchers
50s Vintage Pin Up Bathing Suit Romper Playsuit B38$19.99 Ends Sunday 1 bid 5 watchers
~vintage Jantzen Bathing Suit 1940's To 50's Size 12~$19.99 Ends Monday 1 bid 15 watchers
60s Vintage Red Flower Rubber Swim/bathing Cap$17.50 Ends in 4 hours 13 bids 21 watchers
~tpoo~vtg Ladies Blk/white 1920's Wool Seaside Swimsuit$17.00 Ends in 10 hours 3 bids 10 watchers
Vtg Jantzen Pink White Gingham Bikini Bathing Suit Xs S$15.50 Ends Sunday 6 bids 12 watchers
Funky Vintage 1970's Men's Belted Swimwear$15.00 Ends Sunday 4 bids 12 watchers
Sexy Vintage Zebra Print Bandeau Bodysuit Swimsuit$14.99 Ends Friday 1 bid 4 watchers
Vtg 40s Cole Rockabilly Pin Up Swimsuit Bathing Suit L$14.50 Ends Tuesday 2 bids 11 watchers
Vintage Boned Black Swimsuit$14.18 Ends Sunday 6 bids 21 watchers
Vintage Off The Shoulder Swim Suit With Mesh Back M/l$13.40 Ends Monday 3 bids 16 watchers
60s Vintage Catalina Swimsuit Beige Rose Pattern $13.38 Ends Saturday 3 bids 20 watchers
1950s Womens One Piece Catalina Swimsuit Floral 14/36$13.06 Ends in 3 hours 3 bids 29 watchers
Vintage 50's Swimsuit/playsuit *amazing* M/l $12.99 Ends Saturday 1 bid 14 watchers
Vintage Catalina Orlon & Lastex Red White Blue Swimsuit$12.99 Ends in 22 hours 2 bids 3 watchers
~tpoo~vtg Navy Sea Stars Skirted Swimsuit Bathing Suit!$12.50 Ends in 9 hours 3 bids 8 watchers
Vtg 50s 60s Black Pinup Bombshell Two Piece Swimsuit 36$12.50 Ends Sunday 2 bids 18 watchers
1950s Atomic 2 Pc Playsuit/swimsuit Vlv$12.50 Ends Thursday 3 bids 28 watchers
~tpoo~vtg 50's Zippered Sunsuit Swimsuit Romper W/birds$12.00 Ends in 10 hours 2 bids 24 watchers
Lot Vintage Womens Accessories Belt Purse Swim Cap More$11.99 Ends Thursday 4 bids 3 watchers
Vtg 80s Budweiser Logo Swim Shorts Trunks Board Beer Xl$11.50 Ends in 2 hours 7 bids 10 watchers
Vtg 1950's Hawaiian *tori Richard* Swim/bathing Suit$11.00 Ends Sunday 2 bids 32 watchers
Vtg 70-80's Black Floral One Piece Bathing Swimsuit S$10.99 Ends Monday 3 bids 16 watchers
Vintage Womens Bathing Suit Jantzen 1960s Size 12$10.50 Ends Saturday 2 bids 6 watchers
Flirty Vintage Catalina Bathing Swim Suit Ruffles! S/m$10.50 Ends Thursday 2 bids 10 watchers
Vtg Women's Speedo Bathing Suit! Sz 18! 80's Colors!$10.50 Ends Thursday 2 bids 3 watchers
~*amazing 1940's 'malihini' Rayon Hawaiian Swimsuit-xs$10.00 Ends Thursday 1 bid 5 watchers
Vintage Cole Of California Swimsuit Sz 16 10$9.99 Ends Thursday 1 bid 7 watchers

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Recent News: Swimwear

Source: Google News

In the swim
Toronto Sun, March 17th

Elie just returned from Miami where she says, much like the fashion runways, elegance is making a comeback in swimwear too. “Vintage-style inspired suits...Read more

Mighty Moniokini Will Be Huge This Summer
BlackBook Magazine, March 16th

True to its moniker, the collection is a collaboration between Oscar&Elvis Swimwear and People Like Us. Each suit boasts vintage prints of cowboys,...Read more

Get swimwear looks in line for Spring Break
Lawrence Journal World, March 15th

High waists and halter tops make a great pair for a vintage/retro-inspired swimsuit. Look for fun details, like floral-prints, ruffles and bows...Read more

It's summer-lovin' time!
Manila Standard Today, March 14th

As if they knew that summer would be here sooner than expected, Speedo recently unveiled their latest collection of lounge and athletic swimwear in the form...Read more

“Get in the Swim” at the 2010 Galveston Island Beach Revue
PR Web (press release), March 5th

The Bathing Beauties contest features two categories of competition: contemporary swimwear and vintage-inspired swimwear. Attendance to the event is free...Read more

3/5: Film Is in the Air
NBC Miami, March 4th

B.Swim is a new swimwear line, inspired by vintage prints and styles, for any babe who loves herself a barely there bathing suit. We're not sure how rabbit...Read more

Carmen Swimsuit by Diane von Furstenberg
Retro To Go (blog), March 4th

This Carmen Swimsuit by Diane von Furstenberg is part of the designer's new range and takes obvious inspiration from vintage looks...Read more

HauteLook sale on swimwear today
Sun-Sentinel, March 3rd

Rachel Palley Swimwear is on sale for a limited time today on the members-only shopping site, HauteLook.com. Join for free and get up to 60 percent off on...Read more

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