It was a beautiful weekend. Summer has finally arrived... No spring, just summer!
90 degrees hot and hummid, wowza!
Sunday morning, before the temperatures rose and the humity moved in, I indulged myself with an hour on the front porch swing, a large cup of coffee, my iPad, and Pinterest.
As the heat was moved in, my eyes wandered to postings of the beach, picnic lunches, and swimsuits.
Eventually, swimsuits led to vintage swimsuits.
I was delighted to find such an aray of timeless beauties all in one place.
1910
1927 Sonia DeLaunay Beachwear
1930
1940's
1950's
1960's
Here are just a handful of my favorites, but you can find a complete collection here: Pinterest
A few weeks ago I sat in the quaint little cafe of RJ Julia in downtown Madison. I shared a cup of steaming, hot, coffee and a freshly baked scone with my dear friend Ann Nyberg. As conversations do with Ann, our dialog twisted and turned through a wide variety of topics and brainstorming ideas. We talked about life, the direction of our respective industries, old fashion department stores, and lifestyles of days gone by. It is rare for me to leave an encounter with Ann and not be inspired in some way. As I put the car in drive and zipped off to my next meeting, I tucked parts of our discussion into the back of my very busy brain.
Saturday night that little coffee klatch came rushing back as I sat in a movie theater and watched the previews for The Great Gatsby.
The fashions, the architecture, the cars... Life in the roaring 20's. Our country exploded with prosperity and was in the height of creativity. Music was fresh, a touch racey and starting to break away from tradition. Automobiles were no longer for only the wealthy, mass production made these modern day marvels available to the middle class. Fashion shed the severe, stiff, corsetted, Victorian styling and started to show more skin.
Art Deco also made its grand appearance. Art, architecture and interior design cast off overly ornate and heavily carved traditions for sleek, clean lines. I've often wondered what it would have been like to experience those exciting break throughs.
As I prepare for my trip to High Point Market next week, I'm finding I might not be the only one who is taken by the The Great Gatsby craze!
I can't wait to check out these inspirational pieces in person......
