Beautiful Photos That Defined ’50s Women’s Swimsuits

The post-war economic boom meant that people were not only spending more money they also wanted luxurious new styles. This economic boom also resulted in the return of fashion.

For swimsuits, fabrics made in the 1950s were improved compared to the 1940s. Nylon and elastic was added to jersey fabric to make it stretchy and to make it dry faster after a dip. Improvements were also made to the rubberized material from the 1940s Lastex. This, along with cotton, acetate and taffeta made up most of the swimsuit materials in the 1950s.

Swimsuit patterns and colors became bolder compared to the floral patterns of the 1940s. Solid bathing suits in black, red, pink, aqua and white with contrasting piping in black or white were seen throughout the entire decade. Aside from solid colors, patterns like gingham, candy stripes and color blocking were also popular.

Towards the mid to late end of the 1950s artistic prints were a novelty and featured designs that were painted directly on to the fabric. Tropical themed prints as well as modern art based on the natural world were incredibly popular for this type of garment.