Pin Up Chic: Hollywood Swimsuits

Have you noticed that swimwear has gone all glamorous lately? It seems to have been taking its cues from 1950's Vogues and old Hollywood films. You only need to look at Chanel's 2012 Cruise Collection (which was staged at the Hotel du Cap in the south of France – a fitting backdrop for such a collection) to see how glamorous swimwear is now. Even Seafolly has started producing Hollywood-inspired styles, with frills, gingham, polka dots, halter necks and swimmers that look like they should belong on Capri or an old wooden motorboat off the coast of Portofino. It's about time we returned to elegant bathers. Just add a striped deck chair, some big black Jackie O-style sunnies and an azure-blue pool and you'll  soon be starring in your own Hollywood drama. (PS You seem to need VERY good hair to go with these bathers. No chlorine-soaked pool hair here.)

Here are some of the gorgeous swimmers I've been seeing around. Some are also from my archive files. {Top image of Chanel show via Reuters.}

A sleek, retro-style bikini (above) with a whole lotta glamour factor, from a beautiful spread in the just-released January issue of Australian Vogue.

An ivory lace knit swimsuit from Lover's collection, again from the January issue of Australian Vogue. Love the black and white lace espadrilles too.

A black maillot by the White Suede label, called the 'Crossed Love' swimsuit. Love that name. 

{Image from theage(melbourne)magazine}

A cheeky playsuit from Mrs Press' collection. Imagine this with a full-circle black skirt or even a cute wrap-around black skirt? You could slip the skirt straight off and be ready for a dip. It would be perfect for late-night cocktail parties! (As in... very late-night ones.)

{Image from Notebook magazine}

A fabulously glamorous maillot from Chanel's latest collection, as featured in the recent Chanel show at Brisbane's Government House. Look how sensational the matching gown looks? This is definitely one for Qualia girls. (And Qualia would have the black-and-white lounge chairs to match, too – for extra glamour.)

{Image courtesy of Absolutely Beautiful Things}

Another fabulous two-toned maillot from Chanel's 2012 Cruise Collection. Look at the one behind it, too. {Image via style.com}

A page from one of my favourite books, The Swimsuit, by Sarah Kennedy. (Cameron House publishers.) Not sure which designer did this swimsuit, but I adore the tomato-red beach bag and towel.

A spectacular ballgown-inspired suit from 1954 featuring sleeves and a burgundy bustle. Not sure how practical this is but it sure looks gorgeous. {Image courtesy of The Swimsuit}

A cute red polka dot swimsuit from a great Australian label called My Sister Pat. If you're into retro swimwear, do look up her website. She has hundreds of styles, and they're all gorgeous. www.mysisterpat.com.au/product

Another gem from My Sister Pat's collection. This number is called 'Myrtle'. This is how Myrtle's blurb reads: "Myrtle oozes 1950's elegance and femininity. After a morning dip, add a little classic denim to her pretty print and meet the girls for lunch..." Oh Myrtle, you're too cute for words.

A beautiful old Vogue cover. Look how the Vogue masthead has been created around the ball. Genius. Why don't they make covers like this anymore...?

{Image from The Art of Vogue Photographic Covers.}