Slideshow: Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, Sandra Dee, and More Vintage Babes in Swimsuits
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
If you need to be sold on the whole retro swim trend, look no further than pictures of generously proportioned (by today’s modeling standards!) bombshells like Liz Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, and Jayne Mansfield. Both demure and seductive, these high-waisted bikinis and halter one-pieces looked perfect paired with strappy wedges or kitten heels — a poolside ensemble that holds a certain enduring appeal. Click through our slideshow to see photos of these ladies, and a nice selection of regular women, as they bask in the sun with beach balls, surfboards, and, in one instance, Elvis.
Marilyn Monroe on a rooftop, circa 1950 Photo: Hulton Archive Photos/2011 Getty Images
Liz Taylor, circa 1950s
Brigitte Bardot in a still from the film
The Girl in the Bikini, 1958 Photo: Atlantis Films/Pictorial Parade
Jayne Mansfield, 1958 Photo: Hulton Archive
Marilyn Monroe, 1947
Barbara Eden, circa early 1960s
Marilyn Monroe, 1952
Woman with a surfboard, circa 1950 Photo: Camerique
Marilyn Monroe, 1951
Couple on the beach, circa 1950 Photo: George Marks
A young woman playing ball on the beach, 1953 Photo: Philip Gendreau
Marilyn Monroe, 1953 Photo: Michael Ochs Archives
Sally Field from the television series
Gidget, circa 1965 Photo: ABC Television
Sandy Stevens, circa 1955 Photo: Hulton Archive Photos/2009 Getty Images
Liz Taylor, from the film
Suddenly Last Summer, 1959
Young woman on the beach, circa 1950s Photo: American Stock
Marilyn Monroe, 1948
Debra Paget, circa 1950s Photo: John Springer Collection/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
Elvis Presley and Joan Blackman on the set of
Blue Hawaii, 1961
Jayne Mansfield, mid-1950s Photo: Hulton Archive
Marilyn Monroe, circa 1948 Photo: Michael Ochs Archives
Woman on the beach, circa 1950s Photo: George Marks
Brigitte Bardot, circa 1960
Sandra Dee on vacation at Miami Beach, 1956 Photo: Bettmann
Brigitte Bardot promoting the film
Doctor at Sea, 1955
Young woman on the beach, circa 1950s
Jayne Mansfield at the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas, mid-1950s Photo: Hulton Archive
Marilyn Monroe, 1952
Woman with a beach ball, 1956 Photo: Lambert
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