1950s Beachwear

Written By: Eliza Berman

In 1950 LIFE staff photographer Nina Leen did a beach photo shoot that is the best remembered of its kind in the magazine’s history. Two images from this shoot, one of three women wearing big hats and black bathing suits and another of four women wearing a mix of one- and two-piece bathing suits are among the best sellers in the LIFE photo store. That is a rarity because most of the best sellers feature celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and Steve McQueen, rather than these lovely but anonymous models.

The original LIFE story was built around the hot looks for the summer of 1950. The article was headlined “Summer Beach Fashions: Americans Turn to One-piece Suits, Big Straw Hats, Togas and T-Shirts.”

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the story was the way it make bikinis sound like a passing fad:

American women…have long ago rejected France’s famous beachwear innovation, the scanty, two-piece Bikini bathing suit. The two-piece suit in general is running a poor second this summer to the one-piece suit. Since this means bare midriffs, designers compensate by cutting the suits high on the thigh (see cover) to retain a bare look.

The bikini obviously rallied. And what qualifies as “high on the thigh” in a bathing suit has obviously changed since the 1950s. But now as then, one-piece vs. two-piece remains a lively debate, with two-pieces gaining ground in recent years.

Perhaps that’s the appeal of these swimwear photos, beyond Nina Leen’s great skill in composing an image. It’s about a time when making a splash at the beach could be done with comfort and coverage.