Back to the subject of vintage suntans, here is Micheline Bernardini.She debuted the modern bikini in 1946 in Paris.
Louis Réard could not find a model who would wear his design. At the time Micheline was a 19 year old nude dancer at the Casino de Paris.
His bikini was made out of 30 square inches (194 cm2) of fabric with newspaper type printed across and introduced at a fashion event at Piscine Molitor, a very popular public pool in Paris.
She certainly, isn't pale in these pictures.
Then I went on to look for more evidence that people really did tan in the summer in the old days:
The Miss World contest debuted in London in 1951 and these gals are certainly tanned.
More tans in 1954.and a selection of my favourite film stars with less than pale skin. Disclaimer at the bottom.
Disclaimer: This is not the look we are hoping to go for with a touch of colour!
Wasn't there fake tan too? I seem to remember a 30s ad for something by elizabeth Arden?
ReplyDeleteMy Gran used to associate health with a nice glow/the sun and would insist on 'outdoor time' the moment the sun shone. She was always golden within seconds (super tanning genes)! And she was very fashion conscious growing up in the 30s-40s.
ReplyDeleteHaving a tan was all the rage in the 30s - all connected to exercise movement (like the Women's Health League of Health and Beauty started by Prunella Stacks) combined with the idea of the sun's rays being beneficial to health. A tanned body = a fit and healthy body.
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