These Vintage Bikini Ads Make Current Suits Look Downright Skimpy

If high-waisted, retro swimsuits (patron saint: Taylor Swift) are one of your summer dos, I’ve got inspiration aplenty coming up. A series of vintage bikini ads from Reminisce magazine show the progression of the two-piece as cuts and coverage morphed, and I think we can all agree—these are nothing like most vintage-inspired suits today.

This two-piece, from a 1946 ad, shows a sliver of skin (similar to the ratio we’d recommend for today’s crop-top wearing). Compared with the small bikini the French had just debuted, it was nothing.

As of 1959, Americans were comfortable showing more stomach but not too much. The majority of styles still rose above the belly button (plus, the top was a little, um, pointy).

In 1964, I spy a belly button!

The bikini was mainstream by the end of the ’60s, with ads like this 1968 one portraying it as all-American.

I think I might actually own a bikini top a lot like this one…

There’s nothing scandalous about this piece by today’s standards, but the V-neck and smaller (by comparison) bottom was boundary-pushing.

Now for some modern-day inspiration: Taylor Swift paddleboarding in a fabulous striped two-piece.

What’s your personal preference when it comes to bikinis? Do you own any high-waisted, retro-style cuts? If so, do you think they’re more flattering on your body?