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it's vintage
May 31, 2012

Slideshow: Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, Sandra Dee, and More Vintage Babes in Swimsuits

By Stella Bugbee

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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.

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See 22 Retro-Inspired Swimsuits
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1 / 29 Photos
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
1 / 29

Tags:

  • it's vintage
  • retro swimsuits
  • marilyn monroe
  • liz taylor
  • babes
  • More

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