Vintage Bathing Suits as Art

amandainvermont

amandainvermont

VFG Member
I’ve always thought it would be nice to somehow frame all the great vintage souvenir scarves I have collected, and then I came across this story in ‘Newsday’ entitled “Swimsuit Art.” A framed suit runs from $700 - $2,000.

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Women's 1950s/1960s juniorite one piece cotton blend spandex blend waffle weave red/white tulip design. Frame Dimensions: 33.25aW x 35.75aH x 1.25aD Price: $1,400.00. (PETRIE POINT DESIGNS, PETRIE POINT DESIGNS / February 28, 2008)

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Women’s 1950s “Rose Marie Reid of California” one piece cotton blend with brown check print and brown piping.

Frame Dimensions:
30.25¨W x 36.25¨H x 1.25¨D

Price: $1,000.00

The story is here

http://tinyurl.com/2h6p3z

So...if there are flaws on the back it doesn't matter !
 
Karen, I've framed a few of my hankies. I bet that is what you are remembering.

There was an article in one of the collecting-oriented decorating magazines a year or so ago about a woman who buys the old wool knit bathing suits, appliques stars and such on them, frames them and sells for equally crazy prices.
 
Framing 2 dimensional vintage textiles like scarves and hankies is a wonderful idea!

Not so sure that a flattened bathing suit in a frame has the same appeal for me...

Also, I don't see how this qualifies as art... Found art, maybe? but the swimsuits (and the long ago companies that designed/manufacturered them) are doing all the work. All the "artist" contributes is a frame!
 
A few years back, I think it was Bergdorfs--they were selling vintage swimsuits for $2000, framed and ready to hang.

Maybe in was Bendels. It was one of them.
 
I think that was Bergdorfs..thats the first thing I thought of when I started reading this thread. I thought they were in shadow boxes with small trinkets. Clothes and textiles actually display quite lovely.
Flaws aren't so much and issue when you buy for display.
Maybe one of us needs to get into the shadow box business :)
 
Hey!! I have a miter saw and know how to build frames. I also know how to conservation/museum mount fabrics and linens suitable for framing.

Anyone want to go into business??:headbang:
 
I never understand why a good idea has to be turned into a get rich quick scheme. Now, if someone did this for a couple of hundred dollars I would say it was a clever idea, but for a thousand dollars???? COME ON! Its not THAT unique an idea... I remember odd Victorian bodices being sold in shadow boxes in the 1980s for a couple of hundred dollars each -- hell I even did one up and sold it in a shadow box back in about 1988 - so that was twenty years ago!

However, this explains why some items consistantly sell for more on eBay, like bathing suits and paper dresses.
 
Holy cow, if only! Some shadowbox framing can be expensive, but the prices she is asking are explosive! The idea is not original, <a target=_blank href="http://www.bergdorfgoodman.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod13840012&parentId=cat228200&masterId=cat000006&index=4&cmCat=gifts0a"> Bergdorf's
</a> did do this, and apparently with success!
 
Hmmmm, I have a child's Mexican Jacket I could not part with at the low prices on Ebay.

This was about 5 years ago and sold at my Tias store.
 
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