Sizzlin' By the Shore - Part 7, If the Line Fits...

Well with the warm weather almost behind us (1), we should say a final good bye to Summer by taking a look back at some of the groovy swimwear of the 70s.  And in this post we'll look at a very odd 70s theme that was used to sell swimwear.  I call it 'The Line".

What do a mean by "The Line"?  Well just read on!!

Or rather it should be called "The Dumb Line that they drew right through the middle of these gorgeous models."  Apparently the idea was to let gals know that they could buy a different style or size top and bottom parts of their bikini.  They also almost always had the models standing in shallow water all lined up like this, rather odd!

However, like here with Karen, 'The Line" was pretty much just a distraction.  I mean enough already, we get the idea!  Karen isn't standing in shallow water, but obviously she is trying to shield her eyes from that blinding sun!

Hey, finally no line!  but Kathy is still doing that standing in shallow water thing, and Sears is still pushing that whole "Buy the top that fits, buy the bottom that fits" thing.  That smile of hers is a killer!  And you've got to love the psychedelic flower power prints!  Speaking of smiles

Jantzen had some pretty racy ads back in the 60s.  This one is about as tame as they came.  No need for "The Line" here, just wear a smile!

Penneys also tried to get on the whole "Buy the the top that fits, buy the bottom that fits" theme.  However, if you ask me, they fell a little flat.  After reading the header, it almost sounds insulting?!?!  And to top that off, "The Line" is not only a distraction, the way they did it, it actually makes the bodies of the models appear distorted.  Yuck!

See, Sears knows how to do "The Line" thing right.  Note that instead of a drawn line, they cleverly used a a rope!  Those sneaky guys!  Pam Erickson and friend look great, except I have one question. Why are they, and not the guys on the boat, in the knee deep water pulling?

We're back to the models facing the blinding sun with the line drawn right across them, and they are all lined up in shallow water.   This formula must have worked because Sears keep using it.  Still, why did they make these poor gals face the sun like that?  Surely there must a solution to that problem....

Yep, Kathy shows us how!  One way to beat the sun is to just turn your back on the photographer! Let's face it, this pic is almost too hot for words!  Apparently you don't have to buy the top that fits, or any top at all for that matter.  Kathy must have taken that "Just wear a smile" theme form the Jantzen ad a little too far!!

footnotes:

(1) You're probably thinking "Is he crazy?  Summer is long gone!"  Well, not so much here in South Texas - still waiting on some cooler weather!