These Old-Hollywood Bombshells Have All The Vintage Swimwear Inspiration You Need

The women of Old Hollywood somehow managed to look glamorous wherever they were, including the beach. And it’s not their hair and makeup we’re talking about ― though both were always impeccably done ― it’s their swimsuits.

For the women of cinema’s golden age, one-piece swimsuits were extremely popular. These usually featured flattering sweetheart necklines, ruching throughout the body and low-cut leg openings, and sometimes came in fun prints. Around the 1940s, stars like Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner wore two-pieces, with high-waisted, full-coverage bottoms and structured halter tops. (The bikini as we know it ― low-rise bottoms with higher-cut leg openings and a more bra-like top ― was introduced to the U.S. in 1946, Slate notes.)

There’s something about vintage swimsuits that just screams “bombshell.” Sure, they provided more coverage than the itsy-bitsy, teenie-weenie bikinis favored by Instagram “it” girls and models these days, but they’re no less sexy.

Unsurprisingly, considering everything old becomes new again, vintage swimsuits have clearly inspired a number of current retailers and brands, most notably ModCloth and Lisa Marie Fernandez.

As you prepare to hit the beach, pool, roof, balcony or even your fire escape this summer to soak up the sun’s rays (while wearing SPF, obviously), look to these Old Hollywood stars for all the swimwear inspiration you need. And always remember: The only thing you need to have a “bikini body” is a bikini, or any swimsuit, and a body.

Marilyn MonroeGeorge Rinhart via Getty ImagesEnjoying the waves at the beach sometime in 1955.
Lucille BallBettmann via Getty ImagesWearing a strapless swimsuit in "Best Foot Forward," circa 1943.
Barbara StanwyckSilver Screen Collection via Getty ImagesReclining on a diving board in 1945.
Esther WilliamsNBC via Getty ImagesIn a swimsuit during "The Esther Williams Aqua Special" in 1956.
Dorothy DandridgeBettmann via Getty ImagesRelaxing in the sunshine on the French Riviera in 1957.
Sophia LorenSilver Screen Collection via Getty ImagesOn a motor boat in the mid-1960s.
Bette DavisBettmann via Getty ImagesPosing for a photo on the beach in California in 1933.
Elizabeth TaylorSilver Screen Collection via Getty ImagesWearing a one-piece leopard print swimsuit, circa 1955.
Elizabeth Taylor (again!)Sunset Boulevard via Getty ImagesOn the set of the 1959 movie "Suddenly Last Summer."
Grace KellyMondadori Portfolio via Getty ImagesAmong deckchairs and sunshades in the Cote d'Azur in 1955.
Lauren BacallBettmann via Getty ImagesOn the set of the 1957 film "Designing Woman."
Marilyn MonroeHulton Archive via Getty ImagesIn a strapless bathing suit and high heels, circa 1951.
Rita MorenoArchive Photos via Getty ImagesPosing on a balcony in a striking orange swimsuit sometime in 1961.
Jean HarlowGeneral Photographic Agency via Getty ImagesExercising with weighted pulleys on a patio, circa 1933.
Rita HayworthBob Landry via Getty ImagesTaking a bite out of a hamburger as she sunbathes in a white two-piece bathing suit, circa 1941.
Ava GardnerEric Carpenter via Getty ImagesFlashing a big grin while modeling a stylish swimsuit on the beach in 1943.
Ginger RogersJohn Kobal Foundation via Getty ImagesRubbing sun lotion onto her legs before sunbathing in 1936.
Natalie WoodSilver Screen Collection via Getty ImagesPosing by a pool in a one-piece swimsuit, around 1965.
Norma ShearerFPG via Getty ImagesBy the swimming pool of her Hollywood home sometime in 1930.
Gina LollobrigidaMondadori Portfolio via Getty ImagesPosing in a swimsuit in a recreational park in Rome in 1949.
Jean SimmonsSilver Screen Collection via Getty ImagesWearing a print pattern swimsuit, circa 1960.
Veronica LakeSilver Screen Collection via Getty ImagesLounging by the pool in a red-and-white striped swimsuit, around 1945.
Anne BaxterMondadori Portfolio via Getty ImagesWearing a strapless bikini top and matching bottoms, circa 1950s.
Alice WhiteMargaret Chute via Getty ImagesPracticing her aquaplaning techniques, sometime in 1928.
Janet LeighPictorial Parade via Getty ImagesWearing a purple bathing suit in the 1950s.