Are you stuck in town, working away even on weekends while the sweltering heat leaves your brain feeling like it's melting? Well, why not cool down and escape to a world of nostalgia by flipping through vintage magazines?
In 1957 Life captured the allure of the American winter tourists flocking to the Caribbean. At the time the magazine registered and increase in affluent tourists who spent their holidays relaxing on golden beaches, basking in the warm azure waters and indulging in aquatic activities such as snorkeling and deep-sea fishing, spending lazy days playing canasta and socializing.
The magazine highlighted they loved dressing informally, but in "the best-cut playclothes from all over the world". According to the article, even the men opted for colourful wardrobes, but there was one key item that was a favourite among both men and women – all the tourists were indeed "addicted to picturesque straw hats".
One image accompanying the article perfectly encapsulated this fascination: an elegant lady, seated at a table, engrossed in a letter wearing a pale blue cloche straw hat and a cotton shirt in the same shade.
The ensemble can be inspiring especially in case you're tired of the pink surrounding us because of Barbiecore (but remember that, originally, for children it remained popular to use pink for boys and blue for girls, as suggested in the June 1918 Ladies Home Journal, and confirmed in 1927 by Time magazine; things radically changed in the '40s when American consumer culture brought a major change and manufacturers settled on pink for girls and blue for boys…). Yet the most intriguing thing about the picture is the fact that the hat not only shielded the lady's face from the sun's rays, but also provided a sense of privacy, protecting her from prying eyes, creating the perfect idyllic holiday picture. Have a great Sunday!
