1970′s Surf, Sand and Beachwear

It is almost that time a year where many of us get to shed our clothes and soak in some rays down at the local water hole. This year 1970′s fashion is on the rise and I just can’t help but browse through some of favorite photos of 70′s swimwear. From European designer beach wear to southern California surf-wear, 1970′s swimwear had a  a style and appeal all of its own.

There are certain keys to follow when dating vintage swimwear:

-Lastex began to be used in swimwear starting in the late 30′s and continued through the 50′s.
-Spandex, better known as elastane in Europe, began to be used in swimsuits in the late 60′s. Dupont patented this as Lycra.
-Fabric content on labels was mandated in the 1960′s
-Garment care instructions seen on labels beginning in 1971
-Symbols on care labels began in the 1990′s in the US, earlier elsewhere

Model Cheryl Tiegs at the beach in an orange bikini with white polka dots by Villager, with a man reclining on chaise — Image by © Condé Nast Archive/CORBIS

Famous Farrah Fawcett Poster on most adolescent boy’s walls in the 1970′s

Cheryl Tiegs swimsuit pose

Classic One-piece and Two piece swimsuit designs from the 70′s

Modern bathing suit with exact 1970′s glamor cut

Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime with a wig-wearin’ female friend, circa 1970s.

Surf Rats Hanging out at the beach

Christie Brinkley Sporting a colorful one piece

1970′s European Men’s Matching Swimwear

Mark Richards matching his board shorts with his surfboard

Larry Bertlemann pure classic style

Kids 19070′s beachwear

North shore 1970′s beach fashion

1970′s Venice Beach

MR Ripping the Bottom Turn

Save The Beach

The struggle to preserve public access to the beach is spreading across the nation from California to Connecticut and from Florida to the Great Lakes. California’s beaches belong to all the people. The wealthy rich prick beachfront enclave of Malibu and media mogul David Geffen nevertheless filed suit to cut off the people’sright to reach the beach. A Newport Beach city councilmember opposes improvements to a public beach because “with grass we usually get Mexicans coming in there early in the morning and they claim it as theirs and it becomes their personal, private grounds all day.” People of color and low-income people suffer first and worst from the efforts to privatize public beaches. While eighty percent of the 34 million people of California live within an hour of the coast, disproportionately White and wealthy homeowners stand to benefit from the privatization of this public good, while communities of color and low-income communities are disproportionately denied the benefit of coastal access.

Beaches are not a luxury. Beaches are a public space that provide a different set of rhythms to renew public life. Beaches are a democratic commons that bring people together as equals. People swim and splash in the waves, “people watch,” surf, wile away the afternoon under an umbrella, scamper between tide pools, or gaze off into the sunset. Public access to the beach is integral to democracy and equality. Rio de Janeiro, like Los Angeles, is marked by some of the greatest disparities between wealth and poverty in the world. Yet Rio’s famous beaches are open to all, rich and poor, Black and White. The beach in Rio is the great equalizer. California’s world famous beaches must also remain public for all, not the exclusive province of the rich and famous. The Connecticut Supreme Court has recognized the First Amendment right of non-residents to use a public beach against efforts by the city of Greenwhich to restrict access to its residents. A New Jersey appellate court has recognized the right of public access to reach the beach at a private club under the public trust doctrine. A Michigan court, however, has recently limited public access to the beach along Lake Michigan. In Florida, 60% of the “public” beaches are now “private.”

In order to make a difference before it gets to late The center For the law and Public Justice along with the Surfrider foundation have put together a “Free the Beach” campaign. For more information go to http://www.surfrider.org/media5.asp

Common Threads Garment Recycling

Common Threads Garment Recycling

Way too much of what is made these days ends up in the trash at the end of its useful life.

At Patagonia, they’re working to change that. In 2005 they launched their Common Threads Garment Recycling Program, through which customers could return their worn out Capilene® Performance Baselayers to them for recycling. They’ve now added Patagonia fleece, Polartec® fleece from other manufacturers and Patagonia organic cotton T-shirts to their list of recyclables.

Their long-term goal is to take environmental responsibility for everything they make.

Please help them by changing your clothes for good.

Find out how you can participate in our garment-recycling program; see how they turn worn-out clothes into new Patagonia garments; and read the Frequently Asked Questions. Patagonia

Free the Beach

The struggle to preserve public access to the beach is spreading across the nation from California to Connecticut and from Florida to the Great Lakes. California’s beaches belong to all the people. The wealthy rich prick beachfront enclave of Malibu and media mogul David Geffen nevertheless filed suit to cut off the people’sright to reach the beach. A Newport Beach city councilmember opposes improvements to a public beach because “with grass we usually get Mexicans coming in there early in the morning and they claim it as theirs and it becomes their personal, private grounds all day.” People of color and low-income people suffer first and worst from the efforts to privatize public beaches. While eighty percent of the 34 million people of California live within an hour of the coast, disproportionately White and wealthy homeowners stand to benefit from the privatization of this public good, while communities of color and low-income communities are disproportionately denied the benefit of coastal access.

Beaches are not a luxury. Beaches are a public space that provide a different set of rhythms to renew public life. Beaches are a democratic commons that bring people together as equals. People swim and splash in the waves, “people watch,” surf, wile away the afternoon under an umbrella, scamper between tide pools, or gaze off into the sunset. Public access to the beach is integral to democracy and equality. Rio de Janeiro, like Los Angeles, is marked by some of the greatest disparities between wealth and poverty in the world. Yet Rio’s famous beaches are open to all, rich and poor, Black and White. The beach in Rio is the great equalizer. California’s world famous beaches must also remain public for all, not the exclusive province of the rich and famous. The Connecticut Supreme Court has recognized the First Amendment right of non-residents to use a public beach against efforts by the city of Greenwhich to restrict access to its residents. A New Jersey appellate court has recognized the right of public access to reach the beach at a private club under the public trust doctrine. A Michigan court, however, has recently limited public access to the beach along Lake Michigan. In Florida, 60% of the “public” beaches are now “private.”

In order to make a difference before it gets to late The center For the law and Public Justice along with the Surfrider foundation have put together a “Free the Beach” campaign. For more information go to http://www.surfrider.org/media5.asp

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