It doesn't get any sweeter than this! We recently acquired this woman's Catalina swimsuit which dates to 1949. This is a fabulous piece and to top it off it's new old stock, still has the tags attached.
We also have the matching men's trunks, how cool is that?
We can identify the name of the print. Hidden underneath the modesty panel Catalina identifies the print as "Hawaiian Fish" A California hand print.
We can't find any information on California hand prints. I do know that there are vintage tablecloths and linens that are marked this way but those are not associated with Catalina at all.
What I do know is that this type of set was put out by Catalina in the late 40's and they were marketed as "Sweethearts in Swimsuits". Mary Ann DeWeese was the designer for Catalina at this time and she is responsible for launching the Sweethearts in Swim Suits line of swimwear.
The Catalina ad on the left is from 1948. This set is called Angel Fish. The men's suit is a jacquard knit of wool, lastex and Celanese. Original price $6.00. The woman's swimsuit is a jacquard knit of lastex and Celanese. Original price $12.00
And the Catalina ad on the right is from 1949. This hand blocked print is called "Wild Ducks". The woman's suit cost $15.00 and there is text that says there was a matching convertible T-shirt for $6.00 and a Beach coat for $14.00 and even a beach towel at $5.00. The men's trunks are priced at $18.00
We also have this late 40's Catalina suit in our store. The print is called "California Poppy".
VOTE FOR GLAMOURSURF!
Over at Lulu's vintage it's time to vote! Anne from Lulu's Vintage blog runs the contest once per year and then publishes the top 10 readers choice awards along with her own top 10 choices. There are MANY vintage websites to select from and I'm sure at least some of them will be familiar to you, wink wink. She taking submissions through June 30th only. So go on over and cast your vote, you just may find a cool new site while you're there. And if you happen to vote for either Glamoursurf or GlamourSavvy, well then geez, I'd be honored.
