from the Archives

Beach Fashions of 1940

Read Time: < 1 min

This excerpt comes from a March 4th, 1940, archival Life magazine article entitled, “Miami & Miami Beach; Biggest U.S. winter resort has biggest boom”

“All beaches are noteworthy for the girls in bathing suits. Due to a combination of causes, girls on Miami Beach’s incredible seven-mile strip of ocean shore are more numerous and more decorative than those in any comparable locale in the world. Motivated by greed, exhibitionism, sociability or mere duty, they gather from all points and professions. No one can ever tell what they will be up to next. The only certain thing is that—in weird baskets of straw, linen bathrobes or practically nothing: dozing, squealing, making friends or posing for photographs; munching candy, eavesdropping, drinking cocktails, taking showers (below) or thinking up plans—they will always be on hand in some capacity”.

“Curiosities in the attire of Model Stephanie Nikashian include cartwheel hat, flower-printed Turkish trousers, dark glasses with “seashell” rims, and necklace of old beans, seeds and coconut rinds gathered from Florida “jungles”.
Wearing one's fur on the beach with a bathing suit was essential!

What would Miami Beach be like without Historic Art Deco, Mediterranean, and MiMo buildings?

Join Us: Become a Member

Help MDPL remain independent and sustain our mission to preserve, protect, and promote. Annual memberships start at $50 and include free walking tours and more.
art deco building miami beach

Explore the MDPL Archives

Capitman's Cardozo Leads Way (1979)

Capitman’s Cardozo Leads Way (1979)

Read Time: 3 mins Andrew Capitman, son of Miami Design Preservation League leader Barbara Baer Capitman, was a leading Art Deco rehabilitation pioneer in the late 1970s and 1980s. In 1979, he purchased the Cardozo Hotel with a group of enthusiastic investors who believed in the resurgence of the city through the preservation of its past. Mr. Capitman instinctively knew that a 1930s revival would dramatically improve tourism.

Read More »

Six Art Deco Hotels Facing Renovation (1984)

Read Time: 2 mins In 1984, six hotels underwent major renovations that would mark the second wave of an Art Deco revival in South Beach. According to a Miami Herald article written by Paul Shannon on July 8, 1984, Royale Group Ltd. officials secured a $13.5 million loan to pay for the planned renovation, which included painting and refurbishing in the original Art Deco style.

Read More »

Our Mailing Address is PO Box 190180, Miami Beach, FL, 33119