Groupies!

I love these sorts of group photos, always have. Nobody seems to do them anymore. At least not so they look this interesting. Don't know why. Aren't they fun? I have one such of a group of young women in 1930's bathing suits featuring my ex-mother-in-law. It's currently part of a collage that belongs to my daughter.

There's just something so charmingly naive about these vintage photographs. Plus you get an instant overview of fashions, styles and even attitudes, at the moment in time the photographer snapped the shot.

The photos featured today have been found by yours truly online. No photo credits at the moment. If one of these is your photo and you object to its inclusion in my post, please let me know and I'll remove it immediately.

The Time Machine: Vintage Bonnie Cashin Sportswear

My goodness, the time is fast approaching, if it isn't already here, in which we'll all find that our pasts aren't past, they're just hanging around the internet. It's like a time machine. Not sure how I feel about it, but since there's nothing I can do to stop it, I might as well join in.

Look at the fur collared coat at the very top of this post. It's a Bonnie Cashin original from the 1960's. Well, guess what, I owned this coat once upon a time. It was my favorite coat ever. I loved that thing. Wore it for years. It had a convertible collar if I'm remembering correctly. You could do the furry thing or you could leave it plain. I remember the color being a slightly more orangey, kind of a rust red. Jeez, I haven't seen or thought about this coat in so many years. Wow.

Bonnie Cashin was an influential fashion designer who did the best sportswear ever. She was so ahead of her time with the idea of sports separates and in the comfy way she cut her styles, she was often called 'the mother of sportswear'. I loved her clothes. She was also, for many years, the head designer for Coach Leathers. (Look at the mauve leather backpack. I don't exagerate when I say she was ahead of her time.) The only reason I was able to afford my gorgeous coat was that I probably bought it wholesale when I worked at Cosmo in the mid 60's, either that or it was just a big splurge on my part. Ah, the good old days.

The coat showed up at the Ithaca Antique Mall and someone came in and scooped it up. Wish it had been me.