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ok first of all, i have to draw your attention to the magnificent platform shoes that these ladies are wearing – in 1940. 1940! i always seem to mistake it for a bit of a fuddy duddy decade (well maybe it was for the majority of the population), but i’m continuously amazed by how fashion-forward some women were, especially when it came to wearing beautiful tailored suits (something that seemed to go out of fashion for most of the 50s and 60s? vintage lovers will have to chime in here, i don’t know much about vintage fashion besides watching a whole lot of Mad Men). you obviously won’t miss their fabulous glasses in this shoot, either. maybe Miami just does something to people.

photos taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt in Miami Beach, 1940 for Life Magazine.

Miss Moss

Hey! I'm Miss Moss. But you can call me Diana. This blog is a means of curating and sharing my love for visual treasures. Learn more about me here.

22 Comments

  • Ruzu@princess-corner says:

    Beautiful!! I want the sunglasses
    xo

  • Alexandra Pettinato says:

    Those platforms are fantastic! These photos are really great. Thanks for sharing. I was recently in Miami (well a few months ago). I loved the art deco buildings. So many pretty pastels :)

    Alex from www.polkadottedpixels.com

  • Wendy says:

    Such great style… And the shoes!!!

  • Alex says:

    Well then… You should watch “Magic City”!!! My favourite show after “Mad Men”.

  • @The_Licentiate says:

    Lads, the fashion. Fur coats with swimsuits… Miami beach fashion, 1940 http://t.co/cQFVn2wYwc

  • Mallory says:

    The fur coat one is hilarious.

  • Jess says:

    Fabulous! Imagine how cutting edge they must have been.

  • She says:

    What grate styles they had in the 40’s.

  • Courtney says:

    The platforms are incredible, but I NEED those enormous pants.

  • girl in oslo says:

    Hi.
    These photos where gorgeous, and the man in the Fifth photo looks a bit like the actor Leonardo Decaprio.
    There is something about his smile….:)

    Have a great day sweet People….

    Kiss kiss

  • Lindsey says:

    How can I find more 1940s fashion pictures on Life? Can you post a link? I love these photographs so much. xx

  • topa says:

    These pics are so great, I love the 40’s style! :-)

  • @meganmcisaac says:

    these photos of miami beach in the 1940s are rocking my world all over again… http://t.co/PKB2GRa5qF @miss_moss

  • Michelle says:

    those. sunnies.

  • @RoniArnon says:

    המקום: מיאמי ביץ’, השנה: 1940, האאוטיפיטים: מפתיעים ביותר ← http://t.co/gVDu1ZgJJR http://t.co/RmKjOmvYot

  • @stepbrightly says:

    Loving this vintage Miami spread from Life Magazine via @miss_moss http://t.co/SdUarah8yG

  • Denise says:

    OH! The 1940’s were so not frumpy! Look up some of Claire Mc Cardell designs. Because of the war in Europe, women were no longer getting clothing designs from Paris. American sportswear became popular for the first time. Much of Marni & Prada designs draw from that era. It was very playful and expressive. Women were wearing pants for the first time and because of war-time restrictions on leather and rubber, lots of inventive shoe styles came on the market: those wood platforms, as well as little capazio style ballet flats and espadrilles. It was an amazing! Women were working and clothes were practical, with minimal use of fabric (again, because of war-time shortages on raw materials.) Thanks for the lovely post!

  • Jillian says:

    wow lovely photos…I like the style of the girl wearing a short dress with a hat whilst walking downstairs. Oh and those sunnies! lovin the 40’s! :)

  • @thesecolours says:

    @meredithmo thought of you for whatever reason :) http://t.co/J7LKCPuArN