I’m dating this photo by my imperfect knowledge of car shapes in the motel parking lot. Clues from her bathing suit didn’t help at all.
I imagined that the skirted suit went out of style with the youth quake of the 1960s. Not so! Sears was selling them all through the 1980s according to my reference books, and Lands’ End still offers them today. Perhaps it is a nod to the senior market, since I associate this style with older women. An irritated letter from an older customer in Women’s Wear Daily published in 1980 complained about the disappearance of skirted suits in stores. Perhaps she didn’t think to shop at Sears.
This suit looks a little like sailors’ pants, with buttons on the side. She looks ready to take a dip, maybe after a long day on the road. I’ll bet she didn’t risk getting her hair wet.
What a wonderful smile she has! And that hair…..