As Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day in sundresses and seersucker with their wicker baskets and red-checked blankets in tow, The Daily Beast offers a look at picnic fashion through the ages, from Rita Hayworth’s romper to Michelle Obama’s nautical stripes.
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Three turn-of-the-century couples lounged pond-side in crisp white and sun-shielding hats, proving that ties know no gender.
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Classic starlets Anita Paige, Joan Crawford, and Dorothy Sebastian slept in the shade, wearing masculine-inspired button-up shirts.
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Three women enjoyed breakfast tent-side in their cable-knit tennis sweaters and silk headscarves.
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Rita Hayworth was way ahead on the romper craze. The legendary screen siren wore a white, sharkskin one-piece and flashed her famous smile while enjoying some potato salad on a classic checked tablecloth.
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After a ride on a row boat, two young couples laid out their basket bounty. While the blonde woman wore a nautical dress, the other sported a floral detailed boater hat with bright red, high-waisted pants and matching shoes.
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Sophia Loren let loose on location in France while filming Madame Sans-Gene, a historical comedy in which she played a sassy laundrywoman during the French Revolution. Loren wore a waist-cinching skirt and a sporty button-down while checking out the contents of her feast in the woods.
A trio of Broadway showgirls took a break from grueling rehearsals to treat themselves to a lakeside picnic in Central Park, tanning their legs in polka dot and floral cap-sleeve dresses.
Former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy showed off her iconic style in a classic mint-green shift dress and elegant pearl drop earrings.
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Two flower children of the ’60s and ’70s lounged on the grass in embroidered looks with a bottle of wine and a bunch of grapes.
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Prints paired with loafers were quintessential ’70s picnic attire—and many prepsters still champion the look today in Lilly Pulitzer and Vineyard Vines.
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First lady Michelle Obama picnics with students on the South Lawn of the White House, May 28, 2013, in Washington. Though the occasion was in honor of the summer harvest of the White House garden, the meal of choice was pizza.
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