--- title: The One Vintage Beach Accessory That Needs to Make a Comeback description: In 1959, LIFE featured the invention of a Long Island housewife looking to bring some amusement to time at the pool. canonical: https://time.com/3916936/swim-caps/ author: Eliza Berman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-26T12:00:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:47:25.768Z og:title: The One Vintage Beach Accessory That Needs to Make a Comeback og:description: In 1959, LIFE featured the invention of a Long Island housewife looking to bring some amusement to time at the pool. og:url: https://time.com/3916936/swim-caps/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0b6e4b8d3af8adf1/698853fe55a859453ca8c727/150610-swimcaps-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2100 og:image:height: 1181 og:image:alt: Crazy Swim Caps 1959 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The One Vintage Beach Accessory That Needs to Make a Comeback twitter:description: In 1959, LIFE featured the invention of a Long Island housewife looking to bring some amusement to time at the pool. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0b6e4b8d3af8adf1/698853fe55a859453ca8c727/150610-swimcaps-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The One Vintage Beach Accessory That Needs to Make a Comeback > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription.  by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Jun 26, 2015 12:00 PM UTC  Models wearing swim caps designed by Betty Geib, a Long Island housewife who originally made them to entertain her children, 1959. Models wearing swim caps designed by Betty Geib, a Long Island housewife who originally made them to entertain her children, 1959. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Jun 26, 2015 12:00 PM UTC Outside of the Olympics and synchronized swimming competitions, it’s fairly rare to see swimming caps these days. It’s rarer still to see swim caps that give the illusion that the bather has two faces. But these poolside headpieces were all the rage in 1959, when LIFE featured them in a fashion story called “Two-faced Swimmers in Crazy Caps.” The caps were invented by a Long Island housewife, Betty Geib, to amuse her children. After they flew off the rack at a church bazaar, she started a new business, Betty Darling, selling her wares for $3 to $6\. The serpent, kitty and sunflower designs, LIFE assured its readers, “are guaranteed to turn heads.” _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter_ [_@lizabethronk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk)_._  Models wearing swim caps designed by Betty Geib, a Long Island housewife who originally made them to entertain her children, 1959. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Models wearing swim caps designed by Betty Geib, a Long Island housewife who originally made them to entertain her children, 1959. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Models wearing swim caps designed by Betty Geib, a Long Island housewife who originally made them to entertain her children, 1959. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Models wearing swim caps designed by Betty Geib, a Long Island housewife who originally made them to entertain her children, 1959. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Models wearing swim caps designed by Betty Geib, a Long Island housewife who originally made them to entertain her children, 1959. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Models wearing swim caps designed by Betty Geib, a Long Island housewife who originally made them to entertain her children, 1959. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Models wearing swim caps designed by Betty Geib, a Long Island housewife who originally made them to entertain her children, 1959. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Models wearing swim caps designed by Betty Geib, a Long Island housewife who originally made them to entertain her children, 1959. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Models wearing swim caps designed by Betty Geib, a Long Island housewife who originally made them to entertain her children, 1959. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Models wearing swim caps designed by Betty Geib, a Long Island housewife who originally made them to entertain her children, 1959. 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