Vizcaya has always been fabulous. The architecturally and horticulturally spectacular bayfront villa built by International Harvester Company tycoon James Deering in the 1910s is preserved today as a museum of his time.

Vizcaya is a showplace of the extraordinary talents of the team Deering put together to build the place, including Paul Chalfin, F. Burrall Hoffman, and Diego Suarez, and many other sculptors, fine artists, craftsmen, and artisans; some world-renowned, and others unknown and forgotten. It has also been a showplace for the talents of many others, including photographers, fashion designers, party planners, musicians, performers, politicians, and plutocrats.

The villa and gardens have had a long life, between the ‘golden age’ of Vizcaya’s creation by Deering and all the rest, and today. American Presidents have visited and entertained foreign dignitaries there. It has been the setting for thousands of parties, and just as many school field trips. It’s also a big favorite for fashion photo shoots. The modeling photos below were taken in 1958, 1959, and 1960, and are all from floridamemory.com. The fashions, as well as the architecture, are an absolute blast.