I (Heart) Martha's Beach Towels

It's a bit counterintuitive, perhaps, for a Canadian to love beach towels. After all, outdoor swimming only occurs in Canada for about three months of the year. Perhaps that's why, then, that I find myself ogling their bold, summery colours and designs each year in the department stores and online catalogs; the fleeting swimming season here makes their use all the more special, I guess.

Martha has always been a big believer in the luxe beach towel and has provided her consumers with various options over the years. Her Martha by Mail catalog had gorgeous beach towels with vintage illustrations of aquatic life: see below. The Everyday line at Kmart also had a good seasonal offering with striking, modern designs. The Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's is where you'll find her current selection - and quite a selection it is! There are 12 different designs, shown above, some with two different colorways. Each is made from plush Turkish cotton, measuring 38" by 68" - a fabulously large dimension for lounging on the beach. 

There is a great Memorial Day sale on at Macy's right now and I snapped up four of these towels for myself. (Even Canadian shoppers will find the sale prices very good with reasonable shipping rates across the border).  Visit Macys.com for more.

These beach towels featured on the cover of the Summer 2000 catalog for Martha by Mail were always a favourite of mine. I really wanted the sand dollar design: so chic! (To anyone of influence I say, please bring these back!)