Men’s Summer Swimwear Stress

Despite today’s laissez-faire approach to dressing, vintage swimwear is all the rage this year. The internet abounds with websites selling original retro bathing costumes and trunks. You can find everything from all-in-one 1920s ensembles to super-snug ‘70s Spandex shorts. This may give men cause for alarm…

Choosing beachwear is a source of some anxiety for the male of the species, and men tend to fall into two camps, as with ‘boxers or briefs’. In the past, there were no such problems, due to strictly enforced rules regarding dress. The 1917 American Association of Park Superintendents Bathing Suit Regulations, for instance, discouraged white and flesh coloured suits, as anatomical details were too visible. Below armpit level, the chest could not be revealed. Men’s bathing suits needed a skirt, or skirt effect, which was worn outside the trunks. The leg length could not be shorter than four inches from the knee, and the skirt no shorter than two inches above the bottom of the trunks.

Then nylon came onto the market in the 1930s, when chest bearing was still frowned upon – and belted bathing trunks made their first appearance during this decade. Until the 1930s most bathing suits were knitted. Vintage patterns are still available – you can even knit your own. Probably not such a bad idea, as wearing someone’s cast off woollen swimming trunks possibly isn’t to everybody’s taste. And I suppose this is why the replica-retro designers muscled in. Even Giorgio Armani created a spin-off of the all-in-one bathing suit for his Spring/Summer 2011 collection.

So, this year, will it be floral Vilebrequins, sexy Speedos – or Armani’s vintage-style version of the old fashioned all-in-one?

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About Author Profile: Susan Muncey

Trend consultant Susan Muncey, is Editor of Visuology Magazine. In 2008, she founded online curiosity shop, ShopCurious.com. She writes on style and trends for several blogs, including Visuology.com, ShopCuriousMag.com and The Dabbler. She previously owned cult West London boutique, Fashion Gallery, one of the first concept stores in the world. Susan graduated in geography from Cambridge University and is also an Associate Member of the CFA Institute. She lives in London with her husband.

10 thoughts on “Men’s Summer Swimwear Stress

  1. Wormstir@gmail.com'
    Worm
    July 30, 2011 at 08:38

    A truly excellent, if sometimes nauseating selection of pics Susan! Men and swimming trunks (especially british men) is a dangerous minefield fraught with difficulty, although we can be glad as a nation that we are neither the Russians with their nylon budgie smugglers or the Germans with their lack of shorts altogether. I’m predicting a comeback for the 80’s tennis type short a la George Michael in the club tropicana video

  2. finalcurtain@gmail.com'
    mahlerman
    July 30, 2011 at 09:00

    No man-stress to report on from Gatwick South passing through, as I was a few days ago, on my way to the Costa del Crime (30 degrees, light winds). The current fashion among the lower orders seems to be to dress for the beach at home before they taxi to Sussex. The one-size-too-big-floral-bermuda is the trunk-of-choice below the waist with, heading south, the ubiquitous flip-flop. Waist doesn’t really exist, but above where it used to be is a dazzling white TK Maxx buttoned shirt, the buttons unused. The venue-of-choice was a kind-of fibreglass tavern doing a roaring trade at 5.30am, the drink-of-choice a sturdy pint of Guinness. I’m getting a headache writing this…

  3. johngjobling@googlemail.com'
    malty
    July 30, 2011 at 09:35

    Early renaissance male swimwear seems to reveal all, in most cases small all, very embarrassing. Personally I prefer the Gustav von Aschenbach code of sandy schmutter, straw hat, white suit, black tie, one must keep up appearances at the Lido whilst correcting one’s score and attempting to score with young Tadzio.

    As for twenty first century Anglo Saxon man, gimme an Itie any day.

  4. info@shopcurious.com'
    July 30, 2011 at 12:03

    Rather like the sound of the Club Tropicana look, Worm. Mahlerman, the long, low-slung and loud look is a curious trend – less retro, more hip-hop meets Hasselhoff in Happisburgh. By the way, aren’t those the sort of shorts favoured by Tony Blair?

    Not often you go all classical on us malty, but much rather an eyeful of olive skin, I agree. Is that man looking at the camera, or the fully clothed ladies on the beach, James? He does look a little sinister.

    Anyway, I favour the vintage all-in-one – in fact I even wore one myself recently. So much more demure than this.

  5. ranee.zaporski@gmail.com'
    Ranee
    July 30, 2011 at 18:34

    The neon green number is seared into my eyeballs forever.

  6. Gaw
    July 30, 2011 at 19:06

    Crucial pre-hols reading, Susan. Even worthy of a monograph, I’d say.

    As far as poolside wear is concerned I’ve always found James Bond’s baby blue terrycloth all-in-one belted shorts-suit worn in Goldfinger, er, fairly incredible.

    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_B34tZwMMh7E/TCx7fa3oz6I/AAAAAAAAC6w/8aCuEurt1RY/s1600/Goldfinger.jpg

    As I’ve learnt from The Guardian today that terrycloth is coming back I look forward to seeing more of this sort of thing.

  7. george.jansen55@gmail.com'
    George
    July 31, 2011 at 02:03

    “Then nylon came onto the market in the 1930s, when chest bearing was still frowned upon”

    I guess we should have settled it with an amendment to the Constitution, the way with did with arms bearing.

    The young men who work at the pool we go to (in the Washington, DC, suburbs) seem to have shortened their shorts this year; they are about two fifths of the way from the hip joint to the knee, and couple of years ago they brushed the knee.

  8. andrewnixon@blueyonder.co.uk'
    July 31, 2011 at 20:26

    Shorts man myself – wouldn’t dream of budgie-smuggling – but there’s often a worry with shorts that following your elegant swallow-dive/ungainly bellyflop (delete according to perspective of self/onlookers) they’ll descend to your ankles and lead to possible arrest.

    Incidentally, would we agree that lane swimming is the most boring activity known to man?

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