PHOTOS: Among the swimwear yo’ve seen this summer, retro cuts have proven very popular, leading us to question exactly what is retro. Our research brought us into contact with some beautifully shot vintage photographs; now, we know some of these outfits are drastic, but if you take a closer looks at current collections from aussieBum and Sauvagewear, you’ll see similar cuts and bodysuits. As we prepare for the last full month of the official summer season, take a look back with us at the retro style that has inspired us all season long.
For more vintage swimwear photos, head on over to The Underwear Expert.
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QJ201
So much hotter than board shorts to your damn knees (like early 20th century “modest” bathing suits).
Stayed with family at a beach house..could NOT find a men’s suit anywhere that weren’t stupid board shorts…not even anything mid thigh.
Brian
Does anyone else think that American men have become more and more conservative in recent years in their choice of swimwear? They wore much more revealing swimwear in the 1950’s, for instance. Maybe feminism and gay rights has made men wary of showing skin.
balehead
I blame gender feminism and gay separatism for hiding the hawt straight boys too!!! So called activists need to grow lives…
Tackle
I love this old school style and this style is still in vogue in Europe. I have noticed that that here in the states at the few gyms I visited, I see more men working out in short shorts as opposed to the big baggy board shorts. I’m gonna work out in my short shorts tomorrow.
Izzy
I had to go a little retro too for my latest swim shoot. Check it out! https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.701039133255415.1073741829.524958527530144&type=1&l=7af55e0ecb
Thewo
Agree with the previous comments. If you are fit, there is no reason for a man to hide his body at the beach or by the pool. It’s as if American men have been turned into immature twelve-year-old boys…afraid that someone is looking at them!
Mr. E. Jones
@Brian:
It’s body shame. Men have been made to feel bad about their bodies, something that was not common before the 1980’s.
edensasp
@Brian:
The grand ole days of yore when American men wore revealing “sourced and made in the USA” Shorts and swimwear…
Perhaps that is the problem today, lowest bid, mass produced slave labor stitching, it will and does create some embarrassing yet very revealing moments, so knee length board shorts it is for the modest man, or nothing at all… http://honeymoons.about.com/od/nudebeachesusa/Nude_Beaches_in_the_USA_Where_to_Find_Nude_Beaches_in_United_States.htm
Doughosier
The male thigh is now taboo.
Joetx
Instead of blaming feminism, gay rights, body shame, or foreign labor, why not recognize how straight guys are terrified of a) being thought of as gay; & b) not being “a man,” which is linked in part to a).
Seriously, a lot of straight guys are very insecure. That’s why they have to do things like drive big trucks/SUVs & not partake in activities considered weak, feminine, or gay.
litper
@bale, so called gay mnen should stop thinking about “straight” guys
litper
@Joe so true, “straight” guys are so frightened of their own sexuality
crowebobby
Trousers are now being cut so high in the crotch you’re seeing bulge on TV guests and talk show hosts (unfortunately, not yet the ones you’d want to see) as well as some guys in the street . . . but only the older well-dressed ones. Fashion has a life of its own; if it ever becomes popular to wear a steaming pile of shit on your head, millions of men will do it and every one of them will have plausible explanation for why they wear it that has nothing to do with “following” the fashion trend. I hope I live long enough to see cod pieces or compression shorts come into fashion as everyday street wear.