Followers

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Matching suits


Two of these three men have matching (and interesting) suits.

 

4 comments:

  1. Father and son swimming trunks, maybe? There is definitely some strong affection involved in all three males.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think they are just buddies, perhaps military. I have a collection of my dad's WWII beach photos, and a lot of the guys had matching suits. Probably due to a limited number of styles available. They did not look like Navy issue as there were about six common types.

      Delete
  2. The belted trunks to the right of the picture in a "box cut" were a mid- to late-'40s revival of the same style popular in the 1920s. From the quality of the picture, it is clear we are dealing with the later period. Tie-sided trunks - some tying on both hips - make their first appearance in the late 1930s but persist until the mid-1950s, and were worn in North America as well as Europe, particularly Italy. The advantage of the tie side was that with the trunks made of wool, the wearer could tighten the fabric which stopped to some extent the sagging and bagging, particularly when leaving the water, and increased speed with less drag for competition swimming. The two men in this photo are wearing the same trunks, which would imply membership of a club if not a team. From the mid-'50s Nylon mixes were introduced and Lycra (by DuPont) was introduced in 1958, which revolutionized swimwear.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. See my comment above for a possible explanation of the matching suits. I didn't know the belted suits were a fashion revival.

      Delete