In the days before frontal nudes were legal, Walter Kundzicz of Champion dressed quite a few of his models in some interesting and varied garments to create sexy images without risking arrest. Those ranged from jockstraps to loose mesh thongs to cutting edge underwear. I also think some custom made items may have been created, but I don't have documentation of such. Here we see Joe Canoli in some yellow, almost see-through briefs. Perhaps Calorman will enlighten us on this subject.
WK succeeded in the "sexy" aspect despite the "covered" male gear.
ReplyDeleteHe was good at that.
DeleteIn my youth, mid 70s to 80s, here in England skimpy trunks were the norm. Lots of guys, including me would note if their new ones would go semi see through when wet. If they didn't it was quite usual to cut out the modesty panel to unsure a nice outline when emerging from the pool. I miss that world.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was a time when a lot of men, including straight men, became more consciously aware of how their packages were presented in bathing suits.
DeleteThe briefs Canoli is wearing in fact date from the late 1950s. As I have said before, what went on beneath a man's trousers was quite another thing from what he was expected to wear in public in that up-tight decade. They were of a light, stretch Nylon weave and in the lighter colours, could appear very sheer, particularly under photograph lighting or flash. They came in two styles, a high and low rise. They retained their popularity when trousers became very much tighter and tapered in the early 1960s - a reprise of the Edwardian (1910s) styles. Their distinct advantage was their leg seams, which were half the size of the dreaded Y-fronts, now known as tighty whities, which left tram lines on one's trousers from sitting and came back from the laundry like cardboard. I haven't come across any evidence that they were used much as a sports brief - that was Jockey's brilliance when marketing their Skants range - as I suspect the pouch was probably not robust enough to feel safe. Other Kundzicz models, notably Dick Stark and John "Butch" Davidson wore them to very great effect.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the very interesting details! I remember the Edwardian revival in men's fashion as several of my favorite rock stars wore the style, sometimes adding "granny glasses" that they didn't really need.
DeleteActually, Skants were popular athletic gear for competition swimmers and divers a few decades ago. We wore the nylon string bikini ones under our speedos. I preferred the red ones, they seemed to cover more.
ReplyDelete