1996 Speedo poster
 

During the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Speedo plastered the city with bus stop posters of a U.S. team swimmer (I think it was Gary Hall Jr). He was wearing the smallest, tightest suit I'd ever seen. Suit top just barely high enough to cover penis base. Zero hair. Talk about over riding modesty and embarrassment! Wearing that suit would take balls, (but there would be no place to put them). Sticking your pic all over the city would take big brass ones.

It made the suit worn in the famous Mark Spitz poster look huge.

Brent - did those '90s suits stretch to accommodate you, or did the downsized compression just crush your balls? Did you learn any special tricks of how to place your goodies for comfort or look? Wondering, because the Speedo poster showed no hint of any detail. Might have been suit compression, or they might have air-brushed the detail out to make it acceptable for public viewing on a bus poster.

Downsize
 

I always trained in a drag type suit and then competed in a size or two smaller-this was commom practice on most levels of swimming. It seems to me that the whole speedo issue has appeared in the last 10 or 15 years. In other words progress went backwords. Even the boxer types of trunks were much more form fitting and in fact I had some that you zipped your way into- I even had a racer which had string side panels-only comment "that looks great-where did you get them" Same thing with basketball shorts-they were! and no one gave it a thought-guys used to sit down for coach instructions and show some jock so what everyone including the girls knew us guys were wearing them and so they had haltes for their boobs! Later on jogging bra prototypes were based on two jocks sewed together right here in Burlington, Vermont!.

mark spitz
 

A reminder:
http://morristsai.com/assets_c/2008/...mb-300x392.jpg

later
 

Speedo later came out with a much briefer version of the Spitz suit-I had one and remember that it was entirely lined-great colors until they began to fade.

Speedo
 

:( ............and yet they know nothing when I say "your posters all around Atlanta in 1966"

correction
 

1996 for the Olympic Games

Lace-up at hips
 

Is this an example of a lace-up at hips? This page has an old ad from the early 1950's.

http://madmen.wikia.com/wiki/Jantzen_Swimwear

Interesting to note that Jantzen was a mainstream department store brand, so that suit represents what was popular and accepted in those days. Pretty bold to leave totally bare sides! However, I've got to guess that not too many guys smoked pipes at the beach.

Byron, 1966 was the year of "They think it's all over, it is now!"

The string sided suits came from an era before stretch fabrics, the suit could be made body tight by adjusting the strings.

I remember seeing them in the 1960's in the old Victorian municipal pool. They kind of caught the eye.

Putting eyelets into Lycra is very difficult as the fabric is so thin and stretchy. I've tried it.

We do seem to keep coming back to Jantzen on this board, they must have been an important part of life in the USA.

JamesSwim's post today
 

A bit of clarification needed here:


What you have posted as a quote from NakedBudd is largely my post of 03-11-2012 and his post of 04-25-2012 quotes part of that and adds his own recollection of the Parr suit in chamois with D rings (and yes, I can just about remember that one too now that he mentions it).

Now to side lace-ups (for want of a better description):

The Jantzen guy in red (and hilariously smoking a pipe as pointed out by LapCounter) is in my opinion a figment of some artist's imagination as,
to my knowledge, Jantzen never produced a suit with such lattice-work fabric at the hips (and such an odd design would be out of keeping with their generally good taste).

Lace-up sides certainly existed in some swimsuit designs , for pulling the suit to fit - as an alternative to what we all know as the drawstring waist cord. They never looked very stylish however which no doubt accounted for their short life in the stores. I will post a pic if I can find one but all signs seem to be that they went the way of the dinosaur.

1966 and all that....
 

Ah, I now see a fellow recollector (is there such a word?) in Torchwatch.
He is right because I once wore one in that period and as it happens in an old Victorian pool too.
Yes, no good trying to put eyelets into Lycra - it had to be a non-stretch material (which was a sort of satin cotton)
- and that's why I soon hated the awful fit.

I now have to ask him the name of the BBC commentator who uttered
the immortal words of the World Cup victory (was it Kenneth Wolstenholme ?)

PS on Jantzen
 

Might it be true to say that the USA's Jantzen held (and may still hold) the esteem of
Oz's Speedo?
(as I recall it was generally regarded as a quality product but family finances
inevitably demanded a cheaper purchase for the kids' swimsuits).

Jantzen
 

Prior to the invention of Lycra, tight fitting swim suits depended on rubberized fabrics to achieve stretch. Although they look quaint and unfashionable now, Elvis's swimsuit was typical for the time.

As a kid I remember seeing a boy my age at the beach wearing a suit with no sides, similar to that Jantzen ad with the pipe (the boy wasn't smoking one, however). I thought he was incredibly bold.

One summer I had a Jantzen suit that was visually and functional identical to a nylon Speedo.

When were briefs popular for non-competition or lap?
 

When were briefs popular outside of competition or lap-swimmers?

Looking at this archive of Jantzen ads in this web site, it seems that 1970's or 1980's had most ads for briefs for mainstream (probably stuff you buy in department stores), plus there's an ad describing Lycra

http://www.advertisingarchives.co.uk/index.php?service=search&action=do_quick_search&la nguage=en&q=jantzen

Briefs
 

Some good pics there - and I would even go back a little
earlier with dates.

It was possible to find what Brazilians would call tangas in conservative "gentlemen's outfitters" - such daring beach
and swim briefs* would not be seen there today.

Fast-moving fabric techonology had its influence on styles
and colors of course and speedos were only part of a new
fashion trend that encouraged the wearing as leisurewear
of athletic clothing only previously attributable to a particular
sport (just see the profitable paraphenalia for sale in soccer
club shops).

Winston Churchill's romper suit of WWII became the new and
(sometimes horribly) colored shell suit or track suit to be worn
to the shopping mall for example.

* terminology has changed - to say swimbriefs meant precisely
that and was an alternative to "swimming trunks".
I have learned from much earlier confused searching on the internet
however that briefs in the USA means underpants (but, just to make
things even more confusing, trousers are pants).

Two comments on items above
 

Old geezer that I am, I not only remember Parr bikinis but I still have a yellow nylon (not chamois) Parr side snap bikini. It's still such a sexy suit that I can't throw it away even though it is not really wearable anymore because all of the leg and waist elastic is shot. And, yes, after all these years it still fits me!

I remember seeing an article in Life magazine about men's open sided swim suits when I was very young (but not too young to pay close attention to the illustrations). I remember that the article, which also had a very brief women's suit, was the occasion of a fire-and-brimstone sermon from our priest about modern day immorality and lack of modesty.

Jantzen and pipe Smoking
 

In the 1950's smoking a pipe was considered a very normal, conventional thing to to do. Having a pipe and slippers suggested that you had a home, a wife, a dog and a couple of children. Jantzen has taken Mr Conventional and allowed him and his family a holiday/vacation, he is relaxing in the sunshine with his pipe and his wife. He may be wearing rather daring side-less swimming trunks but because he is such a conventional and conforming person his wearing them is just fashion and in no way sexually explicit or inappropriate.

In the 1970's and 80's swimming briefs were just what you chose to swim in, you could choose colours and patterns to suit your mood. Although pipes had gone out of fashion anyone, any age could wear Speedos. Then somehow the male body became sexually explicit, and wearing brief, tight swim suits in public was thought inappropriate and the conformists covered up.

Wearing brief swimwear on the beach is sensuous and exciting, at their peak Janzten made it seem conventional and almost boring, and as they got the conformists on their side they made money while the celibate priests raged and fumed.

evolution of suits.....
 

Effectively Jantzen and Catalina suits were very popular (end of the fifties, early sixties) were very popular in the USA they were even the favorites of Hollywood mouvie stars, however they were mostly more the 3 inches sides, however at the end of the sixties some 3 inches sides did appear, I dont know why but Jantzen quit making mens suits and kept on making women suits as till this day, as for Catalina suits they simply quit making them.
An old friend of mine who now passed away gave me one , it was a maroon color 4 inches sides with a satin bright like material.

They were consedered as very skimy and sexy suits at the time no wonder they were favorites for mouvie stars.

Yes Parr of Arizona did offer a side lace up suit If my memory is correct (NOT SURE) the fabrick was a kind of light brown or golden color.

Speaking of a lace up chamois suit I have seen one advertized on the net not so long ago, but unfortunetely I cant locate the site, (Or the firm that sold it) To bad I desperately want one for myself, can anyone remember the site or firm.

pix
 

LOL - in the amusing bit of photoshopping for Elvis in Blue Hawaii* the studio seems to have taken his suit's waistband almost up to his armpits!

Compare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQxqZ...eature=related
(why the swimfins I don't know)

Here we seem to have our Jantzen pipe-man in close up:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-j...zen+trunks.jpg



*have to confess only time I have walked out of a cinema in a movie - couldn't take any more of such an awful script and acting

This popular thread
 

You started something of interest on speedo history here on 11th March James -
you've already had 58 posts and 1740 viewings.

Jantzen close cup
 

Interesting to see that close up of the pipe smoker suit Byron.
The sides are made by sewing in tapes of the same fabric as the suit, so avoiding the use of eyelets.
I have tried to use eyelets with poor results, the suit edge up scratchy.
possible even to put a wait cord through the top tape.

XX
 

I had one of those open X suits-intersting tan pattern! Also one were it was actual lacing on each side-were not that comfortable. I remember a guy who cut out panels and then punched holes and tied the sides to gather with string-could also use rawhide-more like Tarzan.

strings attached.....
 

OK, I give in and Peter Hurley was not making it up if suits with the lattice sides really existed (though he's probably dead by now and I cannot ask him and I would have preferred to see some proper Jantzen photos to confirm that design was in production at the time).

As I live and learn I also picked up this:
I still cannot find the swimsuit with lace-ups on BOTH sides but it seems there was one (blue here) from the 1940s which so performed on just ONE
side.
Never seen that before but it apparently comes from Allen-A Lifeguard (yes,
that is what it says) and has just been sold (22nd April) by Etsy (which seems to be a sort of Ebay from Leesburg VA).

See if this works: http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.314628295.jpg


PS: I thought KW died about a year ago - it was in fact 2002

Outlets
 

Some of the outlet stores had all sorts of suit styles. They were not usually of good quality and many times were "no name" Also Parr of Arizona had suits when I was in the Army-wore them at the O Club pool-no problem. One was blue nylon with white piping all around including the leg notch. You had to wear a jock as there was no liner. They were short short and the straps were apparent unless you pulled them into your crack.May a thong would have be less obvious. It was a sharp looking suit. Parr also made zip side trunks which really conformed to your butt and package. Parr is not making much in that line today-seems to have very risque stuff which dont't appeal to me-after all there are limits of decency in public.

evolution.......
 

Yep etsy is effectively a ebay style including sellers of VINTAGE CLOTHING.

strings again...
 

Don't know the brand but lace-up at front here contributes to a rather
messy design overall, don't you think?

http://speedomusings.blogspot.co.uk/...kus-ricci.html

Looks like he's packing a football.

ball games
 

LOL - didn't realise we've seen him before (Joe Sneider)

http://i2.listal.com/image/3127842/6...rkus-ricci.jpg

(not much room for a football there)

Jantzen were an up market swimwear manufacturer, they charged a premium for their suits and were able to use better fabrics and spent more time in making them.
The pipe smoker suit of 1952 has lattice sides, the objective was to make a skin tight suit with non stretch fabrics. I suspect that there is elastic hidden in each of the straps of the lattice, the waist and leg straps hold the suit on while the lattice straps running at different angles tighten the fabric up making the whole suit more skin tight.
It is interesting to note that although at first glance the suit appears to be square cut they are in fact very high waisted briefs. This would hold your belly in and make a man appear slimmer and more muscular. Since this was before the invention of the teenager when everyone wanted to look like their parents this style would appear to be a good thing.
There have been 89 movies with Tarzan in the title between 1918 and 2008, many with Olympic swimmer Johnny Weissmuller in between 1932 and 1948, men in 1952 would have been familiar with Tarzan's open loincloth look and so wished to emulate it, perhaps with a more civilised Jantzen swim suit.

According to David Wallechinsky's Complete Book of the Olympics, while playing in a celebrity golf tournament in Cuba in 1958, Weissmuller's golf cart was suddenly captured by rebel soldiers. Weissmuller sized up the situation, got out of the cart and gave his trademark Tarzan yell. The shocked rebels soon began to jump up and down, calling "Tarzan! Welcome to Cuba!" Johnny and his companions were not only not kidnapped, but were given a rebel escort to the golf course.

call of the wild...
 

Good Tarzan story (and that is what Parr would have been trying to emulate with its chamois bikini would it not ?)

Do we have any evidence of support for JW under the loincloth?
(the fitting at the hip is so tiny and there is no string give-away
if so).

Well, I'll be darned....
 

A bit of retro (but not functional) design from a Cheshire company, using Italian fabric:

http://clothestopose.co.uk/mens-swim...tice-403-p.asp

Olympics 2012
 

First time (for me) to see the Team GB suit by Adidas:

http://wiggle.co.uk/adidas-london-20...wimming-trunk/

Great looking suit! Is it too late to change my citizenship? I've got to get one of those.

(sorry, can't resist: Byron, you are to be congratulated - 2 links in a row that actually work??!!! OMG)

keep fingers crossed.....
 

:) .......... must be the tuition I get !

You don't need a new passport - Wiggle say it's 25.67 for USD
(and they do say "replica" of course).


Note for Torchwatch:
Not just in Cuba : the helrwee tribe of African pygmies unfortunately live in a region of very tall grassland. They jump up and down all day shouting
"Where the Hell are we?"

evolution...... well Il be darn
 

Byron, yes indeed Il be darn, nice suit indeed but I dont like the red upper strip, but the logos are nice.
To bad Wiggle does not have a replica of the Biejing suit Tom Daley wore, the blue one with the Adidas logo and the british flag logo, I try d to find one of those for weeks but no go.
Two of them were offered on ebay the first one was sz 30 at $100.00 US , an the second one at $300,00 still sz 30.
I wanted that suit so bad that I am still looking for one.
If Wiggle has a replica of the london olympic suit I wonder if they also had a replica of the Beijing suit.
I wonder waht Tom Daley looks like with the London olympic suit on.

TD
 

I will ask Wiggle for the blue Adidas but you can imagine the reply.

He's hanging in Madame Tussaud's now but wrong suit so no use me lurking there late at night to get it for you.

http://digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/news...-pictures.html


Seems you're not the only one but guys on this forum sure seem to be getting their trunks in a twist as to what's required:

http://www.spandex-party.com/YAF/def...?g=posts&t=501

PS
 

Nothing on him so far for 2012 it seems but he has passed his driving test:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/mm/photo/...395678_m21.jpg

Btw did you notice that spandex party members have rankings of
Newbie, Member, Advanced (and a box each for medals which I
don't understand but would fit my Admiral well)

evo of suits .......
 

I have that black Adidas suit with white side strips.
And i saw those pics in wax and his car on one of his bolgs.

The new Great Britain team suit reminds me of the USPS colours that Lance Armstrong wore in the Tour de France.

http://www.cyclingdeal.com/04-us-pos...orts-kits.html

delivering the goods
 

:) ......which also reminds me that I never got a reply from UPS re.
new brown speedos for the couriers to wear, so I guess we can take
that as a hoax.