The 1.5 inch swim brief
 

The swim brief with 1.5 inch (4 cm) sides. Who would dare to wear one?
Normally Speedo have manufactured briefs with 2 inch sides, but more recently they've widened them. But according to Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swim_briefs

'The most common racing suit styles are 1.5 inch to 3 inch paneled briefs (as measured by the height and length of the suit's side panel).'

And it's not that they're difficult to find. In the Swim Brief section of Figleaves, for example, nearly half of the suits are that width.

http://www.figleaves.com/uk/men/swim...SP3_swimbriefs

Of course, if you trawl the internet you can find much briefer suits, but who wears these? It's possible you might see this at a beach resort, but not a public indoor pool where the dress code is stricter.

It would seem that the 1.5 inch swim brief is the minimum you can wear while still maintaining respectability.

Thanks for the post Bede - I had never been to the Figleaves website. There's really a good selection of styles and colors. I fully agree that 1.5 is the minimum to wear at a public pool and that may be pushing it a bit.

D67

Be reasonable guys!
 

If you want to be comfortable in your own skin doing laps at a public pool you WILL get looks if you wear less that 2.5 sides. My Caussies are about that and maybe a smitchen less. (an old Vermont) word! But only just a "smitchen"

Dorcas3,

That hasn't been my experience at all at my Y in Maine. I only wear suits which have 2" sides (Sportis, Nikes, Tyrs, Turbos) which I am very comfortable in, and I get no disparaging looks from anyone. But I wouldn't wear anything less than 2". I have noticed a couple of older women who are waiting for their swim class in the pool lobby have smiled at this old guy as I pass through on my way to the locker room.

D67

I've always worn suits with 2" sides and didn't have any problems. During the last 6 months my suits have been 1.7" and slightly lower rise, but there have been no issues there either. A year ago I had a few outings in Aussiebum 1.5 Classic and was really surprised that there were no problems.

There again, I've only worn the really brief suits at my local pool. I feel that as they allow women to wear tiny bikinis there, then they can't object to men with brief suits. Anyway, away from my local pool I tend to stick to the 2" ones. I wore them on a recent holiday to Turkey, for example.

Sorry
 

I take it all back! Wore my flag Sportis today I'll settle for 1 1/2!

All is forgiven, especially because you wore your flag Sportis today...lol

D67

I find that the side doesn't determine modesty as much as the front. Up until this season most of the Speedos I found in stores were 4" sides. This season 2" seems to be more common and I like it. I went into sports authority yesterday to get a black string bikini (obviously not in men's) and walked out with a quite conservative grey speedo with 2" sides... I'm comfortable with sides as little as 1/2" around everybody but the support or lack of it isn't the front can change how modest I feel and look.

1 inch sides...
 

I have wore my Intymen suits which had 1 inch sides and I didn't get any werid looks.

In fact I was checking out the MateGear website to see if they had something comparable.

My biggest thing is that the suit better hold up very well in chlorinated pools, hate to spend so much money and then have the colors fade and then the fabric break down as well.

Any of you fellow guys have opinions about MateGear suits? Made in Korea :o

i wear nothing but seobean swimsuits usually which have about 1inch side with no issues at my local Y :)

Can't see the big difference between 2 inches and 1.5 inches. I have my own pool so don't go to local public pools but whenever I travel I have a one inch side suit I wear. The only comment I ever got was from the bartender that said it was good to see a guy in a skimpy suit that actually had the body to wear one. He said it was usually guys that were out of shape or wore a suit so tight it looked like sausage casing

You don't see a 1.5 inch suit in competitive divers, for example, so you're conscious you're wearing less than standard. But when you're in the water you don't really notice the difference. Well not much, anyway.

I think you inspired me to take the plunge Bede. Yesterday I ordered a classic Aussiebum 1.5" nylon suit. I haven't worn a nylon suit in years and decided to get one, and, what the hell, go for the 1.5 rather than the 2". I'll let you know how it is when it arrives.

D67

The only problem with them is that they're really thin. At least with the Hom brief they are of a decent texture, which makes you feel much more secure.

I've had some AB suits in the past and I know they're thin. I was going for cheap - $11.71 USD and free shipping. The sheer rating is pretty decent, but if it's too thin, I've got a 1" black Cover Male bikini I could wear under it if it feels comfortable.

D67

For years the divers wore a suit that was extremely tight with about 6 inch sides made out of a strong spandex. The though being that they would stay in place when they dove. At the same time the swimmers were in nylon and about 3-4 inch sides. It was the 1972 Olympics in Munich when Mark Spitz showed up in the now famous stars and tripe suit that designs and patterns really emerged. In the Los Angeles Olympics when Greg Louganis wore the regular 2-3 inch speedo that the diver really got in on the color and design band wagon in a skimpier suit. I am sure that the size of the speedo now depends on either the team preferences or that of the diver. I am guessing that the suit is way down the list on important things a diver thinks about when perfecting his diving.

I wear Turbo, TyR and Sporti with 2" sides to my Y and high school pools and have no problems. I also just bought a 1.5" Aussiebum Classic nylon suit (on sale). Love the feel of the nylon and can't wait to have it on the beach on Lake MI (once the ice melts!)

Welcome to the board swimmer. I hope you enjoy the conversations and contribute as often as you want. Incidentally, I also just ordered an AB 1.5 classic and am eager to try it out at the Y where I swim. I also don't expect any problems since I've been wearing 2" suits as long as I've been swimming there.

Dooley67

That reminds me a bit of this photograph:
Attachment 417

Does that mean competitive swimmers and divers, when they're in training, prefer really brief suits?

I used to know a swimmer that competed in the Olympics. Their favorite practice suits were any suit that was given to them by a swimsuit company and that fit. He preferred a suit briefer than his competition suit so that the tan line would be smaller than the suit and not show a white line. That was the only comment he made about practice suits (other than offering me a couple cuz he had so many)

Speedo Solar
 

I heard that the Speedo Solar was made so competitive swimmers and divers could tan in something smaller than they would wear in competition but still covered enough to be legal anywhere. Has anyone else heard this?

I wear 1.5 to 2" while on holiday in the Caribbean with pride:D

That is really a wild story. First, while divers often wear a regular speedo for practice and then a diving suit during competition, there was no suit created for just such a purpose. It was probably a matter of economics since the regular speedos were considerably less money than the competition suits.(Diving suits used to be much larger than swimming suits and a very thick spandex type material. They were designed to remain in place when the diver entered the water) Legal?? According to all the conversations on this board through the years there is no place that a speedo is illegal -- no matter what the side measures -- and to my knowledge, no diver has worn a thong when diving - practice or competitive.
The Solar was a natural progression in size when the suits went from 5" to 3" etc. as the briefer suits gained popularity. Actually, the US franchise of Speedo made a 1.5 inch all nylon suit long before the current lycra suits gained popularity.

My AB classic 1.5 arrived yesterday and when I put it on I was glad that I had ordered size Small rather than my usual Medium. Even the small is not as tight as the Sporti, Turbo or Nike sits that I have. Although not as low cut as I expected, the fit is good.

Trying it on dry there has a VPL which made me a bit uneasy so I wore it in the shower and surprisingly there was no VPL. So, tomorrow I'll wear it to swim my laps at the Y - I'm looking forward to seeing how swimming in a nylon suit feels after so many years. And I don't expect any negative reactions.

Will post my reaction.

D67

the nylon suits fit a lot different than the lycra blends. Just looking at the pictures of the models on the AB site you can see that. Generally they are a little looser than the lycra and lets your package move a bit more. If you get a chance try one in your usual medium and feel the difference.

Caussie
 

For 100% Nylon try Caussie!

I wore the AB today for laps and even found the size Small to be too baggy and I didn't like that my package moved around. The drawstrings also needed to be retied several times until I did a double knot which worked but was bulky and uncomfortable - I'm very tactiley sensitive to how any article of clothing feels on my body, so it has to be just right for me to be comfortable. It's pretty clear now that I prefer Lycra and elasticine suits. The nylon did feel good in its being so light in the water. Probably won't wear it again for laps but it would be great for the beach or for tanning.

And as I expected, I had absolutely no problem at my Y with the 1.5 so I might be motivated to buy some other 1.5 suits in the fabrics I prefer.

D67

Hey Dooley,
I've found that the newer string on Aussiebums is lose as well, but I've found that by holding the 2 loops and the strings that go around your waist at the same time that you can tighten the not enough for a regular bow tie to work. ;)

I had the same problems with the AB suit, Dooley. Then one day I put in on and noticed there was a hole in the side - probably because the material's too thin. Didn't wear that again. Anyway, the Hom suits are superior in every way, so I will stick with them.

Hey area51tazz,

I tried the AB suit again last week, tied a really tight double knot and it was fine. So today, I decided to try a single knot the way you suggested. It worked for the first 23 laps. Then in my last 2 laps the suit felt loose especially when I turned and pushed off the wall and it seemed lower in front than when I started my swim - didn't think much of it. When I got out of the pool, I discovered that the knot had become untied and it probably would have just been a matter of time before it worked its way down. Only double knots from now on...lol

D67

I've never heard of these and I'm always looking for 1 inch briefs yo wear. I was recently at a spa hotel with my wife and wore a 'Waveline' suit with 3/4 inch sides; very brief with no comments or looks. Considering the other men were in swim shorts, I did stick out (not literally of course) considerably! My wife was more conservative though in a one piece where normally to the beach she wears the skimpiest of bikinis.
I generally wear HOM micro chic swimsuits to the pool and they are quite narrow though my yellow one has quite a full back which I think is way too much fabric. A few months ago I wore a Kiniki tan through micro which did draw quite a few looks. I haven't worn it again, not because I was looked at but because there is no front in the flat front and it feels very constrained.

I have worn the "Waveline" suits for years and really like them. Good quality and the fit works for me. I keep a couple in my suitcase for when I travel. I know I have had looks but more because I was the only one in a brief suit at a pool of board shorts, but nothing negative. I just figure that as long as I am covered it isn't an issue. Only comment I ever had was one of the staff asking where I got the suit and who makes it. As long as women walk around virtually naked I can always scream discrimination if I'm told it is too small.

Yes- I'm generally happy with wavelike though I have a Royal blue one which my wife packed for me to wear in Italy with her, totally to my surprise as she hates speedo styles, anyway; which has unfortunately faded randomly though looks reasonable when wet. I found the white one also starts to discolour and can't dye them. Other than that I like the cut and brevity.

http://stores.ebay.com/swimwear-swim...fsub=674798019


The first 2 have the 1 inch side as i've ordered those before. the other 2 look to have a lot bigger side and cover more as well.



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seobean-New-...-/321189470696

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seobean-New-...-/321473989612

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seobean-New-...-/221538778482

The first Speedo I ever wore in public was a red Solar 1" brief -- of course it was the weekend after Labor Day early in the morning, so only one or two other people actually saw me in it. Every other Speedo I own is a standard 3" one, and I'm still trying to decide if I should wear the 1" when I go swim laps. It's probably not too risque for that?

thats all i wear is the Seobean with 1inch sides. If you are swimming laps nobody will say a thing as you are swimming for exercise. Go in there be confident and do it!!!

You guys are not on the right track
 

You keep worrying about the width of the sides of your suit with regard to whether or not and where it can be worn in public. The truth is, people don't give a darned about the width of the sides at all. There is nothing erotic to be seen on the sides of your legs with a narrow-side suit.

However, at a public pool, I would avoid the suits that encase your penis and balls as separate unique parts of you. Also, at least in the US I would avoid the suits that show a lot of rear butt crack at a public pool. Perhaps if I were in Japan or maybe at some other other Asian pools and beaches, this would be less of a concern. In Japan, showing a bit of butt crack seems to be part of the accepted style.

How much butt crack a suit shows really depend on the length of the suit from the top of the waistband at the rear to the perineum point where the rear of the suit is sewn to the front. I have re-sewed enough old suits to be able to tell you that small differences in length matter when it comes to showing butt crack, even as small as 1/4 to 1/2 inch (less than a 1.5 cm reduction), depending on how long the suit was originally. You can tighten up an old, stretched out suit easily this way with just a single newly-sewn seam.

Sebbie

Some good points! In all honesty, people only see me when I'm walking the quick walk to the pool and when I get back out again. Who cares what I wear while I swim? And I love being seen in a Speedo so, might as well get my 1" suit in rotation too.

Don't know why I didn't think of it before but I have a great 1" suit that has great fit made by LASC. I looked at Internationaljock.com and they have it. It is the St Tropez suit and comes in half a dozen colors. I have one in blue and one in orange. I love the fit and quality and it is respectable for any location

If it's made by one of the major athletic brands (Speedo, Tyr, Nike, etc.), it's going to be appropriate. Considering this is the new normal for women, it's definitely not too risque.