How did pre-Lycra suits fit

[JamesSwim]

Originally Posted by Dooley67

My pre-Lycra suits were all nylon. I had a green Ocean brief, about 4 or 5" sides. It was loose but had some stretchability when it was wet. This was in 1967 - I remember it specifically because I wore it when I started graduate school when I went to a lake with a buddy from my dorm that I had just met? The other was a smaller Speedo brand - 2-3" which fit tight and was relatively low cut, and had very little stretchability. Sad thing is that I don't know what happened to them - probably lost them through so many moves at that time.

D67

Even if you don't have stretch, I prefer those to some new Lycra suits that may fit tight, but are thin, so you don't feel much support. Plus being so thin means it reveals more curves than I prefer.

[Dooley67]

Originally Posted by JamesSwim

Even if you don't have stretch, I prefer those to some new Lycra suits that may fit tight, but are thin, so you don't feel much support. Plus being so thin means it reveals more curves than I prefer.

I completely agree with you. That's one of the reasons I like the Turbo water polo suits because they don't show your package in any way that stands out (lol....pun intended).

D67

[shaulis]

Originally Posted by Dooley67

I completely agree with you. That's one of the reasons I like the Turbo water polo suits because they don't show your package in any way that stands out (lol....pun intended).

D67

Dooley67,

Its the unlined swimwear that show off the male form. I think swimwear makers are using lighter weight material that makes it feel thinner. I'm sure the reason why the makers are using the light weight material is monetary.

[Dooley67]

Originally Posted by shaulis

Dooley67,

Its the unlined swimwear that show off the male form. I think swimwear makers are using lighter weight material that makes it feel thinner. I'm sure the reason why the makers are using the light weight material is monetary.

shaulis,

I'm sure that you're right about that. They say the lightweight material is for a faster swim, but money is the overriding reason.

D67

[sebbie]

I have a Janzen swim brief in an orange-red Flag-like pattern with stars. It dates from about 1972. The material is not Lycra, but a woven material with rubberized threads intermingled like would be used in a jock-strap only finer.

This suit isnt in great shape, but its still together, more or less. I bought a Lycra Speedo about the same time. That one disintegrated many years ago, so this fabric was a lot sturdier.

The tags are still in the suit, recommending machine washing, cold. Unfortunately there is no tag indicating exactly what the material was.

This suit fit quite snug.

Sebbie

[JamesSwim]

Originally Posted by sebbie

I have a Janzen swim brief in an orange-red Flag-like pattern with stars. It dates from about 1972. The material is not Lycra, but a woven material with rubberized threads intermingled like would be used in a jock-strap only finer.

This suit isnt in great shape, but its still together, more or less. I bought a Lycra Speedo about the same time. That one disintegrated many years ago, so this fabric was a lot sturdier.

The tags are still in the suit, recommending machine washing, cold. Unfortunately there is no tag indicating exactly what the material was.

This suit fit quite snug.

Sebbie

I think the fabric you have that is rubbery is lastex.

http://www.glamoursurf.com/articles/...8259/90530.htm

says:
"an elastic core wound around with cotton or silk or nylon or rayon threads"

I wish they still made these suits.

By the way, the site listed above is interesting. Lots of info on old swimwear. It even sells an "open side" suit that was discussed on this site a while back.

http://www.glamoursurf.com/catalog/i...40/9720487.htm

and also look at the ad on this page on Lastex

http://wearinghistoryblog.com/category/lastex/

Talk about high waisted suits! And "quick drying" worsted suits.

[sebbie]

The fabric is falling apart in back, but Lycra wouldn't be here at all in 40 years

Front
http://www.sebringsil.com/sw1.jpg

Rear:


http://www.sebringsil.com/sw2.jpg


Just for comparizon, here is a magenta Thong from Koalaswim.com. This is probably 10-12 years old and in great shape

http://www.sebringsil.com/sw3.jpg

And just for the fun of it, my new Seobean 40 years after the Janzen
http://www.sebringsil.com/sw4.jpg

[PSDave]

Before they started using the lycra all the suits were 100% nylon and fit great. Suits were generally 2 or 3 inches on the sides and either solid colors or stripes. (patterns came just before Lycra hit the market) There were also some all nylon suits that we called tank suits. They were about 5 or 6 inches on the side and had an inner "under pant". (They are now sold as drag or training suits) Lycra had fun patterns but as is the case today, they don't hold up anywhere as long as the nylon suits did. The also had to be treated better with rinsing and hand washing. The nylon suits got tossed in the lockers after practice while still wet with pool water and when washed went in the the reset of the wash. I still have 20+ year old nylon suits while not a single lycra suit lasted more than two. I think that Lycra was used so that guys would have to buy suits every year.

[Tsbailey47]

When I was in grade school many guys wore the 100% nylon brief suits like Speedo; Ocean Speed and Ocean Champion were the favorites at that time. Lycra wasn't readily available back then. I always wore the Ocean Champion to the beach, it was white and blue vertical stripes and the white parts were a bit translucent when the suit was wet, even though it had a full, front and back liner. I usually wore a jock strap under the suit so my parts couldn't be seen by the girls. Later, in high school I discovered the Speedo nylon suits with much more narrow sides and these became my new favorites for the beach and school swimming pool. Then, strangely, styles changed and most of the guys, including my friends switched to longer, baggie shorts. I tried these, but just couldn't figure out why anyone would like them for swimming. They were uncomfortable, awkward in the water and stayed wet for hours. I never made the switch and kept on wearing the Speedo suits with about 3" sides. Occasionally, someone would make a comment about my "old style" swimsuit and there was even a rare reference to my being "Gay". I really didn't give a damn and continued wearing my Speedo type suits everywhere. Then came lyrca, at first I loved the way they fit and because they stretched I wouldn't outgrow them. The patterns changed, no longer was I limited to a solid color front and back with white sides. I developed a fondness for suits with at least 4 different bright colors. Now I am about the same size as I was while in college and I'm soooo glad I held onto my 100% nylon Speedos, I think they fit better and feel a lot better than any lycra suit I ever had. Living in Mexico, where the sun is pretty intense, I find that I get a pretty decent tan right through these nylon suits (the fabric is sooooo thin). When I am able to be nude on the beach I will do so, but that's becoming more and more difficult, so a suit I can tan through is a big pluss. I have a couple of Aussiebum nylon suits I like a lot, these are extremely translucent when wet, especially the ones with white stripes or solid light blue (ice blue?), but I don't mind at all when I come out of the water and my parts can be seen by anyone close. I tried one of the AB wonderjock suits and I do wear it once in a while, but it's not comfortable for a whole day at the beach. My present preference is for a suit with 1" to 1 1/2" sides, but suits like this are super hard to find in nylon, spandex being the most available. Not as many guys wear brief type suits in Mexico any more, but no one ever makes any bad comments and usually no one even looks twice at a guy wearing a bikini or even a thong (yes, I do wear a thong on the beach once in a while).

[Tsbailey47]

My experience is the same. The lycra suits, especially if they are not VERY tight do allow a lot of "Floppiness" and movement. This makes them quite a bit more revealing than the pre-lycra nylon suits. I always had nylon suits that were pretty tight and nothing would move at all, even though the material is super thin. I like the patterns that are available with the lycra suits but still prefer the fit and feel of the 100% nylon Speedo suits that I never got rid of and still fit me .