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This is a vintage WWII issued USN bathing suit. It is cotton knit. with a drawstring waist, key pocket and crotch gusset. The front of the suit is lined. It is stenciled inside Bramble JB. There are scattered holes in the fabric, so I wouldn’t recommend wearing this one.
Waist (unstretched): 11-1/2″ (doubled = 23″)
Waist (Stretched): 18″ (doubled = 36″)
Rise: 15″
Side Seam: 10″
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This vintage bathing suit was made by Jantzen in the late 1950s or early 1960s. It has an exotic print green, blue, yellow and orange striped fabric, with a metal buckle bearing the Jantzen diving girl. The front of the suit is lined and there is a key pocket. The tag gives the size as a 32. There is a draw string which ties on the hip.
Waist unstretched: 11″ (doubled = 22″)Waist stretched: 16″ (doubled = 32″)Rise: 11″Side Seam: 7″
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This vintage swimsuit was made by Ocean Champion. It is made of silky nylon, with a full liner. It has a drawstring waist and is in excellent condition.
Waist (unstretched): 16″ (doubled = 32″)Waist (Stretched): 19″ (doubled = 38″)Rise: 14″Side Seam (inner): 5″Side Seam (outer): 8-1/2″
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This jantzen swim suit was made in the 1950s. It is a silver stretch knit material. It has the famous Jantzen diving girl on the hip. The gront is lined, the waist is secured with a draw string and there is an interior key pocket. There is a tag inside reading “Robert F. Mertz”. The original owner? If so, it looks like he barely every wore it- this suit looks brand new. The workmanship is a cut above other suits of the period- all you have to do is look at the embroidered reinforcement around the drawstring to tell that.
Waist unstretched (side to side): 11″
Waist stretched (side to side): 15″
Rise: 12″
Side Seam: 8″
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This vintage swimsuit was made in the 1950s. It is not marked as to its manufacturer. It feels like some kind of heavy knit nylon and cotton blend. There is elastic in the waistband, and holes for a drawstring. They are lined in the front and have a internal key pocket. The elastic is a bit dead, but since it is exposed, it wouldn’t bee too hard to put new elastic in. The fabric has a lot of stretch to it- as you can see from the measurements.
Waist unstretched (side to side): 13″ (doubled = 26″)
Waist Stretched (side to side): 17″ ( doubled = 34″)
Rise: 12″
Side Seam: 7″
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This vintage bathing suit was made in the 1930s by Hardwick. It is horizontally ribbed wool, with piped racing stripes down the side seams. It has a wide white belt, with a solid brass silvertone chevron buckle. The key / change pocket is located in the belt as opposed to the suit itself. It is partially lined and has a zipper for the original removable tank top. Other than a bit of oxidation on the buckle, these trunks are in great shape.
Waist unstretched (side to side): 13″ (doubled = 26″)
Waist stretched (side to side): 16″ (doubled = 32″)
Side: 8-1/2″
Rise: 14″
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This vintage swimsuit dates from the 1930s and was made in the USA by Jantzen. It’s made of wool, and maybe a bit of lastex- there’s a tag that’s faded that is the size and shape of “Lastex” tags. It is maroon and ribbed, with a wide white belt. The buckle has the Jantzen girl on it, as does the body of the suit. There is a flapped watch pocket, and a cotton lining in the front. It shows a bit of age, but I don’t see any moth holes or noticeable damage.
Marked size: 38″
Waist unstretched (side to side): 17″
Waist stretched (side to side): 19″
rise: 17″
Sides: 11-1/2″
This vintage men’s swimsuit was made in the 1930s by Montgomery Wards. It is “Permafit Swimwear” made from wool and lastex. It is ribbed and has a draw string waist. There are belt loops for a fairly skinny belt. This pair is stained and has holes- please refer to the pictures.
Waist unstretched (side to side): 15″ (doubled = 30″)
Waist Stretched (side to side) 16″ ( doubled = 32″)
Rise: 13-1/2″
Sides: 8″
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This vintage men’s swim suit was made in the 1930s by Gatner Wikies, the originators of this type of suit. The patent number on the tag is for a 1932 patent for a very similar pair of trunks- the patent, along with 1930s Gatner Wikies ads showing very similar models to this are below. The suit has a hole just at the corner of the key pocket, and one at the gusset seam- because of the location, I would think a repair would not show too bad. Otherwise, they are in very good shape. They have a flapped pocket, diamond crotch gusset, white belt with a chevron and star buckle. They have a heavy ribbed cotton lining in the front.
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This vintage cotton gabardine swimsuit was made in the 1930s by Allen-A Life Guard. I’ve attached an ad from 1938 advertising this model. As opposed to the usual elastic or wool construction, these lace up at the hip. They have a round coin pocket. There is some wear and light fading, but these have made it through the past 70+ years remarkably well.
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