A Conversation for Tank Tops

History

Post 1

Taff Agent of kaos

what is the history of the tank top

how did it come about????

smiley - bat


History

Post 2

Icy North

What, the knitwear version?

Probably some Paris designer in the 1960s tried it on the catwalk. It subsequently took the name from the US sleeveless top, originally a bathing or tank suit (as it says in the entry)


History

Post 3

Taff Agent of kaos

<>

men and boys are seen in film wearing them in WWII so hardly a 60s thing

smiley - bat


History

Post 4

Reefgirl (Brunel Baby)

Unfortunatly knitting designers keep trying to persuade the British public that the Tank Top is coming back, right, they obviously haven't asked the British public if they want it back. There isn't a month that goes by when some magazine doesn't publish a pattern for a TT, I have done a little research into this, I've asked lads of 17 and Gent's of a certain age if they would wear one and the answer has always been NO!!.

Tank tops should be consigned to that special place in Hell where the Ra-Ra skirt and Flares were sent to die.

Sorry about the rant but this has been a bug bare of mine for a while now


History

Post 5

Reefgirl (Brunel Baby)

In WW2 it was probably a lack of wool that bought the sleevless pully in, the wool you save by not knitting sleeves could be used to make a pair of socks or a pair of gloves, even something for a baby.


History

Post 6

Icy North

I'm guessing they wouldn't have called them 'tank tops' then. I looked it up in the Times Archive and found some references to it in the early Seventies (I think) in inverted commas, so I think the name was fairly new then.

Were the WW2 ones a) knitted and b) garish?


History

Post 7

Icy North

reply to post 3 smiley - smiley


History

Post 8

Reefgirl (Brunel Baby)

Knitted yes, garish no, probably plain brown, green, blue, grey and black, probably not fair isle either unless you had lots of left over wool to use up.

Make Do and Mend was the watch words then


History

Post 9

Taff Agent of kaos

nice article

plenty of puns, but can we have a bit more of the origins of the tank top

when were the first ones made, how did they come about, that sort of thing???

smiley - bat


History

Post 10

Icy North

Well, feel free to research an update, Taff. smiley - smiley

I took it as far as I could with the resources at my disposal.

Also, I didn't want to lose the energy of the original (it was a fleamarket rescue)


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