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Thirties • Male Regulation Swimming Costume

• Regulation style bathing costumes•
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Men wore similar full length swimsuits to women.
Between the wars the introduction of swimming lessons in schools increased ownership of bathing costumes.
All are knitted and have singlet tops but can feature legs of varied length . School or club regulations changed slowly and length of leg is only a rough guide to the date.

Photographs from the late thirties can show both men in regulation swimwear and men in bathing trunks. For both men and women it was considered distasteful to show ones navel belly button and bathing trunks were worn high for this reason.
At the close of the thirties the regulation style was obsolete and men began to tuck their singlet tops into the waist of the suit. By the war and onward only women wore full length swimwear.
Often you may see initials embroidered on the front; either the owners initials or those of a school or swimming club.
At this time the regulation style was the safest option for knitted swimwear.
When it was wet, the natural yarns used for swimwear could not be trusted.

Name in pencil on back "Ray"  • date mid thirties  • about 18 years old- born about 1918