1930s vintage in today's gyms

[Laraquan]

Do you vintage ladies and gents go down to the local gyms, sports centers or the like in vintage-style clothing? What choices have you made? What compromises? I'm especially keen to hear from the vintage ladies on this one.

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

I can't imagine wearing antique clothing in constant activity such as a gym or even playing sports. Vintage clothing can be delicate, and you have to remember that the clothing you are wearing is 50 or more years old. It's entirely possible but I myself wouldn't try it.

 

[Laraquan]

Oh sorry, let me explain. I meant vintage repro-type stuff. I'm just interested in hearing what sorts of clothes ladies and gentlemen did wear and then I can keep an eye out for it in Target and the like. Of course I wouldn't wear antique clothing to it!

 

[LizzieMaine]

Do you vintage ladies and gents go down to the local gyms, sports centers or the like in vintage-style clothing? What choices have you made? What compromises? I'm especially keen to hear from the vintage ladies on this one.

Well, I have a pair of vintage cotton gym shorts that have held up pretty well, and I top those off with a plain white cotton short-sleeve blouse. For shoes, I have a pair of white PF Flyers high tops -- they've got good arch support, and are very comfortable for sports use.

I'd like to find a good pattern for a one-piece gymsuit, of the sort those of us of a certain age were issued for grammar school gym class, but so far I haven't seen one.

 

[gluegungeisha]

Ooh, I've been thinking about this as well. What about repro-ish attire for non-gym sports, like rock climbing and yoga? I mean, you can wear regular "street clothes" to a climbing gym, but my problem is that my street clothes usually consist of a pencil skirt or slacks!! Hehehe.

 

[Paisley]

There's a book called Yoga for Americans written in the late 1950s. It shows the women in leotards and the men in shorts and wife beaters.

 

[Forgotten Man]

Vintage gym clothes, interesting topic!

There are some reproduction sweat suits that can be bought that are copies of 1930’s and 40’s cuts… I believe some small independent businesses in Japan have reproduced these, they’re very authentic in the details and in quality but, can cost quite a bit. The originals are extremely expensive and hard to find… they were also very popular in Japan so, they started to reproduce them.

For those who aren’t too keen on sweats, watch some of the early WB musicals from the 30’s such as 42nd Street… there’s some rehearsal scenes that could give you ladies fun ideas for play suits… there are a few out there who make nice custom clothes… and the ladies stuff isn’t too hard to replicate.

My self, I’m not much on working out… yeah, I’m a bum… hahaha. But, some times I’ll ride my bike and I’ll just put on some old styled jeans and a stripped or plane t-shirt and go for a ride. Not much for public gyms my self.

FM~

 

[The Wingnut]

The only thing I have along those lines is a repro Army Air Corps PT shirt, which I'm wearing right now. I usually wear my basic training issue PT gear, which is no longer standard outside of basic, since the new PT uniform came out. Heather gray cotton t-shirt and shorts with a big 'AIR FORCE' in a dark blue arc across the chest.

Vintage / repro equipment might not be bad, but it would take a pretty brave person to pull it off. The shoes would definitely be a compromise, I've got numerous pairs of PF Flyers and I've had 3 pairs of Chuck Taylors, the soles are very thin and there's not much support. I'd prefer a modern pair of shoes if I was doing anything like playing basketball or running. Blowing out your knees or twisting an ankle is a lousy price to pay for being stylish.

The athletic t-shirts of the day did not have the usual collar we're used to seeing on modern t-shirts, the opening was larger, sitting just inside the collar bones, and instead of a knitted web around the opening, they had a welt. Obviously, baggy was not thought of, the shirts were fitted, but not tight. Most men's athletic shirts were sleeveless, however. The shorts came to mid-thigh or even higher.

Here's a few shots of Notre Dame basketball players in the '30s. Note the shorts length, the tucked in shirts, the high tops, and the belts. If you showed up like this in a gym today, you'd probably get laughed out of there.

 

[cowboy76]

Sadly, people that go to gyms are more of the first two of three types as I have noticed.

1. Narcissist Jocks,...that look in the mirror at themselves 50% of the time while the other 50% is used to act like an ass and gawk at others pointing out a gal's endowments or poking fun at others. Often times these are the steriod monkey-boys!!

2. Bobble-Head Specials,....those that try and mimic the Narcissist Jocks while their heads are bobbing back and forth looking at everyone else's response to their being presence.

3. True-Believers,....those who are there to work out and ignore others.

Fact is, if most of us went to work out in a vintage outfit, it would probably just get ugly!!:rage: lol

 

[kampkatz]

Many of the vintage outfits were of 100% cotton so the wouldn't last very long. Today's synthetic materials are much more durable and can wear a long,long time.

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

There are some reproduction sweat suits that can be bought that are copies of 1930’s and 40’s cuts… I believe some small independent businesses in Japan have reproduced these, they’re very authentic in the details and in quality but, can cost quite a bit.

(Bump!)

Do you have a link or name for those?