Men’s Swimwear

Buy 80's Men's Swimwear

Breaking New Barriers with 80s Men's Swimwear Fashions

Do you remember the 80s? This was the time when Michael Jackson was still a pop idol. Teens and young males would often imitate his unusual fashion style by wearing dark sunglasses, leather jackets and pants and donning that one glove. Sure this seems a bit zany now, but in the 80s it was the height of being cool. Michael J brought skin tight male trousers and gyrating dance moves front and center with his videos. Just about the only clothing that had no Jackson influence was sports and swimwear for men.

Although there was a definite difference in swimsuits and athletic shorts, many men would wear some of these styles for a number of uses. 80s swimwear might be worn on the tennis court or to a gym; it just depended on the audacity and boldness of the wearer. The earliest years of the 80s was characterized by swim wear that showed a lot of leg. Many of the styles had piping at the sides and bright bold colors were also coming on to the scene.

VINTAGE MENS CAL SURF SWIM SHORT BLUE WHITE FLORAL PRINTS 1980s 36

VINTAGE MENS CAL SURF SWIM SHORT BLUE WHITE FLORAL PRINTS 1980s 36
Paypal   US $39.99
SOBE Mens Blue Tan SURFER Swim Suit Short Swimming Running Shorts by LAGUNA S 30

SOBE Mens Blue Tan SURFER Swim Suit Short Swimming Running Shorts by LAGUNA S 30
Paypal   US $19.95
VINTAGE MENS CATALINA SWIM SUIT BLUE 1980s SZ 40

VINTAGE MENS CATALINA SWIM SUIT BLUE 1980s SZ 40
Paypal   US $39.99

The legs of men’s swimwear were high cut at the side of the thighs and resembled the same style of pants worn on court by basketball players. In fact it was common for men to check the interior of athletic shorts to see if they were really meant for swimming. The true telltale sign of a swimwear item was apparent if the item had a nylon brief attached inside.

Regular athletic shorts in the early 80s looked identical to many swimwear styles, but they were produced without this additional feature. There were some bold souls who would simply wear their own underwear underneath a pair of nylon gym shorts and Voila, they had something that would work  for them in a pinch if they wanted to go swimming without purchasing actual beach wear.

The squared off legs were heavily favored by designers like Izod and a few others. Although these square cut legs were still a bit short in length the look made them very distinctive in appearance as opposed to the ones that looked as though they were straight from the gym. The Izod label was extremely popular at the beach and those little alligators were once seen in every coastal town.

As the 80s progressed the leg length of male swimwear changed too. In addition to a longer leg style the designs now included material that featured colorful pastels, wild designs and elaborate tropical floral prints. Fashion statements at the beach were no longer the single domain of the female as men’s swimwear began to break free from the blander, more boring looks seen in the past.

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