I do like to be beside the seaside - but ideally in a vintage swimsuit

August 28, 2010 12:12 AM

Can you help me in my search for a Victorian-style men's striped bathing suit in a Victorian style?

I'm looking for a men's striped bathing suit in the Victorian style. Ideally red and white stripes, otherwise blue and white. For an example see this image from the Sweeney Todd movie or alternatively some of these costumes: 1, 2, 3. But I am small - a 34/36 chest, no more - and all the costumes I have found start at medium. One-piece or two-piece would both be fine. Any ideas?

posted by skylar to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (6 answers total)

They were knitted. Which is a great source of hilarity for anyone with cause to go through archives of beach photos, and might suggest you just need a pattern and a dedicated grandmother...
posted by Ahab at 12:30 AM on August 28, 2010

I did some quick googling and couldn't find any in the size you want, but some of the mediums start at a 38 chest. Could you maybe get one with the highest percentage of cotton and try to shrink it a little?
posted by amyms at 12:55 AM on August 28, 2010

If you do have a dedicated grandma, patterns can be bought here. Scroll down for men's. There doesn't look to be anything really old, but they've got the 1920-30s ones.
posted by Ahab at 1:03 AM on August 28, 2010

Etsy has an alchemy section where you can request bids on items to be made. If you don't have that dedicated grandma, you might find one there.
posted by bizzyb at 7:11 AM on August 28, 2010

Here you are.
posted by headspace at 7:14 AM on August 28, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks Headspace but they're medium and I need a small.
posted by skylar at 1:59 PM on September 2, 2010