ST201905

T

hesunmaybeshiningbutis a light

coatenoughtokeepa potential

dropintemperatureatbay?No.

Whatyouneedis a sleeveless

jumper.Thiscanbepulledonovera blouse

orlong-sleevedT-shirt,displaying

contrastingcolouredsleevesorinteresting

cuffs,say,whileit keepsyourtophalftoasty.

It is alsoa keyelementwhenachievinga

‘layeredlook’,a ssoof tenadvocatedby

fashionmagazines.

Youmaywellknowthisgarmentasa

‘tanktop’,especiallyif youareofa certain

vintage.Wornextensivelyinthe1970s

withbell-bottomtrousersandshirtswith

extravagantsleevesandwidecollars,it

camepatternedwithstars,stripesand,

weirdly,cartooncharacters.

Thissilhouetteoftightupperhalf,loose

lowerwasalsofavouredbyNorthernsoul

fans,whoappreciatedthefreedomof

movementwhenglidingandswivelling

acrossthedancef loor.

Ina morerusticsetting,PaulMcCartney

madetheclassicFairIsleversionfamous

duringhisScottishcroftingyears,whenhe

wasallaboutbeardsandsheepfarming.

Manya natty,multi-colouredtanktopwas

subsequentlycreated,stitchedupfromthe

knittingpatternsoftheday,andwornby

SIMPLE STYLE

THE TANK TOP

THEUPDATE

Words:CLAREGOGERTY

Lambswool Fair Isle tank top | £98

Channels the spirit of a Scottish

croft. Sheep and beard optional.

brora.co.uk

Knitted jumper | £17.99

A little bit waistcoat, a little bit cardi,

100% tank.

hm.com

Funnel neck tank top | £15

Arms on show, neck nicely covered.

Thoroughly modern.

marksandspencer.com

THE

CLASSIC

TWO

GREAT

TWISTS

offspring and spouses, some more

reluctantly than others.

The term ‘tank top’ was actually

coined by the Americans, prompted by

the arrival of one-piece bathing suits

in the 1920s. Worn in swimming pools,

or ‘tanks’, these ‘tank suits’ resembled

today’s swimsuits in that they had

straps (exposing arms for the first

time), but with the addition of a skirt

to cover the top half of the thighs.

Unsurprisingly, the lack of sleeves

gave the swimmer greater movement,

leading to tank suits being worn at the

Stockholm Olympics for the first time

in 1912. Americans still, confusingly,

refer to what we think of as ‘vests’

or ‘camisoles’ as ‘tank tops’, a direct

reference to the original tank suits.

(How we came to apply the term to

a knitted sleeveless pullover,

however, is a mystery.)

The option to reveal your arms

when wearing a tank top is yet another

point in its favour. As the weather

warms up, the blouse layer can be

discarded, exposing lovely arms and

shoulders to the sun’s rays. You can

put the blouse back on should the

weather forecast prove unreliable.

“This silhouette was

also favoured by

PHOTOGRAPHY: TOPFOTO Northern soul fans”

Tank tops:

great with wing

collars and a

beret; neither

essential