Womens vintage sweatshirts
October 11, 2015Though people lately have been making a big deal out of seeing male cheerleaders, men actually began the activity back in the 1800s. It wasn’t until the 1950s that the phenomenon became dominated by girls. This is the era that the best womens vintage sweatshirts come from.
1950s womens vintage sweatshirts
Cheerleaders in the 1950s wore a racy uniform of knee-length skirt (it had got a bit shorter by the 1960s), bobby socks, tennis shoes and a letter sweater with the team initial on it. this was topped off, of course, with the all important pom poms, at first made from crepe paper but later from weather proof vinyl. It was the look everyone wanted and cheerleader or not, sporty letter sweaters were a fashion hit.
Knitted sweaters were also a huge fashion craze in the 1950s too. These ones were as tight as possible so that a woman’s pointy bust was shown to full advantage, and often made of angora or mohair. They were worn with slacks, capri pants, or full circle skirts with pouffy petticoats for dancing in. The sweater was so central to the effect that it was called the Sweater Girl look.
1980s womens vintage sweatshirts
In the 80s and 90s sportswear became fashionable again and a different type of womens vintage sweatshirts took centre stage.
In the 1980s, Jane Fonda had just about all women going crazy for aerobics, and sportswear became fashionable to do it in. She released lots of home videos for you to do your aerobics routine at home in from t of the telly, but just because no-one could see you but the cat didn’t mean that you shouldn’t dress the part. In came leotards and tights in bright colours with a sweatshirt to throw on top. Lots of people also wore big baggy sweatshirts on the street over leggings with leg warmers to match.
The film Flashdance with Jennifer Beals in 1983 was centered on a steel worker by day, dancer by night, and soon, every teenage girl wanted to be a welder-dancer too. Well, you could at least wear the outfits, and casual womens vintage sweatshirts worn off the shoulder were de rigueur along with a ripped t-shirt and light sheen of sweat, as if you’ve just come fresh from welder-dancing this moment. That’s the Flashdance look, and it’s still referenced in catwalk shows.
1990s
In 1995, bands like All Saints wore jogging bottoms and little vests with trainers to perform in, and on TV, characters from shows like the Fresh Prince of Bel Air wore really expensive sports brands to show that they were both rich and super cool. Rappers like Snoop Dogg also maintained sportswear’s cool.
In 2001 Juicy Couture launched, making velvety tracksuits beloved by celebs including Madonna, who had a customised version made. These hoodies and sweatshirts were ideal for chillaxing on international flights whilst still looking ultra expensive. So womens vintage sweatshirts have always been popular, whether for cheerleaders in the 1950s, aerobics fans of the 1980s, pop stars of the 1990s, or celebs of the Noughties.
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