Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The Retro Bowling Shirt Strikes Back
By S. Taylor
Retro bowling shirts are now topping many lists of sport goods best sellers, and there's a good reason for that - they look great! An item with a classic 'American' feel to it, it now sells around the world, so what's the history of the bowling shirt, and why is the retro style so popular..?
The bowling shirt originated as something which was efficient for bowlers to wear. The short sleeves and box design meant that the material didn't interfere with the bowling action, and it wasn't so tight that it hindered it either. The cotton blend of the material meant that it was comfortable to wear, airy to allow perspiration without any nasty staining! The block colors meant that teams could be easily identified in busy rinks during competitions.
All well and good for the bowlers, but it was in the 1950s that the shirt made an impression outside the confines of the rinks and lanes. With the onset of rockabilly, the youth started to wear these bowling shirts as general casual clothing, and it took off as a cool look, with the possibilities of embroidery of names and logos adding to the fun.
In later years, the mods, who were the arch enemies of the rockers, even started to wear them! They did change the style somewhat, in that they only wore fitted designs as opposed to the original box shape. Always popular in the bowling alleys, the shirt went up and down in popularity outside the rink, but with the rise of internet commerce, the desire to sell to all markets meant a perfect opportunity for the retro shirt to make a comeback.
With its' classic block colors and design, the retro bowling shirt is typical nostalgic Americana, and people love to look back to a bygone age, when everything seemed so much simpler.
In today's world of seemingly endless struggles, the retro bowler's shirt has an important function - it makes people smile! If someone sees you wearing one, they won't point and jeer, they'll smile and say 'cool shirt', and it's this simple fact more than anything that has helped the comeback of the retro bowling shirt.
Retro bowling shirts are now topping many lists of sport goods best sellers, and there's a good reason for that - they look great! An item with a classic 'American' feel to it, it now sells around the world, so what's the history of the bowling shirt, and why is the retro style so popular..?
The bowling shirt originated as something which was efficient for bowlers to wear. The short sleeves and box design meant that the material didn't interfere with the bowling action, and it wasn't so tight that it hindered it either. The cotton blend of the material meant that it was comfortable to wear, airy to allow perspiration without any nasty staining! The block colors meant that teams could be easily identified in busy rinks during competitions.
All well and good for the bowlers, but it was in the 1950s that the shirt made an impression outside the confines of the rinks and lanes. With the onset of rockabilly, the youth started to wear these bowling shirts as general casual clothing, and it took off as a cool look, with the possibilities of embroidery of names and logos adding to the fun.
In later years, the mods, who were the arch enemies of the rockers, even started to wear them! They did change the style somewhat, in that they only wore fitted designs as opposed to the original box shape. Always popular in the bowling alleys, the shirt went up and down in popularity outside the rink, but with the rise of internet commerce, the desire to sell to all markets meant a perfect opportunity for the retro shirt to make a comeback.
With its' classic block colors and design, the retro bowling shirt is typical nostalgic Americana, and people love to look back to a bygone age, when everything seemed so much simpler.
In today's world of seemingly endless struggles, the retro bowler's shirt has an important function - it makes people smile! If someone sees you wearing one, they won't point and jeer, they'll smile and say 'cool shirt', and it's this simple fact more than anything that has helped the comeback of the retro bowling shirt.
Labels: Bowling Shirt