Info on Jantzen Swim Trunk/Surf Shorts

[BlaisetheGinger]

I recently purchased these Jantzen trunks and haven’t been able to find any information on them. The seller said they were likely 1960s and potentially dead stock as they didn’t appear to be worn.

The most closely resemble the 1966 Hawaiian Villager Beachboy Tights, but this pattern wasn’t one of the four offered. However the material looks right as it feels like a lighter canvas duckcloth.

Most of the stitching appears to be normal machine sewing for seams and hems, however the front closure is throwing me for a loop. I’d expect it to be a zipper given the year, but it’s obviously been replaced with Velcro in a much less “finished” manner and you can still see where it looks like the zipper was previously attached.

I did find an ad in Surfer magazine from 1963(?) that had a competing brand (Hang Ten) introducing shorts with Velcro in their first Surfer mag advertisement, so is it possible that these were some sort of prototype to compete?

Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[The Vintage Vendeuse]

1960s seems right and I think they were possibly once part of a "barkcloth" cabana set (matching shirt and shorts/trunks). It also seems likely that the original zipper became non-functional and was replaced by a previous owner with the velcro. It's doubtful that they were made that way by Jantzen based on your description of the stitching. They appear not to have had a liner, which is odd, but perhaps they weren't originally intended for swimming... just beach wear.
Very cool!

 

[BlaisetheGinger]

1960s seems right and I think they were possibly once part of a "barkcloth" cabana set (matching shirt and shorts/trunks). It also seems likely that the original zipper became non-functional and was replaced by a previous owner with the velcro. It's doubtful that they were made that way by Jantzen based on your description of the stitching. They appear not to have had a liner, which is odd, but perhaps they weren't originally intended for swimming... just beach wear.
Very cool!

It would definitely make sense that this would be part of a barkcloth set. The fact that there is absolutely no sign of wear and tear on the fabric makes it seem like the zipper was intentionally replaced but the item wasn’t warn. In addition, it appears to be the same thread from the same machine, but done in a less finished manner.