What is it? (vintage or not?)

[little-bea]

Evening!

Can anyone help me date these? Are they shorts or swim bottoms? Every once in awhile I pull them out stare at them and put them away. (If I was a cartoon character I'd have 50 question marks floating around my head!! ... actually I look kind of like this guy!)



The cotton fabric is so bright it looks new but the zipper is vintage cotton/fabric and metal with two yellow plastic buttons. They're fully lined in light cotton. (?) It's attached at the waist band and zipper but the bottom of the lining is elasticised like bloomers.

The pattern is a stylized bird with a great curly tail. After reading fuzzylizzies blog I'm wondering if they're tennis or swim panties. (Dating them's a whole other challenge for me.)

Thanks ahead of time for lending me your time & experience!!
TLC

 

[vintageclothesline]

I do think it is vintage and I think it is a bathing suit bottom. Very cute. Just trying what to pair it with since there is no top.

 

[little-bea]

Thanks!! The colors are so bright it looked new but the style/zipper are vintage. I hadn't thought of the matching top. Perhaps someone would pair it up with a modern bikini top (fingers crossed) although that's probably not true is it?

Would it be early 60's? (50's?) maybe I'll come across a top from the same era that would work.

 

[poppysvintageclothing]

These definitely look old...the print and the white cotton underneath make me think they are from the 1940s.

They are the bottoms to a swimsuit, pity you don't have the bra top...looks a little like a 1940s sun suit.