That 50's bowling shirt....a retro revival style seen on the fashion runway or some 50's themed Hollywood movie lately? I bet everyone has some impression of this shirt style or perhaps even own a piece or two of them. How did this style of shirt comes about and what's the history behind it?
Bowling has been a very popular sports in the US for a very long time and there's even a bowling alley inside the White House in Washington D.C. for Presidential use. But why exactly is the 50s bowling look so iconic? The 50s was the golden decade of Hollywood glamour and the rise of 'Rockabilly' - one of the earliest style of Rock and Roll music and the Rockabilly fashion trend at that time was open collar shirt with two-tone prints or panelling.
The influence of Rockabilly fashion infiltrated into the bowling sports fashion. Different teams wore shirts with different tones of panelling on their shirts. Signature details include the wide collar (some calls it Hawaiian collar), straight hem, two tone vertical panellings and boxy silhouette.
In today's latest menswear trend, the bowling has come back in a big way with designer brands showcasing men's shirt in bowling shirts detailings. Take a look at 3 of the re-interpretation of the 50's bowling shirt trend.
