The Tank Top and Slipover

First, a quick note on words, because this one confuses people. In Britain in the 1970s, a "tank top" meant a sleeveless knitted pullover, worn over a shirt - which is what this entry is about. In the US, "tank top" usually means a sleeveless vest-style T-shirt. The knitted version was also called a slipover or sweater vest, and whatever you called it, it was everywhere in the early and middle part of the decade.

The 1970s tank top was typically short and close-fitting, ending at or just above the waist, so it sat neatly above high-waisted bell-bottoms or flared trousers. It had a V or scoop neck and deep armholes, and it was worn over a shirt or blouse with long sleeves and, very often, an enormous pointed collar spread out over the neckline. The knitting was the fun part: bold stripes, Fair Isle bands, argyle diamonds, zigzags, hearts, stars, and all sorts of picture motifs, usually in the decade's favourite colours of brown, mustard, orange, rust, cream, and bottle green.

It was genuinely unisex. Men, women, and children all wore tank tops, often in very similar designs, which fits the decade's broader relaxation of gender rules in casual clothes. For women, it was a key part of the layered, menswear-inspired look - shirt, tank top, trousers or a skirt, sometimes a jacket on top - and it also worked with softer blouses and midi skirts. Designers took knitwear seriously in these years, with Sonia Rykiel and Missoni at the top end.

But the tank top's real home was the knitting needle. It needed much less yarn and effort than a full sweater, which made it an ideal project, and knitting magazines and yarn companies published endless patterns. That fits the decade's huge home-sewing and craft culture, and after the energy crisis, an extra warm layer made practical sense in cold homes and offices. I'm fond of the tank top because it's so completely of its time: a little bit silly, very cosy, homemade, and shared by the whole family. It's come back many times since, but the 1970s original, with a giant shirt collar on top, is unmistakable.