How The Tank Top Became An 80s Casual Staple

The 1980s saw the introduction of the sporty tank top courtesy of the 80s Casuals with their love of sport shops and wearing only the very best sportswear money could buy.

Before the Casuals there wasn't really a subculture that was so focused on one-upmanship. The Hypebeasts of the mid to the late 2010's may have also come with a premium price tag, but it really just came down to who had more money in their trust fund to "cop" the latest collaborations from Supreme or Balenciaga. With the Casuals it was all very different. The average working class Casual probably had no idea what a trust fund was or knew anyone that had one. It was all about grafting for your grails or simply just nicking them. There was no such thing as reselling an item for triple the price back then. If you wanted the latest Tachini track top in the 80s you simply had to work for it. The same went for the latest tank top. Above: The Fila Vintage Marcel tank sweat vest in navy now available from 80s Casual Classics. That's what is always really interesting about the Casuals. It was about looking your best whether you'd grown up on a council estate in Liverpool or suburbia in Leighton Buzzard. It wasn't about spunking daddy's credit card on a load of shite to resell on StockX. It was all about who had the best gear on and that is something us Casuals will never let go of. Classic casual styles of the 1980s like the sporty tank top were a testament to this mentality. Elite tennis gear usually worn by country club members saw a new appreciation from working class teenagers with a penchant for expensive sportswear. Above: The Sergio Tacchini Supermac tank sweat vest in navy now available from 80s Casual Classics. Tank tops were a key part of the summer Casual look in the glory days of the late 1970s & early 80s. Whether it was Lacoste, Fila or Sergio it was all about styling it right. The classic country club silhouette was usually worn with a polo shirt underneath, jeans & trainers. Other Casuals didn't know if they had just rocked up to a tennis club in the Hamptons or the terraces of Hampden Park. It was the typical Casual mentality...only the very best. For the young Casuals the tank top was a no brainer really. Sold alongside track tops and polo shirts in the more traditional sportswear stores of the era, the tank top became a key look of the original Casual style. Usually in the classic V-neck & sleeveless form it was probably one of the classiest styles the subculture would take in as its very own. Above: The Fila Vintage Marcel tank sweat vest in white now available from 80s Casual Classics. The original tank top sweater now arrives at its spiritual home from the likes of Fila & Sergio Tacchini. There's classic styles like the Supermac tank sweater from Sergio Tacchini which features the iconic twin stripes from the Supermac polo shirt. There's also the Fila Vintage Marcel tank sweater which gives a nod to the Mk2 polo shirt as famously worn by Bjorn Borg in the early 1980s. Great for the warmer months you can shop the latest 80s style tank tops now from 80s Casual Classics via the links above.