1930-40 spandex substitutes

troopermatthew

Sr Member
Heya!

Im working on one of the Minutemen from Watchmen but on closer inspection they dont seem to be wearing regular spandex as it has a "bobbly" texture such as that you get on cotton or wool. Does anyone have any idea what this material could be as im assuming it is a period material to the 1930's when these costumes would have been made.

Thanks
Pinky:)
 
Nah. Synthetics weren't very well established in the 30s/40s, your choices at this point are pretty much nylon and rayon (which isn't truly synthetic). With some high res photos I could give you a better answer.

So stretchy options... We still have knits. Mostly these will be similar to t-shirt material. Remember here again that your knits will be natural fibers like silk, wool, or cotton. Your other option is bias cut which places the straightest grain of the pattern on the diagonal of the fabric. Those form fitting gowns of the late 30s/early 40s were made this way.
 
While looking for options for my 1940s Batman costume I found some sites for natural cotton tights. I plan on getting ones with stir-up bottoms so they stay tight around the ankles. You can get tights with 10% lycra for a little stretch.
Good luck.

The Wolf
 
It looks like the stuff they used to make old wrestling outfits out of - maybe even circus performers.
 
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