From Marlon Brando to Lena Mahfouf: the story of Marcel

The tank top has never really left the fashion cycles. In more than a hundred years, it has gone from a masculine piece of lingerie to a highly sophisticated basic. It is making a big comeback both among people and on the catwalks. Spotted during the summer on Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid or Léna Mahfouf, worn with mom jeans or cargo pants, it echoes the Y2K trend – understand the 2000s – not about to disappear. In addition, the tank top follows the craze for non-gendered fashion, which is unavoidable today.

Its simplicity, its advantage

On the catwalks, the white tank top is thus inseparable from a minimalist look. At Bottega, it is worn with raw canvas jeans, in appearance only, since it is actually leather. A fresh look, straight to the point. At Chloé, it is associated with brown leather pants, a studied look. At Prada, we do not escape the DNA of the Italian house, since the tank top is worn with a pencil skirt in several materials.

And at Acne, it takes on a more theatrical dimension while keeping its cut, but reinterpreted in an airy veil. No matter what style the tank top is associated with, it is a concept on its own. It emphasizes the body and enhances the garment that accompanies it. Its simplicity is what makes its strength and also its durability over time. It has become timeless.

big dive

In 1912, the British swimming team entered the Stockholm Olympics with a two-piece swimsuit consisting of a sleeveless top. Beyond the scandal caused, this is how the term tank suit (roughly, the pool suit) appeared to then be declined in tank top.

hard work

The tank top – in its original version, a simple sleeveless wool sweater – was first adopted by the working class. Its name comes from the verb débarder, in reference to the workers who loaded and unloaded goods in the Halles in Paris. It is first of all a work garment that will be manufactured industrially at the beginning of the 20th century by Marcel Eisenberg, a hosier in Roanne, France. Hence its other name…

troubled desire

In 1951, Marlon Brando played a worker prone to violence in Elia Kazan’s film A Streetcar Named Desire. Thanks to this icon, the tank top changes image and becomes sexy. We don’t show up in our underwear. But it also comes with a bad reputation, nicknamed in particular wifebeater (wife beater), because it is often shown in this type of scene.

alpha male

In jersey, the tank top emphasizes the body and the muscles. In the cinema or on stage, pop culture makes it a symbol of virility. In the 80s, he was embodied by Bruce Willis in Crystal Trap, but also by rappers like Tupac. Or even Freddie Mercury, gay icon before the hour.

One for all

The androgynous style is very present in the 90s, and Kate Moss perfectly illustrates this period. In Calvin Klein advertising campaigns, men and women wear the same uniform. A research with the aim of going to the essentials of the garment, which therefore boils down to jeans and a tank top.

From inside to outside

The tank top has no gender and even if it can be worn as an undergarment, it has long since ceased to be seen as such, and has imposed itself on the streets. In the film Eyes Wide Shut, Nicole Kidman wears in her privacy a tank top from the Swiss brand Hanro. In 2003, Beyoncé raised the temperature in the clip for Crazy in Love.

Comeback

People’s favorite piece, the tank top is worn every day and also on the red carpet. Example with model and actress Emily Ratajkowski in crop top version, influencer Léna Mahfouf and model Kendall Jenner in casual mode.

To receive the latest articles from Femina, subscribe to the newsletters.