Surf clothes and surf accessories before and now

In the fifties, surfing was almost unknown to the general community. Then apparently out of nowhere, everyone wanted to surf or at least have a connection to lifestyle. Suddenly, a new style of surf apparel began to be seen, even in the Midwestern states, away from the waves. What happened?

No, it was not the Beach Boys who first popularized surfing. In 1957, a man wrote a short book about his daughter, who was one of the first surfing girls. Called "Gidget" became the book a hit movie in 1959. This is where it all started.

The producers of the film knew they were in something big and recruited the great stars James Darren and Sandra Dee for the star of the movie, with superstar Cliff Robertson in a strong supportive role. The movie showed some surf pictures, but mostly girls in bikini and well-educated boys in the surf trunker.

The popularity of that movie led to many more imitators. In the pop music surf music was huge, with groups like Jan and Dean and the Beach Boys, who won number one on the charts. About the only teenagers who did not like their music were the surfers who really preferred to keep their sport to themselves. Instead, they listened to music from bands like Dick Dale and The Ventures. Accelerated rhythm guitar rhythms in instrumentals such as "Perfidia" and "Walk, Do not Run" were what they heard before boarding the waves.

However, the wave of interest in surfing did not stop. In just a few years, surfing had gone from nowhere to mainstream. Suddenly, beaches were filled with surfers, and where they couldn't surf, the young people used surfing gear mode and dreamed of driving the waves.

Hawaiian loose shirts, baggy pants and Hawaiian print bikinis were the surf style of the era. It took time for a surfwear industry to develop, but it developed. Today, some of the first surfwear companies are multi-million dollar companies.

Today you can find surf clothes that are used all over the world. It covers the entire range, from shorts and bikinis to shoes, shorts, pants, shirts and even socks. Girls styles include tank tops, blouses, skirts, minikirts and dresses. In fact, many surfers find enough styles to choose from that they only wear surf clothes.

Surfing and surfing clothes have gone into the mainstream and are no longer in bounds. The best surfers in the world make millions of dollars and the big surfing companies compete for their sponsor dollars. You can't do without, but what Gidget thinks about all the changes.