Vintage Ribbed Nylon Jockey Tank Tops

Normally, I feel I do a pretty decent job in locating hard-to-find products or undershirts that folks email me and ask about. Sometimes it’s takes a little while too, but eventually we find answers with help from others.

In this case, while I did find the answer to this reader’s question, even though it was not what he wanted to hear, I just had to share it here.

Why, you might be asking? Well for three reasons:

  1. To help others who might visit here looking for the same thing
  2. Just in case someone out there can help us locate something similar to what the reader is searching for
  3. To applaud the efforts of Jockey International for helping locate the definitive answer

The Question

Been looking to find Vintage Ribbed NYLON tanktops for a long time that Jockey used to make. Any suggestions?
– Jon

The Research & Response

vintage nylon a-shirts (non-ribbed)
vintage nylon a-shirts (non-ribbed)

hey jon,

i did a little digging and reached out to a couple sources that i know specialize in vintage innerwear (undershirts, underwear, etc).

once source (vintageskivvies.com) came up with a couple vintage tanks – (1) boys xl & (1) mens xl. photo below. unfortunately they are not from jockey and are not ribbed. see eric’s note below – he’s never seen any ribbed nylon tanks over the years.

the other vintage clothing source is fogey unlimited, but i could not locate any nylon ribbed tank tops on their site. i did email them, but i have not yet heard back from them.

i have also sent inquiries to some other contacts who might have a line on what you’re looking for, so if i hear of anything, i’ll be sure to let you know.

in the meantime, check out the information below from vintage skivvies. hopefully, in time, we’ll find you what you’re looking for!

best,

tug

Jon’s reply –

thanks so much…I already have a few of the non ribbed ones….I saw a guy wearing one here in Miami ..he did not speak english that well…and from what I understood he bought them in the Dominican Republic…I think Jockey or other companies might still make them but only sell them in the Carribean or Central America since Americans no longer buy them….oh well..I will keep looking…but again Thanks…..

The Answer

I forwarded the email chain over to my super fantastic partners over at Jockey International, and it was forwarded over to a director there who gave us the skinny on the product!

Holy Cow!!!  What a memory!

He’s referring to style 1632, the Classic Ribbed Nylon Tricot A-shirt…introduced in spring of 1989 and retired [discontinued] in fall 1991.  It’s so far gone that’s it’s not even in our CRS Knowledgebase.

However, the non-ribbed version (1631) is in Knowledgebase (see below).  It’s more of a muscle tee.  Yet when we talk to interested customers about this (they seem to be older senior citizens), they usually end up settling on the Classic A-shirt, even when we’ve had muscle tees.  It seems “classic” people like Classic products (won’t try other more modern synthetics, microfibers, etc).

Hope this helps!

Final Thoughts

There’s no way we could have helped this reader with his inquiry if it wasn’t for the incredible support I get from the entire team at Jockey International. I’ve always been a huge fan of their undershirts, and without a doubt, I’m also a big fan of the organization as a whole.

I hope my friends over at Jockey will forward this on over to CEO Debra Waller so she knows what a bang-up job her folks are doing for us little people!

Updates

10/04/11 – A reader (Luis) stopped by yesterday and gave us a real treat!  Luis let us know the name of these vintage nylon ribbed tank tops from Jockey were called Thorobred and he also sent us this photo!

click to enlarge

40 thoughts on “Vintage Ribbed Nylon Jockey Tank Tops”

  1. I have been searching every now and then online hoping to see the comeback of the ribbed tank by Jockey. My husband has had these for years and just loves them, but now they are starting to rip and look old. Still he refuses to throw them out as they are not replaceable. After finding this site, I did check the label again, but none of the 30 or so tanks (white, beige, black)he owns, say “Thorobred.” The Jockey director said that it was “style 1632, the Classic Ribbed Nylon Tricot A-shirt…introduced in spring of 1989 and retired [discontinued] in fall 1991.” I was married in 1981 and I thought my husband bought them before we were married, but the director may be correct about the introduction date. I checked the labels on some tanks and the lettering is really worn so using a magnifying glass to read the labels, some read as Jockey Nylon Fabrique AUX ETATS UNIS and other tanks say Jockey Nylon ASSEMBLED IN MEXICO OF USA COMPONENTS. I just wish they would bring back this product. Please let me know if they do. Thanks, Nancy

    Reply
    • Nancy, the good ones that fit right are the Thorobreds, but these were made in the 60’s and 70’s, you can still find them but It’s hard.Every now and then one will pop up on eBay or somewhere, I snap them up if there my size. I have some from the 70’s that still fit perfect. I bought them recently NWT but they were actually made in the 70’s.The Players Nylon T’s don’t fit very well, the briefs are excellent.

      Reply
  2. Hi Undershirt Guy, Got my “Thorobred” tank top and got to wear it, oh yeah, that’s the ticket. They said it was pink but was red,so life is good. Still looking for some more. Keep you posted. Luis

    Reply
    • Luis,
      I have also been looking for these Thorobreds for years, I did finally find one NWT at a vintage clothing store, they only had one,brown, I was happy to get it, I’ll keep your e-mail and let you know if I find a surplus, please, you do the same.

      Reply
      • Good looking out Lonnie, That’s hella kool. I will be ordering soon,at that price,can’t beat with a stick.Will keep in touch. Luis

      • I found some Player’s Tank Top’s on Ebay, but with shipping there $13.35. So I think Lonnie’s got the ticket. Thank’s Lonnie. Luis

      • I found some Player’s Tank top’s on Ebay for $13.35 with shipping, so I think Lonnie’s got the ticket. Thank’s Lonnie. Luis

      • Good new’s Lonnie, dont know your size but Ebay has six Thorobred tank top’s small. 3 orange 1 blue 2 burgandy. Take care. Luis

      • Thanks Luis, I can’t wear a small, just large, But I’m glad I’m not the only one looking,LOL.You guys are great.

      • heya luis, lonnie just sent in a thank you via email — so i wanted to let you know the info you provided was very helpful.

        this is what he sent in: “Thank you Luis, I’ll check them out !!”

        btw: i found the original website you provided was not correct. i tracked down the right one and updated your comment with the correct one.

        note: it’s best if you come to the site to post your replies versus replying via email — those just come to my email box and no one else sees them (:

      • Thanks for the correction Tug, and you can tell Lonnie, I was just looking out like he asked me to. Btw just looked on Ebay and they have a xlarge nylon dark green (Thorobred) tank for auction. There are six days left. talk to you later. Luis

    • Lucky you! The last nylon ribbed tanktop I owned was actually red but I lost or left it at a hotel many years ago….let me know if you found some more…thanks JON

      Reply
  3. The ribbed tank top Jon is asking about Is in fact called “Thorobred” by Jockey, I have also been searching for this tank top for year’s. Finally found one on Ebay, the only problem is it’s pink.I will dye it black lol.

    Reply
    • hey luis! thanks for stopping by and providing that additional information about the thorobred tank top.

      any chance you’d be willing to take a hi-res digital photo of the tanks and send it my way? i’ll add it to this post.

      Reply

Leave a Comment


Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.