We are attempting to adapt a scrubs pattern into something like that. I would also think that a union suit pattern could be easily adapted. Otherwise, I haven't been able to find an actually pattern, only references to there having been patterns for sale at the turn of the Century.
I was going to say the same thing. When I needed to make one for a show, I adapted a union suit pattern. It has all teh necessary details, just close up the rear flap and make it short sleeved.
I think the bathing suits in that picture are sewn from knitted fabric, if it's of any interest to you. The women's suits date it to the 1890s to WWI-ish, and by that time knitted fabric (as in modern wool jersey type stuff) is pretty common for men's bathing suits and undergarments, IIRC.
That said, Kwik Sew has a men's footie pajama pattern that you should be able to modify pretty easily. Shorten the sleeves and legs, basically. Maybe bring up the crotch a little, but that's going to be according to preference. Wet fabric has that tendency to cling . . .
In my experience, wet bathing suits cling MORE the baggier they are. When you emerge from the water, it runs out the legs, creating a vacuum. The greater the volume of water, the greater the vacuum! Perhaps wool jersey is porous enough to counteract that.
Modern women's bathing suits are so totally unlike both modern and historical men's that I will bow to your expertise on this topic. ;)
I don't know if wool jersey has enough body to counteract the clingy-ness with its porousness. The holes in the knitted structure might help the air and water escape, but then once the whole vacuum thing is done with, the thin, wet fabric is still going to be there. On the other hand, wool has a lot more integrity when it's wet than other fibers and tends to dry pretty rapidly when it's on a warm body. That last one should help it become dry enough fast enough to reduce a lot of the cling factor.
Sometimes a degree of "conrolled" clinginess is better than random clinginess, but the only way to be sure would be to test the fabric and pattern, perhaps in a bathtub.
I've also used a scrubs pattern to make a version of those, though it was a two-piece suit as opposed to a one-piece. It worked out quite well and was easily identifiable as to what it was supposed to be. It is a fairly simple shape, so it's the pattern of the fabric that makes it. I'll see if I can hunt up a picture somewhere.
P.S. - It was for a LARP with a steampunk culture, so historical accuracy wasn't remotely necessary. Don't know if that matters to you or not.
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That said, Kwik Sew has a men's footie pajama pattern that you should be able to modify pretty easily. Shorten the sleeves and legs, basically. Maybe bring up the crotch a little, but that's going to be according to preference. Wet fabric has that tendency to cling . . .
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I don't know if wool jersey has enough body to counteract the clingy-ness with its porousness. The holes in the knitted structure might help the air and water escape, but then once the whole vacuum thing is done with, the thin, wet fabric is still going to be there. On the other hand, wool has a lot more integrity when it's wet than other fibers and tends to dry pretty rapidly when it's on a warm body. That last one should help it become dry enough fast enough to reduce a lot of the cling factor.
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P.S. - It was for a LARP with a steampunk culture, so historical accuracy wasn't remotely necessary. Don't know if that matters to you or not.
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