Singlets occupy a special place in the wardrobe of Australian men, though they might be worn as underwear or sportswear, for work or leisure, daily or as fashion. The semiotic approach favoured by cultural and fashion studies analyses has tended to link the singlet – in particular the iconic Chesty Bond singlet – with working-class masculinity, connecting different groups’ singlet-wearing to a masculine ideal. Turning to the growing use of material culture approaches to dress, I explore what it might mean to think about singlets in Australian history in a different way: by paying attention to materiality and taking everyday practices into account.

背心在澳大利亚男性的衣橱中占有特殊的地位，尽管它们可以作为内衣或运动服，工作或休闲，日常或时尚穿着。文化和时尚研究分析偏爱的符号学方法倾向于将背心——尤其是标志性的 Chesty Bond 单线——与工人阶级的男性气质联系起来，将不同群体的背心穿着与男性理想联系起来。谈到越来越多地使用物质文化方法来着装，我探索了以不同的方式思考澳大利亚历史上的背心可能意味着什么：关注物质性并考虑日常实践。