The Well Dressed Man in Winter
(Vanity Fair Magazine, 1921)
Illustrations of fashion’s offering from the Fall of 1921: great coats, semi-great coats, overcoats and ulsters; raglan and otherwise.
Fashion
Chez Poiret: the Hot Social Ticket in the Paris of 1919
(Vogue Magazine, 1919)
The post-war publicity machine of French fashion designer Paul Poiret was in fine form when he saw to it that his minions invited the Paris-based correspondent from American VOGUE to his house for a grand fete, seated her comfortably, drink in hand, right on the fifty-yard line in order that she might be better able to report to her handlers back in New York that Paris was back.
The correspondent who was not invited was the fashion journalist from FLAPPER MAGAZINE; American flappers did not approve of Poiret one bit. Click here to read what they thought of him.
The Duke of Windsor Influences
(Men’s Wear, 1950)
MEN’S WEAR MAGAZINE printed a few paragraphs on the heavy hand that the Duke of Windsor had in the world of manly attire:
No one completely personified English qualities in attire than the Prince of Wales…Whatever he chose to wear was considered correct and in good taste and was accepted by millions of others in America and elsewhere. Following are a few of the styles that can be traced right back to the Duke of Windsor, either because he wore them first or was responsible for their spread…
-they include such fashion innovations as the Panama hat, the spread collar and brown buckskin shoes among others.
More articles about the Duke of Windsor can be found on these pages.
Paris Fashion: Summer, 1916
(Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)
Paying no mind to the continuing unpleasantness that was taking place somewhere around the Somme (ie. W.W. I), the taste-makers of Paris soldiered-on and created garments for mid-summer that were original and feminine and bore the mark of Paris’ characteristic opulence.
Legendary fashion designer Christian Dior had a good deal of trouble with people who would illegally copy his designs; click here to read about that part of fashion history.
The Fad for Felt Fashion
(Quick Magazine, 1951)
The fad for skirts fashioned out of felt began with college girls when it was discovered that a flattering silhouette could be achieved when the fabric was cut on the bias; the attached article shows the color image of a felt ballet skirt as a case in point.
Sub-standard fabrics play a part in fashion’s march from time to time; in the Sixties there was a short-lived craze in some circles to wear dresses made from paper or vinyl.
The Look for Autumn
(Quick Magazine, 1952)
The ‘costume look’ has developed into a strong fashion idea for fall and winter. The news is in the mis-mated fabrics and colors used in this year’s go-togethers. Highly-textured (and often noisily patterned) coats and jackets are sold frankly as suits with solid color dresses or skirts… Mismatched colors as well as mixed fabrics were used by Vera Maxwell in her coat and dress team [pictured]… Ben Zuckerman offered another example of fashion’s new doubling-up with black hip-length coat over a two-piece red wool jersey dress [pictured].
Lace
(Quick Magazine, 1953)
Less dependent on the whims of fashion than almost any other fabric, lace blooms perennially in designers’ collections. Because it has an ageless quality, which makes it look well on women of any age, its uses are varied. This season it is treated in new ways by some of the top couturiers. It is embroidered, used as applique, beaded or scattered with sequins… There is variety in lace itself; it may be gossamer sheer or rich and handsome in design. But whatever its form, it is a universal fashion favorite [for now].
The College Fashion Forecast for the Spring of 1950
(The Diamondback, 1950)
A few words that anticipated fashion’s offerings for the Spring of 1950:
This Spring is predicted to bring a completely new point of view to the clothes-conscious American woman… Although the boyish figure of the 20s will not return as pronounced, the trend seems to be toward narrow shoulders with heavy exaggerated lines above the waist and slimness below.
The Fashion Group
(Collier’s Magazine, 1948)
At the time this article appeared on the pages of COLLIER’S MAGAZINE, the Fashion Group was already over twenty years old and in need of more office space.
Established in 1928 by the crowned-heads of the American fashion industry, it was decided that the dominate fashionistas ‘needed a forum, a stage, or a force to express and enhance a widening awareness of the American fashion business and of women’s roles in that business. This article points out that there were present in that room on that historic day a smattering of women who toiled in the vineyards as fashion journalists and collectively it was understood that the two groups very much relied upon each other.
The Fashion Group was established in order to:
judge trends by watching sales figures, which indicate which fashions are on the wane and which are gaining favor. They travel around to see what we do, and therefore, what we need.
Today, the Fashion Group has offices in every major American city as well as branches in the fashion capitols of Europe, South America and Asia.
Good Taste and the Year 1914
(The Delineator Magazine, 1914)
A quick read for costumers and historians regarding the fashion dos and don’ts on the matter of men’s ready-made clothes from 1914.
The Beau
(Gentry Magazine, 1956)
Widely remembered as the best dressed man of the Nineteenth Century, Beau Brummell, (né George Bryan Brummell 1778 – 1840), set the standard for male sartorial splendor and as a result, his name
liveth ever more.
The attached men’s fashion article was written at a time when American leisure wear was going through it’s birth pangs and slovenly attire was on the rise all over the fruited plain; it was thoroughly appropriate for the editors of GENTRY MAGAZINE to print this article which not only examined the clothing philosophy of the Beau but also paid heed as to which actors portrayed him on screen (oddly, there was no mention made whatever as to who the various costume designers were).
He dressed simply, without ornamentation. What was it then that set him apart so ostentatiously from the crowd? What made him the best dressed man of the century? The answer lies not, as history has decided, in his clothes. It lay entirely in the way he wore them.
Remembering the Golden Age of the Dandy
(Vanity Fair Magazine, 1920)
This is a fun read covering the all too short reign of the dandy
An article about Beau Brummell can be read HERE
The ”Actress/Models”
(Quick Magazine, 1951)
The Forties and Fifties were indeed the infancy of the model/actress era; one of the first slashies, Lauren Bacall (b. 1924) was buried in 2014.
A Look at the Winter Sleeves of 1921
(Vogue Magazine, 1921)
A collection of twelve fashion illustrations depicting the variety of sleeve treatments available during the winter of 1921. Some of the details offered were created by the House of Worth, Captain Molyneux, Martial et Armand and Madeleine and Madeleine.
The Colors in Men’s Suits 1935 – 1950
(Men’s Wear, 1950)
A chart produced by the editors of MEN’S WEAR MAGAZINE indicating the best-selling colored wool used in men’s suits spanning the years 1935 through 1950.
The pointy-headed soothsayers who attempt to predict which colors men would buy were very surprised to find that in the aftermath of World War II, American men were quite eager to buy browns and khaki-colored suiting after all.
Adele Simpson and Her Fashions
(Collier’s Magazine, 1945)
On the matter of the American fashion designer Adele Simpson (1904 – 1995), it must be remembered that she was a prominent player in American fashion for many decades; a woman who had been awarded both a Coty Award (1949) as well as a Neiman Marcus Award (1946). Her creations were highly sought after by the crowned heads of both Europe and Hollywood.
Click here to read about wartime fabric rationing in the 1940s.
The Institute for Reconstructive Plastic Surgery
(Coronet Magazine, 1959)
During the course of the past 63 years the triumphs of The Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery have been many and myriad. Established in New York in 1951, the organization was originally called The Society for the Rehabilitation of the Facially Disfigured, and they have been the pioneers in the art of tissue transplants and the aesthetic surgery movement in general.
The attached article was first seen on the pages of a 1959 issue CORONET MAGAZINE and it recalls many of their earliest achievements.
The Institute for Reconstructive Plastic Surgery
(Coronet Magazine, 1959)
During the course of the past 63 years the triumphs of The Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery have been many and myriad. Established in New York in 1951, the organization was originally called The Society for the Rehabilitation of the Facially Disfigured, and they have been the pioneers in the art of tissue transplants and the aesthetic surgery movement in general.
The attached article was first seen on the pages of a 1959 issue CORONET MAGAZINE and it recalls many of their earliest achievements.