Ivy League College Fashions
(Gentry Magazine, 1953) • Gentry Magazine, 1953 •
*Click here to read about the 1956 college fashion craze*
Fashion
Levi Strauss and his Denim
(Coronet Magazine, 1956)
The attached piece was written in the shadows of W.W. II – a time when Levi Strauss’ famous blue jean fabric was not simply being woven for the 12,000,000 souls in the U.S. military, but also the civilian war-workers who donned jean overalls and found them ideal for the heavy, industrial labor that they faced each day.
As if this wasn’t enough to keep the factories of Levi Strauss & Co. humming happily, the American teenagers also discovered blue jeans in the around the same time and have been devoted to them ever since. The author of this article could never have known that the social revolution that made the name Levi a household word all across the globe was only nine years away.
Shoes for Sport and Leisure
(Sears and Roebuck Catalog, 1919)
The miracle that was Volcanized Rubber allowed the well-dressed man to maintain his dashing profile even when called to compete in athletics. Two of the oldest surviving examples of a sport shoe that uses this particular style of rubber and has been in continuous production since the twenties and thirties are both made by Converse: one is the Jack Purcell tennis shoe and the other is the black canvas, high-top Chuck Taylor Basketball shoe.
From the Smartest Shops…
(Vanity Fair Magazine, 1922)
This 1922 men’s fashion article is illustrated with seven images and riddled with wise words for all those seeking information regarding 1920s backless vests, patent leather dancing shoes, madras dress shirts and kid suede gloves for semi-dress wear.
Beating the Beach Censor
(Click Magazine, 1939)
Attached is a printable fashion editorial from a 1939 issue of CLICK MAGAZINE which beautifully illustrated (in color) one of the chic, California beach fashions of the day.
Clothing for Fox Hunters and Wall Streeters
(Vanity Fair Magazine, 1921)
A glance at the 1921 wardrobe enjoyed by those fashionable fellows who were part and parcel of that Wall Street clique who might today be called the one percent.
The reviewer also devoted some column space to classic fox hunting attire and Chesterfield overcoats,hunting tweeds,wing collars and men’s suit from the early Twenties.
College Essentials
(Quick Magazine, 1952)
Here are a few short paragraphs accompanied by nine images concerning what the college girls of the early Fifties were wearing:
A girl can still get into college with a sweater and skirt, but for full credit she needs quantities of gadgets. For campus, girls stick to classic Brooks Brothers sweaters, pleated skirts, blue jeans – but go wild on accessories and underwear novelties…
The journalist then went to some effort listing many of the fashionable essentials: stamp bracelets, rhinestone handcuff bracelets, silk pleated turtleneck sweaters and harness-neck bib fronts – all to die for.
White Bucks and the College Look
(Quick Magazine, 1952)
As college girls talked back to school, it was clear that they had switched their allegiances from saddle shoes
to a new favorite: white bucks
Reference is also made to the rounded-button-collar dress shirts that were appearing on the backs of so many college men at that time.
Hair Fashions of the Early 1950s
(People Today, 1952)
Keep it short: that was the M.O. of the hairdressers of the Fifties (as you, no doubt, gathered from this 1949 article) – and this column, accompanied by eight photos, serves as proof. Much of this column pertains to the men who were active in 1952 hair dressing, and their deep thoughts pertaining to pny tails, perms and poodle-cuts.
Click here to read about the short hair craze of the late Forties.
‘Noses, Eyes, Chins”
(Pathfinder Magazine, 1937)
Practicing throughout the Thirties and Forties, fashion photographer Arthur O’Neil took time out from his glamorous day to explain to an inquiring journalist what his requirements are when looking for a fashion model:
The prettiest girls, according to O’Neil, are between 16 and 28 and come mostly from the Middle West…
Men’s Suits in the Summer of 1941
(Collier’s Magazine, 1941)
If you’ve been wondering what the stylish Yankee beaus of yore used to wear during the Summer of 1941 when they plopped themselves down to read about the British occupation of Syria or the Nazi siege of Leningrad, then you can stop looking because we have the article right here – it is the summer fashion forecast from COLLIER’S MAGAZINE of May 24, 1941 – illustrated with no fewer than three color images:
The newest color for vacation clothes is parchment, one of the natural tan shades. Don’t be afraid that you’ll look like a member of the street-cleaning department in a white linen suit. Even the Duke of Windsor wears one. It is ideal for vacation wear, as the jacket may be worn with colored slacks, the trousers with other light weight jackets…. For week-end and vacation wear you can choose from tropical worsteds, Palm Beach cloth, tropical weight flannels, linen, seersucker and tropical weight tweeds.
Timeless Advice Regarding Skin Care
(McCall’s Magazine, 1920)
Some tend to think that 1920s concepts concerning skin care are very different from our own – and in many cases they would be absolutely right; that is why we were so charmed to stumble upon this 1920 article written by the Broadway actress Suzanne Sheldon. The actress emphasizes 6 to 8 glasses of water each day, a sensible exercise regimen and washing the face each evening.
Man at His Best: The Raccoon Coat
(Magazine Advertisement, 1921)
Here is a perfectly charming fashion illustration of a young man wearing a raccoon coat while abusing a tobacco product; this class of man was also prone to sitting on top of flag poles, concealing flasks and dancing the Charleston.
Click here to read about the 1956 college revival of the raccoon coat.
Are We Our Bathrooms?
(Harper’s Bazaar, 1922)
Most people, and you might very likely be one of them, tend to believe the old adage, Show me your friends, and I’ll tell you what you are; but fashion diva Lady Duff Gordon (aka: ‘Lucile’) was of the mind, Show me your bathroom, and I’ll tell you who and what you are and in 1922 she went out to prove it by scampering all over Paris in search of the finest bathrooms. Upon reading of the expedition, the editors of HARPER’S BAZAAR remarked:
It makes one realize that many of us who fatuously remarked, ‘So this is Paris’, were really not at the party at all.
Click here to read a 1937 article about feminine conversations overheard in the best New York nightclub bathrooms.
Beauticians Without Borders
(Click Magazine, 1938)
This is the story of the Jacob A. Riis Settlement beauty clinic which was funded by a well-heeled New Yorker in order that the impoverished women from the down-trodden quarters of New York might come to know all the relaxation that comes with electrolysis and eyebrow-plucking (sadly, anal bleaching was not offered at the time).
The Prominent Color
(Quick Magazine, 1953)
Red is the color which is going to add excitement to the fall scene. In a season when black is everywhere, the woman who wants to stand out is going to turn to red to express her own sense of drama. Red will be seen in suits, in coats, in after-dark dresses. The color itself is so dramatic that designers rely on cut and line for interest.
Baron Adolf de Meyer and the Paris Collections of 1922
(Harper’s Bazaar, 1922)
A Paris fashion review written by pioneering fashion photographer Adolph de Meyer
(1868 – 1949). His column is illustrated by six of his photographs illustrating the autumnal offerings from the houses Worth and Chanel. The collections generated by Maria Guy, Jean Lanvin, Marthe Collot, Doucet, Cheruit, Poiret and Patout were also addressed at some length.
Of course ‘collections’ must be seen by me. The round of all the big maisons de couture must be made. I must know what is worn and what I shall decide to present to the readers of HARPER’S BAZAAR.
The Ascot
(A Fashion Manual, 1906)
Illustrated herein are the five necessary steps needed to tie the perfect ascot knot.
Up until 1974, it was believed by many of the old salts in fashion history circles that the earliest surviving example of men wearing neck-cloths could be found on Trajan’s column (113 A.D.); but then the Terracotta Army (221 B.C.) was unearthed in China which altered much of the thinking as to how old tied neck cloths actually are. Our era is one in which the future of the tie is unknown, but the attached file dates from 1906 which serve to illustrate for the average Joe, how best to tie an ascot.