Men’s Fashion – Old Magazine Articles

Fashion Notes from London
(Vanity Fair Magazine, 1923)

Written in a prose style reminiscent of an owner’s manual, these pages spell out the 1923 tailoring rules for men’s formalwear:

“Essentially traditionalist in matter of men’s clothes, London is never more
conservative than in dress clothes, and the changes from year to year are of the slightest… However, one still sees far more dinner jackets (ie. “tuxedos“) in restaurants than of yore, when black tie and short coat were for the home circle and the club alone, but in society, whether for small dance, ball, dinner or theatre party, the white tie is the rule.”

April is the Cruelest Month
(Vanity Fair Magazine, 1923)

“With the double-breasted coat, the single-breasted waistcoat is the rule and to repeat the crossing of lines twice in one suit is an entirely unreasonable exaggeration.”

The Well Dressed Man Confronts Bad Taste
(Vanity Fair Magazine, 1918)

On page one of this three page guide, you will find some essential notes and illustrations from the editors of Vanity Fair regarding the good taste of 1918 (as well as the simply awful).

The Decline of Masculine Elegance
(Vogue Magazine, 1922)

A Parisienne with a good many thoughts regarding menswear goes to some length to impart that men are dressing worse, not better, and the substitution of the dinner jacket (read: Tuxedo) for the tail-coat is an example of the slovenliness to come.

You are entirely wrong in imagining that we pay no attention to the way men dress…The truth is that while we may say nothing, we do not in the least consent, and we find, messieurs, that for some time now you have been very much changed, and for the worse.

Click here to read about the fashion legacy of W.W. I…

To read about one of the fashion legacies of W.W. II, click here…

Click here to read about the origins of the T-shirt.

The Well Dressed Man in February
(Vanity Fair Magazine, 1919)

Attached herein, you will find the fashionable coats, suits, shoes and cufflinks for men from the harsh winter of 1919 that had been approved by the Fifth Avenue swells of the VANITY FAIR editorial department.

1952 College Fashions
(Gentry Magazine, 1952)

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The Elegant Story of Men’s Undergarments: 1890 – 1950
(Men’s Wear, 1950)

In merely nine paragraphs the attached men’s fashion magazine article from 1950 outlines the style and fabric that was put to use in the manufacturing of men’s underwear between 1890 through the Forties (wool to nylon).

A History of Brooks Brothers
(Coronet Magazine, 1950)

There is only one retail establishment in the world that is able to boast that they had retained the patronage of both Thomas Jefferson and Andy Warhol, and that would be Brooks Brothers.

Diplomats and prize fighters, dukes and bankers, Cabinet members and theatrical luminaries stroll every day through the ten-story building on Madison Avenue. The sight of Secretary of State Dean Acheson trying on a new overcoat, or Clark Gable testing a new pair of shoes, or the Duke of Windsor undecided between a red or green dressing gown causes scarcely a flurry. The reason is simply that the store itself is a national legend, as noted in its own right as any of its patrons.

The attached five page article lays out the first 132 years of Brooks Brothers. It is printable.

– from Amazon:

Brooks Brothers: Generations of Style, It’s About the Clothing

The Need for Color in Men’s Fashion
(Current Opinion, 1919)

Tom Wolf and Mark Twain have not been the only men to have lamented the drab hues so prevalent in manly attire: now you may add to that list a new name: H. Dennis Bradley. The late Mr. Bradley was a tailor in London’s Old Bond Street some time back, and he was quite vocal concerning the issue of men’s fashions. Being a true man of the cloth, Mr. Bradley was certain that, prior to the unpleasantness of 1914, men’s fashions were headed in a healthy and aesthetically sound direction, but when the boys came home, the promise was not kept.

We may not go back to the rainbow shades and wonderful stuffs of the bucks and the dandies of olden times–do what we will, we live in utilitarian days–but whatever comes do not let us revert to the hideous hues and shapelessness of the Victorian era…

Click here to read a 1929 article about the Dress-Reform Movement.

The Dress-Reform Movement and Male Attire
(Literary Digest, 1929)

A few short paragraphs from a late-Twenties issue of Literary Digest recalled the terribly unproductive plans of the short-lived dress-reform movement and the frustrating nature of the human male in most matters sartorial:

The male is a shy creature, and has always been particularly fearful of appearing conspicuous…

Click here to read an editorial about the need for reform in men’s attire.

The Dress Reform Movement
(La Nazione, 1919)

In the early parts of the 20th Century serious attention had been paid in some quarters to what was called dress reform. An article from the August 14, 1929 magazine The Nation pointed out that

The Life Extension Institute weighed the street clothing of the women in New York City last June. The clothing of the women…averaged two pounds, ten ounces, while that of the men was was eight pounds, six ounces.

The Italian Futurist Ernesto Thayaht offered his remedy for the fashion maladies of the day with the design of a one piece garment that many Americans chose to see simply as pajamas. Needless to say, it didn’t catch on.

Click here to read a 1929 article about the Dress-Reform Movement.
Click here to read an editorial about the need for reform in men’s attire.
Read about men’s fashions from 1937 and the break-through in color that had been so sorely needed.

Shooting Tweeds, Riding Breeches and Evening Clothes
(Dress & Vanity Fair, 1913)

The attached men’s fashion article concerns the a brief autumn visit to the country; recalled by an anonymous fashion scribe whose charming prose allowed us to envision a leisured life in the late Gilded Age.

Shooting Tweeds, Riding Breeches and Evening Clothes
(Dress & Vanity Fair, 1913)

Men’s Detachable Shirt Collars
(Sears and Roebuck Catalog, 1919)

A printable selection of the detachable shirt collars
(of both the cotton and rubber varities) available to both men and boys from the 1919 Sears & Roebuck catalog, no. 138.

Ties, Waistcoats, Panama Hats & the Right Clothes for Summer Sports
(Vanity Fair Magazine, 1921)

This article is very broad in it’s appeal; the fashion journalist did not simply cover the summer suit options available to the Well-Dressed Man of 1921 but also the tennis apparel, equestrian attire and the apropriate togs for slacking off at your favorite homo-phobic, sexist, anti-semetic and racist club.

Men’s Summer Clothing for 1915
(Vanity Fair Magazine, 1915)

A look back at men’s jackets, both for the garden party as well as other antiquated leisure activities.

Man and Horse and Equestrian Clothing
(Vanity Fair Magazine, 1918)

A smartly illustrated review of the the equestrian fashions for the year 1918. Various illustrated equestrian profiles are provided and brief attention is paid to the newest boots available at that time.

If you would like to read another article about men’s equestrian attire, please click here.

Equestrian Attire
(Vanity Fair Magazine 1916)

1916 was a poor year if you happened to be a German sailor off the coast of Denmark; it was a terrible year if you were in the infantry on the Somme or near Verdun but if you were an American man fond of horseback riding and you happened to have been shopping for the perfect riding suit on Madison Avenue, then OldMagazineArticles.com is quite certain that 1916 was a great year for you!

If you would like to read another article about men’s equestrian attire, please click here.