Men’s Fashion

Tested in War: the Wrist Watch Becomes Fashionable (The Stars and Stripes, 1918)

The following must have been some sort of creative writing project for one of the many bored World War One Doughboys, however it clearly spells out how the necessities of modern war demanded that the wrist watch no longer be thought of as a piece of jewelry adorned only by fops and fems and evolved into a useful tool for soldiers on the field and men with masculine responsibilities. The column makes it quite clear that prior to the Great War, a good many wrist watch enthusiasts would have had their noses broken if they had worn the ‘gimmick’ into certain neighborhoods.

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.



Read About the History of the T-Shirt


An article about 1940s denim can be read here…

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.

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.

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.

THE RETURN OF THE RACCOON COAT (Gentry Magazine, 1956)

Fads like ukulele strumming and flagpole sitting have not been seen on college campi since the 1920s – but the undergraduates in 1956 did adopt one fashion element from the Twenties – their father’s raccoon coats.


Click here to read about the Ivy League look for 1953.

THE RETURN OF THE RACCOON COAT (Gentry Magazine, 1956)

Fads like ukulele strumming and flagpole sitting have not been seen on college campi since the 1920s – but the undergraduates in 1956 did adopt one fashion element from the Twenties – their father’s raccoon coats.


Click here to read about the Ivy League look for 1953.

Scroll to Top