 |
|
| |
Men’s Fashion Film Clips
A Slight Revolution in Men's Pajamas: Color (Literary Digest, 1923)
During the closing weeks of 1918 an urgent feeling was shared by all those who labored in creative fields to shake things up a bit. A need was felt to create a visual distance between all that was generated before and during the war and all that which came afterward; it was felt in all artistic endeavors and those souls who designed men's pajamas were not immune:
"The pajama is ascending to glorified heights. Long the black sheep of polite private life, this garment has been elevated to the four hundred...Men are drugging their senses with batik designs in sleeping apparel and inhaling the stimulation of contrasting shades in underclothes." "What the well-dressed man will wear when going to bed is one of the burning topics of the immediate future...By and large, the thirst for color permeates the accessory field from linen to lingerie. The picture might be said to be complete. Man has achieved his zenith."
| The Elegant Story of Men's Underwear: 1890 - 1950 (Men's Wear, 1950)
In a mere nine paragraphs this trade 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).
| Beau Brummell (Gentry, 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 his name is to this day synonymous with the word "dandy". 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." "His boots were said to be polished with champagne, but they were restrained in pattern...Brummell never took less than three hours at his dressing, and he often dressed three times a day." Click here to read a Vanity Fair article celebrating the great dandies.
|  | The Revival of the Norfolk Jacket (Gentry, 1953)
During the early days of 1953 some of the young men of the World War Two generation looked into their grandfather's wardrobes and came away with a new friend - the Norfolk jacket:"There has been some talk concerning the possible revival of certain Edwardian fashions. In the renewed acceptance of the Norfolk jacket, which takes its name from the 15th Duke of Norfolk, we have the revival of a style which is even older, having first come into being during the Victorian era....In 1910 it was so well accepted that few small lads of that era were content unless they had a Norfolk coat just like their fathers'."
| The Decline of Masculine Elegance (Vogue, 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 origins of the T-shirt.
| The Dress Reform Movement (La Nazione, 1919)
In the early parts of the Twentieth Century serious attention was 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 writer went on to mention that despite the efforts being made by organizations such as the Men's Dress Reform Party in far off England, they had little hope for any meaningful changes in the near future. On the other hand they did recognize a number of elements in menswear that had changed for the better: "Men have largely discarded long-sleeved, long-legged underwear both in summer and in winter; the once obligatory starched shirt and collar have collapsed before the soft varieties; high shoes have given place to low; and stiff derbies have yielded to soft hats or non at all." 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.
Click here to read about the 1920s revolution in feminine fashions.
|
MORE ARTICLES >>> PAGE: * 1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * 5 * 6 * > NEXT |
|
|
| |
| © Copyright 2005 Old
Magazine Articles |
|
|
