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." 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.
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). From Amazon
  When the smoke cleared following the close of that dreadful unpleasantness that spanned the years 1914 to 1918, there remained much work to do; bodies to be buried, cities to be rebuilt. Men and nations prepared to face the new realities that came with the new social structure; many weighty subjects had to be addressed that had been ignored for so long a time. The most pressing of these topics was deciding which was the proper combination of white waistcoat and dinner jacket? In an age of industrial slaughter, which was more suitable: double-breasted or single-breasted? and what of ties, shoes and overcoats? 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.
Click here to read more articles about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor...
Some call it "the Mad Men Look", others may simply label it that "late 50s/early 60s look" - but either way high praise should be dolled out to costume designer Katherine Jane Bryant who so skillfully brought these fashions to the attention of millions of men through her work on the T.V. show Mad Men (AMC).
For those lads pursuing an advanced degree in pulling-off that look in their daily attire, we recommend this handy list of fashion's "Do's & Don'ts" from 1960. | 
