30s Esquire fashion's sketch.

"The brute covers himself, the rich man and the fop adorn themselves, the elegant man dresses!"

-Honore de Balzac

carpu65
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Mon Dec 19, 2005 1:00 am

Dear Sirs,from my collection. Image Image Image Image Image Image Image
carpu65
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Mon Dec 19, 2005 1:27 am

More coming. Image
Incroyable
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Mon Dec 19, 2005 1:30 am

What wonderful images. I especially like the red hose with the white dinner jacket.
manton
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Mon Dec 19, 2005 2:26 am

Wonderful, thank you for posting.

Small side note: some of these are from the 40s.
carpu65
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Mon Dec 19, 2005 2:47 am

No,all images are from Esquire Magazines 1937-1939.
Richard3
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Mon Dec 19, 2005 1:56 pm

Thank you very much for sharing this beautiful pics. As always, when seeing such old gems I wonder if people really dressed that well back then.
TVD
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Mon Dec 19, 2005 2:23 pm

Yes, those who could afford it did. Shabby chic was not encouraged before the consequences of two wars and various communist/socialist/labour governments made conspicious consumption both unaffordable and ill advised. Ever heard the expression "signes exterieures de richesse" in France, for example? Your tax adviser will enlighten you.

One should also remember that the illustrations show very select settings. If you look at St. James's and Mayfair today, or Cap Ferrat and Palm Beach, or St. Moritz in the winter, the incidence of good tailoring tastefully worn will be higher than in some slum estate on the outskirts of a rotting conurbation. This was the same in the 1930s, but you would hardly see it depicted in Esquire.

Also remember that before the advent of credit cards and all this, very often the way you dressed was your business card and your credit.
uppercase
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Mon Dec 19, 2005 4:49 pm

Many thanks for those illustrations, carpu 65! And the 60s photos as well.

It's always great to see fantastic men's wear illustrated from those elegant periods.
David V
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Tue Dec 20, 2005 1:11 am

In the illustration of the DB marine blue chalk strip, above captioned 'Town Notes', the hat is described as a brown Cavalier.
Has anyone any information on it.

And carpu65, would it be possible to see the text that accompanies these illustrations.
jwilliams
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Tue Dec 20, 2005 6:10 am

carpu65, thank you for the pics. It’s always nice to receive an early Christmas present. :D

I have a lot of questions that I hope either you or other members of the board can answer. They’re quite long. So I hope no one minds, but here they are.

The First Set

1. In the first picture, the man holding the pamphlet(?) is wearing an interesting plaid pattern. Does anyone know what that pattern is? Also can anyone figure out what’s in his left hand?

2. In the third picture (the man with the hat, gray suit,
gloves, cigarette, and umbrella), what fabric is his suit made of? Flannel? What style of hat and gloves is he wearing?

3. In the fourth pic, a man is holding a pipe and wearing a hat, gloves, and a gray, chevron pattern suit with blue stripes. Am I correct in assuming that the fabric pattern is chevron and not herringbone? If not, what’s the difference? Would this suit be appropriate for either city or country wear or both?

4. In the sixth pic, two men in overcoats are standing in front of a building with a sign that says, “Board of...,” what fabric is the left man’s overcoat and trousers made of?

5. In the seventh pic, what is the pattern of the trousers of the man on the left with the herringbone overcoat? Also what’s the pattern of the suit of the man standing next to him?

The Second Set

1. In the third and fourth pic, a man is wearing a blue suit and a straw hat. What is his suit made of? Is it a twill pattern?

2. In the fifth and sixth pics, a man is wearing a brown hat, gray suit, and yellow tie. Is his suit made of flannel?

The Third Set

1. In the second and third pics, a man is in a blue evening suit, a bow tie, and a red coronation in his lapel. What color is his suit? What’s the material on his collar and cuffs? And when would it be appropriate to wear this suit?

2. In the fourth pic, a man sits in a chair with a mint julep(?) in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He’s wearing a button-down collar with dinner clothes. I always thought that a button-down collar was for informal dress. But I also know that the white dinner jacket has a degree of informality to it. So, is he dressed appropriately, or is Esquire trying to be daring by flouting a rule?

3. In pics two, three, and five, the men are wearing very large bows on their shoes. Was this a style of the thirties or did previous and/or subsequent decades of men’s fashion also feature this style?

4. In the sixth pic, the man on the left is wearing gloves and is holding a cigarette, what fabric is his suit made of? Is it a two-color striped flannel?

5. In the seventh and eighth pic of the man with the brown hat and the blue-striped suit, what is the color and fabric of the suit?

The Fourth Set

1. In the first pic, the man on the left has a peculiar pair of diagonally striped pants. What is the pattern and fabric? Also, what’s the pattern and fabric of the overcoat of the man on the right?

2. In the second pic, what’s the fabric of the dark, double-breasted jacket and white trousers of the man on the left, and what’s the fabric of the tan suit of the man on the right?

3. In the third and fourth pics, what’s the fabric of the four overcoats? Also, the man on the left in the fourth pic has an unusual cuff. Does anyone know the name of that type of cuff?

4. In the fifth pic, what’s the fabric and pattern of that suit?

5. In the sixth pic, what’s the fabric of the jacket and what’s the fabric and pattern of the trousers? Is it some sort of check, or perhaps birdseye?

6. And finally, in the ninth pic, what’s the fabric and weight of the trousers? They appear to be corduroy and look very heavy. Also, what’s the overcoat made of? Does anyone know the name of the type of stitching that’s on the cuffs and hem of the overcoat?

Any help is very much appreciated. Thanks.

And thanks once again to carpu65 for the excellent pics.
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