COOLEST Menswear Pamphlet Ever Printed

[Marc Chevalier]

.

It just doesn't get better than this!


A pamphlet published in 1927 by ROGERS PEET CO., a long gone menswear store which was like Brooks Brothers, only better.


Read the text. Scrutinize the accompanying cartoons. Marvel at the creativity and sheer clever fun of it all. Ask yourself why a superb store like Rogers Peet could relax and take itself less seriously in 1927(!) than Brooks Brothers does today. Mourn for what we've lost.

.

 

[Lucky Strike]

Fantastic!

 

[KilroyCD]

That pamphlet is so great! I had to stop and study all the plates, as the various details were hysterical. Then I noticed who sketched those plates, none other than the great Heath Robinson. Robinson was an illustrator who would come up with the most outlandish creations, and was extremely popular in Great Britain. Whereas we use "Rube Goldberg" as a descriptor for outlandish, if not ridiculous creations (or ideas), the Brits evoke the name of Heath Robinson. Outstanding pamphlet!

 

[Fletch]

Robinson seems to me to combine the dignified roly-poly figures of Gluyas Williams with the whimsically contrived situations of Dr. Seuss in his early magazine period with - yes, yes, of course - Rube Goldberg.

Priceless stuff. I can practically hear Everett Horton narrating as I read.

 

[Curt Chiarelli]

Utterly charming! Thanks for posting this Marc! :eusa_clap

 

[Feraud]

That is a very charming pamphlet.
Thanks for posting it Marc.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

You did it again, Marc Chevalier. That's delightful. Thanks.

 

[Micawber]

Ah yes, the great WHR :eusa_clap

 

[dhermann1]

Charming, hilarious, highly edifying. Actually, when you think about it, very good PR. It evokes the gentlemanly "above the fray" attitude of the true aristocrat. This is also the era of P. G. Wodehouse's immortal upper cruster, Berty Wooster.
Note the use of the word "snarky" to describe nasty weather.

 

[Benny Holiday]

I'm still laughing at the Scotsmen going after the mist! lol

 

[Tomasso]

Thanks again, Marc!

Rodgers Peet & Company closed their last remaining store at 16 E. 42 St. in the mid 80's.

In its early years Rogers, Peet introduced several innovations into the men's wear business: they attached tags to garments giving fabric composition, they marked garments with price tags (the established practice was to haggle), they offered customers their money back if not satisfied, and they used illustrations of specific merchandise in their advertising. They also used cartoons in their advertisements, a rarity at the time. For some time during these early years Frank Chambers personally wrote the advertising copy. The actor John Barrymore, at that time a young artist, was hired to draw humorous cartoons for the advertising.



In the song "Marry the Man Today" from Guys and Dolls, Rogers Peet is mentioned as one of the finer things in life:

(Adelaide): Slowly introduce him to the better things; respectable, conservative, and clean
(Sarah): Readers Digest!
(Adelaide):Guy Lombardo!
(Sarah): Rogers Peet!
(Adelaide): Golf!
(Sarah): Galoshes!
(Adelaide): Ovaltine!

 

[Marc Chevalier]

And Rogers Peet was the clothier that gave a publishing duo the impetus to create Apparel Arts Quarterly. It was Rogers Peet that requested such a publication to keep in their stores and show to customers. For this reason, one of the first issues of Apparel Arts contained a long article about Rogers Peet.

.

 

[Undertow]

lol lol :eusa_clap

Thanks for the excellent pamphlet!

 

[Mid-fogey]

So cool...

...thanks so much for sharing.

 

[PADDY]

That's really informative...thanks!!

I've really enjoyed this Marc, thanks! Any more things like this lurking in your home? just fascinating.:eusa_clap

 

[carter]

And Rogers Peet was the clothier that gave a publishing duo the impetus to create Apparel Arts Quarterly. It was Rogers Peet that requested such a publication to keep in their stores and show to customers. For this reason, one of the first issues of Apparel Arts contained a long article about Rogers Peet.
.

Thanks for sharing this Marc. I really enjoyed the writing and the illustrations.

Does anyone know if a compendium of Apparel Arts Quarterly content has ever been published in either hardcover or softcover?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

No, Apparel Arts has never been reprinted in any systematic way. There was a two volume Italian set celebrating the magazine, and discussing its impact/importance etc, but that's all. This set included a number of pages culled from various editions of Apparel Arts. I believe ghos7a55assin owns these, or one of his relatives does.


I'm working on it. (just don't tell Condé Nast )

bk

 

[Matt Deckard]

Insanely cool... I actually have some clothes from them.

 

[imoldfashioned]

Delightful!

I'm tempted to toodle over to Tremont and Bromfield to see if there's any evidence of their Boston outpost left.