Esquire’s Complete Golden Age Illustrations:

[Flanderian]

These are the illustrations for Esquire June 1938.

 

[Flanderian]

These are the Esquire illustrations for July 1938.

 

[Fading Fast]

Related to our earlier discussion of suit fabrics, note this comment on the tan suit, "...the fabric can be gaberdine, flannel, tropical worsted, Palm Beach, linen, silk or any of the synthetic fabrics."

 

[Fastuni]

Edit: I would definitely agree, I think a Tyrolean hat is more casual and sporting, and would consider it unappealing with more formal suits! Couldn't find the specific illustration you reference, do you happen to recall the specific month and year of the issue in which it appeared?

On closer inspection I couldn't find any examples I apparently imagined or falsely remembered...
curious.

 

[Flanderian]

View attachment 263111
Related to our earlier discussion of suit fabrics, note this comment on the tan suit, "...the fabric can be gaberdine, flannel, tropical worsted, Palm Beach, linen, silk or any of the synthetic fabrics.

Thanks for brining that to my attention. While understanding intellectually that flannel, even given it's likely softer and looser nature in the period, was worn as hot weather cloth makes me sweat just thinking about it! High quality tropical worsted I've found excellent for the purpose, as I did high quality wool/poly in my youth. Silk can actually wear surprisingly warm.

The one cloth I've not experienced is the original Palm Beach Cloth, much praised throughout the early Esquire for its properties.

The topic of this cloth is covered beautifully in this Fedora Lounge thread from 2013 -

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/the-fedora-lounge-guide-to-palm-beach-cloth.72054/

My limited additional reading on the topic is that this specific brand of cloth had its various different constituents change several times through its history.

On closer inspection I couldn't find any examples I apparently imagined or falsely remembered...
curious.

Something I will frequently do, also. But you're correct in that I can recall some men when wearing hats was universal who seemed not to understand the nature of these handsome hats, and wear them with clothing that was too formal.

 

[Flanderian]

These are the Esquire illustrations for August 1938.

 

[Flanderian]

These are Esquire's illustrations for September 1938.

 

[Fading Fast]

Glad the "new ribbon shape bow tie" seems to have had a short life:

 

[Flanderian]

Glad the "new ribbon shape bow tie" seems to have had a short life:
View attachment 263372 View attachment 263373

Agreed!

 

[Flanderian]

These are the Esquire illustration for October 1938.

 

[Flanderian]

These are the Esquire illustrations for November 1938.

 

[Aerielle Max]

These are the illustrations from Esquire February 1934.


View attachment 255538 View attachment 255539 View attachment 255540 View attachment 255541 View attachment 255542 View attachment 255543

Super elegant and dainty to men

 

[Tiki Tom]

"Putting on the canine"? Never heard that one before.

Glad I looked it up. It does not mean what I thought it meant: (or maybe the definition has changed over 80 years.)

TOP DEFINITION
put on the dog
Put on (the) dog is an expression that means ‘to make a display of wealth or importance, especially by dressing stylishly and flashily’. It’s similar in meaning to the later expression put on the ritz.
"In preperation for the large party, Bill really 'put on the dog'.

 

[Flanderian]

Super elegant and dainty to men

Certainly very elegant.

"Putting on the canine"? Never heard that one before.

Glad I looked it up. It does not mean what I thought it meant: (or maybe the definition has changed over 80 years.)

TOP DEFINITION
put on the dog
Put on (the) dog is an expression that means ‘to make a display of wealth or importance, especially by dressing stylishly and flashily’. It’s similar in meaning to the later expression put on the ritz.
"In preperation for the large party, Bill really 'put on the dog'.

I had read that the managing editor, Arnold Gingrich, wrote much of the copy that accompany the fashion plates. The reason given was just that he simply didn't want to pay anyone else to do it! Arch attempts at wiitticisms of common expressions were common here, and can be found in much other writing of the day, and even throughout Hollywood films of the era. I find myself still so afflicted, much to the chagrin of family.

 

[Flanderian]

Very slim pickings over the next two months, so here are both December 1938 and January 1939.

First, December 1938 -

And this is January 1939 -

 

[Flanderian]

These are Esquire's illustrations for February 1939.

 

[Fading Fast]

Okay, I get that until the '70s, many men went to the beach in some version of their dress clothes.

I had a grandfather who was poor - that's the only word for it - but he always wore, at minimum, a sport coat, dress trousers and tie. I have this vague memory of him taking off his dress shoes and socks and rolling up his cuffs at the beach and my mom trying to coax him to take off his tie.

But this pic ⇩ surprises me. The gentleman on the left is clearly successful and very aware of how he dresses. He is obviously at some sort of beach or resort locale. So why would he go to the beach in a full suit and tie get-up? He looks like the type of guy that would love to buy a "beach outfit."

Maybe the answer simply is that's what people did then, but this guy strikes me as someone who would want to have the "right" outfit for the beach. We've seen some already and we'll see more pics like this as this thread goes on, so I wanted to get that off my chest.

Oh, and I like his shoes a lot.

 

[Flanderian]

Okay, I get that until the '70s, many men went to the beach in some version of their dress clothes.

I had a grandfather who was poor - that's the only word for it - but he always wore, at minimum, a sport coat, dress trousers and tie. I have this vague memory of him taking off his dress shoes and socks and rolling up his cuffs at the beach and my mom trying to coax him to take off his tie.

But this pic ⇩ surprises me. The gentleman on the left is clearly successful and very aware of how he dresses. He is obviously at some sort of beach or resort locale. So why would he go to the beach in a full suit and tie get-up? He looks like the type of guy that would love to buy a "beach outfit."

Maybe the answer simply is that's what people did then, but this guy strikes me as someone who would want to have the "right" outfit for the beach. We've seen some already and we'll see more pics like this as this thread goes on, so I wanted to get that off my chest.

Oh, and I like his shoes a lot.
View attachment 263918

I think you're right! Some older men of the period might very well elect to remain fully dressed in their normal, sometimes only, clothing, but this fellow is contemporaneous, well-heeled and stylish. Perhaps he just stopped by for a natter while sauntering along the boardwalk?

 

[Flanderian]

These are the Esquire illustrations for March 1939.

 

[Faux Brummell]

Cuffed trousers with a stroller! Shocking, I say! Avert your eyes!