Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Esquire’s Complete Golden Age Illustrations:

Flanderian

Practically Family
Messages
833
Location
Flanders, NJ, USA
Here are July 1944's illustrations.


Esq074401a.jpg



Esq074401b.jpg



Esq074402.jpg



Esq074403.jpg



Esq074404a.jpg



Esq074407.jpg



Esq074404b.jpg



Esq074405.jpg



Esq074406.jpg
 
Messages
17,268
Location
New York City
The diamond pattern is a beautiful pattern that seems to have been forgotten today:
View attachment 261502

Back in the summer of 2018, I went to a Brooks Brothers 100-year anniversary exhibit at Grand Central Station that included this 1940s suit from its collection:
View attachment 261501

And a close-up of the pattern:
View attachment 261503 ...

...
⇩ Looks like a variation on our old friend (from a few days ago) the diamond pattern (or is it similar but not really one?).
View attachment 262744

I...I'm getting, at least, an echo of our old friend the diamond pattern in that sport coat:
View attachment 270693

Periodically in this thread, see above, we've discussed the diamond pattern, which is rare to find today.

Coincidentally, it popped up twice recently in old movies I was watching.

First, in a movie from 1951 called "Take Care of Our Little Girl" (comments on the movie here: #28011) I spotted this diamond pattern in a sport coat worn by actor Jeffery Hunter (best pic of it I could find):
6d2f869d7641a69fce387e79912a25ee.jpg


And, then, I saw this, what I think is a, "broken" diamond pattern as it looks like the diamond pattern alternates with a barleycorn or some sort of checkerboard stripe in Walter Pidgeon's sport coat in the 1941 movie "Design for Scandal" (comments on the movie here: #28030, second movie down):
walter-pidgeon-rosalind-russell-design-for-scandal-1941-BP9XD6.jpg
 

Flanderian

Practically Family
Messages
833
Location
Flanders, NJ, USA
Periodically in this thread, see above, we've discussed the diamond pattern, which is rare to find today.

Coincidentally, it popped up twice recently in old movies I was watching.

First, in a movie from 1951 called "Take Care of Our Little Girl" (comments on the movie here: #28011) I spotted this diamond pattern in a sport coat worn by actor Jeffery Hunter (best pic of it I could find):
View attachment 274020

And, then, I saw this, what I think is a, "broken" diamond pattern as it looks like the diamond pattern alternates with a barleycorn or some sort of checkerboard stripe in Walter Pidgeon's sport coat in the 1941 movie "Design for Scandal" (comments on the movie here: #28030, second movie down):
View attachment 274021

Great photos, of some great tweeds!

Thank you.

Esquire All American Jazz Concert, 1944. Metropolitan Opera House, New York City.



Wonderful film clip! Superb photos and delightful jazz.


MIMIW-TU.gif
 

Faux Brummell

Familiar Face
Messages
65
I realize the U.S. had other priorities in those days but it still breaks my heart to see how much they reduced their formal wear illustrations!
 
Messages
17,268
Location
New York City
Looky-looky, our old friend the diamond pattern.
Esq094405.jpg



Kudos to illustrator Saalburg for perfectly catching the look - the look you want to get as a man - on the woman's face. It's there only for a second, and it's subtle, but if you don't miss it, you know you have an opening to start chatting.
Esq104405a.jpg

And what is it with bookstores and pickups. Perhaps the most-famous bookstore pickup scene ever filmed is from "The Big Sleep," which starts with Dorothy Malone giving "the look" to Humphrey Bogart. And here's the look:
miss-malone.png

And the full scene (she's firing look after look out at Bogie throughout):


Just a wonderful pic (and darn fine-looking blue herringbone suit):
Esq104406.jpg
 
Last edited:

Tiki Tom

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,408
Location
Oahu, North Polynesia
Regarding July 1944, matching shirts and sun umbrellas! Great marketing concept for summer 2021. Anyone want to launch a start-up with me?

Re: “the look”. I get that look all the time. But usually they are thinking “is it time to call security?”

I love the shirt-tie-suit fabric snippets. Helps me visualize the combinations better. I confess that I had previously thought that such daring combinations were a product of the 1990s.

FF, the diamond pattern was completely off my radar screen before this thread. Thanks for pointing it out. It is the small details that bring out the era.
 
Last edited:

Tiki Tom

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,408
Location
Oahu, North Polynesia
Great clip from the Big Sleep.
Acme Book Shop! Expected to see the Coyote in there buying booby trapped books.
“I’ve got a bottle of pretty good rye in my pocket” is a line that only Humphrey Bogart could get away with.
 

Flanderian

Practically Family
Messages
833
Location
Flanders, NJ, USA
Looky-looky, our old friend the diamond pattern.
View attachment 274511


Kudos to illustrator Saalburg for perfectly catching the look - the look you want to get as a man - on the woman's face. It's there only for a second, and it's subtle, but if you don't miss it, you know you have an opening to start chatting.
View attachment 274512
And what is it with bookstores and pickups. Perhaps the most-famous bookstore pickup scene ever filmed is from "The Big Sleep," which starts with Dorothy Malone giving "the look" to Humphrey Bogart. And here's the look:
View attachment 274513
And the full scene (she's firing look after look out at Bogie throughout):


Just a wonderful pic (and darn fine-looking blue herringbone suit):
View attachment 274514

Great movie stills! Thanks.

Bookstores are definitely beneficial to social interactions. I think its meditative browsing breeds a sense of intimacy allowing casual, but very personal, interaction. (Too bad I never realized until it was too late to be of benefit! ;))

Regarding July 1944, matching shirts and sun umbrellas! Great marketing concept for summer 2021. Anyone want to launch a start-up with me?

Re: “the look”. I get that look all the time. But usually they are thinking “is it time to call security?”

I love the shirt-tie-suit fabric snippets. Helps me visualize the combinations better. I confess that I had previously thought that such daring combinations were a product of the 1990s.

FF, the diamond pattern was completely off my radar screen before this thread. Thanks for pointing it out. It is the small details that bring out the era.

I too appreciate the addition of a close up photo of a snippet of the cloth illustrated. Think it's very effective too.

Manhattan retailer Paul Stuart has resurrected historic tweed patterns from time to time. Dug this out of my archives, with the smaller inset showing Scottish tweed in one form of diamond pattern. From Paul Stuart 1983.


Scan0025.jpg
 

Forum statistics

Threads
109,666
Messages
3,086,147
Members
54,480
Latest member
PISoftware
Top