Esquire September 1939 - more men's fashion plates

[Anthony Jordan]

Lots of "back to college styles" in this edition:

 

[David Conwill]

Wow, that's amazing. I can see why the 1930s Esquires are so sought after. I used to bid on them on eBay, but they always got out of my price range quickly. Thanks for sharing these.

It's nice to see that the fedora was acceptable for college men back in those days. I always thought of it as too "adult" a hat for a student, but now I don't feel so odd wearing one to school.

-Dave

 

[Marty M.]

Great stuff AJ. Keep on posting. Thanks for sharing.
Marty Mathis

 

[Feraud]

Thanks for posting. I enjoy reading the text but the plates are such nice reminders of the use of color and pattern in past men's styling.

 

[David Conwill]

Okay, perhaps someone can explain this to me. This fellow's caption reads:

Fraternity dances, smokers and other semi-formal evening functions find well-dressed undergraduates wearing the double breasted dinner jacket in midnight blue with satin shawl collar, soft dress shirt, satin semi-butterfly tie, silk hose and patent leather pumps.

Just what kind of social function was a "smoker"?

-Dave

 

[Anthony Jordan]

You're all very welcome!

David - I wonder if "smoker" in this context might be "smoking concert", viz: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoking_concerts?

 

[Dinerman]

That's cool to see- looks like a '30s monitor roof diner.

 

[Bill Taylor]

A smoker is a semi formal event held primarily on or near college campus on the evening before iniation, or a get together for prospective initiates to a fraternity (greek). In other words, it's basically a fraternity thing. They were still doing them when I started to college in 1949, but I think by the time my sons and grandsons started college the name of such an event, even if it continued to exist, had changed. I wore black tie because the only dinner jacket I had was a white one and I thought that would be wrong for fall. Lots of others wore black tie, so I guess it wasn't too wrong. And black tie is much less formal than white tie, so maybe black tie is actually semi formal. Not sure about that, though.

Bill

 

[Josephine]

And black tie is much less formal than white tie, so maybe black tie is actually semi formal. Not sure about that, though.

Bill

Yep, traditionally white tie/tails is formal, dinner jacket/black tie is semi formal, and a business suit is informal. Nowadays, white tie is "ultra formal", black tie is formal, a business suit is semi formal, and informal is anything goes. :rage:

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

I'm tempted to claim that today, covering the larger part of the upper body and wearing socks or (alternatively) long trousers are considered formal, but seriously, I think that in general usage,

long trousers,
a not too busily coloured shirt with a collar and a buttoned front,
a jacket and
any non-trainers non-sandals shoes

will be considered formal by many if not most people, even without a tie, with a short-sleeved shirt, and maybe even with blue jeans, unless stone-washed or torn.

How many of us were asked if we were coming from a funeral, just because we were wearing a tie, our trousers matched the jacket and our shoes looked like leather?

 

[Bill Taylor]

I'm tempted to claim that today, covering the larger part of the upper body and wearing socks or (alternatively) long trousers are considered formal, but seriously, I think that in general usage,

long trousers,
a not too busily coloured shirt with a collar and a buttoned front,
a jacket and
any non-trainers non-sandals shoes

will be considered formal by many if not most people, even without a tie, with a short-sleeved shirt, and maybe even with blue jeans, unless stone-washed or torn.

How many of us were asked if we were coming from a funeral, just because we were wearing a tie, our trousers matched the jacket and our shoes looked like leather?

yeah, unfortunately you're right. However, there are still some events, expecially private, or quasi-private, where you just plain won't get in if formal or black tie dress is specified and one is not dressed accordingly. I've seen that happen at some country clubs and other events. Must be embarrassing to those who really don't know how to dress and properly attend events. It can possibly ultimately hurt them financially, as well. My wife and I pound that into our grandsons. They hate to hear it and don't like it, but not agreeing with my wife is not a wise thing to do. Grandma is way too good a lawyer to put up with feeble excuses.

Bill

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

"Democratisation" is certainly something I laud and want. In other words, I find it sad that people think a jacket is over-dressing, while they pay more for their hip jeans, where hip both = en vogue and ridiculously low-waisted, but I'm not exactly a fan of country clubs that implicitly or explicitly exclude people that can't afford the pre-set dress. (Actually, I'm afraid, I don't quite get the concept of country clubs in general.)