The Fedora Lounge Guide to Esquire Men's Fashion, 1933-1948, By Flanderian

[Flanderian]

This is the balance of the October 1935 illustrations.

 

[Flanderian]

These are Esquire's illustrations for November 1935.

 

[Flanderian]

These are Esquire's illustrations for December 1935. Beginning with this issue, December issues were virtually devoid of fashion plates, and are replaced by a few sparse pages of items available for sale. And as we progress, their true nature as essentially advertising becomes evident. But they are what they are.

 

[Flanderian]

These are the illustrations for Esquire, January 1936.

 

[Flanderian]

These are the illustrations from Esquire February 1936.

 

[Flanderian]

This is the balance of February 1936's illustrations.

 

[Flanderian]

These are Esquire's illustrations for March 1936.

 

[Flanderian]

The balance of March 1936.

 

[Flanderian]

These are the illustrations from Esquire, April 1936.

 

[Flanderian]

These are the illustrations for May 1936.

 

[Flanderian]

The balance of May 1936.

 

[Flanderian]

These are the illustrations for Esquire, June 1936.

The ad illustration below is one of my favorites because it shows the great variety of pocket styles and back treatments available, and which were then common in that era. And how each variety could be used with others to create specific aesthetic effects.

 

[Flanderian]

These are the Esquire illustrations for July 1936.

 

[Flanderian]

These are Esquire's illustrations from August 1936.

 

[Flanderian]

This is perhaps tangential, but some might be curious. I attempted to offer a brief synopsis in the introduction to this thread of the differences between the publications, Apparel Arts, and Esquire. It included what I suspect is an inadequate description of the nature of Apparel Arts as Esquire's older sister publication and inspiration.

There's an active collectors market in old copies of Apparel Arts, particularly those from the '30's, and even copies not in very good condition can sell for surprising sums. And most survivors aren't in great condition because despite the lavish nature of its printing and binding, it was never originally intended to last into the future.

Surviving copies are periodically sold via the Internet and sellers sometimes include a photo of the cover and a few pages to illustrate the content and condition to prospective purchasers. One such example I've happened upon is a remarkably well preserved copy of an issue that was resold to a collector in 2019. It's the Fall 1936 issue which is listed as Vol. VII No. 1. I'm offering this here because it provides a glimpse into the nature of Apparel Arts, especially the lavish and eye-catching cardboard covers, which unfortunately are disintegrated on most survivors, and into some of the differences in content between it and Esquire.

 

[Flanderian]

These are Esquire's illustrations for September 1936.

 

[Flanderian]

This is the balance of September 1936.

Edit: This is something I find remarkable, and thought might interest others who enjoy this subject: the third illustration from the top of the post directly above is a photo of a variety of sartorial accessories attractively displayed. It's Esquire's page 130. Two ties are pictured. The one to the left is an orangey, straw colored homespun tweed, the tip of which is left cut and unfinished. I have this tie! But what is notable is that it didn't originate from 1936. It was purchased new roughly 25 years ago from Polo.

I had long read that the talented group of designers assembled by Ralph Lauren spent lots of time pouring over old sartorial publications, as well as other sources such as bunches, from which to derive their inspiration. I think my tie serves as material evidence of the accuracy of these reports as it differs solely from the original in that its shape is that of 1995, rather than 1936's. Otherwise, it appears to be identical.

 

[Flanderian]

These are Esquire's illustrations for October 1936.

 

[Flanderian]

These are Esquire's November 1836 illustrations.

 

[Flanderian]

These are the illustrations for Esquire December 1936.