Dark colored dress shirts (and other colors) in the golden era

[Maguire]

I wanted to start a thread on this topic because i notice in most movies and most pictures i've seen from the golden era, men generally wore plain white dress shirts or maybe wore those white/cream colored dress shirts with small dots on them but I never see any other colors outside of say a military uniform. Is this the case? Was black really that uncommon? I've seen only a few pictures with black shirts or dark shirts on a suit and that is what prompted me to start a thread. Does anyone else have pictures from that era that show people in darker colored shirts. Here is what i found-

Its dated as 1937 and the gentleman on the right is wearing a dark shirt.

also does anyone know when that white collar/blue shirt fad happened or has it always been around? you know, the one that you always see on 1980s powersuits matched with suspenders- white collar and cuffs but blue or some other color everywhere else?

 

[avedwards]

I think white, cream, light blue and light grey seem to have been the most common then (just guesses as most pictures I've seen are b/w).

As for the blue shirt with white collar and cuffs, I think it dates back to Victorian times. Blue collar workers wore blue shirts with blue collars because they don't show dirt as well so as a result they could be worn by workers who couldn't afford to always keep them clean. White collar workers wore white shirts as they were rich enough to keep them clean. However, if rich people wanted to wear a blue shirt for fashion reasons they wore one with a white collar to show that they weren't blue collar workers but simply wore a blue shirt out of personal choice. That's where the phrase white collar worker and blue collar worker comes from too. That's what I read somewhere at least.

 

[Dinerman]

Take a look at this thread:
Black Shirt under a white coat

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Dark dress shirts (with lighter colored ties) really hit their stride in the mid 1930s and stayed around until the later '40s. They were considered more "California sporty-looking" than white shirts. Even so, most American men continued to wear white shirts with their suits and sportcoats.

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[Guttersnipe]

White was definitely the most common color, however, I think there was a lot more variety in shirt color but we assume, a lot of shirts we see in pictures are white or off-white.

Checkout this recent thread:
http://thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=45226

and also:
http://img211.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=dsc04517s.jpg

 

[Marc Chevalier]

American shirts from the mid 1930s:

 

[Maguire]

Wow to that last post- see that is what i mean- look at all the colors, it looks to me like the same exact colors and patterns you see today for the most part. Yet if you look at most men in suits its always a white shirt. Go figure.

 

[adamjaskie]

I like how despite all the colorful shirts in those pictures, the men in them are all wearing white shirts (except for the one guy laying on his back with his feet up in the air; I can't see his shirt.)

 

[Maguire]

I like how despite all the colorful shirts in those pictures, the men in them are all wearing white shirts (except for the one guy laying on his back with his feet up in the air; I can't see his shirt.)

This only further illustrates my point! Its one thing to see that a shirt is carried at a store, but we assume someone sometime must have bought them and worn them.. right?!

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Dress shirts from a 1930s British catalogue:

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[HarpPlayerGene]

I love 'em. I love 'em all.

 

[Highlander]

From what I've read the colored shirt (ie blue) with white collar and cuffs were more the "working man's" dress shirt. The shirt could be worn to work in (not showing stains), and then washed up and a clean white collar and cuffs buttoned on for dress.

I recall seeing all of the 1930's movies with "Frank Nitty" etc wearing a dark shirt light tie with a dark chalk stripe suit etc. I recall in the early/mid-70s when I was in High School that look sort of returned.

Tom Wolfe is often interviewed with the blue(or stripped) shirt/white collar look. One of my favorites.

 

[Geesie]

Proto-Regis look?

 

[Feraud]

There really is nothing new under the sun.

 

[Highlander]

Also, relating to the White Shirt thing. It seems like the guys I knew that came home from WWII really were into the white shirts and the jackets. Many worked for companies, and in those days, you didn't even take your jacket off at work.

As those folks retired from the business community we relaxed our standards, and then again and again... Too bad. I didn't really like wearing a white shirt and jacket sitting at my desk, but back when I first got into business, stepping outside the office, you were expected to have a jacket on... Our dress code at the time even specified that.

 

[Stearmen]

World Flight

[/IMG] Here is another photo of the people above. They are Paul Mantz, Amelia Earhart, and Fred Noonan. This was after they arrived in Hawaii after the first leg of Amellia's first attempt to fly around the word. The next day she crashed her Lockheed Electra on takeoff, and the attempt was postponed. Mantz said he could not continue with the record attempt because they would not pay him enough. The real reason was Noonan was drinking to much and Earhart was not that good of a pilot! If Mantz was on the flight, maybe history would have turned out different! Mantz was a movie pilot and race pilot, with a lot of records to his name, some that will never be broken. After the war, he bought up a lot of surplus warbirds with full tanks of fuel, he drained the fuel out of the ones he was not going to keep scrapped them for a big prophet thus getting the planes he kept for free! He bragged that he had the sixth-largest air force in the world at the time! Sadly, Mantz was killed during the filming of The Flight Of The Phoenix! A fate that seems to awaits most movie stunt pilots. He was a very stylish dresser in his day and larger then life, the aviation world lost a great one.

 

[Maguire]

Also, relating to the White Shirt thing. It seems like the guys I knew that came home from WWII really were into the white shirts and the jackets. Many worked for companies, and in those days, you didn't even take your jacket off at work.

As those folks retired from the business community we relaxed our standards, and then again and again... Too bad. I didn't really like wearing a white shirt and jacket sitting at my desk, but back when I first got into business, stepping outside the office, you were expected to have a jacket on... Our dress code at the time even specified that.

Yes, i know companies had far more stringent dress policies at least when it came to that. Its a shame they don't encourage proper dress in the office the way they used to, they really would have nothing to lose (certainly those business producing suits and dress clothing would have nothing to lose, and probably could throw money in the direction of companies with stricter standards).

 

[Marc Chevalier]

In 1967, when my father was a junior executive at General Electric, he was sent home to change after coming to work in a light pink dress shirt.


.

 

[Matt Deckard]

In 1967, when my father was a junior executive at General Electric, he was sent home to change after coming to work in a light pink dress shirt.


.

What was he thinking? That he was working at a carnival or something?

 

[Highlander]

Indeed, a light pink shirt at GE??? No, I like being able to express myself and wear a french blue shirt with a white collar at work, but even the bankers these days are tieless. I'd like to see us at least get half way back to some class...