GGG Clothes 1947 Catalogue

[Baron Kurtz]

I’ve whined before about 1920s super skinny cut suits, the “cult-of-youth” reaction to the end of WWI. Well, the reaction of men’s fashion to WWIIs end was equally unfavourable to small men like me. But this time, the exact opposite to the 20s fashion. As illustrated in this wonderfully propagandising GGG Clothes catalogue from 1947, late 1940s men’s fashion was all about massive lines. Massive shoulders, baggy and draped chest and long-line jackets with much less waist suppression that their predecessors. Were a short man to wear these suits, he would look like he’d raided his dad’s closet. Awful styles for short men, as I’ve found to my horror. It’s a pity, as I really love the bold fabrics that were popular. But the shoulders are always so gigantic!

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bk

 

[Chrome]

I like this style in leisure/sports styled jackets but think double breasted jackets hang too low (maybe it is because button stance). After getting used to '30s silhouette I think I'm bying too big suit for me.. but maybe I am since never figured out how is back supposed to drape properly. Anyhow SB sportswear is nice and enhances leisure mode since clothes are not form fitting and colors are non businesslike.

Fortunately in these pics like in every ad, realism isn't quite that. In this case those suits aren't that "imposing" in real life

 

[herringbonekid]

if you resemble Robert Mitchum then you can pull this look off.

 

[thunderw21]

Great scans.

I've always disliked the Bold Look, specifically the double breasteds. The jackets look like they're melting off the wearer with their low button stances and long lapels.

Top-heavy.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

yes, tbh, I would say there's only one man who looks any good in the whole catalogue, and that's the guy without a jacket.[huh]

 

[Guttersnipe]

Jeez, no love for the bold look here . . .

. . . actually, the bold look tends to look better in-person and on the man than in plates which accentuate the characteristics of the cut for the purpose of illustration them.

That said, BK makes some very valid points about the low button stance, long-line jackets, and heavily built shoulders of the bold look not being well suited to short men with slight builds.

 

[Two Types]

No problems with the clothes ... I just don't like the illustrations.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Very much of their time, those illustrations …

Jeez, no love for the bold look here . . .

For me it's all about the big cut jackets. Just not right for my frame. For me, the really successful fashion trends in menswear have suited the most body types. That real skinny early 20s look only suited one body type and didn't last very long; same deal with the "bold look" era menswear, which was pretty much gone by 1949. I have a glimmer in my mind that these extreme fashions were reactions to the horrors of the wars that immediately preceded them - men were saying "off with all that went before … reject the norms of the days when were were undamaged men and embrace an extreme style."

 

[Guttersnipe]

For me it's all about the big cut jackets. Just not right for my frame. For me, the really successful fashion trends in menswear have suited the most body types. That real skinny early 20s look only suited one body type and didn't last very long; same deal with the "bold look" era menswear, which was pretty much gone by 1949. I have a glimmer in my mind that these extreme fashions were reactions to the horrors of the wars that immediately preceded them - men were saying "off with all that went before … reject the norms of the days when were were undamaged men and embrace an extreme style."

Great point about successful trends suiting the most body types. It makes think of the 1950s "Mr T" look that evolved to be the default conservative, minimally waisted American cut in a different way. While it's not a looked liked on the FL, it has persisted for decades while various other styles/cuts have come and gone.

The sociological / economic forces at play with various fashion trends are definitely worth noting too.

To me, 1) the explosion of ostentatious fashion and 2) leisure / resort wear for the masses post-Great Depression and WWII was definitely not a coincidence. After almost a generation of hardship, people wanted to live a little; with the post-war boom, in the U.S. at least, folks had more money to spend on things they'd never been able to afford before. Hence the popularity of opulent things like distinctively patterned fabrics, imported and "exotic" cloths, and flashy printed ties . . .

. . . when you make due with two suits and three or four ties, necessity dictates they are understated for versatility; when you can afford a larger wardrobe, you can ad variety.