Men, What Makes You Choose One Decade Over Another?

[FedoraGent]

I gravitate...

I gravitate moreso towards the late 30s, early 40s as I love the ties and how the definition of class and style was uniquely solid...in my humble opinion during this time. Although I mostly dress modern with a HUGE vintage infleuence when I "dress down" I usually dress with a 50s infleuence but not very much. I'm often fascinated with the particularly neat lines of the suits and the wonderful way the entire thing flows. I like that when I'm wearing a suit...I like for it to flow with my movement and I like to make sure that it's particularly well pressed.

 

[Wild Root]

Wow, there’s a lot of 30’s lovers! That’s really cool!

What cracks me up is how some don’t like the 40’s… they cut it out completely! I have suits that have copy written 1939 union tags that one would mistake for a mid 30’s suit. The wide shoulders came out mid 40’s and came even stronger in the late 40’s and early 50’s. My self, I adore the shoulder pads. I’m not very broad in my shoulders and I like to give a manly appearance. Narrow shoulders look a little wimpy or frumpy to me. You can see some beautiful clothes from 1940 to 1942… I’ve looked in mid 30’s catalogs and catalogs as late as 1943… the difference is very little… they even still offered belted back suits in the early 40’s. Also, most ties that are found in advertisements are not the wild wide jobs that are associated with the 40’s… most of the patterned ties we find that we may believe are 30’s are most likely early 40’s seeing they didn’t change the cut much. The wide colorful ties really came out after WWII and continued into the 50’s.

I love it all… 1920’s to the 50’s… I’m not a big fan of narrow lapels or boxy cut coats with tapered tight pants of the later years. I love curves and drape shapes!

=WR=

 

[BellyTank]

Anyhoo-

I personally don't hate '40s gear- it's just that the 'typical '40s style' is just not as appealing to me as the 'typical '30s style'- I mean in the way we would typify each era, if we could or would want to, to compare the two... er...

Like '30s in a nutshell vs. '40s in a nutshell, if you will.

B
T

 

[jake_fink]

In terms of general interest I'll look at 1907 - 1957, roughly: cubism to abstract expressionism, ragtime to free jazz, model T to Coupe Deville, Zeigfeld to Hefner, Art Nouveau to International Style, Jack Johnson to Sonny Liston, Yellow Kid to Alfred E Newman, Joseph Conrad to Jack Kerouac, Homburg to pork pie... and so on.

I don't concentrate on just one decade, and I do still live pretty thoroughly in the present, but if I had my druthers, I'd be all about '28 - '39, with a minor in '30- '34. Of course in my fantasy the depression is merely aesthetic and not, well, depressing. As a young feller I had just about the same interest, and my old man, who was born in 1929 to very, very poor immigrants, said I was nuts (but he loved me ).

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Also, most ties that are found in advertisements are not the wild wide jobs that are associated with the 40’s…

Root's right. What surprised me, though, was finding out that some truly wild patterned print ties were made in later '20s and all the way through the '30s. In fact, the only way I call tell that these ties were not made in the '40s is by their construction/lining; their narrower, sometimes shorter width; and their labels. (If, for instance, a wild print tie has an NRA label, there's no denying that it was made between 1933 and '35.)

Another difference between these older wild ties and the newer '40s ones is that few men wore them. Before the '40s, wild ties were bought by "Broadway sharpies", denizens of the racetrack, Hollywood leading men (like the young Gary Cooper), a small handful of gangsters, and the like. Around the end of World War II, everyone started to wear them.

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I am very much into 1930s business and formal wear. If I had to pick one "perfect" year for suits, it would be 1937. When put together well, this style gives the appearance of being timelessly elegant. The '40s are fine, and in the later '80s (when padded shoulders and low jacket gorges were in fashion) I tended to wear '40s suits. Today, with more natural shoulders and a slimmer fit in vogue, I find that '30s suits work well. In a sense, they're contemporary -- only BETTER.

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[Wild Root]

Of course I'm right! Duh! lol

Marc is right too! There have been some very flashy patterned ties from the 20's to the early 40's. Fact is, there were people who were flashy or not flashy through all periods of time. As for ties, I like them all; it's good to have flashy and not so flashy in a collection. I like hand paints to brocades, hand woven to rayon... they're all good in my book.

The 30's in to me were the zenith of class! Belted or non belted suits, the tall crown fedoras... everything was just beautiful, sleek, clean and classy! The 40’s weren’t that much different in my eyes, yes, the shoulder pads got a little more prominent and the cut was lowered a little but, the dramatic change occurred in the post-war years. If I was an ideal size, I would have more 30's clothes but, since I'm not, I find 40's clothing and early 50's clothing easier... even then it's getting really hard!

=WR=

 

[otterhound]

The wide shoulders came out mid 40’s and came even stronger in the late 40’s and early 50’s.

Root, when did the wide shoulders give way to the narrow lapels and narrow ties?

 

[Wild Root]

I'd say around the later 50's and into the 60's. 1957 was a year where it started to really show up!

=WR=

 

[funneman]

I like a little of everything....

...and I like mixing it all up.

That giant sucking sound is Root hitting the ceiling, sorry.

I'm fascinated also, by the working man of the post war 40's, 50's and 60's.

It seems from the pictures I've seen that everyone wore a fedora, from the guy in the three piece suit to the guy in the chambray shirt and blue jeans. I like finding ways of mixing those two for a more casual look. I believe Topsiders came out in the late forties didn't they?

But I also like, Argyle socks, silk deco ties, pants with pleats and cuffs with starched white shirts and yet part of me likes that "Mississippi Burning" short sleeve shirt, skinny tie, stingy brim look or maybe a panel shirt.

As to why? I guess it all starts with the hat, dipped low over the right eye. I just like looking at that hat. There's just something about the sleek, clean lines of a hat well-bashed lid that makes me want to find clothes to make it look good. I don't really care if anyone else looks at me, in fact as someone said here, I'd rather they didn't. The only reason I'm wearing the hat, is because it makes it easier for me to look at it in the mirror.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Root, when did the wide shoulders give way to the narrow lapels and narrow ties?

Blame (or praise) the Italians: they came up with something called the "continental" suit in the early 1950s. It had rounded, very lightly padded shoulders (which are known today as "Neapolitan" shoulders), a shorter jacket with narrower lapels and a wider arc to the skirt, a higher two-button stance, and narrower trouser legs (pleated or unpleated).

Continental suits, in the hands of American designers, morphed into the very narrow-shouldered, skinny-lapeled suits of the early '60s.

Do you prefer the '60s look, Otterman?


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[herringbonekid]

In a sense, they're contemporary -- only BETTER.

.

i agree.
i'm struck by how many 30s suit jackets are so classically proportioned that they almost don't look vintage but 'timeless'. in a way it is the trousers which give the period look with their high waist and fuller leg (and details such as cuffs and watch pockets).

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I agree! Especially now, when the fashion for suit trousers -- even Ralph Lauren's ones -- is low-rise and narrow leg.


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[herringbonekid]

...so if designers would go back to the high waist, full leg we could almost...if you squinted.....on a foggy day......be back in the 30s !

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Well, for us "stout" folks, the trousers are (usually) still high-waisted. Not always, of course, and I occasionally see my boss in an expensive suit and white-shirt-clad belly over lower-rise trousers. Not good.

I go for the 1930s as well, that decade appeals to me for reasons I can't seem to articulate. Maybe it was the last hurrah before the United States was plunged into war.

Then again, I listen to the music of the 1960s and I love the musclecars of that era. No interest in the men's fashions, though! lol

 

[otterhound]

Do you prefer the '60s look, Otterman?

Au contraire, Marc, just the opposite. I like big shoulders, ventless jackets, wide legs with a bit of taper towards the foot. I also like vests with lapels. I like a lower stance on the suit buttons as well. Hollywood waist pants.

What decade does that make me?

 

[Wild Root]

And the answer is... late 1930's!

=WR=

 

[Marc Chevalier]

What decade does that make me?

Except for the lapelled vest, it could just as easily make you this: http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showpost.php?p=127994&postcount=12


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[otterhound]

The Bold Look

The Bold Look. Bingo! Marc, your description of the Bold Look describes my tastes precisely.

Is there much Bold Look vintage out there to be had?

 

[Marc Chevalier]

See here:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showpost.php?p=128040&postcount=20



And here:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showpost.php?p=128198&postcount=35


Looks like you prefer the late '40s - early '50s. Sort of a mid-to-mid decade. What attracts you to it?


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[Tomasso]

Marc, what era does this suit resemble most?