Men, What Makes You Choose One Decade Over Another?

[Marc Chevalier]

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A post by JitterbugDoll in the "eyebrow" thread made me curious.

If you're more into the '40s look than the '30s look, why is this the case?

Conversely, if you're more into the '30s style that the '40s style, why is this so for you?


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[herringbonekid]

i'm not so strict about decades. i like clothes from the late 20s to the mid 50s. i buy clothes that i know will go with other clothes i already have. i find it almost impossible to say why i like one visual thing over another. i just do. i'd say i'm mainly guided by a strong (but difficult to describe) 'feel'. i mix decades up. i know some people will stick as tightly as possible to a year or two to achieve an 'authentic' look, but i'm not one of those. i see the clothes of the years i mentioned as being linked by a common aesthetic which fizzled out after about '55. that's why i'm not so bothered about individual decades or years.

 

[adamgottschalk]

I didn't really think about it much; it just sort of happened naturally. I like stingy brims, narrow ties, and narrow lapels. That makes me late 50s/early 60s. I do feel some affinity for that era and looks, but I can't exactly describe it. I was born in '69 so it's not like I ever saw folks from that era. As a jazz fan and singer, there is of course the Sinatra/Rat-Pack connection, but then there's also Ska too, and more to it. I really do feel like a well-dressed "bad boy," as opposed to a mannequin for a bygone era I can't relate to. And I don't have all that many photos of folks in stingy brims and narrow lapels; I just know about them and like them. There were a couple of good movies that had the costumes/wardrobes down pat to the era--Capote, for example. Not a movie I loved, but I really loved the late-fifties fashion.

 

[Wild Root]

Well, call me a mannequin! I’m a living example of the life style of 1935-1941 I’m not sure why but, I know I love the life style and events that happened in those troubled years. Movies were great, music was even better! Cars had some fantastic styling and clothes were just the berries! Suits were so nicely cut and the colors and patterns used in design were so fresh and crisp! I’m in love with the streamlined/deco period and I will continue to be as such. There’s something special about those pre-WWII years, I do collect clothing from the 20’s to the mid 50’s but, my true passion is from the years of 1935-1941. Just the keenest years this earth saw… in my humble opinion.

=WR=

 

[shindeco]

I'd have to claim the 30s as my preferred decade but it's difficult to say exactly what attracts me. The aesthetic is very clean and epitomizes my perception of what is elegant.

I think the fact that the elegance was relatively accessible at that time appeals to me. People didn't have a lot of money but the manufacturers went out of their way to make even the everyday items attractive as well as functional.

 

[otterhound]

I'm a '30s guy. I love the "V" silhouette. Big padded shoulders, tapered waist. Freud would say that this is because I'm a string-bean and have bodybuilder envy.[huh]

When I was just starting out in the working world (1985), I was all Brooks Bros. sack suits, repp ties, etc. -- because my Dad said that was the way to go. But man, I sure found that look boooring! So, once I started developing my own style, those shoulders started padding out, and that waist started coming in.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I like both decades. I love the whole aesthetic of the 30's and 40's. Everything from cars to clothes to art and architecture was just so beautifully designed. Maybe because I was exposed to all of it from an early age as it was the era of my parents and grand parents.

 

[BellyTank]

'30s-

About '30-'38.
Dress, Working, Sporting and Adventuring-wear.

I like the styles of the '30s, not so fond of the '40s.
'30s Mens' style just seems spot-on to me- sharp but not necessarily showy- although, of course there is showy stuff.
'40s to my taste and sensibility, is too padded, too wide-boy.
Too Hollywood.

It is my opinion that the 1930s were the height of Men's fashion- the '40s was the beginning of the end(for me).

B
T

 

[herringbonekid]

strong words indeed BT.

i'd love to only wear clothes from the inter-war years. the art deco years. but they're so hard to find it would mean a drastically reduced wardrobe.

 

[resortes805]

Personally, I like the look of the 30's to the mid 50's, but I feel the most comfortable in clothing from the late 40's and early 50's, the bold look discussed in one of the other threads. Rayon garbadine is such an amazing fabric!

 

[otterhound]

'40s to my taste and sensibility, is too padded, too wide-boy.

Was it during the '40s that the padded shoulder look maxed out? I'm not an expert on the date ranges for certain looks.

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

My ideal time for fashion is the mid 20s through the mid 30s. I like the high button stance, wide legged pants, heavy cloth, and more natural shoulder along with tall crowned, medium-to-narrowish brimmed hats.


Starting in the late 30s and going through into the early 50s you start seeing uber-wide shoulder pads, lower button stances and and different materials used for clothes.

 

[Sefton]

It seems that most here have a preference for the 1930s and I'm not gonna rock the boat! I like the 40s too (so many great Noir films, nice suits and hats,etc.) but, the 30s are my favorite. I love the films, probably my favorite decade for movies (foreign as well as Hollywood). The early pre-codes, the great fantasy pictures (King Kong), Universal Horror (Frankenstein, Dracula), Gangsters (Scarface, Little Caesar),etc.

I really love the wonderful Art Deco of that era. The incredible furniture and the curves on the automobiles (and other curves! ). An era of exploration and invention. The Aviators and their beautiful machines...

The greatest music (to my ears) comes from that time. The Jazz and Blues..so many great songs!

The clothes:

I like the soft rounded shoulders on jackets and SB peaked lapels. The wide legged and high waisted trousers. Those great short ties and above all: The Fedoras! Tall crowns and medium width brims (sometimes snapped down all around-a real 30s look, I believe). So I wouldn't turn down any 40s suits off hand, it's just the 1930s that really grabs me.

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

Well, call me a mannequin! I’m a living example of the life style of 1935-1941 I’m not sure why but, I know I love the life style and events that happened in those troubled years. Movies were great, music was even better! Cars had some fantastic styling and clothes were just the berries! Suits were so nicely cut and the colors and patterns used in design were so fresh and crisp! I’m in love with the streamlined/deco period and I will continue to be as such. There’s something special about those pre-WWII years, I do collect clothing from the 20’s to the mid 50’s but, my true passion is from the years of 1935-1941. Just the keenest years this earth saw… in my humble opinion.

Yeah. What he said.

 

[Quigley Brown]

I've sort of evolved...following the timeline of fashion. I started out with 40s stuff. I got tired of that and then went on to the 50s and now I'm in the early 60s...narrow lapels, narrow ties/cuffs/bars, mid-century art, furniture and home furnishings. Next? Certainly not 70s. More likely a custom mixture.

 

[flat-top]

My style is mostly based on the kind of music I like --pre rock and roll up to rockabilly, so we're talking mid to late 40's to the mid 50's. The Teen-Ager was also "invented" then, and their style that suits me best. It's how I view myself..and it's the time period I that I "live" in.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Clothing I like from the 30's thru the late 40's, and I'm leaning toward the 40's things at the moment.

On other things:
I'm another Art Deco person, I like a combination of the Zig-Zag, or Skyscraper era furniture, (I'd love to have a couple Frankl bookcases) or later the later Streamline Moderne look, which is more along the lines of what I have at the moment.

 

[nightandthecity]

sort of what Herringbone said but with a big P.S. by Wild Root

 

[adamgottschalk]

Metropolis

While, as mentioned, I like to wear the fashion of the late 50s/early 60s, in terms of lifestyle, I long for the days epitomized, to me, in the following classic poster:

I buy and use only "modern" designed furniture, meaning mid century (some stuff that reminds me of the 60s), Eames, Nelson, etc. There are some other designers today who appear to maintain that "modern" feel from when it was still new. Mario Bellini's Bellini chairs, Stua's/Gasca's Zero table, Globus chairs, and Malena chair (my all time favorite chair), Phillipe Stark (some of it), etc. Design Within Reach has gotten more of my credit card money than I'd like to admit...

 

[Benny Holiday]

1935 through to 1952

Growing up amongst the teenage subcultures of the 80's, I tend to look at things from a general cultural perspective. Back then, I was a rocker who listened to Rockabilly etc and wore the clothes of the 1950's, there were skinheads who listened to ska and had their own look, the punks had their music and culture, and so on. So when I moved on to Swing and R'n'B, I gravitated towards wearing the style of clothing associated with the period 1935-1952, which fits in with the music - wide lapels, tailored waists in jackets, fedoras etc.