The GREATEST Menswear Store Ever?

[Lauren]

Thanks, Lauren!

Folks, this is THE place to have an L.A. area Fedora Lounger get-together. At the very least, we could all meet there for drinks some time. (Yes, Oviatt's store had its own bar ... and the restaurant still does.)
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I'm down. Can we PLEASE make it a friday (8pm or later) or Sat get together so I can come?

 

[Marc Chevalier]

We can do it ANYTIME. The bar's open every day except Sunday. lol

 

[Lauren]

Woohoo! I'm excited!

 

[Wild Root]

Well, I have one pair of striped sport pants, and the two pairs of plus four socks from Alexander and Oviatt's that Ben sold me before he knew what they were! lol lol lol lol

=WR=

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Are the striped sports pants also from Oviatt's? (Can you tell I'm obsessed?)


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[Marc Chevalier]

I wish I'd been James Oviatt ... except for two big problems:


-- He was a very active member of the John Birch Society and gave lots of money to some extremely far-right organizations. (We're talking about groups that wanted Martin Luther King in prison, or worse.)

-- He looked a lot like William Frawley (Fred Mertz on "I Love Lucy"). Happily, I do not.


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[jake_fink]

Oh man. This is exactly why I come to the Fedora Lounge. Jeepers!

This is really fascinating and very, very cool. Thanks Marc.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

The pleasure is mine.

Where else but here would folks enjoy seeing this stuff?

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[Marc Chevalier]

Forgot to mention that in the late 1930s, Oviatt's opened another store in Beverly Hills. I have no idea where that one was exactly, or when it closed.


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[Marc Chevalier]

Gosh, is anyone else enjoying this thread? [huh]

Should I just pull all the photos and close it down?


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["Doc" Devereux]

Gosh, is anyone else enjoying this thread? [huh]

Yes!

Should I just pull all the photos and close it down?

No!

(You should have left room for a 'Maybe' so I could complete the set)

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Should we raid Ben's house and loot his closets for Oviatt's stuff?

(Now you can say "maybe".)


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["Doc" Devereux]

Should we raid Ben's house and loot his closets for Oviatt's stuff?

(Now you can say "maybe".)


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Not until I've checked the "What heat are you packing?" thread to see if he's mentioned being armed!

 

[scotrace]

Don't you dare.

I'm only posting late here because I've read and re-read it all a half donzen times, looking at the photographs again and again.

Fantastic!!!

Thanks for sharing this stuff. We should have an annual Fedora Lounge Awards Dinner and give statuettes for the coolest threads. This one would win... something. Hands down.

"... and the Pithy Helmet goes to...."

 

[Etienne]

Wow, count me in if we do something at Oviatt's. It would be really incredible!--Etienne

 

[herringbonekid]

so it sounds like oviatts would do what most stores did: buy clothing from a mill and add their own label ? or did they have clothing made exclusively for them ? i love the trousers with the sewn-in belt. and i LOVE the back of that blue knit waistcoat with the high ribbing and white lines !
and those plaid sports-jackets with the knitted waistbands ! i knew jackets that heavenly would exist somewhere.

thanks for the photos Marc.

 

[Wild Root]

Marc, I'm with you! Let's get together and make the plan of attack to over take Ben's Oviatt collection! lol

=WR=

 

[flat-top]

so it sounds like oviatts would do what most stores did: buy clothing from a mill and add their own label ? or did they have clothing made exclusively for them ? i love the trousers with the sewn-in belt. and i LOVE the back of that blue knit waistcoat with the high ribbing and white lines !
and those plaid sports-jackets with the knitted waistbands ! i knew jackets that heavenly would exist somewhere.

thanks for the photos Marc.

I agree completely! Those shirt jackets make me feel all warm and fuzzy. I have a few like that (not Oviatt's), and they are my favorite style!

 

[dr greg]

lost world

I came in late here, but what beuatiful stuff, and to add to the comment on Gowings Sydney store, it's a cultural loss of great proprtions, I remember being in there for a haircut and shopping as a kid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gowings

 

[Marc Chevalier]

so it sounds like Oviatts would do what most stores did: buy clothing from a mill and add their own label ? Or did they have clothing made exclusively for them ?

James Oviatt would spend 6 months each year making the rounds of Britain's best fabric mills. Either he would commission them to produce special fabrics, or he'd buy the best of their ready-made bolts of cloth.

Practically all of the clothing sold in Oviatt's was made exclusively for the store. Even the necktie prints couldn't be found outside of Oviatt's. Practically everything was made in small quantities and limited runs; none of it would be put on the floor the following year.

Incidentally, Oviatt's was not the first nor the last menswear store to do this. As recently as the late 1980s, Al Douglass, founder and (once) sole owner of a small Southern California haberdasher named "At-Ease", travelled all over Europe each year, selecting fabrics personally and having sweaters made exclusively for his little store. Alas, Mr. Douglass sold "At-Ease" in 1988; it's been a slow death since then.


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