The Way They Wore: Images from the Past

[double00]

Guys, sorry for following up with a shoe question, but I've been searching for an answer the last couple of days. Does anyone know what this style of shoe is called?

No. I'm not talking about the pumps in the background.

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this is a more recent pic than the others yes ? might be winklepickers

 

[Spinster Jones]

this is a more recent pic than the others yes ? might be winklepickers

Yes, correct.The others are from the late 19th century/early 20th. Might not be winklepickers, but I guess we're getting closer.

Derek might be right. Could just be chelseas. Looks similar to the Beatles boot, as well.

 

[dieworkwear]

Yes, correct.The others are from the late 19th century/early 20th. Might not be winklepickers, but I guess we're getting closer.

Derek might be right. Could just be chelseas. Looks similar to the Beatles boot, as well.

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Don't think they're Beatle boots. Beatle boots have a Cuban heel.

 

[dieworkwear]

George Plimpton, an American style icon

George in a button-down shirt and navy suit. I think there have been arguments here in the past about whether button-down collars can be worn with suits. IMO, it's a classic American pairing.

George in colorful sweaters, here being Shetlands and Shaggy Dogs. Last winter, I pulled out a bright green Shetland from my wardrobe and rediscovered how much I like bright, unusually colored knits in a fusty fiber such as Shetland. Has a very cool American/ Ivy vibe. George here is wearing pink and purple Shetlands with five-pocket cords, loafers, and white socks because he's a real trad.

George in a buff-colored tie. Underrated neckwear color. IMO, looks best with blue or brown jackets.

George when he was young at some SDS meetings.

George doing his best Sartorialist impression. About to hop on a bike while wearing a navy pinstriped suit with a burgundy foulard tie.

Hell yea. Brown tweed, striped blue tie, striped button-down. I love the belt here. Recently decided to get all trousers made with belt loops moving forward because I think sport coat outfits look better with belts. The gorge here, again, is about even with the collar points -- a nice traditional detail. Also, wrapped leather buttons and glasses in an OCBD chest pocket! Love everything about this look.

Schoolboy blazer. I avoided brass button blazers for years because I thought they were too prep. Now I love em. If someone is worried about brass being too shiny, they can do silver metal buttons, which is more discrete. If you have a ton of navy sport coats in your wardrobe, swapping out buttons and making some blazers also helps introduce new diversity in your wardrobe without spending more than $50 or $100.

George and Jackie Robinson in buckled shoes. Check out Robinson's combo -- black single monks with a grey suit and what looks to be a black knit tie (so great). Then George in navy suit with brown buckled chukkas and a pink tie. Again, great color combo and the two men would not be able to switch shoes and get the same effect.

One of my favorite suit colors, mid-brown. Looks great here with the soft red foulard tie

George in black tie. Apparently, he had a black tie rig always hanging in his office, ready for action.

Navy sport coats with penny loafers. I like how the loafers are rounded and not shaped like a slice of pizza

George in seersucker. We can assume he's wearing black shoes since his belt is black.

Love this. George wearing a bucket hat with camp mocs and a navy sport coat.

No time for business casual. Short shorts, bucket hat, white polo, and a navy sport coat for an appearance at a tennis game.

Conservative on the outside, a little wild within. A funky lining peeks out from underneath his sport coat.

 

[Sir Jack II]

I think there have been arguments here in the past about whether button-down collars can be worn with suits. IMO, it's a classic American pairing.

Testify!

Aside from appreciating all these looks, what stood out to me: no pocket squares.

 

[SimonC]

George Plimpton, an American style icon

Thank you, I enjoyed that. It is clear he is confident in his clothes. However, that leads me to ponder on something.

George is undeniably a privileged WASP, and of my grandfather’s generation - when it was still possible to maintain lifelong allegiance to a clothier such as Tripler, Chipp or Langrock and benefit from their counsel, and the norms of one’s social group, in building a wardrobe and selecting from it to suit different settings.

So what interests me is how far George’s wardrobe can be attributed to his own choices, and how much to the social milieu in which he lived and his associated self-confidence. If nothing else, the comment about black tie would seem to bear that out…

 

[dieworkwear]

So what interests me is how far George’s wardrobe can be attributed to his own choices, and how much to the social milieu in which he lived and his associated self-confidence. If nothing else, the comment about black tie would seem to bear that out…

Do you mean, how did he come to this style? Prep clothiers from the heyday of Ivy tell me that many of the customers they served developed their taste through their social circle, and few, if any, thought about their clothes in terms of codified rules. They just knew how they were supposed to dress for various situations, and those who were sometimes at a loss were advised by clothiers.

Of course, I can't speak to how George developed his specific taste. But it all looks very trad.

If you're asking how much of what we're admiring is due to his self-confidence and background, I think that's 90% of what we see when we look at these photos, to be honest. The average Joe today will not look as good in those same clothes because he's not George, but he will look better than he did in worse clothes.

IMO, a lot of this stuff is just looking at tons and tons of photos and developing an eye until you hit upon something that looks right on you, and then you have an ah-ha moment. Also why I find it useful to look at fashion photos (like capital-f fashion). There's still a lot to be learned from just picking up the "vibe" of a fashion shoot, even if you don't particularly want to wear those specific clothes in those specific ways.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

Do you mean, how did he come to this style? Prep clothiers from the heyday of Ivy tell me that many of the customers they served developed their taste through their social circle, and few, if any, thought about their clothes in terms of codified rules. They just knew how they were supposed to dress for various situations, and those who were sometimes at a loss were advised by clothiers.

Of course, I can't speak to how George developed his specific taste. But it all looks very trad.

Sadly I tend to the view that it's largely about class signifiers, it's not even about 'taste', it's simply training and social conditioning. Does it 'look good'? Sure, in the sense that it's coherent. But it lacks any genuine personal expression and imagination. He could be literally any one of thousands of white men of his era and social status. I get the Japanese fascination with Ivy / Prep (and I know they aren't exactly the same), because in that context it's exotic and exciting. I get the Black versions of this because that's a kind of subaltern re-appropriation and a challange (and it's often less timid in other ways). But in this context? Well, you're just looking at the results and expectations of privilege and private education. In my book, you don't get to be a 'style hero' by just living out your manifest destiny.

 

[Sir Jack II]

Sadly I tend to the view that it's largely about class signifiers, it's not even about 'taste', it's simply training and social conditioning. Does it 'look good'? Sure, in the sense that it's coherent. But it lacks any genuine personal expression and imagination. He could be literally any one of thousands of white men of his era and social status. I get the Japanese fascination with Ivy / Prep (and I know they aren't exactly the same), because in that context it's exotic and exciting. I get the Black versions of this because that's a kind of subaltern re-appropriation and a challange (and it's often less timid in other ways). But in this context? Well, you're just looking at the results and expectations of privilege and private education. In my book, you don't get to be a 'style hero' by just living out your manifest destiny.

I understand what you’re saying here, but it seems a little unfair. Perhaps Plimpton shouldn’t be valorized simply for representing his socioeconomic class, but perhaps this status should also not be held against him. I mean, we all have to be something, and it just so happened that Plimpton’s something was well-off and WASP. I’m skeptical that this means he was more of a conformist than your average Joe from another social/racial group.

 

[dieworkwear]

Well, you're just looking at the results and expectations of privilege and private education. In my book, you don't get to be a 'style hero' by just living out your manifest destiny.

 

[AeneasQuebecois]

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Between this post and all the stuff going on in the Allen Edmonds thread I am tempted to start a "Menswear Meme Review" channel.

 

[ladislav.jancik]

Some interesting photos of young Glenn Gould in the article by Tony Sylvester:

Glenn Gould | Bryceland's & Co.

“My clothes do seem to command an inordinate amount of attention. But then I’ve always been repulsively sure of myself.” - Glenn Gould, Weekend Magazine 1956 From the heavy military overcoat latched up throat high to the fingerless gloves, you’d be hard pressed to guess that the subject of...

www.brycelandsco.com

 

[dieworkwear]

When you're trying to enjoy trad but remember you're just looking at the results and expectations of privilege and private education

 

[dieworkwear]

Special photoset of the fabulously wealthy

Milton Holden was a well-known socialite who traveled up and down the East Coast for vacation and living. Apparel Arts once described him as a "well-dressed man with fashion leadership." Here he is in black tie and, my favorite, a light-colored, patch pocketed summer suit worn with tasseled loafers.

Desmond Guinness, the co-founder of Irish Georgian Society and a pioneer of architectural conservation in Ireland, had a spectacular wardrobe. Love the blazer (five button sleeve!), conservative suits, and tan puppytooth coat worn with white FC shirt. Also the Ikat-esque dressing gown that he wore at home

Guests at a party given by actress Veronica Cooper (aka Sandra Shaw) in Beverly Hills, California, 1952. She is on the left, seated on the couch with Van Herbick and Jack Warner's daughter. Lighting a cigarette on the right is Ginger Macrae

The Salviati family, a banking family in Italy, relax at their estate in Florence. I like the green tweed here (it's even a three-button coat!). Check out the jetted pockets on a tweed. Daughter Oliva Salviati in the third photo, but I think this would also make for a nice men's outfit. Todd Snyder has been introducing stripes like this for the last couple of years

Will at ASW used to feature Aristotle Onassis on his blog prominently. Dude had a penchant for DBs and funky eyewear

In the 1950s, Life Magazine did a story on London's debutante scene to capture all the tea drinking and social climbing at its finest. Most of the photos focused on the women (naturally, given the story's subject). I'm including one of those images here, and then the rest that features menswear

Lastly, I love this look: ball cap with a rugged sportsman sport coat, chinos, and a dark blue shirt. IMO, when you're not wearing tie, a dark blue shirt can help visually anchor everything.

 

[schraiber]

light-colored, patch pocketed summer suit worn with tasseled loafers.

Are you sure that's a suit? It's obviously hard to tell since it's black and white and it might just be shadow, but the trousers look like a different shade from the jacket.

Check out the jetted pockets on a tweed.

I feel like even more shocking than jetted pockets on a tweed is jetted pockets on a sport jacket! I've always felt like jetted pockets on a sport jacket is just too weird, but honestly it's not bad here.

What's up with this construction worker looking outfit. I assume this is some specific aspect of something that I don't know anything about.