VintageGent’s Menswear Daily

LA Time Machines: Where to Wear

Los Angeles Time Machines is a site that we have been watching for awhile that we think our readers would enjoy. It focuses exclusively on pre-1970s restaurants and bars that are still in their original state. Occasionally, there are updates on when folks can make a big difference in saving a historic vintage landmark so stay plugged in!

It mainly focuses on the many sites in Los Angeles, California, but has extended to includes spots in Nevada, Maryland, Arizona, Washington and beyond. So, go look up a historic place and show up in your vintage clothing! It would make a great retro photo!  I usually try to look up places along every route I am planning more than a two hour car drive, just in case I should come across something classy or outrageous.

http://latimemachines.com
Stay Unique

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr., Day

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr., day.   As a special treat, here is the “I Have a Dream” speech in its entirety for you to gather the family around, watch, and enjoy.  When I was in college, we were the first class to have Martin Luther King, Jr., off.   It was suggested that we spend the day at the art of historical museum, volunteer in one of the local soup kitchens, or follow another pursuit that revolved around learning or volunteerism in honor of Dr. King.    The grade school children, I recall, didn’t have the day off yet, and parents were encouraged to take their children out of school to go on a field trip of a similar nature.  Of course, now, they all have it off, but they didn’t always.   Of course, most kids are thrilled for any excuse to get out of school, but families were encouraged to make it count.

Missing Any Hair?

Yesterday afternoon, I was perusing some books that I haven’t looked at in awhile, though I have lugged them with me from house to house.   There are a few books that I just will never give up, as they are from a time when I was a sound designer for the theater and I have fond memories.

The following is from an instructional book on Theatrical Makeup.  Richard Corson’s Stage Makeup has a line drawing reference that includes the hairstyles of ladies and men throughout the years to help the makeup crew finish off the look for historical plays and film.    Do you notice anything amiss with this?

A few of you may have pointed a finger at the gentleman from 1962 with his faux handlebar mustache.  That could have been considered something that was just plain wrong, though it was actually not an error.  Just picture him with a natty tweed jacket and a pipe to transform him into everyone’s favorite college professor.  He could also be a sitcom eccentric uncle.

While this illustration is not meant to be exhaustive of all the possible hairstyles that someone could have had throughout history, there is one glaring omission. It appears, according to this, that there was only one hairstyle for men during the entire 1940s!   It was a slightly parted down the middle style full of pomade.  I definitely recall the style from a variety of early 40s films.  But wait…aren’t they leaving out one hugely iconic hairstyle?

During WWII, the short cuts of the enlistees was everywhere.  Of course, on the stage of war, but back home, too.   In fact, my grandfather has maintained this hairstyle since he was a private in the Army.   There were a couple of dicey years in the 70s where it was about 1 1/2 longer and his sideburns were 7 millimeters longer, as that was the decade of letting it all grow out.  Maybe it wasn’t the times, but because his grandchildren, like me, drove him crazy, and he was too busy to go to the barber.

Since the illustrations end with an entire page of styles from 1989, which is entertainment all its own, perhaps the author decided that the 40s were not a banner decade for hair.   Perhaps, it was felt that it was just “more of the same” and the decade was just a holdover from the 1930s.  I would like to think that it just didn’t have its heydey with reenactors until the 90s, as surely there was much more to talk about than what the chart lets on.

Christmas Means Norelco!

I remember my brother and I staying home with a babysitter while mom and dad went Christmas shopping. We had a really cool babysitter named Renee. We would play games and record radio shows on our tape players. We played “Truth or Dare” and one of the silly dares was to walk outside in the snow without any coat on and yell, “I LOVE NORELCO!” for all to hear. Why? Maybe we heard that slogan on a commercial. We thought it was a funny thing to say, at least when you were five and eight years old.

I remember the Norelco Santa commercials, but had no idea they kept remaking it over the years. For your enjoyment, here is three decades of Santa

Norelco Santa from the 1960s. The commercial was stop motion claymation, produced in the CBS studios.

Here is Santa, as he appeared in 1978.

Here comes Santa Claus….1994 style.

There is one more Santa that I think I remember. He had a pointy hat and looked like he was made of gumdrop material, but perhaps that was for another product.  If anyone finds that one, point me in that direction.  Have you or a loved one ever went on a razor spending spree for the holidays?

Merry Christmas from all of us at VintageGent’s Menswear Daily.

One of Our Favorites from Sears

I sold this suit two years ago, but it is in our “short list” of favorites. It was (is) a metallic suit from the late 60s. Although it is from the tail end of the decade, it has major mod sensibilities with its Italian cut and slim collar placement that we would place just a couple years earlier.

Tailor tags can be very important in dating menswear, especially because the classic suit doesn’t change as rapidly as ladieswear and is sometimes harder to pinpoint in less than a 5 year period even if one is very knowledgeable. Of course, there are “of the season” cutting edge looks available for the fashion forward, but for the average man, a suit is an investment piece. They want to be stylish, but they don’t want to look dated the next year, especially if their employment or social outings do not require a suit for daily wear.
This particular suit came from Sears. The tag is not specifically a tailors tag of a custom suit, but the date the suit was altered for the original buyer. Unlike high fashion magazines that show what the designers introduced each year, the Sears catalog was a very good record of what the average person was actually wearing that year, just like the paint colors represented what was actually in the average homes of America. It may not be nearly as exciting as haute couture, but is invaluable for historians, reenactors, vintage lovers, and costumers alike.
In the fall of 1968, the year of this suit, though the Brits had moved onto more fluid lines, American Mod was still showing an influence on American fashion and was interpreted in a little more of a relaxed fashion.
At the tail end of the 60s, because of the new synthetics, shades that could never be achieved before were everywhere. I have seen quite a few menswear in the jewel tone blues, greens, and teals during this time period in many eye tricking fabrics and hues that begged the question “Is that blue or is that green? Greenish Blue?”. I have often needed a second or third opinion myself!
Having a specific date always makes me wonder if the date had been around a special occasion. I always imangined with the suit being tailored in proximity to Halloween, that perhaps someone bought it who went to an alternate event. They might have gone to a performance at a concert hall instead of a costume party that night. Or maybe it was just a coincidence, just another day.

Dior Receives Recognition for Iconic Logo

Almost one year ago, I reported that it was the 40th anniversary of the The Major League Baseball Logo. Jerry Dior, who worked for Sandgren and Murtha at the time, created it to commemorate the 100th anniversary of of the league back in 1968.

According to MLB.com:

Chosen by a committee that included ex-Yankees president Mike Burke and former Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, Dior’s vision was unveiled that fall. Framed by the words “100th Anniversary,” it appeared on uniforms for the first time during the 1969 season.

Dior never received royalties or recognition during the past four decades. Many designers, as required by terms of employment understand that aside form a byline, the company they are hired to work for own the rights to the work.  It is possible that they may never be recognized by name for an image or a design.   On Tuesday, the MLB announced their acknowledgement of his contribution. Dior even appeared at Yankee Stadium and was introduced to the fans.  It appears that Dior was never seeking any sort of compensation, just the legacy for his children and grandchildren to tell stories to future generations about what their grandfather did.

A Golf Tie That is Actually Classy

Golf ties, and Christmas ties for that matter, sometimes make me cringe just thinking about them.  They are often cheaply made, brash, and embarrassing for some to wear.  Here is one that breaks the rules.   There is a golf tie offered on Etsy for a limited time.  How long is limited, you might ask? Until it sells. It is available for the bargain basement steal of $8.99, which includes shipping. How can you beat that?

This tie is of the square bottom, skinny variety from the 1960s.  It is considered a novelty print, as it is not an “all over” print, but depicts a theme or a scene.  It features a print on cotton of a golfing scene. Colors are primarily green and brown.  Condition is listed as excellent, with no apparent flaws.

To check it out, or to snap it up and get it in your hot little hands before anyone else, CLICK HERE.

Summer Memories at Morey’s

My brother and I were going through old family photos, and it really brought back a lot of memories. One such memory was recalling that, as a child, one of my loves was going down a giant fiberglass slide at the park. They gave you a mat, and you would make your journey up the staircase again and again. It was interesting for me to discover that there is a whole amusement park that based itself around an initial slide like the one I liked so much as a child.

Morey’s Piers in Wildwood, New Jersey started out with two brothers, a giant fiberglass slide and a dream. In the 50s and 60s, Bill Morey operated a boardwalk concession stand, while Will was a developer. They spotted a giant fiberglass slide languishing in Fort Lauderdale, and thought it was the perfect thing to attract more business to the boardwalk. But where do you put a giant fiberglass slide?

The brothers bought a mini golf course as well as a languishing restaurant to complement the slide, and Surf Side Park was born. The photo, at left, shows the slide circa 1969, and after 1976. The ape you see had been a part of a Planet of Apes Themed attraction/ride at Morey’s Piers, and the Ape is seen here at its new spot in the park. Way back when, the park was two piers separated by some municipal land, but it has grown by leaps and bounds since, hence the plural “Piers” in the name. It was the start of many great New Jersey attractions, all on one property!

Fast forward to today, and Morey’s Piers is a crown jewel among New Jersey amusement parks, roller coasters and other great attractions. As an added attraction, the Radio Disney Concert Series will be offered free to the public this summer. It begins next month and runs through August. Check out the Morey’s Piers website for details and links to accomodations as well.

The Piers are not just a place for having a great time eating more cotton candy than you can eat and riding the rides, but it is also a great spot for a Jersey Shore beach Vacation just like it was in decades past. Below, a beach scene from the 1970s, contemporary to the time of Morey’s Piers’ beginnings.  Make your own memories this summer. Who knows, maybe the photos you take will give your family plenty of laughs in the future of what you all wore for bathing suits in 2009! The seventies can’t be the only decade of interesting fashion choices.

New! Fit for a VintageGent: Golf Tie

Now, at InColdStorage at Etsy, there is a section named after this blog of items from the collection that are things I would select.   Look for the section “Picks for a VintageGent” and you will see one or two items at a time that may be something that you are interested in snapping up.   That’s right, for now there will be one or two items and when they are gone, they are gone.   They may sell, or they may just switch them out to keep you on your toes, and we’ll see how fast they go.

Of course, you might want to look at the other items in the shop, such as handbags, kitchenware, and books which are all great too.   Now, however, it will be like your own personalVintageGent or VintageGent-ette selecting items for you that you may just have to have, or at least are a little bit unique.

The inaugaral item is a nifty square bottom tie from the 60s with a golfing theme.  Where is the rule that golf themed ties have to have Mickey Mouse on them or be polyester?  Well, not in this case.  This one, I think would be great for even someone who does not care to golf.  The graphics are just so cool and a definite “throwback.”

The price is $9.00, with shipping just a little bit more, or buy another item in the store and combine shipping.

A Recent East West Musical Jacket on Ebay

An East West Musical Leather Jacket was featured on Ebay recently. The item was bid up to $1,625.00, but the reserve was not quite met. Unreasonable? Maybe not.  East West Musical jackets are very sought after, and are considered one of the “ultimate” leather jackets to own and I have seen particular examples go for upwards of  several thousand dollars.

All the jackets have an artistic bent to them. Sometimes it is very obvious, such as hand painting of the leather, or the leather pieced together to create a specific pictorial design. Often, other times, even if a jacket is monochromatic, the tailoring and cut is very inventive. The jacket pictured, offered by designervintagelabels4u, falls into the latter category.  Pay special attention to the pocket design and how the front stitching/yokes play a visual part.  I would put the value at of course less than the louder and more intricate jackets just because people are willing to pay higher for a theme, but this one is also a very handsome example as well.

If you see an East West Musical label, it is definitely worth taking a second look at the item.  You will more likely find them on the west coast, but of course, as anything, people migrate with their possessions.  If you are a vintage fashion collector and you spot one at a steal, check the condition of course, but try not to hyperventilate.

Mr. Blackwell’s First and Last

Recently, fashion lost another prominent figure. Mr. Richard Blackwell’s (born Richard Selzer) list of the ten worst dressed women morphed from a curmudgeonly missive to an annual event. He went to school with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney and starred in stage productions until he introduced his own clothing line. In American households, the “list” eclipsed all of that.

Mr. Blackwell’s very first “list” came in 1960. Interesting trivia: the first list both included Morticia Addams (Carolyn Jones) AND Lily Munster (Yvonne DeCarlo)

1. Anna Magnani (“The female counterpart of Emmett Kelly. One of the most distinguished actresses of our generation, who suggests Eleanora Duse playing in a Shakespearean tragedy wearing tramp clothes.”)
2. Brigitte Bardot (“An unruly child who has acquired the bad habit of taking off her nightie before the bathroom door has been closed.”)
3. Yvonne De Carlo (“A gypsy who stole a wine-red portiere from a window and draped it over her body in combination with a Kelly green couch cover.”)
4. Lucille Ball (“One of our most gifted comediennes, she seems to bend over backwards to look ridiculous, and her greatest asset in this department in her clothes. Her preferences in fashion can best be described as a sense of turmoil, because nothing blends or complements.”)
5. Anita Ekberg (“If a woman who wears a shoe two sizes too small is apt to suffer from bunions, I wonder what is the fate of one with a 39-inch bust who wears a size 16 dress? Miss Ekberg, in either street or formal wear, provokes the idea that she dresses with a shoehorn.”)****
6. Shelley Winters (“The only description for Miss Winters dressed for a party is a rag doll brought to the circus and covered with pink cotton candy.”)
7. Carolyn Jones (“There is so little material between Miss Jones’ bust line and the hem of her garment one wonders which will get where first.”)
8. Kim Novak (“Lavender, like old lace, belongs in a bureau drawer, not on a torso with too great a frequency to offset it. She has adopted lavender as her trademark and is guilty of fabric redundancy.”)
9. Anne Baxter (“She wears a sweater as if she were headed for the showers instead of the moonlight sail with a handsome escort. In formal attire her hair looks as if someone ran a brush through it and then said, ‘Oh, the hell with it.’”)

And Mr. Blackwells’ very last list

1. Victoria Beckham (“Forget the fashion spice – wearing a skirt would suffice! In one skinny-mini monstrosity after another, pouty posh can really wreck-em.”)
2. Amy Winehouse (“Exploding beehives above…tacky polka-dots below…she’s part 50’s car-hop horror.”)
3. Mary Kate Olsen (“YIKES! In layers of cut-rate kitsch, Mary Kate’s look is hard to explain…she resembles a tattered toothpick-trapped in a hurricane!”)
4. Fergie (“Another style-free “Fergie” in fashion’s hall of shame? Yes, when it comes to couture chaos, guess it’s all in a name!”)
5. Kelly Clarkson (“Her heavenly voice soars above the rest…but those belly-baring bombs are hellish at best! She may be the queen of “Pro-Active” – but that wardrobe looks downright radioactive!”)
6. Eva Green (“Stuck in neon nightmares not fit for the sane. Fashion this loud could give Bond a migraine! A profusion of confusion from toes to nose!”)
7. Avril Lavigne (“Gothic make-up courtesy the mad spatula-Fashions provided by…The house of Dracula!”)
8. Jessica Simpson (“Forget the Cowboys. In prom queen screams, can it get any worse? She’s a global fashion curse!”)
9. Lindsay Lohan (“Lindsay the fashion frenzy strikes again! Lohan takes fashion to a new low.”)
10. Alison Arngrim (“Little Nellie of the prairie, looks like a 1940’s fashion editor for the Farmers’ Almanac.”)

Mr. Blackwell did not include his perennial least favorite, Brittney Spears, on the list because of her tumultuous personal life.  He felt sorry for her, but sure she would be on the list for the end of 2008.

****= 1959/60 was before the sizing standards change.  A size 16 was not large at all, closer to an 8

Farewell William Claxton: A True Vintage Gent

At left, Peggy Moffit and Steve MacQueen by William Claxton.

Photographer William Claxton has died at the age of 80 of congestive heart failure.  Claxton may not be a household name to all, but those in the fashion world remember his iconic photos.   He was most known for his work with  wife Peggy Moffitt, muse of designer Rude Geinrich. creator of the monokini.

Claxton was known for many other images of pop culture icons.  His moody, black and white Jazz Life series featured the likes of Chet Baker and other greats.   In fashion, he photographed many pop culture icons, including Moffit and Mary Quant and Steve MacQueen.

Claxton will certainly be missed as a great man and a great talent.

Joe Famolare and the History of Famolare Shoes Part I: The Beginning

On August 16, 2005, “Joe Famolare and the History of Famolare Shoes” was presented in workshop format as a part of The Vintage Fashion Guild’s “Fashionable Summer” designer workshop series on week #7 . The presenter was the author of this blog. The following article is a synopsis of presented information. Text (c) VintageGent, and The Vintage Fashion Guild. and the additional photos are copyright their respective sources (advertisements, press photos) or contributors (shoe photos). Use without permission prohibited, but may be obtained under certain circumstances and permitted in writing.

Joe Famolare and the History of Famolare ShoesPart I: The Beginning.

Joe Famolare grew up in a third generation shoe making family. He was born in Boston and grew up in Chestnut Hill, which is a neighborhood/area on Boston’s south side. His father, Joe Sr. owned Famolare Shoe Engineering, which was opened in 1934. The company made cutting patterns for the shoe industry. Joe Jr started working at the family business at the tender age of 12. Very cognizant of the child labor laws, Joe Sr. required him to pay income tax and file at that age. When he became the age of majority, he had already designed shoes and was a young executive at the family business.

Despite this early sucess he deviated from the family business and started singing in nightclubs for tips! According to Joe himself: ” I hated the shoe business. It was so dusty and boring, and the people didn’t seem happy. I could sing, and I studied voice seriously, and I found that people liked to hear me sing. So I went to Emerson to be an actor.”

For the next several years, he attended Emerson college in Boston and pursued a degree in the musical theater. Midway through, his dreams were put on hold. He was drafted by the US Army. Joe served at the very tail end of the Korean war as a radio operator, broadcasting having been a minor in college studies.

After he left the millitary, at age 23, he soon decided that a singing career was not for him. Despite his disenchantment with the shoe business, he learned that long, highly irregular hours of a musical career and the irregular and meager pay brought forth by relying on tips was not for him.

Joe Sr. demanded that he could not just wander around “finding himself, that Joe Jr. needed to get a job. So, Joe was again hurdled into the shoe business and took night courses to finish a degree.

His decided deviation from his roots was short lived indeed. He melded his two interests leaving the family business being hired at Capezio, reknowned in the dance shoe business… in 1960.

Tune in for Part II…