Cool '50s Illustrations from Ivy's Heyday

[drpeter]

I like the DB blazer, especially its button stance.

 

[Fading Fast]

An illustration of a gentleman, perfectly dressed to go out and take on the world! There isn't much detail to work with, but I would like to think those kicks are blue suede.

I like the DB blazer, especially its button stance.

I'm not a big DB-blazer fan, but this one looks really good on this guy, in part, because the proportions and tailoring are so perfect.

 

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Jack Vettriano.

 

[drpeter]

Vettriano did a number of these photo-realist paintings that combined both elegance and eroticism in a blend that could be called noir-ish. While not identical, it reminds me obliquely of the rotoshop techniques employed by film makers, specifically Richard Linklater's film A Scanner Darkly based on Philip K Dick's eponymous novel. A film worth watching.

One of the fine things about this sort of art is that it strongly evokes a kind of sub-text or sub-image that suggests to us that there is more than what captures the eye in the basic image being provided to us.

I believe good art must evoke many levels, and the presented image (or words or music) should trigger all sorts of associations and feelings in us that derive, at least in part, from the way the details of what is presented are structured. In short, technique is a doorway into those associations, and this painting captures such things admirably.

 

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[eagle2250]

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I like the design. It has a nit of a military edge to it, sort of like an Ike Jacket with a zipper closure rather than the buttons. I'm not sure of the date of the illustration, but while I am quite familiar with the McGregor brand, I don't recall ever seeing those designs while growing up in the 1950s/1960s.

 

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I like the design. It has a nit of a military edge to it, sort of like an Ike Jacket with a zipper closure rather than the buttons. I'm not sure of the date of the illustration, but while I am quite familiar with the McGregor brand, I don't recall ever seeing those designs while growing up in the 1950s/1960s.

I thought the ad/items looked a little different than the traditional McGregor offering. I just Googled it and it says it's from 1955.

Also, it's odd that the color of the jackets match the color of the cars. I get that the ad copy says these are going to be race-car colors, but really? Is that truly a selling point to anyone over the age of eight?

 

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[eagle2250]

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I know it is wishful thinking, but looking at those prices and the design of those suits, I can't help but wish I had access to a time machine. I would go back in time and buy one of each of those suits, in each hue they were offered! Just in case I can find the transportation, would you know if they accepted Apple pay back then? LOL.

 

[Fading Fast]

I know it is wishful thinking, but looking at those prices and the design of those suits, I can't help but wish I had access to a time machine. I would go back in time and buy one of each of those suits, in each hue they were offered! Just in case I can find the transportation, would you know if they accepted Apple pay back then? LOL.

It's a fun concept to think about. If you could find a time machine, you'd need physical currency dating from that period or earlier. My guess, they also accepted bank checks, personal checks (with proof of identity) or (with ID again) you could open an account with the store where they'd bill you by mail monthly. Oh, and maybe traveler checks. I know traveler checks were in use back then, so I assume stores accepted them (of course, yours would have to be dated from that period). Also, I have no idea if, back then, local stores in small towns that didn't get many visitors/tourists would accept them.

Based on the style and prices, I'm guessing the ad is from the '30s or, maybe, early '40s, so credit cards as we know them didn't really exists (some individual stores had them, but that was more like having an account at the store than a true credit card) and, of course, none of our fancy new electronic payments were available.

My guess, your best bet would be to get currency with early '30s or '20s dates on it before you pop into the time machine.

 

[drpeter]

I like the suits, with one concern: The shoulders are a bit too wide for my taste, especially the silver gray number in the middle.

And to Eagle, I would just say that those suits can be replicated, either by a tailor (quite expensive nowadays) or by a diligent search for vintage items that correspond to the styles displayed. It might take time and money, but both these things are, shall we say, marginally more easy to come by, LOL, than a working time machine?

I've read that the people in charge of clothes for movies and TV series set in historic periods (like the 1960s period series Mad Men for example) searched high and low for suits and dresses and other material that were period accurate and in good condition. They were indeed, very successful. It's a difficult task, but not impossible.

 

[Fading Fast]

Feels very mid '60s to me / British Invasion / dam hasn't quite broken yet.

 

[TKI67]

The pricing is mid-1960s.

 

[drpeter]

Interesting how McGregor had these "new" fabrics like Fortrel and, in an earlier advert, Automatek that are blends of artificial/polyester fibres mixed in with a little natural material like cotton or wool or flax. The blends must have been very popular then -- and maybe still are, except to purists.

 

[Charles Dana]

Interesting how McGregor had these "new" fabrics like Fortrel. The blends must have been very popular then -- and maybe still are, except to purists.

I remember Fortrel. In the 1960s, my mom would buy most of my clothes from Penney’s (as J. C. Penney was then known). Back then, the briefs that I wore every day were the Penney’s in-house brand—Towncraft. 50% cotton, 50% Fortrel polyester.

 

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[eagle2250]

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For sure, handsome suits, great prices and the promising look of success on the faces of our Fab-four. However, the question I find myself stewing over is..."are they consulting on the design of a new suit or perhaps upgrading the design of a classic war bird?"

 

[Fading Fast]

Just a really cool illustration.

 

[eagle2250]

Just a really cool illustration.
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Impressive work, for sure, but the artists rendition of the human form is angular at best and downright jarring at worst! Just an opinion.