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Clothing Illustrations From or Inspired by the 20s to the 60s

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#1 · (Edited)
I stumbled across this illustration - a Coke ad from 1957 - and thought it would be neat to attempt to get a thread going on illustrations of Ivy clothes (kinda like what Flanderian is doing with Vintage Esquire illustrations over on the other side of the house).

And, if not, this one with its OCBD, ski and V-neck sweaters, khakis, argyle socks and Weejuns is fun just by itself. Also, clearly, Coke wanted to position itself as cool, so this is more evidence that the cool kids of the '50s were dressing in Ivy.

Many years ago, I dated a blonde who said a black turtleneck is a blonde's best friend - no argument from me.

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#2 ·
I stumbled across this illustration - a Coke ad from 1957 - and thought it would be neat to attempt to get a thread going on illustrations of Ivy clothes (kinda like what Flanderian is doing with Vintage Esquire illustrations over on the other side of the house).

And, if not, this one with its OCBD, ski and V-neck sweaters, khakis, argyle socks and Weejuns is fun just by itself. Also, clearly, Coke wanted to position itself as cool, so this is more evidence that the cool kids of the '50s were dressing in Ivy.

Many years ago, I dated a blonde who said a black turtleneck is blonde's best friend - no argument from me.

View attachment 26840
Great illustration!

Thanks!
 
#3 ·
Ah, '57. I remember it well, being a god-awful gorgeous 12 year-old and all. But I think there's rum in them thar Cokes. The kneeling guy who's way too close to the fire has spilled a box of little square things. Quaaludes I think.
Proving that you can take the boy out of New Jersey, but not New Jersey out of the boy, when my girlfriend and I go to the racetrack (1st clue New Jersey's still in the boy), we bring along a flask of rum to spike up the Cokes (2nd clue).

Sitting in Grandstand seats at Belmont adding Captain Morgan to track-purchased Cokes is not something to be proud of, but it is very New Jersey.
 
#4 ·
Many years ago, I dated a blonde who said a black turtleneck is blonde's best friend - no argument from me.
That's god's truth... and it doesn't matter if a woman is big or small, a black turtleneck does the job.
 
#6 ·
^ That painting reminds me of many such images which appeared in early issues of Playboy illustrating the exciting single playboy lifestyle or something like that. It's amazing how ubiquitous Pan Am was at one point, now only old-timers know the brand.
 
#7 ·
As a little kid in the late '60s, I have a vague memory of somebody in our neighborhood taking an airplane trip - it was still a big deal back then, at least in my not fancy-or-wealthy town - and seeing that little blue Pan Am bag and thinking how cool it was.
 
#10 ·
I stumbled across this illustration - a Coke ad from 1957 - and thought it would be neat to attempt to get a thread going on illustrations of Ivy clothes (kinda like what Flanderian is doing with Vintage Esquire illustrations over on the other side of the house).

And, if not, this one with its OCBD, ski and V-neck sweaters, khakis, argyle socks and Weejuns is fun just by itself. Also, clearly, Coke wanted to position itself as cool, so this is more evidence that the cool kids of the '50s were dressing in Ivy.

Many years ago, I dated a blonde who said a black turtleneck is a blonde's best friend - no argument from me.

View attachment 26840
Inspiration for Don and Betty Draper.
 
#11 ·
Smile Glasses Hat Vision care Coat

Love the collar pin, plus the length of the suit jackets - and their button stances - on the men in the background.

Methinks the young, comely lady likes the collar pin as well. Kudos to the artist as he or she captured a look that says she wants something and it's not just his collar pin.

P.S. Can an eyebrow really arch to that extreme?
 
#12 ·
P.S. Can an eyebrow really arch to that extreme?
Sure, if the cosmetic surgeon got carried away. The eyebrow-halfway-up-the-forehead look is common among female San Francisco socialites past age 50. In fact, the "permanently surprised" look seems to be obligatory at swanky functions such as opening night at the opera and so on.

This reminds me of what comedian Stewart Francis said: "I used to be a cosmetic surgeon. That raised some eyebrows."
 
#14 ·
My uncle flew for Pan Am in the 70s. He was killed in a FANG F-106 crash in '77 so I missed out on all the debauched stories! Great guy, balls of steel, a pilot's pilot.

What I gather from the ads displayed is that good design is timeless. None of these garments would look very much out of place today on a well dressed man or woman.

Cheers,

BSR
 
#21 ·
Having grown up in NJ (although, I attended the not-Ivy, quite-pedestrian Rutgers University), I was in that store in the '80s. What can't come through in the ads - or the ads for J.Press, which also felt as I will describe - is the vibe or atmosphere of these stores.

Today, almost all men's clothing stores feel "salesy," with some very high-end ones feeling aloof or snooty. But these traditional Ivy stores felt neither - they felt more like an old comfortable men's club that had decided to run a clothing store on the side.

I've never been a member of an old men's club, but for business and as a guest of friends, I have been in many of them. Almost all of them project a similar aura: old money, old-school, traditional values, a bit worn at the edges (almost saying: "we could afford to spruce up, but why?") and a familiarity between customers and staff that comes from not only long-time relationships, but generational relationships ("I fit your dad in his first suit"). Even the air smelled different - like old wool or something.
 
#38 ·
I'd always read that President Bush was a Southwick man. And at one time Southwick did make one of the nicest shoulders around. I've got Paul Stuart catalogs from the time when Ivy was still their lodestone, and in photos including both the Southwick that used to be represented about as much as the private label Sammy's they sell, the Southwick's shoulders always looked a bit sweeter than the Sammy's.

Can't get much more '50s Ivy than the gray flannel suit, but not in love with the illustration (Apparel Arts has ruined me for lesser illustrators) and the more modern pic on the left looks terrible:
View attachment 27040

Love the cover of the novel that nailed the tagline:
View attachment 27041
It's a good read and was made into a good movie, with a man who could really wear a grey flannel suit.
View attachment 27042
I'm OK with the illustration, less so with the replica goods I think they're advertising. And I suspect there'd be some push-back on whether the shoulders illustrated and photographed are actually natural shoulders. But that which Peck is wearing is certainly sweet tailoring, irrespective.
 
#36 ·
Can't get much more '50s Ivy than the gray flannel suit, but not in love with the illustration (Apparel Arts has ruined me for lesser illustrators) and the more modern pic on the left looks terrible:
Clothing Suit trousers Outerwear Hat Product


Love the cover of the novel that nailed the tagline:
Gesture Art Font Picture frame Rectangle

It's a good read and was made into a good movie, with a man who could really wear a grey flannel suit.
Clothing Suit trousers Trousers Arm Hat
 
#41 ·
⇧ Very Don Draper

⇩ Very '50s (love how the artist captured the bowtie and sweater on the guy fumbling the beer)
View attachment 27061
What a cool illustration! Thank you!

I do remember days like that while waiting on a corner for a bus. Very naturalistic and apt.

Did you notice that gent in the blue coat bears more than a passing resemblance to -
 
#45 ·
As we know, Ivy originated in the Ivy League colleges which is why illustrations and movies about colleges from that era are a great source of information about Ivy-style clothes:
Sharing Customer Event Art Conversation

Love the sweater on the guy on the left. Do you think those are grey flannels or grey chinos (which I don't think were common at all then) he's also wearing?

And, note the square-bottom (I assume) knit tie on the kid on the right.

Last thought - a cake, not an easy thing to ship; mom, how 'bout cookies next time?
 
#46 ·
As we know, Ivy originated in the Ivy League colleges which is why illustrations and movies about colleges from that era are a great source of information about Ivy-style clothes:
View attachment 27192
Love the sweater on the guy on the left. Do you think those are grey flannels or grey chinos (which I don't think were common at all then) he's also wearing?

And, note the square-bottom (I assume) knit tie on the kid on the right.

Last thought - a cake, not an easy thing to ship; mom, how 'bout cookies next time?
Great illustration!

Grey chinos? Hmm . . . :icon_scratch:

Remember Rooster Ties?

Their solid knit versions were ubiquitous!



And then we had their Ruffler line! :cool:





If I didn't have the red one in the center, I had one very similar. And I remember a large scale Batik print in earth tones of which I was very fond.
 
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