Peterson A.T., Hewitt V., Vaughan H., Kellogg A.T. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing through American History, 1900 to the Present. Volume 1: 1900-1949
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sleeveless and had round or V necklines. The typical silhouette featured a
long, hip-length tunic over body-hugging shorts. A new silhouette was
emerging; it featured a shorter tunic tucked into shorts that had a con-
trasting colored belt with a buckle. Most suits were dark colors such as
navy blue, black, red, green, and royal blue. Popular suits were trimmed
with bands of white around the armholes, neckline, at the end of the
tunic, and sometimes across the chest.
Golf
Men wore a variety of casual clothing when playing golf. Some men wore
knickers, whereas others wore long flannel pants. Typically they wore
soft-collared shirts and a casual jacket. Sack-style sports jackets and Nor-
folk jackets were common.
Tennis
When playing tennis, men would wear plain white shirts with the sleeves
rolled to the elbow. White pants made from durable cotton fabrics such as
duck, cotton, and flannel were worn. They were roomy in the hip and
thigh and tapered to the cuff. Many men wore neckties while playing ten-
nis. They wore low, flat shoes, which were usually made of canvas and
had rubber soles.
Other Activewear
As automobiles increased in popularity, so did automobile dusters, the
long linen or cotton overcoats used to keep men’s garments clean. They
were either single or double breasted and extended to the mid-calf. They
had turn-over collars and slash pockets at the hips.
Motorcycling also required special garments. A close-fitting, belted
jacket with a high standing collar was paired with full-cut breeches that
laced below the knee and gaiters that protected the calves.
Hunting and outdoor sports usually required durable suits made from
khaki material that did not show dust and dirt. Norfolk and sack jackets
were commonly worn, as were jackets with high military collars. Pants
were cuffed and cut full in the hips and tighter on the leg.
UNDERWEAR AND INTIMATE APPAREL
Undergarments
Men wore undershirts and drawers, which is what underpants were called.
These undergarments were typically made from cotton, linen, silk, or
wool. Undershirts came in a variety of styles, including long sleeve, short
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MEN’S FASHIONS
sleeve, sleeveless, and coat cut, which was cut wider like a coat and but-
toned up the front. Drawers came in ankle length or knee length, and
some companies developed special varieties for especially tall or stout cus-
tomers. Many men continued to wear union suits, which combined the
undershirt and drawers together. Union suits came in a variety of sleeve
and leg lengths as well.
Sleepwear
Some men continued to wear loose-fitting, long nightgowns to bed, but
pajamas were becoming more popular. Pajama coats resembled loose-
fitting shirts with full sleeves that gathered into cuffs. Short-sleeve versions
were also available. Typically, they had a soft notched collar and buttons
down the center front. Pajama pants were loose fitting and straight leg-
ged. They were secured with a drawstring or elastic.
Other garments
Men continued to wear smoking jackets when they were relaxing. They
would change into these boxy sack jackets after they returned home. Typi-
cally, these jackets would have a quilted shawl collar and a simple sash or
cord belt to close the jacket. Dark red was a popular color for this style of
jacket.
Bathing and lounging robes were worn. These robes were long with
shawl collars and a sash or belt c losure.
HEADWEAR,HAIRSTYLES, AND COSMETICS
Headwear
Many of the hats men wore during the 1910s were similar to those in the
previous decade, but some styles, such as the derby, became less common.
Typical hats were gray, black, brown, or olive green and were made from
felt or fur felt, which had a nap to it. They had soft crowns, which were
creased, flat, or rounded. Brims were generally narrow and upturned at
the sides, although straight brims and brims that were upturned on all
sides were available too. During the summer, straw boater hats remained
fashionable. Hatbands were usually made of silk or petersham ribbon and
matched the color of the hat.
Caps remained popular for casual occasions and active sports. They
consisted of a soft, full crown and a brim over the eyes. Sometimes caps
were made from eight crown sections stitched together and decorated
with ventilation holes and a cloth-covered button at the top.
The 1910s
261
Hairstyles
Generally, men wore their hair short and parted. Hair became shorter
during WWI because military cuts were shorter and easier to care for on
the battlefield. The frequency of beards and facial hair diminished during
war partially because it interfered with gas masks, which were very impor-
tant during a war that relied on attacking the enemy with mustard gas.
Cosmetics
Men used hair tonics and pomades to style their hair. They used shaving
creams and aftershave tonics for their facial hair.
FOOTWEAR AND LEGWEAR
Footwear
During the 1910s, men typically wore leather lace-up shoes or boots for
most day and evening occasions. Both shoes and boots had stacked heels.
Black and brown were the most common colors, but the details varied.
Both pointed and blunt tips were available. Most shoes and boots had
some sort of decorated toecap, inc luding wingtip toecaps. Topstitching
along the toecap, heel, or apron was a common embellishment.
Sports required special sport shoes in either canvas or leather. They
had rubber soles to help grip the playing surface, and they laced up. Some
leather sport shoes had vents to cool the feet.
Slippers were another specialty shoe. These had not changed signifi-
cantly from the previous decade. They were made from leather or silk and
had cutaway sides. Usually, they had some kind of decorative trim.
Legwear
Men wore knee-length neutral-colored socks that were suspended from
garters around a man’s upper calf.
NECKWEAR AND OTHER ACCESSORIES
Neckwear
Collars and cuffs came attached to shirts and as detachable accessories. By
using the detachable variety, men could wear the same shirt for several
days and simply change out the collar and cuffs. Disposable collars were
very stiff, and softer attached collars became the norm during WWI and
after.
Bow ties and four-in-hand ties from the previous decade remained
popular during the 1910s. Ties were made from silk, wool, or cotton, and
they usually had patterns on colorful backgrounds like lilac, red, green,
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MEN’S FASHIONS
blue, gray, and brown. Bow ties were tied by the wearer. Although clip-on
bow ties became available, they were not considered fashionable. Four-in-
had ties tended to be wide, and, at the extreme, they were scarf-like.
Regardless of the width, four-in-hand ties had pointed hems.
Jewelry
Before the 1910s, men had worn pocket watches attached to watch chains.
With the rise in automobile driving and WWI, wristwatches became a
popular, more convenient way to check the time. Tiepins, shirt studs, and
cuff links continued to be widely used.
Other
Walking sticks fell out of favor as more people began using automobiles.
Scarves, handkerchiefs, and leather gloves were common accessories.
Gloves were closely fitted and fastened at the back of the wrist by a snap,
a button, or two buttons.
1920S ,
THE JAZZ AGE
FORMALWEAR
Silhouette
Prohibition changed the nature of social gather-
ings in the 1920s, although the increased prosper-
ity of the 1920s meant that people could work
less and socialize more. Whereas gentlemen in
past eras attended formal receptions and balls in
morning jackets and cut-away or tail coats, men
in the 1920s attended society parties and went to
speakeasies to drink and dance the blackbottom
or the Charleston. Formal suits with top hats,
tails, and fitted trousers were not congruent with
the new youthful social scene. Tuxedo coats and
dinner jackets paired with trousers and vests (or
waistcoats) provided dashing alternatives to past
conservative styles. Formalwear now had a relaxed
fit with soft shirts rather than starched fronts to
allow dancing all night.
A man models his walking suit, c. mid-1920s.
[Library of Congress]
1920s, The Jazz Age
263
Jackets and Vests
Morning jackets and tail coats were worn only
by older, wealthy men for very formal occa-
sions. Tuxedo jackets and dinner jackets were
now the standard components of formalwear.
Tuxedos were typically double breasted,
whereas dinner jackets were typically single
breasted. Tuxedo jackets featured either rolled
or notched lapels, faced in silk. Dinner jackets,
a popular alternative for night clubs and soci-
ety gatherings, typically featured shawl or
rolled lapels and had a single-button closure.
Single-breasted vests or waistcoats were still
worn for more formal occasions under tuxedo,
morning, and tail coats and featured rolled or
shawl lapels.
Shirts
White shirts with starched fronts that closed
with shirt studs were worn by older men for
very formal occasions. White ‘‘soft front’’ cot-
ton, rayon, or silk shirts were worn under tux-
edo and dinner jackets by the trendy crowd.
Pants
Tuxedo pants and pants worn with dinner
jackets were fuller cut, featuring wide legs
with a braid on the outseam. Pants were typi-
cally cuffless.
Decorative Details
Midnight blue and black were the preferred colors for eveningwear. Tux-
edo jackets, vests or waistcoats, and trousers were all cut from the same
cloth. Dinner jackets were typicall y white, especially for summer outings,
and were paired with black trousers. Bow ties were the preferred neckwear
for eveningwear and formal events.
BUSINESS WEAR
Silhouette
The sack suit, seen as early as the 1840s, continued to serve as the basis for
men’s business attire. Sack suits were less structured than the frock coats
One of the famous and distinctive Arrow shirt ads,
created by J.C. Leyendecker, showing a handsome
gentleman in a striped shirt, from about 1920.
[Library of Congress]
264
MEN’S FASHIONS
and morning coats men wore for business attire in previous decades but still
were impeccably tailored, and, when finances allowed, English tailored suits
were considered the best. The resulting silhouette for jackets was slim fit-
ting in the early part of the decade and using waist seams and darts to cre-
ate shaping, and became more relaxed and boxy as the decade progressed.
Business trousers followed the same gradual shift as men’s jackets, fitting
close with tapered legs in the early part of the decade and trending toward
fuller cuts with wide legs by mid-decade. Three-piece suits consisting of
jacket, trousers, and vest or waistcoat were worn by all businessmen.
Jackets and Vests
Suit jackets were slim fitting, featuring either waist seams or darts to pro-
vide soft shaping and center back vents. As the decade progressed, the fit
began to relax and broaden, moving away from the natural shoulder line.
Single-breasted, three-button styles prevailed over double-breasted styles.
Collars and notched lapels were short and wide, ending in a high stance
below the chest for most of the decade. By the end of the 1920s, collars
and lapels both began to narrow and lengthen. Welt breast and hip pock-
ets were either set in at an angle or straight. Some jackets featured ele-
ments commonly found in Norfolk jackets, such as back shoulder yokes
with or without inverted pleats and waist belts or half-belts. Vests or
waistcoats were single breasted, very fitted, closing high on the chest
above the suit jacket closure, with five buttons. Vests or waistcoats for
business suits rarely sported lapels.
Shirts
The early years of the 1920s saw a continuation of shirts with detachable
collars. However, because of improvements in manufacturing as well as an
increase in the use and quality of home washing machines, ‘‘hard’’ detach-
able collars were replaced by ‘‘soft’’ attached collared shirts. Shirts were
slim fitting with straight fitted sleeves and French cuffs. Soft collars were
pointed and typically pinned together under the tie with a tiepin, tie bar,
or self-fabric tab.
Pants
Trousers were slim fitting, with straight legs and cuffs in the early part of
the 1920s. As the decade progressed, trousers for business suits grew
wider and fuller cut, retained their cuffs, but did not reach the extremes
seen in casual or collegiate styles.
1920s, The Jazz Age
265
Decorative Details
The components of business suits were always fabricated from the same
cloth, creating matching jackets, trousers, and vests or waistcoats. Colors
were subdued browns, tans, and grays in tweeds and herringbones. As the
decade progressed plaids, checks, and both pinstripes and chalk stripes
became more popular than tweeds and herringbones. White replaced dark
colors for summer suits in linen or flannel for those who could afford sea-
sonal wardrobes as depicted in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
Decorative elements were minimal in men’s suiting and were typically
limited to welt pockets, half-belts, and shoulder yokes. Solid cotton shirts
in white or cream were standard for most conservative businessmen.
However, a range of stripes, checks, and geometric patterns were also
popular in lavender, pink, and blue rayon and silk fabrics.
CASUAL WEAR
Silhouette
In the 1920s, radio, movies, telephones, airplanes, and automobiles made
the world a smaller place, and jazz music gave American society a rhythm.
Society became more health conscious and participated in numerous
sports such as football, swimming, tennis, and skiing. The youth move-
ment replaced courtship with dating, taking young couples out of the
family parlor and into a movie theater, speakeasy, or motoring excursion.
Increasing numbers of both men and women moved away from home to
attend college. These factors, combined together, brought the demand for
a new sporting wear (later dubbed ‘‘sportswear’’) that could be worn for
informal gatherings and athletic activity (Blum 1981, 3). The need for
comfort and functionality demanded a departure from the traditional forms
of clothing previously worn by the middle and upper classes.
Jackets
The Norfolk jacket was worn for casual activities in the 1920s. Norfolk jack-
ets featured many structural details such as belts, shoulder yokes, inset panels,
and large patch pockets compared with business wear and formalwear jack-
ets. Norfolk jackets were worn over vests or, more typically, sweater vests, by
many college students, thus dubbing the look the ‘‘collegiate style.’’
Shirts
Jackets were no longer a mandatory component of men’s casual wear.
Sweaters and cardigans became substitutes for jackets in the 1920s,
whereas turtlenecks and polo shirts became substitutes for button-down
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MEN’S FASHIONS
shirts. Crew neck and shawl collar pullover sweaters and cardigan sweaters
with shawl collars in heavy rib and shaker knits were preferred to jackets.
Pants
Knickers are probably one of the garments most synonymous with men’s
casual wear from the 1920s. Knickers (originally called knickerbockers),
previously only worn by young boys, were adopted by men as emblematic
of the youth movement sweeping America. Knickers came in two distinct
forms: oxford bags and plus fours. Plus fours were originally popularized
by the Prince of Wales (known as the Duke of Windsor after his abdica-
tion of the throne) for golfing and athletic activities. Oxford bags were a
more extreme version of plus fours, up to thirty-two inches in diameter,
that are believed to have originated at Oxford College (Tortora and
Eubank 2005, 396). The style was so named because the pants were four
inches longer than the more traditional knickers. Knickers in any form,
although popular with college students, were deemed inappropriate by
college faculty. The ban on knickers reportedly enticed some students to
wear extremely wide-legged trousers over their knickers so that, after
class, they could drop their trousers and be instantly ready for social activ-
ities. Whether this long-held story has any basis in reality, the fact
remains that when not wearing knickers, wide-leg trousers were the pre-
ferred pant form for casual events.
Decorative Details
Casual wear was not only a departure from traditional dress in form, but
it was also a departure in color and pattern. Knickers, trousers, jackets,
and vests were all fabricated separately, mixing and matching solids and
patterns so that no two pieces ever matched. Bold colors, such as maroon,
orange, gold, and navy, and patterns, such as checks, stripes, and plaids,
were combined together for ec lectic sporty, collegiate looks.
OUTERWEAR
Coats
Traditional Chesterfields in wool melton with velvet collars and Ulsters
were worn for business wear and formalwear. Both featured single-
breasted, fly-front button-down closures with either set-in or raglan
sleeves and often sported belts or half-belts across the back. Chesterfields
and Ulsters were available in plaids, stripes, tweeds, and herringbones.
More fashion-forward men and young men preferred polo coats to Ches-
terfields and Ulsters. Polo coats became popular after the British polo
1920s, The Jazz Age
267
team played exhibition matches in the United States (Tortora and Eubank
2005, 399). Polo coats were made from tan camel’s hair and were double
breasted with six buttons and a half-belt across the back. Fashionable col-
legiate young men also donned the ubiquitous raccoon coats.
Other Garments
Long dusters in cotton canvas, either single or double breasted, were a
must for ‘‘motoring’’ to protect a man’s suit from the dust and inclement
weather encountered in open-air vehicles on dirt roads. Leather jackets
lined with lamb’s wool were worn for casual activities, whereas fishermen’s
gear and rubber coats were adopted as raincoats.
SWIMWEAR AND SPORTSWEAR
Swimwear
The 1920s witnessed an increase in the sport of swimming, spurred on by
Gertr ude Ederle’s record-breaking swim across the English Channel and
a preference for healthy-looking, sun-tanned skin as a status symbol of
wealth and leisure. As a result, men’s swimwear continued to diminish in
size and increase in functionality.
Both one-piece and two-piece styles were available in lightweight wool
jersey knit. Suits featured either one-piece construction with trunks and
tank knit as one unit with buttons across the shoulder, or two-piece con-
struction with separate tank and trunks. Tanks on two-piece designs were
either worn long, with a slightly flared hemline, on the outside of the
trunks or more fitted and tucked into the trunks. As the decade pro-
gressed, the tank became smaller in scale or was replaced by only shoulder
straps. Both one- and two-piece designs featured horizontal stripes across
the chest and tank hem and contrast trim around the armholes, both typi-
cally in red or white. Gray, navy, red, and black were standard colors for
swimwear.
Golf
The Prince of Wales (also known as the Duke of Windsor after he abdi-
cated the throne) was a sports enthusiast and fashion leader during the
1920s. The baggy, full-cut knickers he was depicted wearing during golf
outings, dubbed plus fours because they draped four inches below the
knees, became a key component of the quintessential golf ensemble worn
by men on the course. Knickers and plus fours either buttoned at the knee
or were gathered into knit bands and were paired with fitted Norfolk
268
MEN’S FASHIONS
jackets or rib knit cardigan or shawl-collar sweaters. Norfolk jackets, also
popularized by the Duke of Windsor, featured waist seams with belts or
tab closures, front and back shoulder yokes, large patch pockets with flap
closures, and extensive topstitching. Soft-collar button-down shirts were
worn under jackets and sweaters. Soft crown golf caps or tams with small
visors completed the ensemble. Brown, olive, and gray tweeds were the
most common fabrications.
Skiwear
Skiing, another extremely popular sport in the 1920s, co-opted golf cloth-
ing to combine warmth and functionality on the slopes. Knickers or plus
fours, heavy cardigans, turtle necks and shawl-collar sweaters, and Norfolk
jackets were donned for the ski slopes as well as the golf course.
Other Activewear
Tennis, popularized by Rene Lacoste’s (nicknamed ‘‘Le Crocodile’’) string
of victories in the mid to late 1920s, also produced a need for functional
apparel. In the early part of the 1920s, standard soft-collar, button-down
shirts were worn with flannel trousers by most men playing tennis.
Lacoste popularized an alternative shirt (later dubbed the polo shirt), fab-
ricated from lightweight cotton knit with short sleeves and rib knit collar,
that was not only cooler but provided stretch for ease of movement.
White was considered the only acceptable color on the tennis court.
The 1924 Olympics held in Paris, France, help to popularize all forms
of sports and athletics. The interest in sports and athletics during the
1920s also witnessed increased popularity in riding, hunting, and hiking
because of the growth of the middle class with increased funds to spend
on leisure pursuits. All three sports also co-opted versions of the golf en-
semble. However, riding pants were more fitted through the hips than
golf knickers, and riding ensembles were paired with tall boots rather than
the oxford shoes worn for golfing.
UNDERWEAR AND INTIMATE APPAREL
Underwear
One-piece union suits with short or long sleeves and short or long legs
were common throughout the first par t of the 1920s. As the decade pro-
gressed, knee-length drawers paired with sleeveless undershirts replaced
the one-piece union suits. Drawers featured a button fly, and the under-
shirts were sleeveless and were either pullovers or featured button fronts.
Both wovens and knits were used to fabricate men’s underwear.
1920s, The Jazz Age
269