Written for the collector... the hepcat... rockabilly kool kat... and that special Rat Packer... this guide is aimed at providing insights into fine men's tailored apparel from that better bygone fashion era of the fabulous 50's and the smoking 60's. Our style guide applies to tailored sportswear, business attire and formalwear whether your personal style is pure vintage or timeless traditional. Our guide to fibers and cloth is designed to foster a greater appreciation for the finer nuances of specific weaves and a better understanding of their place in the fashion timeline. Too, you'll find here a basic blueprint for assuring your haberdashery and accessories complement the look of the era. STYLE AND FIT GUIDE TO THE FABULOUS FIFTIES Heavily padded "extended" shoulders, a three-button closure, wider lapels, a fuller "sack coat" silhouette and a ventless or single vent cut.... all styling cues that point to a vintage 50's coat. All but the dressiest of business suitings and formal coats are typically set with patch pockets... and all suitings carrying high-waisted, double-pleated trousers with narrow belt loops and a wider 12-14" knee width tapering to a 9-10" hem. Cuffs are essential. Not only are they true to the era; the added weight makes for a proper drape. Likewise, braces/suspenders (never wear a belt and braces) anchor the waistline and seat for a cleaner look. One of the basic credos of properly porportioned neckwear calls for a wider tie in keeping with the wider lapel width of a fifties coat. All bets are off, however, when it comes to bow ties. In that regard a bow considerably narrower than the lapels is more in keeping with fifities style. Popular fabrics run the gamut from coarser wool tweeds and smoother saxony and flannel for winter wear. Four-season garments are found in worsted wools ranging from 10-12 oz. weights. Tropical apparel cut from finer worsteds, cotton/linen blends rounded out seasonal wardrobe needs. The fifties also marked the infancy of the Hong Kong custom tailor and with this newfound resource came more luxurious fibers and blends. Most noteworthy, true "shantung" silks and wool blends that mimicked it's distinctive character and texture with "knobs and slips" woven into the cloth. Also emerging in the late fifities: fine wool sharkskin cloths prized for their subtle iridescence. Both fabrics would come to fullest bloom in sort order and reach the height of their popularity right around the corner... in the smoking sixities. THE SMOKING SIXITIES: SLIMMER... MORE DAPPER LOOK... RAT PACKERS AND PREPPIES The boxier coat set with Clark Kent/linebacker shoulder pads and bold lapels gives way to a trimmer garment with more natural shoulders and narrower lapels. Trousers cut from acres of cloth are replaced with slimmer flat front models. Collar points shorten... waistlines lower... and neckties are more slender than ever. Here, too, find the greatest revival of three-piece suitings since the 1930's. Unfortunately, that revival was short-lived owing to a demand for less expensive suits. As makers targetted lower prices they were quick to focus on more economical two-piece models. The sixties also brought a newer, fresher, broader range of colors and patterns to the men's wardrobe palette. Chief among them... brighter blues and richer greens... varying glennplaids... and pinstripes sorely missing in tailored apparel since the 1940's. Hand in hand came flashier accents with ruffles replacing French pleats in formal shirtings, French cuffs and requisite gaudy links eclipsed simple barrel cuffs, and pocket silks made weigh over white linen squares. In sharp contrast to this flamboyant look, traditional understated preppie and Ivy League apparel migrated from college campuses and into America's boardrooms and courtrooms. Classic British-inspired patch pocket navy blazers and British-derived (by way of India) seersucker and Madras garments... gray flannel suitings and summer poplins... all of them took a foothold and to this day remain essentials in any traditional wardrobe. BETTER BYGONE FASHION ERAS... when ball caps were reserved for the ball field... no man would dream of being seen in public in pajama-like "sweats"... khakis were meant for yard work and dock workers... and a "jacket required" policy governed the dress code in restaurants and supper clubs, at racecourses, in the workplace and in places of worship. For those who long for a return to higher standards in everyday dress... we hope you've found this guide helpful.