Menswear in media from the 1930's

The 1930's saw a great change in mens fashion. This was due in place to the start great depression which began in 1929. The colours were dark and subdued. According to Derr Herr, a German menswear fashion magazine , American, British and German magazines did not differ in the styles and cut. According to Gentlemans gazette the lapels have a lower gorge but are not as slim as they were in the twenties; both wear high detachable wing collars, there is drape in the chest, the trousers are almost twice as wide, thought the chest pocket is still angled and the shoes still rather pointy. (see right)
                                             
By the 1940's Hollywood had exaggerated the drape or the cut of the suits. Heavy chests, padded shoulders and flared trousers came to the forefront in this era. Esquire said that war in the 1940s changed everything. The government restricted the use of wool, and single- breasted jackets and cuff and pleat- free pants became the norm. Once the boys come home, big style roars back with wide lapels, spread collars, and roomy suits.Mafia movies of this time inspired mens fashion.

1940's fashion

(www.esquire.com)
   

1940's style

Below is a video is the styles and trends which were set in the 1950's. According to Harpers Bazaar the 1950's was an era where many of the styles from the early 20th century returned  including flared jackets, natural jackets and overall a more narrow cut suit. The 1950's was a time where the teddy boys first came on the scene. Teddy boys were inspired by the dandies in the Edwardian period. Teddy boys were known for tight suits with a loose collared white shirt. Teddy boys often wore oxford shoes, brogue or suede shoes. There hairstyle usually was with the wet look which was slicked using brylcreem and had a quiff at the front. Teddy boys styled themselves on famous music artists at the time such as Elvis Presley.
       

According to Jeremy Langmead, editor of Esquire, the 1960's was the period where the men became more body conscious, wearing suits that showed off your figure. There was a lot of money to be made in the 1960's,which in turn led to the fashion conscious men investing in new suits and casual wear. The style icon of this period is former president John F. Kennedy. The mod culture also came to light in the 1960's. This was a subculture in which a group of stylish London men mixed both fashion and music. The mods fashion usually included Fred Perry or Ben Sherman shirts, teamed with Doc Martens and Levis jeans.

John F. Kennedy

Example of the mods.

The 1970s brought forward new and innovative styles. Below is an example of ad advert for mens jeans and shirts.

The jeans at this time had a different look to them as they were tight around the thigh but were flared from below the knee down. According to mens fashion magazine many of the styles were inspired by non western cultures such as African and Indian. Bare feet and sandals were not unusual as men aspired to their inner self where peace signs and flower chains could often be seen. Disco music inspired the fashion of the 1970s in which stretchy materials such as spandex or lycra were used  Satin shirts and flared trousers were very popular with inspiration the film of the decade Saturday night fever. (Mens fashion magazine)

The 1980's saw fashion become based on more of a street style especially with the publication of i-D magazine. This magazine looked at art, culture, fashion and music. It was set up by former Vogue art director Terry Jones. It combined street style and youth culture. This youth culture of the 1980's brought the punk fashion trend which can be linked back to the mods of the 1960's. Tartan became a trend with the punks where jeans were often worn dirty and had chains attached. Studded leather became a common item of clothing in the street style fashion of the punks. Below is an example of the street style punk photo shoot by i- D magazine.