In 1917 American clothing manufacturer Hart Schaffner & Marx was making military uniforms in addition to their stylish everyday and sporting clothing. In this brochure, they sell the idea that military design translates to everyday and sporting wear. Not a new idea, but one that has lasted.
Hart Schaffner & Marx style book, 1917, Cover. PSAW ephemera collections
Hart Schaffner & Marx, Style Book For Men and Young Men. 1917.
Hart Schaffner & Marx. Style Book
"Insist on all Wool. It is more important than ever to be careful what you get in clothes. Woolen fabrics give longer service, fit better and hold their shape; they are cheapened if mixed with cotton"
Hart Schaffner & Marx 1917.
Notice that they do not make uniforms for the enlisted men. Nor do they show the officers in combat. That probably wouldn't sell much merchandise for them.
Hart Shaffner & Marx 1917
"You'd expect clothes this fall to have the military touch in the models; they have. In suits and overcoats, you'll find it evident; gives a new vigor and snap that most men will like."
Hart Schaffner & Marx 1917
"Economy is one of the war-cries. The best economy is not in cheaper quality, but in better. "
Hart Schaffner& Marx 1917
"Sport and military models are too good to be confined to sports or the military. They're for any time or place. Most men look well in them; young men especially"
This snazzy little advertising brochure features illustrations by two different artists. Although JC Leyendecker became famous for his HS&M ads, as did Edward Penfield, I don't think this is their work.
Two quiz questions:1) who illustrated the HS&M brochure?
2) Who knows the source of this often repeated but rarely cited quotation from Diana Vreeland:
"Uniforms are the sportswear of the 19th Century"
If you are the first person to tell me the correct answer to either question, you get a prize of a six pack of Pine Street Art Works greeting cards. And I don't actually know the answers, so include your references.
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