A Hat Style Creed

In 1921, The American Hatter published "A Hat Style Creed," outlining five fundamental beliefs of the conscientious hatter. The creed was created in celebration of the fall hat style weeks, which ran from September 1st to 15th, 1921. 

Men deserve to have all the fun there is in hat wearing!     

The piece is attractively framed in a boarder of wild roses, and offers a message to hat sellers, and hat lovers everywhere, touching gently on themes of service, gender equality, aesthetic harmony, and embracing individual style. The instructions say to read the creed and then pass it on. To assist in reading the small text, I've re-typed A Hat Style Creed below the original. 

A Hat Style Creed

• We believe that hat wearing is more a matter of pleasure and pride than of strict necessity; that the hat is more an article of ornament than of protection; and that the men we sell to deserve to have all the fun there is in hat wearing. 
• We believe that a harmoniously hatted man can create a stir of admiration in the human mind as well as a cleverly millinered woman. 
• We believe that no man is well hatted unless his hat properly harmonizes with the shirt, collar, cravat, suit and shoes he is wearing at the time. 
• We believe that every gentleman should have enough hats always to be well-hatted, according to the above definition.
• We believe that it is the duty of the hat seller to assist and advise his patrons so that the hat is always the one most suitable to the face and costume under it. 

Jr. Shutterbug

What an adorable sock ad, from the pages of the June 1920 issue of The Underwear & Hosiery Review! It looks like this young fashion photographer has found a very stylishly turned out little model, to take pictures of. 

Adventures in Haberdashery

During the early 1920s, The Haberdasher ran a nifty little contest called "The Funniest Sight" where shopkeepers and sales clerks could share stories of their most amusing or bizarre experiences in the the haberdashery business. The top two or three entries would be printed and illustrated each month, and the winner received $5.00.

Below are two hilarious anecdotes from The Haberdasher's "Funniest Sight" contest of April 1922. Click the text to zoom.

Fashion Disaster

Behold, a tale of fortunes reversed, of trust betrayed, and the revelation of concealed truths! 

This priceless bit was printed in a 1921 issue of The Haberdasher

Merry's Windows

The Haberdasher and The Clothier and Furnisher would regularly run contests for the best window displays in the country, and I noticed, after scanning through several issues, that a certain window dresser from the midwest kept appearing in the winners' circle. He stood out, because while all the other winners usually had their hair slicked back, or to one side, the talented Mr. Merry, was always pictured with his locks piled into a wonderful pyramidal structure, daringly perched on the top of his head.

There he is, on the right, above some of the other winners of The Haberdasher's Display Championship. In 1921, he would win the championship for a second time. 

Here he is some years earlier, winning 2nd place in The Clothier and Furnisher's 1912 window dressing contest. 

And Here he is again, winning a Clothier and Furnisher competition in 1913, giving a little credit to his school. This bit was printed in Merchants Record and Show Window.

Below are some more examples of Mr. Merry's prize-winning work from The Haberdasher's 1920 Contest:

So, after seeing this shining star of window dressing pop up in periodical after periodical, you can imagine my excitement, when I saw the headline: "The King of Display Men Speaks!"In the following article, Mr. Merry sets down his guidelines for success: 

Working the Long-johns

Several articles I've found on window-dressing in 1920 and 1921 issues of The Haberdasher, included the opinion that long underwear were an inherently awkward article to display, model, or illustrate, since, as one contributor put it: they just aren't aesthetic. However, my reading also revealed a sort of consensus, that the addition of a dressing gown could increase the window-appeal of a union suit exponentially. 

The illustrator of the advertisement on the cover of The Underwear & Hosiery Review, below, seems to have taken that advice and flown with it, and the result is an explosion of plush luxury and fierce attitude.

I'm not sure who the illustrator is, but their work contains many similar elements to Rene Gruau's menswear illustrations from the mid to late 20th century. Perhaps this illustrator's work provided Gruau with a little inspiration?  Two of Gruau's pieces are below, for comparison. 

Story Time

I truly felt as if I'd stumbled across buried treasure, when I discovered an entire twelve-page picture book, printed in the July 1910 issue of Men's Wear. It is a beautifully illustrated allegorical tale about a rowing match between two different marketing approaches. The whole thing is a delightful treat from start to finish, so I've gone ahead, and posted the entire piece below. Enjoy!