A Touch of Crash

A TOUCH OF CRASH
DEPRESSION-ERA CHIC

By REBECCA ROSENBERG

July 28, 2008
The duds say it all - and it's depressing.

Taking a cue from the grim economy, this fall's fashions at Banana Republic, Gap and H&M are featuring a distinctly Depression-era trend of cloche hats, pencil skirts, conductor caps and baggy, vintage-style dresses.

One of the most popular styles appears to hark back to the impish, newsboy getup of the 1930s: baggy trousers, caps, pinstriped vests, oxford lace-up shoes and utilitarian handbags.

"We associate the newsboy look with urban poverty - street kids of the 1930s," said Daniel James Cole, a professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

"Given that we're in an unstable economy and an uncertain political landscape, it's possible that a retro style has come back as a way to connect with our heritage."

Fashion historian Heather Vaughan of the Western Region Costume Society of America said the new look may make economic sense, too.

"Even though we're in a recession, people still want interesting clothing," she said. "They're looking for more classic styles and subdued tones that will last a few seasons instead of one."

One newsboy-style outfit from The Gap drew mixed reviews from Wall Streeters last week.
"It looks manly," said Philipp Sielfeld, 29, of Goldman Sachs. "It reminds me of the little guys selling the newspapers during the Great Depression."

Adrien Vanderlinden, 41, loved the look-as-social-commentary.

"It's totally appropriate given the pessimistic mood of the economy," the Upper West Side project manager said. "The vest references the three-piece Wall Street suit, the loose pants are like the dropped hemlines of the late '30s, and there's no bling."

Al Thompson, 40, a senior employee at a recruiting company, hates the look - it covers far too much for his taste. He also predicts it won't last.

"Everything in fashion and economics is cyclical," he said. "This fashion has returned just as we're hitting a point in our economy much like what we faced in the '30s."

"Everything goes away and comes back."

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07282008/news/regionalnews/a_touch_of_crash_121893.htm
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While this article mainly deals with female fashion, it can also cross over into the area of male fashion.

It was nice being ahead of the trend for once. I welcome this swing toward the 'depression chic' look as long as it is done well: no low rise trousers worn with short vests, no 'pimpish' Wal-Mart newsboy caps or fedoras and please, no cheaply made clothing that fits badly and will fall apart the first time it is worn.

Though, that last wish is a little too high a standard for modern manufacturers, it would seem...

What About Hats? Part 2

It's been far too long since I posted the first part of my hat tutorial. Now is as good a time as any to continue.

Last time we looked at the fedora in general, learning a bit of its history and characteristics of each time period. Now we dig into specific characteristics of the fedora, beginning with the crown crease.



When I say crown crease, I'm talking about the shape of the top of the crown. There are multitudes of different shapes the crown could be creased in but we are only going to glance at the three most popular ones for the fedora.

First is the Center Crease.
The center crease is a single large crease that runs down the center of the crown (hence its name) from front to back. This creased is most often and successfully used on hats with tall crowns to avoid the crease from coming into contact with the wearer's head and avoiding any misshaping of the crease.
This crease can also give the hat a nice straight or even reverse taper when viewed from the side.

click on all photos to enlarge

This center crease was very popular from the 'teens through the 1930s when it started to lose popularity in favor of the creases below. It came back for a short time in the 1960s.


The next crease is the Teardrop Crease.
Also known as the C-Crease, much of the crown is pushed down inside itself to form a smooth rounded crease that looks like a teardrop. The center of the crease bulges back out to make room for the wearer's head.
This crease became popular during the 1930s, the same time the crease below also became popular.


Last but definitely not least is the Diamond Crease.
Similar to the Teardrop Crease, the Diamond has four corners to the crease as opposed to one in the Teardrop. This crease can give a tall hat some reverse taper when viewed from the front.
Like the Teardrop Crease, the Diamond Crease became popular during the 1930s and continued through into the 1950s.



Ribbons and bows are mainly just decorative and help cover up stitching from the sweatband that would otherwise be visible. Like crown creases, bows can change the attitude of the hat and give it life. The bow has a simple rule: for men's hats the bow is on the left, for women it's on the right. Let's look at several more popular styles of bows.


This is the traditional bow that is most often seen on semi-formal fedoras. These are seen from the 1920s through to today.

Next, an earlier and more simple form of the traditional bow. These simple, boxy bows were common during the 'teens and twenties. If a hat has one of these bows, there's a good chance that it's pretty old.

The western-style thin ribbon and bow give any hat a dash of ruggedness and a casual feeling. This type of bow and ribbon are seen on cowboy hats as well as western fedoras like the desirable Stetson "Open Road" and "Stratoliner".
Note the 'wind trolley' button below the bow.

The back bow is harder to find than the traditional and thin bows. Originally popular in France during the 1930s, the back bow made a comeback in the United States in the mid-1950s. The hat below is a 1950s Royal Stetson.

The pleated bow, like the back bow, can be difficult to find nowadays. Popular back in the 1920s through to the 1940s, the pleated bow eventually faded from the limelight. Like all of the other bows pictured, the pleated bow can come in many different styles and the one pictured is just one of many variations.

Lastly, the tapered ribbon is perhaps the most difficult ribbon/bow style to find. This type of ribbon/bow is most often found on summer Panama hats, though the one shown below is on a late-1920s or early-1930s felt fedora.

The last thing we'll look at is brim treatment. The brims below are shown from least to most formal for fedoras.

First and least formal is the Raw Edge. As can be seen, the raw cut felt is left unaltered.

Next up is the Welt Edge. The raw cut edge is folded onto itself, either on the top of bottom of the brim, and stitched down. The brim below has three rows of stitching.

Below is the Self-Welt Edge, also known as the Cavanagh Edge, named after its inventor. Like the Welt edge above, the brim if folded over onto itself. But, rather then using rows of stitching to keep it folded, extreme pressure is used to meld the folded felt into the brim. This process turns the two pieces of brim into one smooth, brim edge.

This brim treatment is rare nowadays and has become a lost art. No modern hat company makes the Self-Welt Edge because it would be too expensive, especially when the simple and cheap Welt Edge can do the job.

The Bound Edge.

There are two main style of the Bound Edge. The first uses a thin strip of grosgrain ribbon...

...while the second utilizes a thick grosgrain ribbon. This is my favorite brim treatment.

We'll continue to look at the fedora and eventually the homburg with upcoming posts. Hopefully you are getting a feel for vintage fedoras and what to look for.

Style and Fashion, Male and Female

Being a member of the male side of the species, I've been told that "style counts, fashion discounts". And while this is true (especially today), there is a different view that the stylish man must take into account. This view is that of the fashionable female. For, while the man should be stylish, the woman was made to be fashionable.

This does not mean a woman cannot look elegant while still being fashionable. However, for these two seemingly opposite things to coexist something must be considered: while elegance is informed by the past and fashion looks to the future, fashion must keep an eye on the past while two feet march into the future. If, infact, fashion has nothing tied to the past we end up with the newest fad that disappears within a year and is forgotten forever. Tradition is important for the fasionable.

Now we return to the style/fashion and male/female relationship. Just as a man and woman are each other's counterpart, style and fashion are inseparable. Say, for instance, a dashing couple entertain a party. The dress is formal, so men wear classic dinner jackets and women wear elegant dresses and fashionable accessories. The stylish male, being tied to the past, is the background for the fashionable female, who is to be the centerpiece of attention. Like a painting, the unchanging background scenery supports and surrounds the bright and stunning center of attention in the foreground. That is the place of the man and the place of the woman.

And while their tasks are so different, the stylish man and the fashionable woman are not opposites. Rather, they compliment one another and bring out the best points of the other's dress.

So males, be timeless and focus on classic style from the past. And females, be classic while also being forwardlooking. The man's job is easy: to be the background for the female. The woman's job is hard: to stand out while not being too loud. A simple and complimentary combiniation will always be successful.