-
1890's Look 1
During the 1890's, men's fashion consisted of narrow silhouettes, more relaxed fitting pants, the frock coat remained popular for formal daywear, and the morning coat featured a waistline seam and cutting away in the front. Shirts of the 1890's were heavily starched and featured stiff collars. The increasing popularity of wearing open jackets, shirts and waistcoats began being made in more colors than neutrals. -
1900's Look 2
Moving into the 1900's, men's fashion continued to look much like it did in the the previous decade. Frock coats continued to be the most popular in the daytime and tails in the evening. Three-piece suits continued to be majorly popular, however, the colors became more varied. Starched shirt-fronts with high collars were worn with three-piece suits. -
1910's Look 3
Again, men's fashion continued on from previous decades. Lounge-suits and three-piece suits like business suits today- increased in popularity as a more casual option compared to previous years. Lounge suits consisted of a sack coat, waistcoat, and trousers. Collars were worn starched and high on the neck. Lounge suits were typically worn with a Homburg hat, characterized by being a felt hat with a dent down the top, or a bowler hat. -
1920's Look 4
Menswear in the 1920's followed the steps of women's fashion and began to find a more simpler style. Starched collars were on the decline as were three-piece suits during the day. During the day, men began wearing soft collars and one or two button suit jackets often without waistcoats. Pinstripes gained popularity. Two unique types of trousers began to arise in the fashion market; Oxford bags and plus-fours. Oxford bags were wide-legged pants and plus-fours were gathered at the knee. -
1930's Look 5
Moving into the 1930's, the more casual style of dress continued to gain popularity. Rather than wearing business suits for casual outings, knitted sweaters and soft-collared shirts became increasingly popular and business suits remained the choice of dress for work and formal events. Ties also became less demanded. Tuxedos continued to gain popularity as well for formal events, white tuxedos also becoming popular in warm weather. -
1940's Look 6
Because of the start of the war, changes and experiments in men's fashion began to slow down and the conservation of materials gained traction. Men's fashion remained relatively the same as it did in the 30's and midway through the 40's. Instead of buying new suits in the 40's, many men continued to use suits they already owned. "Zoots" also became incredibly popular but many also found them wasteful as there was an overuse of fabric. Zoots were characterized by oversized jackets and trousers.