fuck is a good word.
Last edited by Coolidge (2007-10-26 17:06:18)
Context: The life insurance industry in the early 1950s-mid 1970s. My grandfather was head of agency...other men with him are usually the company agents, political people, or other figures in the insurance industry. Photos taken between 1950-1970, during which time his age range was early 40s to early 60s. One of my father, who graduated college in '67.
http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/246/img00568scan2hj4.jpg
Ribbon-cutting ceremony, 1968. My grandfather is in a 3-button sack at left, with what appears to be forward point collar, skinny tie with vertical jockey stripes, tie pin. Suit too long in sleeves. Man at right has darted high stance 3 button. Woman second from right mayor of city.
http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/7594/img00668scanda4.jpg
"Photgraphic Portrait", 1968. Again forward point collar. Appears to be 2-button undarted suit, but hard to tell. Ancient madder tie.
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/3471/img047scanlp8.jpg
Another hybrid. Spread collar. Windowpane suit. Narrow repp tie. Unknown button stance. c. 1965.
http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/2061/img04851scanbse6.jpg
Promotion day, 1951. (hence the flowers) I believe this occured in August, so this may be some kind of summer suit...hard to tell fabric, Im guessing cotton or linen since it's already rumpled. Solid tie, forward point shirt. 3-2 roll (you can make out the buttonhole just above the desk when this is zoomed out) with the button half in front, half behind the lapel.
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/3010/img049scanae7.jpg
c. 1970-71...going for the Mad Men Bert Cooper look here with the facial hair
I have to believe this is the charcoal 3-2 H.Freeman suit I still wear. Nice shoulders. Repp tie, forward point collar...time we put this "only OCBDs" myth to bed....hell, even the AAA trad-hallowed OPH says that adult businessmen "often switch" to forward points!
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9092/img050gc1.jpg
With agents and another insurance executive, early 1967
My ancestor, at left, seems to be wearing higher stance 3 button model but with only middle button fastened. In the tangible photograph, there are darts..very well done, relatively subtle ones. Tennis collar?
Agent, second from left, has a pinned point collar and a windowpane pattern tie. He has an undarted 2 button suit.
Agent, third from left, has a button down collar and repp tie. High stance 3 button, which, as far as I can tell, is undarted.
Other executive, at right, has 3 piece 3 button, darted, repp tie...collar appears to have a tab back there but it doesn't close like a tab collar.
Notice, throughout, no ones sleeves are where we'd like them I think such tailoring errors are old as the hills.
http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/1102/dadprepscanhi8.jpg
My father's senior picture at prep school, 1963...patch pocket 3-2 blazer with school crest (visible in yearbook, which I don't have here), school motif tie, tab collar. He and his fellows usually wore weejuns with white or grey socks.
The haircut is the same one I use, I just have longer sideburns with it...is this the "Princeton"?
Last edited by Coolidge (2007-10-27 14:27:22)
Great pics Coolidge.
I actually like the jacket sleeve lengths portrayed on the 1st picture. I think they just needed a little shirt sleeve adjustment to show a hair of shirt cuff -- by either lengthening the sleeves of widening the cuffs.
Last edited by Coolidge (2007-10-27 23:05:58)
Tremendous contribution, Cooley.
We are all thankful.
TV
Great pics, Cools.
Speaking of the IBM minimalist look v. something more elaborate, Will had a post on something similar that I was going to comment on.
I actually think the Minimalist look is sometimes harder to get right, and if done right, more elegant than something that conventional wisdom calls more refined. I'm thinking here of Cary Grant's minimalism or that seen even in Clooney's new flick Michael Clayton, the clothes of which I really liked on the lead character.
edit: http://asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com/2007/10/whats-style.html
I'm far less interested in this look, though I can appreciate to some extent the taste involved, than I am the minimalist look that Will pooh-poohs in contrast. For the minimalist look forces more focus on texture, color, and fabric. You can almost say that the example above is by the numbers, after you've gotten the hang of it. And yet, by eschewing it, one's choices are less apt to be "dissolved" into the contrasting elements if one goes with the minimalist look, and one has, I think, both more and less room for error. "Negative capability" and whatnot.
Last edited by Horace (2007-10-29 14:26:36)
Last edited by Coolidge (2007-10-30 14:38:09)
The one on the bottom left is the class slut. What ho.