Man's Fashion (L. Brivio Textile Books) by Brivio, Serena (editor) - 1995

Como, Italy: L. Brivio Textile Books. Hardcover. Oversized. From the Foreword: This peculiar and fascinating collection of sketches and pages from men's fashion magazines of the '40s and' 50s perfectly fits in the cultural environment of Messrs. BRIVIO, textile studio. The studio has always drawn inspiration from its rich archives of printed and jacquard fabrics ( dating back to 1800 and constantly updated) to which it adds every season thanks to patient and minute research work carried out in the most important centers of textile production world-wide. Therefore, also in this publication we have introduced the 170 most successfull water-colour sketches from important fashion magazines as well as a rich list of references and notes on the fabrics that provides our readers with a complete historical background. Page after page the reader discovers, in a word, the ultimate class game and what was then meaning of the expression "good taste " in the field of man's fashion , both on special occasion and in everyday life. The most famous representatives of this, rather formal, style, were the Hollywood stars of that period, from Clark Gable to Gary Cooper, from James Stewart to Gregory Peck. Legend has it that all these stars used to wear their own suits, all by famous international fashion houses, on the set too. That was the golden age of tailor-made coats and jackets, broad-shouldered and worn over comfortable, wide trousers. Suits were cut in such a way as to follow the contour of the body emphasising the waist-line, thus improving the wearer's good looks and making him look taller and better built, also thanks to a number of technical " tricks " this new jacket the so-called "modelled" jacket, had been imported from Great Britain in the '30s to the States, where it was enthusiastically received by local manufactures and by the public. From the States the jacket returned to Europe, Italy included. Here it underwent a few changes: a lower V- neckline, wider lapels, new accessoires. In other words it became less formal than its former " made in England " version. The fabrics of choice were rough looking,with twisted surfaces and a coarse feel: wools, grisaille, tweeds, Prince of Wales and flanels. In the morning the real gentleman wore only single-breasted suits. The double-breasted suit was worn only as elegant afternoon suit, especially if plain-coloured or pin-striped. Shirt had important collars and agreeable pied- de-poule patterns. Shirt were always worn with neckties with rich patterns such as large abstract and figurative design. Vest also represented a must.After the sad parenthesis of the War, more important suits for elegant occasion made their come-back: tail coats, tuxedos and formal evening dresses. However, it was the tuxedo, both in its single and double-breasted version, that triumphed at balls and opening nights at the opera. Classic black for winter and white in summer. A highly sophisticated chromatic symphony to define a man who has great self-respect and an uncommon aesthetic sense. This book aim, in rediscovering these jewels through the conoisseur's eye,isn't just that of stressing the noble art of dressing well, but also that of giving the inspiration for the creation of novel style that,while avoiding transgression for its own sake, tries to achieve the greatest pleasure of all: Luxury. 175 pages. Your order will be on its way by the next business day! . Very Good. 1995.