The AskOkey design team draws inspiration from historical sources – this is probably well known to our customers and community members; so what are these sources?
The 1930s is commonly referred to as the golden age of menswear. Why? The answers vary depending on your views of design and your opinion of past eras, but let’s take a stab at figuring out why the 1930s – 1940s are called the golden age.
To be a golden age, a period must set a standard that has not been replicated. So, what was it about the 30s that has never been replicated and thus gives it the status that some, at least, accord it?
Let’s start by looking at what went before. The 1920s saw some radical changes in menswear: traditional wing collars, frock coats, striped pants and formal wear that had been common before WW1 was less common in the 20s. Wars tend to bring changes in different areas of society, and WW1 was no exception: society became a little more casual and there was a sense that the youth, not responsible for the war, ought to take over (their time had come, so to speak). Possibly as a way of rebelling against the old order, young men wore sporty clothes on their time off, and novelties such as the jazz suit appeared. That said, suits from the 1920s do look a bit old-fashioned today, being rather tight fitting and short in the leg. Sports jackets were almost invariably belted, with action backs in many cases.
By the 30s, design principles seem to set a pattern or group of assumptions that inform classic clothing since then: the silhouette takes on its current shape (modified in the intervening years, but always returning after temporary deviations); patterns and fabrics are pretty much constant and the styles of the 30s do not look particularly dated during any period since. So what makes it a golden age?
Was the menswear of the 1930s that much better than what came afterwards? Certainly, it was unexaggerated, could be reasonably well made, observed classic design principles and was fairly adventurous in terms of colour and texture. But to be considered a golden age, a period and its expression must offer more than just quality and colour.
To be continued in part II…