COOLEST Menswear Pamphlet Ever Printed

Marc Chevalier · Oct 3, 2007

.

It just doesn't get better than this!

A pamphlet published in 1927 by ROGERS PEET CO., a long gone menswear store which was like Brooks Brothers, only better.

Read the text. Scrutinize the accompanying cartoons. Marvel at the creativity and sheer clever fun of it all. Ask yourself why a superb store like Rogers Peet could relax and take itself less seriously in 1927(!) than Brooks Brothers does today. Mourn for what we've lost.

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Lucky Strike · Oct 3, 2007

Fantastic!

KilroyCD · Oct 3, 2007

That pamphlet is so great! I had to stop and study all the plates, as the various details were hysterical. Then I noticed who sketched those plates, none other than the great Heath Robinson. Robinson was an illustrator who would come up with the most outlandish creations, and was extremely popular in Great Britain. Whereas we use "Rube Goldberg" as a descriptor for outlandish, if not ridiculous creations (or ideas), the Brits evoke the name of Heath Robinson. Outstanding pamphlet!

Fletch · Oct 3, 2007

Robinson seems to me to combine the dignified roly-poly figures of Gluyas Williams with the whimsically contrived situations of Dr. Seuss in his early magazine period with - yes, yes, of course - Rube Goldberg.

Priceless stuff. I can practically hear Everett Horton narrating as I read.

Curt Chiarelli · Oct 3, 2007

Utterly charming! Thanks for posting this Marc! :eusa_clap

Feraud · Oct 3, 2007

That is a very charming pamphlet.
Thanks for posting it Marc.

BegintheBeguine · Oct 3, 2007

You did it again, Marc Chevalier. That's delightful. Thanks.

Micawber · Oct 3, 2007

Ah yes, the great WHR :eusa_clap

dhermann1 · Oct 3, 2007

Charming, hilarious, highly edifying. Actually, when you think about it, very good PR. It evokes the gentlemanly "above the fray" attitude of the true aristocrat. This is also the era of P. G. Wodehouse's immortal upper cruster, Berty Wooster.
Note the use of the word "snarky" to describe nasty weather.

Benny Holiday · Oct 4, 2007

I'm still laughing at the Scotsmen going after the mist! lol

Tomasso · Oct 4, 2007

Thanks again, Marc!

Rodgers Peet & Company closed their last remaining store at 16 E. 42 St. in the mid 80's.

In its early years Rogers, Peet introduced several innovations into the men's wear business: they attached tags to garments giving fabric composition, they marked garments with price tags (the established practice was to haggle), they offered customers their money back if not satisfied, and they used illustrations of specific merchandise in their advertising. They also used cartoons in their advertisements, a rarity at the time. For some time during these early years Frank Chambers personally wrote the advertising copy. The actor John Barrymore, at that time a young artist, was hired to draw humorous cartoons for the advertising.

In the song "Marry the Man Today" from Guys and Dolls, Rogers Peet is mentioned as one of the finer things in life:

(Adelaide): Slowly introduce him to the better things; respectable, conservative, and clean
(Sarah): Readers Digest!
(Adelaide):Guy Lombardo!
(Sarah): Rogers Peet!
(Adelaide): Golf!
(Sarah): Galoshes!
(Adelaide): Ovaltine!

Marc Chevalier · Oct 4, 2007

And Rogers Peet was the clothier that gave a publishing duo the impetus to create Apparel Arts Quarterly. It was Rogers Peet that requested such a publication to keep in their stores and show to customers. For this reason, one of the first issues of Apparel Arts contained a long article about Rogers Peet.

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Undertow · Oct 4, 2007

lol lol :eusa_clap

Thanks for the excellent pamphlet!

Mid-fogey · Oct 4, 2007

So cool...

...thanks so much for sharing.

PADDY · Oct 4, 2007

That's really informative...thanks!!

I've really enjoyed this Marc, thanks! Any more things like this lurking in your home? just fascinating.:eusa_clap

carter · Oct 4, 2007

Marc Chevalier said:
And Rogers Peet was the clothier that gave a publishing duo the impetus to create Apparel Arts Quarterly. It was Rogers Peet that requested such a publication to keep in their stores and show to customers. For this reason, one of the first issues of Apparel Arts contained a long article about Rogers Peet.
.

Thanks for sharing this Marc. I really enjoyed the writing and the illustrations.

Does anyone know if a compendium of Apparel Arts Quarterly content has ever been published in either hardcover or softcover?

Baron Kurtz · Oct 4, 2007

No, Apparel Arts has never been reprinted in any systematic way. There was a two volume Italian set celebrating the magazine, and discussing its impact/importance etc, but that's all. This set included a number of pages culled from various editions of Apparel Arts. I believe ghos7a55assin owns these, or one of his relatives does.

I'm working on it. (just don't tell Condé Nast

)

bk

Matt Deckard · Dec 20, 2008

Insanely cool... I actually have some clothes from them.

imoldfashioned · Jan 8, 2009

Delightful!

I'm tempted to toodle over to Tremont and Bromfield to see if there's any evidence of their Boston outpost left.

COOLEST Menswear Pamphlet Ever Printed

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