Sears Hats 1938 Fall

[Undertow]

RLK, take a look at this scan. Sears 1921, same cotton/wool "fedora or Alpine" sewn hat being sold here, and inflation is also evidenced in the price ($2.50 vs. $.69!)

 

[Woodfluter]

Not wanting to add to the plethora of information or confuse the issue...
(and really appreciative of these great slices of American commerce you've posted)...

I suspect it's hard to tell from catalogs and indvertisments what was commonly worn.
These represent what the ad men who hired the artists figured the target audience would like to look like.
Think also about the present discrepancy between ads and what people actually wear.

Lately, I've been surprised whenever I've looked closely at historical photographs.
Where you can see folks wearing hats un-selfconciously.

 

[Undertow]

...I suspect it's hard to tell from catalogs and indvertisments what was commonly worn. These represent what the ad men who hired the artists figured the target audience would like to look like. Think also about the present discrepancy between ads and what people actually wear...

I've thought, and often think, about this very issue. When one pores over scans for hours, it's easy to lose perspective on how people actually dressed, or what they actually purchased, etc.

I have a feeling catalogs like this would have been relatively conservative. I don't think companies like Sears would have tried to push edgy clothes, or hats, or anything beyond what was already widely accepted. That would have been pushed by smaller hat shops importing styles from abroad.

Also keep in mind, Sears catalogs were quite literally a household item akin to toilet paper. Moreover, they were in nearly EVERY home. Consider that the population in the 1900's-1930's and early 1940's was still a good ratio of urban vs. rural. To sell a product, Sears had to be able to appeal to a very broad audience. And I'm focusing on Sears simply due to their leadership in the market.

In other words, I'm sure there were opportunities to sell some newer styles and different items, but I believe Sears would have been a fairly accurate pulse of the American Consumer - especially in regard to men's clothing, which had less variation to begin with.