Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Van Heusen Shirts (1947-1952)


Good morning!

I'm here to sing the weird praises of this mid-century Van Heusen shirts. After seeing this strange, illustrated spokesperson, who looks like the son of Rod Taylor and Elizabeth Taylor, how could I not? His violet eyes are piercing your soooooul:

It's funny, but as much women's wear and associated products advertising as you see in forties' and fifties' Life magazine, from cold creams to stockings to hats, there's a relative lack of men's wear representation in the back pages. And what there is, is WEIRD. Check out these spreads for Van Heusen. I immediately associate the brand with terrible nineties' sport shirts, the semi-pseudo-retro kind you'd see someone trying to emulate Swingers in, at Goodwill. Because, well, that's been my main exposure to that label. Turns out, Van Heusen has been making every kind of men's wear since 1881, having invented the "soft fold" collar in 1921 and thus effectively replacing all the stiff, startched collars that came before. I maligned them for no reason! They can't help if they had to stay up to date with horrible trends circa 1996!

In spite of their historical contributions to the shape and state of starch in American collars in the early twentieth century, I have to tell you, by 1947, they'd just gotten strange. Check out this two page spread for "aquatone" shirts coming out that fall:



Those girls are as distracting as they are strange! The point of the ad was to tout the "washability" of these new shirts, to which, coming from a household in which my mother would literally not allow me to buy clothes that were dry clean only, I can understand the appeal. The way the women's bodies are not quite as in focus, even for being in translucent water, and yet their pin-up faces have crystal clarity...what is going on here? Also, why are those shirts like four time the size of an average woman when folded? Inquiring minds want to know!

The next one features a dopey 1890's photographer in Parisian art smock and beret, beseeching us to be quiet, like the soft speaking colors of these new Van Heusen shirts. Do you see what I mean about the tone supposedly being whimsical, and missing the mark by a country mile?


I kind of like this one, but again, it's bizarre. The girl's frou frou, alpine-inspired ribboned dress and whatever is going on in her hair is actually something I would wear in a heartbeat, but it still doesn't make good sense we're kissing across a clothesline because of his striped shirt. I am not sold, Van Heusen! I am not sold. Now, if you were selling the ensemble on the left, I could totally get behind that...but we've established that you are not. And that I am sadder for that fact:


 Yes, I get the Sadie Hawkins-type vibe in this one, but you're going to have a hard time convincing me that a Comfort Contour collar is enough to drop three beautifully dressed women to their stockinged knees for love of you. You old priss!

This 1952 ad had a whole group of guys, smug of head, wearing of Van Heusen. I kind of have a secret crush on the young Joseph Cotten lookalike in the upper right hand corner, and the Professor Jones third from the left in the second row. That yellow collar is a hoot (top row, center) and the guy in the dark shirt and light tie looks like either a Macaroni Grill manager or a wannabe gangster (maybe both?).


But ah! You lost me at sleepwear. WHY IS THAT MAN DRESSED IN A MANDARIN COLLAR? I really can't see any reason for any man outside of China wearing this style of dress. It looks cute on a girl! It does not look cute on this guy. I think the model in the tuxedo pajama is casting aspersions upon the man at right with his right eyebrow. You judge for yourself, though.


VH wins back major points for the names of these colors though. I like "Rhumba Red" and "Low-down Blue" so much it almost makes up for the Chinese collar. ALMOST.

 
As for one I didn't even include, what is with the weirdly racist text of this ad? There was one about a chieftan, and I was like, ah, well, you know, cowboys and Indians, whatever. Look at the angry African tribesman in the middle of that ad! Maybe I'm being overly sensitive, but the bone in his hair is a little much.

Do you agree with me? Are these Van Heusen ads' forced jollity a little much for the 21st century reader, or do you think they were always kind of lame, in spite of the broad appeal of their actual product (which looks cool!)? Which one of these shirts would you wear yourself or buy for the goodlooking gent in your life? Seen any weird vintage ads yourself lately? Do tell!

That's all for today; I'll see you guys back here tomorrow!

9 comments:

  1. I love the idea/randomness as women doing syncronized swim moves surrounded by men's dress shirts. I am picturing a mad men pitch session where that was being brainstormed.

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    1. Wasn't that crazy? I had to look at it two or three times to even figure out what was going on. And do you see the proportion of the shirts to the size of the women? Don Draper must have called in sick with a hangover the day that pitch got approved.

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  2. These ads are both gorgeous (from an artistic standpoint) and hilarious at the same time, almost as hilarious as you commentary. My favorites are the women in the water (why ARE the shirts so big?) and the Comfort Contour collar. Those girls are apparently seeing something I'm not! I wonder how the late 40s crowd received these ads.

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    1. They lo-o-o-o-ove a man in a Comfort Contour Collar! We should get both out Matt's some and see if we're missing something, haha.

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  3. My husband has a few Van Heusen button downs and they're pretty sharp. I like the name "Low-down blue". It makes me feel like I'd be slumming if I dated the guy who wore it. Hahaha!

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    1. I never realized they were around for so long...1881! Isn't that crazy? "Low-down Blue" is hilarious, also. Wouldn't you love to be in on the naming of shirts when you have that wide a berth for your creativity?

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  4. I can't get over the swimming ad- what is going on there?!? I used to love Van Heusen's button down shirts for work but alas, quality has gone downhill. I do remember a few years back they had a lovely vintage inspired dress that I sadly left behind.

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    1. Re: the swimming ad: it's nuts! Too bad about the vintage inspired dress that got away. I saw a woman on Antiques Roadshow the other day in a fifties'-inspired green and white sundress that I had JUST given to Goodwill, and had a pang of regret as I saw how cute she looked in it. We can't win 'em all!

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  5. I happen to adore these kinds of ads. The more sexist, racist, and cheesy the better. And if the subject matter is not remotely related to the product being sold, I'm sold! There's something charming about them! Maybe it's the question of, "Were advertisers really this dumb back then? Or were the public really that dumb back them? Or were they both really intelligent and witty and maybe we're just too dumb to get their dumb jokes?" Whatever it is, I love the little bit of "What the..." that they always add to my day! And that swimming pool ad definitely made me say, "What the..."!!

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