What Men REALLY Wore in the 1920s

Do shows like "Boardwalk Empire" and "Babylon Berlin" get their fashions right? Here's what men truly wore in the 1920s: gentl.mn/what-men-wore-1920s
#1920sfashion #1920smenswear #notsponsored
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GUIDES YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS:
→ 02.00 Boardwalk Empire Got It Wrong?: gentl.mn/menswear-review-boar...
→ True 1910s Menswear: gentl.mn/true-1910s-menswear
→ 4.18 Top 10 Stylish Gangster Movies: gentl.mn/stylish-gangster-mov...
→ 6.46 How To Wear A Vest: gentl.mn/men-waistcoats-odd-vest
→ 08.19 20th Century Fashion Fails: gentl.mn/worst-fashion-fails-...
→ 12.38 Does "Made In" Matter?: gentl.mn/do-countries-origin-...
→ 14.45 Flat Cap Guide: gentl.mn/flat-cap
VIDEO CREDITS:
→ Script: Aaron White
→ Camera: Chris Dummer
→ Editing: Jonathan Oster
→ Antique Menswear
→ Glam, Inc.
→ HBO
→ United Artists
→ Nass
→ BBC
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00:00 1920s Men Fashion & Style Introduction
The Roaring Twenties are remembered for technology, innovation, high fashion, and party time. Many people cite this decade as the start of the "Golden Age in Menswear." Some even argued that the suit, as you know it today started blossoming at that point in time. While The Great Gatsby style comes to mind, is 1920s fashion truly all flashy and glam?
01:38 Misconceptions about 1920s Clothes
Maybe you've watched a virally popular video from Glam about 100 years of men's fashion. While the production crew was excellent, the subject matter, the clothes were mostly inaccurate.
02:37 Real 1920s Menswear: Jackets
05:42 Waistcoats and Vests
06:48 Trousers
09:00 The "Jazz Suit"
09:36 Shirts & Collars
11:41 Footwear
13:15 Headwear
15:23 Facial Hair
16:20 Accessories
→ Canes
→ Pocket Square
→ Timepieces
→ Eyewear
→ Neckwear
19:48 Formal Clothing
→ Morning Wear
→ Evening Wear
Overall, the '20s were a lot of fun and if you like the style, I suggest you check out the series Babylon Berlin, which is a German series, and it's not all accurate but it has some cool styles as well. It also goes beyond the stuff you might have already seen.
21:13 Outfit Rundown

[@Amory-wd3ws]

To be fair, The Great Gatsby made it pretty clear that wearing a pink suit was out of the norm during that time.

[@hidaguhigaro7010]

I recently found some pink suiting fabric from 1916. Some men did indeed wear it.

[@WCS_GodF4th3r]

Who tf would wear a pink suit?!

[@wisamhebat3937]

@@WCS_GodF4th3r pink was colour for men originally meanwhile blue was for women.

[@gatsbymaguire]

@@WCS_GodF4th3r pink was a masculine color

[@mcfarofinha134]

@@WCS_GodF4th3r i would, dude, and I'd look gorgeous doing it

[@zydrate5098]

Hereby starting a petition to finance development of a fashion time machine.

[@ghoststpatrick9467]

We just need this style to come back in modern fashion

[@Deathbringer99699]

Not only fashion... I want to go back for real. Real men Decent Women Decent Cars No Covid No Tik Tok idiots Men doing hard laibor Men and women looking like ladies and gentlemen

[@notfunnnydude]

@@Deathbringer99699 bro, the road are literally covered in pig's and horse's poop

[@creepydoll2872]

Its called eBay and Etsy. Also there are tons of people out there making high quality reproductions of vintage styles for men and women. :) Its a whole world I didn't know about until I joined vintage communities online.

[@BriggsA]

Perhaps if enough people dress like this then we will make a change

[@boogerie]

The entire point of Gatsby's "pink striped suits" is that he's trying too hard to appear stylish and ends up looking ridiculous to Tom Buchanan who mocks him. "Babylon Berlin" is a personal favorite. It was my first exposure to Oxford bags. It took me a while to understand what I was seeing and like you said at first I thought he was wearing a long skirt

[@StuffChannel]

I really hope this will become a series!!! Would love one for the 30's-60's!! Well done!

[@gentlemansgazette]

Stay tuned! :) - Preston

[@carltrotter7622]

@@gentlemansgazette Can't wait for your 1930s one!

[@zang9147]

Please stop at the 60s. Trust me on this.

[@Ravenwood1936]

That I look forward to!

[@MoreUngaMoreBunga]

The 90s were probably the low point in fashion. In the 70s and 80s you still had people from the golden age of menswear dressing properly, but in the 90s/00s most of these people were gone, and it had been 30 years since proper fashion had died.

[@Aggnog]

These historical videos are my favorite.

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

Same here

[@andrewwiggins7322]

Dude just has a coughing fit in the middle of a take, love that you leave stuff like that in now, makes the video even more enjoyable

[@anselgirl4840]

I have a 1920 Sears catalog that I found when we moved into the house. It is really fascinating!

[@reikiorr8217]

Do one for classic english hunting attire and another for hacking attire (horseback riding). A video like that would be a good excuse to get a bespoke huntsman shooting suit lol

[@Official_MikeyT]

Next video: "What Men REALLY Wore in the Early 1990s" I fully expect to see all 3 of you in JNCO jeans.

[@creepydoll2872]

Hate to be no humor but mens fashion in the Early 1990s (classic style like this channel focuses on) was a bit of an even more oversized 1940s/50s inspired look. Lots of revivals of styles from that era.

[@mattrobson3603]

I don't think that there were a lot of adults wearing JNCOs - I grew up in the 90s, and I can't recall seeing them on anyone who wasn't in high school. Baggy stuff in general, though, was quite popular. I dug some old clothes out of the closet at my parents' house not long ago, and it's all huge on me. Partly that's a function of buying different sizes now (I bought large shirts back then, I typically wear mediums now - was I bad at style, or was I just engaging with the style of the time? Probably both). Partly that's because the relaxed fit was in - pants that had pleats at the waist in order to accommodate the extra fabric that billowed out around the thighs and calves. Levis even had the Silver Tab line that was for baggy jeans.

[@SPNKr16]

My father owned more dress slacks and chinos than jeans, but he was captured in photo and video wearing jeans on a day out or just spending time with family at home. When guests came over, jeans were never worn. That ideal/rule is similar to the pre-1950s "coat when outside". The 90s still had some strict rules. Of course, nowadays jeans are a bit dressy which is just anti-everything in my eyes.

[@michealdrake3421]

WWI helped to popularize wristwatches among men too. Prior to the war they existed, but were called bracelet watches and were a women's accessory. Men still write pocket watches. In the war though, the objective superiority of the wristwatch became obvious. It wouldn't get caught and snagged in close quarters, you could check the time while keeping both hands free, and you were less likely to drop or lose it. Oh, and about beards, when WWI started, the British army actually mandated that all officers have at least a mustache, and preferably a beard as well. Obviously they changed that

[@luisvalles4535]

We need a video on matching odd vests to outfits

[@mistergrandpasbakery9941]

My grandfather was a teen in the 1920s. Looking at old pictures I would see suits like this!

[@edward002gaming]

Some people may call it boring and plain, but we think its bizzare and downright amazing.

[@Asignuva]

This style of life is by no way my thing but, theres something calming about these videos and i gotta give alot of that to Sven. He has a very friendly demeanor along with being informative.

[@blakemcnamara9105]

Remember that the pink suit was described in the book as being quite the novelty yet still technically acceptable. So in that case, yes it would have been possible for a rather eccentric (and wealthy) fellow to have worn one at the time.

[@MM-gk1tm]

I'm amazed at how much the flat cap suits Sven. It looks very natural on him. Another great episode. God bless you guys. - Mike

[@konradvonschnitzeldorf6506]

With a classic outfit, the flatcap looks pretty good most of the time. It really is a hat that works for most people, just like the baseballcap. Similar shapes too.

[@OrrosGG]

@@konradvonschnitzeldorf6506 the Baseball cap is just the overrated cousin of the flat cap

[@jobmclaren4150]

Yet another excellent video. Raphael always does a fantastic job with these historically accurate videos that depict classical menswear. Looking forward to the review of the other decades as well!!!

[@RetroRos101]

I love waking up in the morning and sitting down for breakfast and coffee with a nice relaxing new video from Gentlemen’s gazette. Very therapeutic. Love you guys much love! ❤️

[@danielgalil5020]

Great video. Loving the fact that you're taking faux pas and making them into humor, like when Raphael coughs. I absolutely take it as a mark of character when a person can make fun of themselves.

[@creepydoll2872]

This was great! Nice quick introduction for 1920s mens fashion for a beginner. I already know a bit but I learned some things. I don't wear menswear but also appreciate how at the end you showed an example of a casual 1920s look that can be recreated with pieces from various eras or modern, I do that with my own clothing.

[@drip369]

Exciting upload. Here we go!

[@majuli8420]

I love the historical background and the quality content. Thank you very much!

[@robertdee648]

Most entertaining and enlightening video, and I loved your outfit--exceptionally classy.

[@sonnycorleone3251]

Love this channel! Great job talking about the clothes!

[@scratchEastCoastMafia]

Really a great video, loved it. Cheers

[@yugotime1598]

Oxford Bags are the precursor to Jnco Jeans in the 90s.

[@pankakotakismegalomavropou3355]

One of your most anticipated videos I'm sure... for me at least.

[@vadimblyat8106]

hey, Sven, just a little tip. the little "timestamp" as their called arent marked on the linked videos you have but are marked when you have the chapters on the video. marking them with a : instead of a . will make it a timestamp. if there was another purpose you had it like this, let me know! just trying to be a little help here.

[@Kennybooy9]

An excellent video. Bravo. 🥂

[@-RONNIE]

I knew most of the information in this video however I did learn a couple of things that I never heard about before. Thanks for the video keep up the great work🥃

[@etebol]

Looking good man!!! Thanks for making the vids.

[@ChasingMyLiberty]

These videos brought me back and I’m thrilled to see the company expand.

[@acornsucks2111]

Informative video.

[@amadejpesko]

Today's Sven's outfit was one of the best so far. PS: Great video as always

[@jec1ny]

Fantastic video. The twenties was a wonderful decade (as long as you didn't become injured or seriously ill). A few other fashion notes... Homburg style hats were very popular. It was the last decade where spats were still commonly worn by men. They started to fall out of fashion in the second half of the decade. There is a story that King George V signaled their decline by not wearing them with his morning suit one year at Royal Ascot. With the onset of the Depression in the 30s, spats were seen as ostentatious in a time of great economic hardship and they largely disappeared. For casual dress or athletic wear men wore short baggy trousers with long socks often called knickers in American English. The trousers were called plus fours or some other number indicative of the number of inches they fell below the knees. They were very popular in the country and also became the customary dress for golf.

[@jasonkelsey3441]

Older men's suit styles look more comfortable than modern styles. I love suits, but modern suits are uncomfortable. Could you comment on what features make a suite comfortable and durable?

[@richardwu3949]

Amazing video 👍👍

[@GUNNERSIGHTZEROED]

Very enjoyable. Relaxing and entertaining.

[@liljoe5]

Glad u back, Mr Schneider

[@ivanbro1208]

This is by far my favorite decade in terms of fashion.

[@ws7609]

Babylon Berlin is a great TV show! Danke for mentioning it.

[@davidpesekmuller3883]

Yes! I love this decade-by-decade series is on!! 👌

[@ZoomZoom-ng6sn]

I'm thinking of getting me a flatcap. The last few years, I've seen young guys wearing them in public and it doesn't look bad at all.

[@xcaluhbration]

Very informative.

[@captain_duee780]

I literally watched all the seasons of Babylon Berlin and I loved it. I was addicted to it since my favorite german actor (Volker Bruch) was the mc. And since I love vintage wear, I couldn't stop watching every episode as possible. Still waiting for more seasons. And Im glad I found this series. It will always be in my heart ❤️❤️❤️

[@jg8263]

My style period. I wear fedoras , porkpies, and homburgs daily (all vintage). I prefer 3 button, 3 piece suits, and own half belted jackets not dis-similar to a jazz suit. I wear tweed in the fall/winter. I odd vest routinely. The list goes on. Clearly I am a man out of time.

[@Superbatmanbro]

Same

[@krautandsalo]

Love the outfit, easily one of my most favourite so far :)

[@KathBorup]

I love your menswear fashion history series

[@LoubnaX4]

Here we go, so exciting to watch it first 🥇

[@keshavrao212]

Hey! I can see that you are an Arab, How do you wear these kind of dresses in hot Arab climate?

[@williambrennan4577]

It would seem that most fashion comes back I have Ties I purchased in 1960's and 70's and I'm seeing them again my pleated slacks, with and with out cuffs are making a come-back ( I hope ). Please don't stop doing what you do better than anyone else.

[@SPNKr16]

Been wearing pleated, 2" cuffed pants for over 4 years and never stopped loving it.

[@markscott554]

I watched all of Babylon Berlin, and I used to watch Jeeves & Wooster years ago. I like all the architecture, decor and styles from back then.

[@raymondcasson9792]

Looking forward to your critique on the Kings man movie set to release this fall!

[@carpenter155]

Great vid and awesome channel! It’s the 20s again might as well dress for the occasion

[@phylis3917]

Well done.

[@VietLe-ix3mw]

Honestly , Old but Gold !!

[@CEA9234]

Would be interesting to dress all dapper and proper like this but almost have to learn some stuff first and buy the clothes to achieve these gentlemen looks. Will have to soak this info in and get additional proper menswear lol.

[@Im.smashinnng.urmommm]

The golden years !! 💛

[@henrygrace138]

I've always loved the 20s

[@thewindowguy43]

Interesting topic

[@edgaraquino2324]

Hello, Raphael - a most enjoyable and instructive video...good job!....having noted in the illustrations (beautiful!) and photographs that people smoked; could you cover cigarettes, pipes and cigars? I believe there is an entire etiquette involved...this would include custom tobaccos and smoking materials such as matches, lighters, holders, pouches and cases...also "rolling your own" when tobacco was the only thing "rolled"... another suggestion might be the the evolution of the watch and the different ways gentlemen wore them, including the wristwatch...what do you think? Thanks!

[@theroyalequestrian5955]

This style is the style I personally try to go for, but I do like the 1910's to I might try to have a mix of both

[@rolandseper3982]

Mood tips make a look so mood style. I have really enjoyed this look and style. Great work on the video. Now I have to get ready to hit the club again both this video in style and then Delta Parole - Wasted Music Video that I had watched before this again since every night out I rock out to it first goes stunnin smooth, motivated me to be the man tonight. What are any of you other beautiful peoples hit the club songs?

[@sirreynolds1681]

Such a deep dive into mens fashion history. Love it all. Love the diversity of your team. Great fun. Keep up the good work.

[@madgoldfish4144]

14:46 The one-panel flat cap that you're talking about was called ivy cap, one of the many types of flat caps. It was indeed popular at the time (1910-1920s). The one thay they wear on Peaky Blinders was newsboy cap, types of flat cap that sewn with six to eight panels which isn't quite popular in 1920s, it's only popular in 1930s to the 1940s.

[@dommenezesii6817]

Please a video about the 20s hairstyle!

[@Ravenwood1936]

I look forward when they cover the 30s and 40s

[@nubserver]

why don't we dress like this anymore? what a decline of fashion we've had...

[@Edwardianandearlysmenswear]

Coolidge - my favorite president, you mentioned him on one of photos

[@EuSeiT]

Love your website! It helped with my research of 1920s menswear for my first novel, "Finding Cristina." It is helping again with the sequel!

[@ericosagie3046]

Do an in depth video on peaky blinders

[@francescos7361]

Great jacket

[@josephbuckley1574]

This was my own Dad's era (born 1901) as a young man. I still have photos of him from the time in his suits and fedora ...and carrying a briar root shillelagh! All 'Mainline' Philadelphia, PA before 'The New Deal'.

[@joshrodrigue7216]

Where did you get that jacket?!?!? It's awesome.

[@stephenlegg262]

What a difference. Things never change these days. Sports clothing seems to be worn for ever. Especially tracksuits.

[@keshavrao212]

@ 8:52 I love that edit!

[@refrixer1899]

Good video, I liked it, now i'm waiting the video on the 30's because they're my favourite age for suits because they had a nice fit with bold color pinstripe big fedoras what i don't like very much is the wide cut of the pants but that's a just a detail.

[@p.c8281]

Wow, I was just thinking on leaving a comment asking you to review The Great Gatsby’s fashion

[@knut8556]

You've got a lot of german fashion magazines in your collection 😀

[@darksight1000]

If this keeps going we are gonna get to the 70's. I just want to see how they review that.

[@zinamavromati348]

I shall be controversial and say I love the Oxford Bags 😂 Anyway, this entire channel is a gem!✨

[@Harrypotterxx2]

Hold up. Was that Preston shaving a full beard? I *need* to see him keep a beard. He looked so mature with it, even from that brief clip.

[@watcherwlc53]

yeah that clip was much too short!

[@OrrosGG]

He also looked badass xD

[@unnamedindividual8783]

Could you maybe make a video on highland dress?

[@leanderr.b3351]

I'm just interested: Where do you get the pictures from the magazines "Der Modediktator" and the "Herrenjournal"? They are such good drawings. 🙃

[@suhaimibull9629]

I love in the 1920s.. 😍😍😍😍

[@zzccvvbbnnmmaassddff]

gotta up the volume alittle.

[@JeanSuki]

Where did you get the great tennis sweater!

[@markmalbone1147]

Really good history, but I had to skip out half way through due to the drum tams. Maybe I’m sensitive, or maybe they are unnecessary? But as far as I got it was really enlightening.

[@mihalismaroulakis1589]

The golden era of men style

[@francescos7361]

Great

[@suel5297]

I really like this classic style but I don't know where to buy these kind of clothes other than the thrift store. Can you guys recommend any brands or stores where I can buy?

[@mylescarter4506]

please tell me where you got that awesome jumper

[@jesseblueman1517]

This one is from Charles Tyrwhitt but they dont offer them anymore. Ralph lauren has similar styles

[@Red_Noble118]

Aaaa big question where would anyone be able to get new made 1920s suits and more I would love to be able too but I don’t see any options

[@cayocamacho809]

now that we covered the 1910s & 20s. Can you make a video about?: what What Men REALLY Wore in the 1930s?

[@billace90]

How about the Midnight in Paris movie men’s wardrobe…. Was it accurate?

[@francescos7361]

Giacca cravatta e camicia molto elegante come il cappello.

[@umeshjamsandekar7752]

Wants to this era return to come back. All faction's restart to newly this era. I want to this time.

[@SzymonDudkowski]

What's the name of this dance in 0:37? And also where that clip comes from?

[@norbertkiedels3652]

'Mode Diktator' Das Blatt des eleganten Herrn. 2 Mark - Köstlich!

[@MrSloika]

You forgot to mention that after WWI there was a big switch from pocket watches to wristwatches for men. Prior to the Great War wristwatches were considered women's jewelry. WWI was the first major war where combined arms tactics required precision timing. Operating a fighter plane while fishing out a pocket watch was not very convenient, so military personal concocted various methods for strapping watches to their wrists. Those WWI era military watches are today known as 'trench watches'. Overnight wristwatches went from women's jewelry to very butch. While most young men switched to wristwatches starting in the 1920s, older men preferred pocket watches and pocket watches were also used with formal wear, so pocket watches sold in fairly large numbers into the 1950s.

[@cowboycody8094]

The trophy belt buckle in the western US. came into being in the 1920