Sheiks
It’s All About the Hat
(For Men, Too)
Homburgs
While fedoras became increasingly popular during the Jazz Age, the Jazz Age Junkie thinks a homburg seems more authentically vintage. Why, you may ask? The fedora is more closely associated with film noir and the 1940s, so by all means, wear your fedora to Noir City and The French Had a Name for It (the two wonderful yearly film noir festivals in the Bay Area). But if you want to evoke an earlier time, it’s the homburg.
Boaters
The boater is a flat straw hat for summer wear. Did I mention they were extremely popular in the 1920s? Do not go to a picnic without one!
Flat Caps (Newsboy Caps)
Everyone wore them. Working men wore them every day, and upper class men wore them for sporting and leisure events. They were oversized and floppier than today’s caps.
Fedoras
Okay, wear your fedora with your Jazz Age suit if you must. But only if you don’t mind looking like a gangster.
Panama Hats
Okay, you could go to a picnic in a Panama, if you insist.
Bowlers and Derby Hats
The bowler was more popular at the beginning of the 1920s. It had a narrow brim and round crown. Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy wore bowlers. If you want to seem more British than American, wear a bowler. Some people make a distinction between the Bowler and the Derby, with the latter having a broader and flatter rim, but the distinction is slight.
Top Hats
It’s a funny name for a hat because aren’t all hats worn on top? They are sometimes called high hats, which makes a lot more sense. Regardless of what you call it, all the swells wore these with their tuxedos or dinner jackets. If you want to go full formal, you will need one, too.
Suits
During the Jazz Age, men on all rungs of the social ladder wore suits. And when I say suits, I mean the three-piece kind that included waistcoats. Men actually tried to dress well whenever they stepped out. (Imagine that!) Even men who wore work clothes during the week owned a suit or maybe even two – one for winter and one for summer.
At the beginning of the 1920s, suits had narrow shoulders and narrow lapels, but around 1925, suits began to take on the shape that would carry through to the 21st century–wide shoulders and wider lapels. They were both single breasted or double breasted, but single breasted was more common. Light colors prevailed in the summer, and by the end of the 1920s, suits were seen in a variety of colors. However, winter suits were mostly black, brown, gray and blue.
Tuxedos
Formal wear included tails and dinner jackets. Satin lapels were featured on both. Trousers had a satin strip on the outside of the legs.
The Jazz Age Junkie thinks there’s nothing sexier than a man in a tuxedo. Think William Powell in After the Thin Man or Herbert Marshall in Trouble in Paradise.
Or better yet, if you want to see elegance personified … Fred Astaire in Top Hat.
Jeepers, what a hoofer!
Waistcoats (Vests)
A waistcoat is the third piece in a three-piece suit. When worn under a suit jacket, it turns a fellow into a sheik.
Well, maybe not every fellow.
Neckwear, Collars and Scarves
A vintage collar can go a long way to make almost any suit look Jazz Age(ish). Likewise, your choice of neckwear will define your style (and place you wherever you want in the social strata).
Ties were short and wide, except for knit ties, which were longer and thin. Bow ties were smaller than the present day style.
Scarves were often worn with suits. White silk scarves were worn with tuxedos.
Suspenders
The most authentic looking suspenders are the ones that are buttoned to the waistband of your pants. Kinda folksy, but might be good for a picnic.
Spencer Tracy and Frederic March both wore them in Inherit the Wind. We only saw them because it was July in Tennessee and too hot for a suit jacket in a courtroom without air conditioning.*.
* Air conditioning was not widely in use until the 1960s.
Knickers/Plus Fours
Knickers or Knickerbockers were short pants worn for sporting activities. A little weird but very fashionable during the 1920s, plus fours were breeches that were four inches longer than knickers. Mostly British, they were worn for outdoor activities and sports.
Hosiery
Socks for men were called hosiery. You’ll need some flashy ones to wear with your knickers or plus fours if you aren’t wearing lace-up boots.
Shoes
Brogues, Oxfords, and spectators (two-toned Oxfords) were popular. White Oxfords were worn in the summer with white trousers. Black patent Oxfords are needed to go with your tails or dinner jacket tuxedos. Spats can be worn over most any shoe and will make you look like a swell.
Pocket Watches & Chains
You’ll want to bring that watch out of your vest pocket to check the time as often as possible. If you want to put on the Ritz, this will help get you there. Believe it or not, pocket watches are still being made.
Walking Sticks
Not just for those who needed a cane, they were an elegant accessory. All wood for daytime, rare wood with silver or gold handles for formal wear.
Ukuleles
Someone needs to bring one to the picnic. Extra points if you can play it. Even more points if you know the words to “Honolulu Baby.”
Glasses
Round glasses were popular for everyday fellows like Harold Lloyd, but captains of industry and other snooty types might wear a monocle or prince nez.
