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American mail order catalogs with boys clothes -- 1928 Lane Bryant younger children outfits
American Mail Order Catalogs with Boys Clothings: Lane Bryant Spring Summer Outfits (1928)
Figure 1.--Lane Bryant was an important chain store and catalog company in the 1920s. The line was much more limited than the major catalog companies with a focus on ladies and younger children. The more modern focus on stout ladies is a more recent product line. Here we have a range of garments the company offered for the 3-8 year age group for Spring-Summer wear. There is no heading. The seasonslity explains why socks are pictured rather than long stockings. The boys are pictured wearing a varity of short pants, knee pants, and knickers. There seem to be a lot of coats for a Spring-Summer catalog. Only some of the items are pictured on the illustration page. Click on the image to see the ad copy.
Lane Bryant was an important chain store and catalog company in the 1920s. The line was much more limited than the major catalog companies with a focus on ladies and younger children. The more modern focus on stout ladies is a more recent product line. Here we have a range of garments the company offered for the 3-8 year age group for Spring-Summer wear. There is no heading. The seasonslity explains why socks are pictured rather than long stockings. The boys are pictured wearing a varity of short pants, knee pants, and knickers. Only some of the items are pictured on the illustration page. There seem to be a lot of coats fora Spring-Summer catalog,
Lane Bryant tody is a chain store focusing on fashion for larger size women. The store began with a focus on maternity clothes. The founder was Lena Himmelstein Bryant Malsin (1879?-1951), a Jewish n immigrant from Lithuania--at the time a Tsarist Russian province. Lane Bryant is the accidental Americanized version of her name which was used for the chain of stores she founded. was an U.S. clothing designer and retailer who founded the maternity clothing chain Lane Bryant. She was born in Lithuania, but raised by her grandparents. She immigrated to America at age 16, the cheapest way possible--in steerage. It was planned that she marry a distant relative, but instead found a job in a swearshop like many immigrant girls at the time. She earned $1 a week at a sweat shop on Lispenard Street. She married a jeweler, David Bryant,about 1899. She worked with him in his modest Brooklyn store. Their first child Raphael was born soonafter (1900). Tragically her husband died 6 months after Raphael arrived. She was left with nothing. She was taken in by her sister Anna who had a small apartment on West 112th Street. Rather than return to the sweatshops, she decided to use her talents to make high-end garments. She began making negligees and tea gowns using delicate laces and fine silks to well-to-do customers. From that simple beginning grew one of the major American retail clothing chains. The company trned to catalogs in part because newspapers would not accept adds for maternity clothes. The catalogs offered women's clothing along with clothing for younger children.
Spring-Summer Catalog
The Lane-Bryant Studio for Spring-Summer 1928 seens a klittle unusdual. It is dominated by coats and even a sweater. This might seem understanble for Spring, but not for Summer. The short pants are not summer, but the standard dress for younger boys at the time. Of course, at the time more of the popultion was located in the notherm southern tier of states with shorter and cooler summers. The colors of the girls' outfits suggest Spring fashions.
Outfits
Lane Bryant offered quite a few outfits fir younger childre with only half deopicted on the illustration page. Click in the image to see the complete offering and add copy The ouufits are in the 3-08 year old range, basically ore-school to the first 3 years of primary school. A few items are for younger children, but most begin for children bout 3 years old. Each exact age rangee is specified for each garment.
9K 166 -- Hand Emnbroidered All-silk Pongee Coat
The ad copy reads, "Cool Summer Coat. All silk Pongee in the Natural Tan Shade suitable for little boys or girls . Hand enmbroidered in brown silk trims ci=ollar and skeeves. Coat is dounle breasted with pearl buttons. Belt in back. Satin lined; interlined. Sizes 1, 2, and 3 years. Our low price ..... $2.95. Postage 6¢ extra." Pongee is a soft thin woven cloth. At the time it was an important export from China to the United States. Pongee is still woven in silk by many mills across China.
9K 168 -- All-wool Tweed Coat
The ad copy read, "Little boys like the manly style of this smart double-breasted Coat of All-Wool Tweed, and it is very becoming. The notched collar, flap pocketsand button-trimmed sleeves show good tailoring. Lined with rayon. Breast pocket with handkerchief effect. Cane free. [We have no idea what that means.]
COLORS: Tan or gray mixtures. Sizes 1, 2, 3 and 4 years. Our price ..... $6.95. Postage 6¢ extra."
9K 169 -- All Wool Sport Coat
This garment is described as a sport coat. Today it would be called as an overcaot. A sport coat by mid-century was a kind of suit jacket that did not have matching pants. A more casual item than a formal suit. The ad copy read, "Boys' Sport Coat of soft All-Wool Polaire. Double breasted; raglan sleeves [a sleeve that extends in one piece fully to the collar], and notched collar. Breast-pocket has fancy handkrchief: two flap pockets. Lined with sateen. A good weight for spring and summer wear. Cane free. COLOR: Brown (as pictured). Sizes: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 years. Our price .... $5.98. Postage 6¢ extra." We are not sure what Polaire meant. As best we can tell it was a fleecy garment meant for warmth. Strange vto include with Spring and Summer clothung.
9K 436 -- All Silk Pongee Hat
The ad copy read, "All-silk Pongee Hat to match [9k 166], for boys or girls. Hand-embroidery trims crown. Elastic under chin. A bargain. Natural Tan, with brien enbroidery. SIZES: 19, 20, and 21 inches (around head) ..... 98¢. Postage 5¢ extra."
9K 488 -- Boys' Sailor Hat
The ad copy read, "Boys' Sailor Hat of All-Wool Tweedto match coat [9K 168] Sateen lined; grosgrain ribbon band and straemers. COLORS: Tan or gray. SIZES: 6 to 6 5/8 (hat sizes). Price .... $1.65. Postage 5¢ extra."
9K 489 -- All Wool Polaire Cap
The ad copy read, " All Wool Polaire Cap to match coat [9K 169]. Stiff viser brim. Sizes 6 1/8 to 6n 7/8. Pice .... 98¢. Postage 5¢ extra." We were not sure what Polaire meant. We thoughtn it might be the outlandish French singer whonwas visiting America at the time, but instead it seems to be a fleecy material. Looking at the illustratiion, it looks like the flat caps that were popoular at the time.
9K 899 -- All Wool Worsted Jersey/Pull-over Sweater
The ilusration looks lie 699, but as apparently 899. It shows a boy wearing the sweather, but the ad copy suggests it is appropriate for both boys and girls. The ad copy read, "The newest idea in a Sport Sweater for boys anf girls. Made of All-Wool Worsted Jersey in fine, close weae. Round crew neck, finished with striped ribbing. V-shaped trimmings in self and contrasting colors. COLORS: Copenhagen blue with buff, buff with brown, or white with red. SIZES: 2. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 years. $2.98. Postage 6¢ extra." By Jersey, the reference is to the wool, not British usage of sweater.
9K 2124 - Black Satin Three Piece Suit
The ad copy read, "'Dress-up' Suit. Dressy Three-piece. Coat and straight pants are of lustrous, Black Silk Satin. Separate vest and round collar are of White Corded Silk. Vest buttons all the way down, and pearl buttons trim the jacket closing. Breast pocket wih white satin handkerchief effect. Coat and pants are both lined. SIZES: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 years. Out price .... $8.95. Postage 7¢ extra." 'Corded' refers to a fabric in which the weft resembles a fine cord. Straight pants mean they are not knickers which were widely worn at the time. Knee pants were commonly referred to as 'straight leg' to contrast them with knickers. We were surprised to see that the Eton style collar was part of the vest, not a blouse. A reader notes, "It is interesting that the satin fancy short suit did not require a boy to wear a blouse (cheaper than buying a suit and blouse I suspect)."
9K 2125 - All Wool Tweed Four Piece Suit
The ad copy read, "Four-piece Suit: Just what every boy likes! A manish suit with a vest. This four-piece suit of All-Wool Tweed has coat, vest, sraight oants, and knickers. Wellp-tailored. Pants, vest and jacket are all lined. COLORS: Brown (as pictured), or gray. SIZES: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and years. $7.95. Postage 7¢ extra." Older boys might have suits with long pahts and knickers. Notice that the knickers are worn above the knee and shown with knee socks rather than long stockingd which were stull mcommon in the 1920s. Knickers began repacing knee poants about 1908, but we still see some younger boys wearing wearing knee pants (wuth the decorative buttons at the knee hem rather than short pants. (Notice the decorative buttons in the knee pants here.)
We also have a descriptions of the items shown on the cover. There are outfits that look to have a Kate Greenaway influence for both boys and girls. There is also a patterned boys' coat, something not very common. All of the outfits outfits have coordinated headwear. We do not yet have a copy of the cover, but the ad copy section has some images.
