Welcome to my Vintage Blog

Uncover what men and boys wore in the roaring 1920s with these vintage advertisements from the 1924 St. Louis Fashion Pageant! From knickerbockers and tailored trousers to adjustable hats and unique accessories, these old magazine scans highlight the stylish trends and innovative designs that defined the fashion of the era. Explore 5 pages of historic ads showcasing brands like Harris-Polk Hat Co, Apple Hat Manufacturing Company, and Masterbilt trousers by H. Siegfried & Sons—a true glimpse into the past!

This beautifully illustrated 1924 advertisement features a fashionable flapper woman wearing a cloche hat, surrounded by an elegant Art Nouveau frame. Highlighting the popular Gaier Mirror Hats of St. Louis, Missouri, located on Washington Avenue—the hub of the city’s garment district in the roaring twenties—it showcases the sleek and functional design of cloche hats that defined 1920s flapper fashion. St. Louis played a key role in spreading fashion trends, as neighboring businesses like Lees Brothers Inc. competed to serve the modern woman of the Jazz Age. Dive into this historical snapshot of style and sophistication!

This is a very interesting article in the 1950s pinup magazine about the history of how politics and politicians shaped women’s fashions during the first half of the 20th century. The early feminist movement asked for many changes, among them suffrage, easy divorce, property laws, and equal education. This resulted in a fashion trends that were mannish, including the no-curves, flat chested, flapper girl of the 1920s. This article goes on to call Victoria Claflin Woodhull a “political freak” (who ran for presidency in 1872), and pacifist Jeanette Rankin whose only winning two terms in congress corresponded with declarations of war (1917 and 1941). The caption under Woodhull says that she ran on a free love ticket.

Burlesque has provided men with a variety of entertaining pinups. Notably, Ida Bayton’s white violin act in “The Taxi Girls” in 1914, and Lili St. Cyr’s bubble bath striptease that helped land her in 3D movies.

Where was modeling going in the 1950s, and what would future fashion trends hold? The main point of this article seemed to point out the sheer diversity of pinup models and beautiful women. An interesting picture was one of Rita Hayworth without makeup, and then made up. One of her movies, “An Affair in Trinidad”, was chosen by the National Photographers Association as “the sexiest and most provocative motion picture still ever made”.

Here’s a nostalgic look at 1930s song lyrics from the October 1935 edition of Popular Music Magazine. It features sentimental lyrics like “I’m Grateful to You,” playful tunes like “There’s No Substitute for You,” and others like “Congo Rhythm.” With only audio of “A Little Bit Later On” available today, this reminds us how fleeting history can be. The singer pictured is Maxine Gray, a stunning and talented voice of the 1930s.

These last pages of the 1924 St. Louis Fashion Pageant contain the list of participating St. Louis fashion houses and an index of advertisers, as well as general business to business ads and misc. fashion advertisements. What an interesting glimpse into the history of...

7 shoe advertisement scans from 1924. Business to business marketing for shoe manufacturers in St. Louis, and old advertisements for shoes!

Pinups thru out history have been used to sell everything from cosmetics to real estate. Sometimes, they had their origins in the scandalous worlds of peepshows and erotica. The scandalous Gilda Grey, famous for popularizing The Shimmy with her signature song The Shimmy Shewabble, helped sell a reducing cream in 1923. In 1925 she did the shimmy after a meeting to interest buyers in buying Coral Gables properties in Florida. The Shimmy, for which Gilda Grey was famous for, reportedly could be danced properly only with great difficulty and was considered primarily an exhibition dance. Similarly, the Cat Dance by Lilly Christine, had its origins in the realms of peepshows, but she crossed over into mainstream pinup model popularity and helped sell products.

These next few pages of old pictures are a history of chorus girls and showing skin on stage, from Can Can girls, to to Mae West, to the Zigfield Follies, and the Rockettes.

From Jane Russell’s legendary bustline in The Outlaw to the 1950s fixation on the derrière, this article traces how pinup art has cycled through busts, legs, backs, and bottoms. Discover the origins of cheesecake pinups, the role of humor, and how early television reshaped our ideas of feminine allure.

Discover vintage 1920s St. Louis fashion advertisements from the legendary 1924 Fashion Pageant featuring Schwarz & Wild and Ely & Walker. Explore rare fabrics like crepe de chine, foulards, and Poiret twills when St. Louis was America’s shoe capital and fashion manufacturing powerhouse. Download the complete 105-page digital program.

Explore the fascinating world of 1935 shoe fashions through scans from the Chicago Mail Order Company catalog! From practical kid leather women’s shoes and “super comfy” nurse oxfords to durable work boots for men and cheerful styles for girls, this catalog captures the balance of practicality and style during the Great Depression. Discover the timeless charm of vintage footwear designed to meet the needs of hardworking families while still delivering thrilling and optimistic styles. A true glimpse into 1930s fashion history!

Here begins the program of the 1924 St. Louis Fashion Pageant. It starts with the Overture, Scene 1., Woman Unadorned... "An unadorned feminine figure, alone in all its loveliness, stands on a revolving sphere, receiving the homage of the universe. Embassies from all...

Here’s an intriguing look into the history of how tobacco advertisements used glamorous pinup models and women to market cigarettes. From the rise of Turkish cigarettes in the early 1900s to the post-war pinup culture of the 1950s, cigarette brands cleverly broke societal taboos and redefined smoking as glamorous and sophisticated. Discover how Chesterfield, Marlboro, and Camel pioneered strategies that linked cigarettes with freedom, beauty, and modernity, capturing the cultural shifts of each era.

Step back into 1935 with the Chicago Mail Order Catalog’s vintage measuring guides. These tips for measuring hats, dresses, corsets, and more highlight how fashion sizing evolved during the era. Whether you’re a vintage enthusiast or curious about 1930s fashion, these guides remain relevant today!

Pictures of women in World War I and World War II. How early feminism and wars influenced women’s fashions.

How did the term “cheesecake” pinup originate? Origins of cheesecake, and the first pinup model and cheesecake photograph. An article about the history of American pinup.

This is really interesting- a 1924 business to business advertisement for shop decor and displays by St. Louis business, The Walter F Zemitzsch Co at 1617 Washington Ave..
The other advertisement is for Gibson Knitting Mills (at 1510-1512 Washington Ave) welcomes people visiting St. Louis for this fashion show, and features an illustration of a girl wearing a drop waist sweater, cloche hat, and holding a cane.