Secondary Source Report on Richard Martin's Fashion in the Age of Advertising by Karla Destéfani
Martin, R. (1995). Fashion in the age of advertising. Journal of Popular Culture, 29(2), 235-54. https://195358490
Key Words:
Fashion, Advertisement, American, Appeal, secular, modern, illustration, photography, men, women
Brief Overview:
Martin, R. recounts fashion advertising within the first half of the 20th century. In doing so, he focusses on aspects which lead to clothing and modernity being closely intertwined in the relationship with individuals. He focusses on discussing advertisements through a respectful lens - one that is not filled with modern-day prejudices but acknowledges that he cannot fully understand what it was to live in the period.
Summary of Key Points:
- Clothing became easy to produce and thus easy to replace and get more.
- The manufacturers of clothing aren't advertising them for the benefit of the women, but to attract them to their products.
- Advertising presented a fear that if one did not keep up with modernity and all of the product necessary to maintain it, that they would no longer be acceptable in society.
- The notion that one should not only be a buyer for oneself but for others was presented (Kuppenheimer) p.239
- Complementary words ("smart", "Correct", "True") are to flatter the customer not describe the product. Fashion changing frequently and advertisements moved these attributes to the items which showcased more modernity.
- Complementary words ("smart", "Correct", "True") are to flatter the customer not describe the product. Fashion changing frequently and advertisements moved these attributes to the items which showcased more modernity.
- Illustrations were heavily used in advertising - in some cases, particularly within the elite class, they were used to denote the "aura" of the item with little else
- While photography was used for advertising (as seen in the Saturday Evening Post 1925), illustrators were hired for underwear.
- The view of modernity and secularisation were seen together in certain men's advertisements (p.244).
- A large discourse of women's undergarments apparel was coming into fruition during the 1900-20.
- Good available in different forms, some announced they were available in-stores however some were only available through "representatives who call at the home or office." (p.248).
- Swimsuit Modesty: Did advertising change or did culture change first?
- Prices of clothing were not all incredibly cheap during "The Great Depression" as one may assume, there were expensive items for purchase on the market.
- Not all fashion advertising is frivolous or flaccid. It speaks to our fascination with clothing and its compelling images.
- Modern fashion was shaped by this classic Age of Advertising.
Important Quotations:
"The relative intimacy of fashion and cosmetics, both cleaving to moral prohibitions as well as oppositionally to a strong sense of modern well-being and self-image, only made the consumer more responsive and more vulnerable to advertising's projection of product and desire." (p.235).
""the insatiable mill of advertising in the first quarter of the century was the transformation of handmade ... to ready-to-wear" (p.236)
"One can read the magazine ... as an index to manufacturing capabilities." (p.236).
"The editor believes ... we publish it for the benefit of American women. That is an illusion, ... [it] is to give you who manufacturer things that American women want and buy a chance to tell them about your products." (p.236-237).
"Menswear was the pioneering fashion area to be developed in American advertising because of its susceptibility to mass production and its virtues of relatively easy sizing" (p.244)
"The triad of advertising terms of economy, style and beauty prevail, allowing the reader to feel that any purchase from a "reliable merchant," as the copy reads would be a shrewd investment in both style and sound housekeeping" (p.247).
"We can easily recognise that a fixed quality in ready-to-wear fashion and fair business practices share the same time and ethical suasion of the period of 1900 to 1925 in what was indisputably the first age of advertising." (p. 252).
"We all need to look at these advertisements carefully before subjecting them to an acrid bias from our own time as Ewen does." (p.252-253)
"Fashion demonstrates that advertising is not inert but is a form actively engaged with the novelty and communicative potential of objects of fashion. But fashion is about objects; it is not as amorphous as style or image. We are [a] witness in these advertisements to the earnest effort to proclaim and purvey goods." (p.253)
Usefulness to Project:
The future project topic will surround fashion between 1920 and 1950. This piece assisted in developing a contextualised understanding of why advertisements were presented in certain forms, the influences of fashion. It cultivated an understanding of how to interpret different forms of imagery or text. Moreover, it pointed towards certain brands, advertising agents and magazines which functions as a start in seeking primary sources.
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