General Advice for Men. (1)  As previously noted, authentic swing-era vintage clothing in good condition, especially in the larger sizes, can be hard to find.  But don’t let that stop you – the hunt is part of the fun!

I have some really nice 1920’s/30’s/40’s/early 1950’s vintage clothing items:  ties, shoes, suits, jackets, pants, overcoats, belt buckles, etc…  At most swing dance events I wear vintage clothing, primarily the 1930’s or 40’s vintage look.  My wife Mary also likes to wear vintage clothing, and we often get compliments on our clothing choices.

(2)  A note of caution.  Always consider the rarity and condition of your vintage clothes and how much wear and tear those vintage clothes will endure if you wear them swing dancing.  For example, if you are going to a summer street dance or some other type of outdoor summer dance (where you will sweat a lot!), you probably shouldn’t wear your good vintage clothes.  Stick with the vintage reproduction type clothes for those events.  And of course, you wouldn’t want to wear your hard-to-find vintage shoes on concrete or some other similar dance floor surface.

o Jackets.  For jackets I prefer a vintage jacket or sport coat: a solid color, houndstooth, herringbone or checked type pattern, with a wide, swing-era style lapel.  Generally, you want the width of your tie to be in somewhat the same proportion as your jacket lapel.

o Suits.  For suits, I prefer a 1930’s or 40’s vintage suit, either a doubled breasted or single breasted suit, with the peak and wide lapel, a very classy look!  Suits can be hard to fine, especially in the larger sizes.  And note you’ll need the services of a good tailor to fit almost any suit you buy second hand.

Pinstripe suits (generally grey/dark blue/brown) were worn a lot in the swing-era, but those type swing-era vintage suits can be hard to find (especially in the bigger sizes, as previously noted).

If you do wear a reproduction “swing-era style” suit or other clothing, stick with the traditional colors, and not any “over the top” colors/color combinations.  Keep in mind your goal should be to dress and look vintage, and not “cartoonish”.

And for summer events, I like the lighter color vintage look.  And summer is the time to break out your two-tone spectator shoes.

o Pants.  I most often wear vintage pants from the 1930’s, 40’s/early 50’s; once again, they can be hard to find in the larger sizes.  Keep in mind that pants in the swing-era had a much fuller and generous cut than pants worn today.

I usually go for a dress pant in a contrasting, but complimentary color to the jacket I wear.  Note the pants should be cuffed, and not straight.  If you get pants cuffed, ask for a 1.5-2.0″ cuff, the increased weight will help keep the pant leg straighter.

Remember to stick to the basic, classic colors – the goal is to look vintage/classy/stylish, and not “cartoonish”.

Be careful of heavy wool pants.  I find that a lot of the heavy wool blend pants retain a lot of heat and sweat when dancing, although they do hold their shape.  If these heavy wool blend pants get really wet, they get even more heavy.  Go for the wool pants with a light feel.

Khaki or other casual type pants would seem to be a good choice for swing dancing but they really aren’t, and they generally don’t look 1930’s/40’s vintage.  I find these type pants soak up sweat and rapidly lose their shape.  And sweat pants, “gym” pants, cargo type pants or pajama type pants are really not appropriate for a social dance event.

Some pants made from cotton/polyester blends are nice for outdoor swing dance events.  Ensure the fabric has a “light” feel to it and that it will hold its shape.

I like to wear vintage swing-era 1930’s, 1940’s/early 1950’s ties.  Many of the mid 1940’s to early 50’s ties have a “bold”, “geometric” or “art deco” type pattern and a bright color.  There were a multitude of different colors used for swing-era ties.  Ties from the swing-era were generally about 44-52″ in length, shorter than ties worn today and did not cover the belt buckle area (which is opposite of the general rule for today).  Ties with a “geometric” or “art deco” type pattern were generally more prevelant in the mid 1940’s (generally post WW II) to about the early 50’s.  Striped ties were more common in the 1930’s to about the end of WW II.

Shirts.  For a dress shirt, I often wear a muted solid, or small patterned or pinstriped dress shirt, always with long sleeves, sometimes with French cuffs, with a point or straight collar; sometimes I’ll wear a dress shirt with a button down or tab collar.  I’m not a fan of spread collars for dress shirts (makes your neck look big).  The 1930’s/40’s spear point collar shirt of the swing era is hard to find, but there are reproductions available on-line.

Beware of dress shirts with a lot of color or a busy pattern(s), they can be difficult to “match up” and may “over power” your ensemble.  A dress shirt with French cuffs gives a nice, classy look, although even new those shirts are a bit hard to find and normally cost more.  And of course you’ll need cuff links for a French cuff shirt.

For French cuff shirts, go with vintage and classic looking cuff links (see info below).  A tip from my wife:  when dancing, wear cuff links with a rounded edge and not a square edge; the square edge type cuff link may scratch your dance partner.

Cuff links.  Vintage cuff links are relatively affordable and are somewhat easy to find, either at vintage stores or on-line.  I prefer the art deco, enameled, double faced cuff links from the 1920’s and 30’s; avoid cuff links newer than the early 1950’s.

Shoes.  My first preference is to wear vintage swing-era shoes from the 30’s/40’s/50’s.  Men’s shoe styles didn’t change that much from about the late 1920’s to about the mid-to-late 1950’s.  Along with the tie, vintage shoes can really give your outfit that vintage look.  Two tone spectators (black and white, brown and white) are classic swing-era, along with spectators with a ventilated and/or mesh look.

If  you buy vintage shoes on-line, make sure you check the measurements, and examine the pictures closely for condition.  As with clothing, if you wear reproduction “swing-era style” shoes, stick to the basic, classic colors (brown/white, black/white) – as previously noted the goal is to look vintage/classy/stylish, and not “cartoonish”.

Hats.  A classic style 1930s/40s hat gives one a nice vintage look.  Depending on the season and what clothing I’m wearing I like a nice Fedora, Homburg or Panama hat; and for a 1920’s Charleston look, try a Boater hat.  As with clothes, vintage hats from the swing-era can be expensive and hard to find.  Get up to speed on hat etiquette:  in general, don’t wear a hat indoors!

Accessories.  While you don’t want to go overboard, accessories can really add that something extra to your style.  A pocket square and/or a boutonniere adds a nice touch.  I sometimes wear a tie bar, but I hardly ever wear a tie clip (that can get in the way when dancing).  And I don’t like tie pins, why stick a hole in your good vintage tie?!

Suspenders.  Swing-era suspenders are another item that may be found on-line and in some vintage stores.  In general, 1930’s/40’s suspenders were a bit on the narrow side compared to the “modern” suspenders you find today.  Even though no one will see your suspenders (unless you take off your jacket), stick to the basic classic colors and patterns.  Two definite no-nos if you wear suspenders:  (1) never wear clip on suspenders, and (2) never wear a belt and suspenders at the same time.

A few reference works:

o Everyday Fashions of the Thirties, As Pictured in Sears Catalogs, ed. JoAnne Olian.
o Everyday Fashions of the Forties, As Pictured in Sears Catalogs, ed. JoAnne Olian.
o Everyday Fashions of the Fifties, As Pictured in Sears Catalogs, ed. JoAnne Olian.
o Montgomery Ward Fashions of the Twenties, ed. JoAnne Olian.

o Fit to Be Tied:  Vintage Ties of the Forties and Early Fifties, Dyer, Rod, & Spark, Ron.
o 20th Century Neckties, Pre-1955, Roseann Ettinger.

o A Dandy Guide to Dating Vintage Menswear, WWI through the 1960s, Sue Nightingale.
o American Menswear, from the Civil War to the Twenty-First Century, Daniel Delis Hill.

o Cuff Links, Jonas, Susan and Nissenson, Marilyn.

Esquire Magazine.  Esquire Magazine from the 1930’s and 40’s is a great source of inspiration and information for men that are vintage clothing enthusiasts.  A couple of good reads reference Esquire Magazine:

o Men In Style:  The Golden Age of Fashion From Esquire [Magazine], Woody Hochswender.
o Esquire’s Encyclopedia of 20th Century Men’s Fashions, O.E. Schoeffler.

Web sites:

o Gentleman’s Gazette.  A very good web site with lots of useful for information and advice for classic men’s clothing and styling.  Our society in general is casual about so many things, and men in particular often lack even the most basic understanding of clothing and styling.  This web site (and a few others out there….), my experiences in the military, and most importantly sage and learned advice from my wife Mary have helped me gain a better understanding, and appreciation, of this subject (although my wife Mary is in no way responsible for any of my fashion mistakes!).

o Vintage Menswear.  A great Facebook group:  info, pictures and posts about the clothing of the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s.