Magazine of the Week

Hi, all!

This week’s magazine is one that only comes out a couple times a year.

esq blk bkThe editors have a clear vision of this semi-annual special issue of Esquire:

“Whatever stratum we travel in, we are a consuming class. We don’t defer; we see what previous generations of men would have called extravagance as our right. We’re able to purchase the things we want. The only variable is how well the things we choose, the things we allow to define us, will endure — how well they will carry their meaning through the years.” (Esquire’s BBB website, 11/30/15)

This title is published by our friends at Esquire which has been America’s longest running men’s “lifestyle” magazine.  While Apparel Arts/GQ began in 1931, it was more focused on the menswear retailing business until 1958.  Esquire was establish ed in 1933 in answer to the many retail customers taking Apparel Arts issues from shops.  When GQ was purchased by Conde Nast in 1980, the two titles went into direct competition with one another.  I wrote about this a month or two ago: Esquire’s 1000th issue!

http://www.esquire.com/style/mens-fashion/a27988/biggest-black-book-ever-032714/

esq hatsThis issue covers the standard sorts of things we associate with men’s luxury: cars, watches, tailoring and wools, warm accessories, sports gear (skiing, tobagganing, snowboarding and hockey gear here), and outdoor gear that can be worn with most of those things.  What’s interesting about the presentation here is that all of those things have been presented with guides about how the best quality are made.  Colors, cloth, and garments are broken down technically so they can be explained as occasion- specific, the same way tools would.

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The section “Maintenance” even includes technical information about how to clean and care for one’s luxurious purpose-built purchases.  This leads to lots of interesting tidbits of garment history, specific terminology, and even sun screen, among the usual ads for Ralph Lauren purple label and expensive watches.

 

 

 

This is only one of the library’s many menswear titles, which you can see here:

Periodicals by Subject: Menswear

Come up and take a look!