Today in the 21st Century, we have several options for shopping. Two options that might immediately come to mind are visiting stores to shop in person or ordering online from home. But one nearly forgotten option is the mail order catalog. With the availability of the internet, we might not receive these as frequently as in the past, but browsing the Trade Literature Collection reveals mail ordering has been around for quite some time.
Tag: Clothing
The beginning of a school year brings many new things. New classes, new supplies, and perhaps new clothing. What did school outfits look like over one hundred years ago? Let’s take a trip back in time to the year 1915 to find out.
With just one glance at the front cover of this trade catalog, it appears like Spring is on the way. A lady is surrounded by flowers. Purple ribbons accessorizing her outfit are gently blowing in the breeze. Let’s take a look at what consumers might have stumbled across in 1915 while perusing this mail order/department store catalog.
What better day to celebrate one of our favorite French fashion periodicals than January 15th – known in some corners of the internet as “National Hat Day”. In the pages of Gazette du Bon Ton, fantastic head adornments certainly abound:
What do you think of when you hear the words, Kentucky Derby? Hats, maybe? Because the Kentucky Derby is this weekend and since hats are associated with it, we decided to feature a trade catalog focusing on hats.
With warmer weather just around the corner, we decided to feature a trade catalog showing Spring and Summer clothing. John E. Kaughran & Co.’s Illustrated Catalogue, Spring and Summer, 1884 takes us back to the late nineteenth century to show us the latest in fashion for the 1884 seasons.
The weather is definitely getting colder, so this seemed like a perfect time to feature a trade catalog illustrating winter fashion from the late nineteenth century. John E. Kaughran & Co.’s Illustrated Catalogue, Fall and Winter, 1884-85 has several pages showing ladies’ cloaks, coats, and jackets.