What Lorain's Best Dressed Men Are Wearing – March 1953

So it's late March 1953. Spring has just sprung, and Easter's coming up soon. The average Lorain man (or slob, as the case may be) is looking in his wardrobe closet and asking himself, "I wonder what the best dressed men will be wearing for Easter this year? Are hats de rigueur?"

Fortunately, Nat's Natty Shop (run by Nathan Rosenbaum) has all the answers. They're revealed in this full-page ad that ran in the Lorain Journal back on March 25, 1953.

"Our Man-About-Town Chooses His SUITS for Style – Comfort – Quality in tailoring and materials," notes the ad copy. "Two-button styles in single or double-breasted models to give you a natural, easy look... so important in this year's men's fashions.

"Spring suits in renewed worsteds [Blogger's note: Is there such a thing as besteds?], flannels, gabardine; subtle, subdued basket Glens; houndstooth checks; sharkskins; and others."

I gotta confess, I don't even know what most of these words mean. I did have a gabardine suit made at Ricci Tailors back in 1977 to wear during my senior year at Admiral King High School. It wasn't quite lime green, but it was close. 

Anyway, back to the ad.

For shoes, Nat's suggested one of Nettleton's best-known, popular models, the Algonquin. (Click here to visit the Nettleton's website and learn about the company's history.)

And hats were indeed in fashion, with the likely result that the average Lorain man would look right at home if he was Sergeant Joe Friday's sidekick. Nat's Natty Shop carried the famous Stetson line. (Stetson still sells a whole line of Fedoras on its website, along with the expected Western products.)