Um Homem na Cidade is a showcase of 1950s menswear that evokes this particular epoch and its aesthetics which could be best described as a combination of mid-twentieth century Americana, rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly, and at times western fashion of this era. Created by Andrew Nunes with a penchant for the 1950s – its iconic designs, details and style, he channels this era with 1950s reproduction clothing, original vintage, and contemporary menswear that evokes this era. Featured then, is menswear that would have existed in the 1950s, or clothing of an almost identical form. Clothing from independent reproduction brands remaking 1950s fashion today using vintage designs with contemporary materials, or repurposing vintage deadstock. To original, now defunct, brands from the 1950s, and items acquired from today’s high street and designer fashion brands (some of which have been operating since the mid-twentieth century). All clothing from these brands featured represent material culture, the significant meanings and attitudes of the 1950s that is both clandestine and subtle, but also clear and plain to interpret with various items of clothing that summon up the imagery and spirit of the American 1950s. In all, Um Homem na Cidade aims to achieve a digital record and archive of a contemporary interpretation of the 1950s, with all the difficulties of being truly authentic to the era due to the shortage and expense of good quality 1950s menswear available. That, despite these difficulties, this project still endeavours to display the best work and vintage 1950s style at the time published for a collective prosperity. 1950s style documented and archived, a preservation and celebration of the material culture of this past serving as a resource for vintage enthusiasts, costume designers, fashion students or anyone interested in menswear circa 1950s.
Sources
Research is conducted by utilising 1950s clothing catalogues, relevant menswear fashion books, films, television shows, and public broadcasts from the 1950s, including documentaries on topics concerning this era. Listed below, excluding film and televised material, is a non-exhaustive list of some example literature:
Leverton, A., Denim Dudes: Street Style, Vintage, Workwear, Obsession (London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd., 2015).
Shih, J., Fashionable Clothing from the Sears Catalogs: Late 1950s (Atglen PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1997).
Sims, J., Icons of Men’s Style (London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd., 2016).
Skinner, T., Fashionable Clothing from the Sears Catalogs: Mid 1950s (Atglen PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2002).
Smith, D., Fashionable Clothing from the Sears Catalogs: Early 1950s (Atglen PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1998).
Stock, D. and J. Hyams, Dennis Stock: James Dean (London: Thames & Hudson Ltd., 2015).
Tanaka, R., Lewis Leathers: Wings, Wheels and Rock ‘n’ Roll: Vol.1 (Tokyo: Ten Print-Directors & Associates, 2017).
Tanaka, R., My Freedamn! 5. Featuring Rock ‘n’ Roll Fashions: Part 1 (Tokyo: Ten Print-Directors & Associates, 2006).
Tanaka, R., My Freedamn! 6. Featuring Rock ‘n’ Roll Fashions: Part 2 (Tokyo: Ten Print-Directors & Associates, 2007).
About Andrew
Andrew Nunes is the creative director and model, among many other things, at Um Homem na Cidade. Interested in the aesthetics of the 1950s, its material culture and images, this web-project addresses such interests through showcasing 1950s menswear and clothing evocative of this era. Day-to-day, however, Andrew is not solely influenced by the 1950s style, but also enjoys many contemporary and recent past influences. Outside of this project, Andrew is a scholar (holding the degrees BA, MRes and PhD all in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies) who has written on 1950s music and fashion revivalism in Portugal in the book Luso-Retro: Past and Present Portuguese Representations of Mid-Twentieth Century Rock ‘n’ Roll and Americana Subculture (2019).
Information and Disclaimer
> For the best viewing experience of this site, it is recommended using a desktop computer or laptop. Mobile phones and tablet devices provide a lesser than desired experience due to a reduced size, layout and format.
> This project does not currently generate any income and operates independently solely due to a penchant for 1950s menswear and its respective culture. This website is not tied or restrained by brands nor advertisers, so it is free to focus on quality rather than quantity. Therefore, this website will not be updated often due to a concentration and research on future content, and Andrew’s other commitments.
> Privacy is respected. Personal email address’ used when commenting on the website are never displayed, exploited or stored for the purpose of malicious activity.
> Advertisements and abusive comments will not be tolerated, and will not be approved to appear on the website during the comment moderation process. Furthermore, multiple and repetitive comments from the same email address on a post will not be accepted to appear on the website, and the commenter’s best response will be selected, with the other one being deleted.
> The owner of this site is not responsible for any harmful external links that appear in comments posted by visitors to the site after these have been moderated as safe. The reason being, over time any links featured may become corrupted due to neglect on their side. Therefore, visitors to this site must take care and caution when following links featured by commenters that take them to other websites (most commonly, a commenter’s personal fashion blog) as they may have been compromised and no longer operating as originally intended.
> Music featured on this site is credited to Eddie Cochran and Liberty Records. C’mon Everybody, 1958. [Sound Recording] Performed by Eddie Cochran. Hollywood: Liberty Records.
> This website exhibits 1950s visual culture and its aesthetics only therefore, its owner Andrew Nunes, does not support any dominate mindsets or societal issues that occurred during the era, that of sexism, racism or the conformism that people had to adhere to be “normal” or the ideal citizen, and in no way advocates these features of the 1950s.
> The depiction of the use of cigarettes and smoking featured on this website are used for aesthetic purposes only, to adhere to the era of the 1950s when the harms of smoking were not fully understood and smoking was very commonplace. Therefore, such depictions are not endorsements of the use of cigarettes or the tobacco industry but are used to achieve a visual commonality with the 1950s.
> This website hopes to be a source of inspiration and reference, and can be used as such as long as this website is referred back to and never sourced for commercial purposes without approval. This however, does not permit plagiarism or credit for any work contained on this website. All content featured on this website is the property and ownership of Andrew Nunes. All rights are reserved.