Life, 1915-09-30 · page 39 of 45
Life — September 30, 1915 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Vogue magazine advertisement**, not political satire. The page promotes Vogue's Paris Fashion subscription service to American readers in 1915. **What's being sold:** Annual subscriptions to Vogue's fashion reporting, particularly their coverage of Paris couture collections—the season's authoritative source for what wealthy women should wear. **The pitch:** For $2 invested now, subscribers save $200 by avoiding expensive fashion mistakes (ill-chosen hats, unworn gowns). The ad emphasizes that consulting Vogue before purchasing clothes is economically rational. **Historical context:** This reflects pre-WWI consumer culture where Paris dictated American high fashion, and aspirational middle/upper-class women relied on illustrated magazines as their style authority. The detailed illustrations of coat collars, capes, and lace show how fashion details were communicated before television. **No satire present**—this is straightforward advertising using logic appeals and fashion authority to drive subscriptions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
cpr. Vogme The cape collar extends almost to the waistline, and the French soldier's hat extends almost to the sky-line. Like many models of the new season, this Jenny suit of velvet ana fitch is almost all coat. The collar is of supreme importance in the new mode; it is always high and very often it is deep, almost a cape, in fact, as shown in this Jenny model. Lace “is lavishly used, especially on skirts, ANG is now on sale throughout the United States A profusely illustrated number presenting the complete story of the Paris Openings, the successful creations of each couturier which taken collectively establish the Autumn and Winter mode. Vogue suggests that before you spend a penny on your new clothes, before you nm plan your wardrobe, you consult its great Autumn and Winter Fashion Numbers, During the very months when these numbers are appearing you will be spending hundreds of dollars for suits, gowns, hats, ete. $2 invested in Vogue Will save you $200 The gown you buy and never wear is the really expensive gown! Gloves, boots, hats, that miss being exactly what you want, are the ones that cost more than you can afford! Why take chances again this year when by simply sending in the coupon, and at your convenience paying $2—a tiny fraction of the loss on a single ill-chosen hat or gown—you can insure the correct- ness of your whole wardrobe? Vogue is a beautifully illustrated magazine; the acknowledged authority on what is worn by well-dressed American women. Here are your twelve numbers and one extra: 13 issues you will receive Autumn Millinery Number® Sept.15 Christmas Number Dec. 15 The best onchundred model hats Paris has produced for the Autumn of 1915, ‘The Paris Openings Oct. 1 ‘The complete story of the Paris Open. ings—the successful creations of each couturier which taken collectively establish the mode Autumn Patterns Oct. 15 Working plans for your entire Winter wardrobe—the newest models adapted to pattern form Nov. 15 Vanity Number Those \ceful little touches that make: ‘smart woman smart, where to hem and how to use them Dec. 1 Vogue's solution of the Christmas gilt problem. A new idea More gifts and practical ideas for holiday entertaining Lingerie Number Jan. 1 Fine linen for personal use and for the household Motor and Southern Jan. 15 ‘The new fashion? in motor cars and the new wi for the southern season Forecast of Spring Fashions Feb. 1 Earliest authentic news of Spring styles. Fully illustrated Spring Millinery Feb. 15 Hats, bonnets, and toques from the famous milliners of Paris Spring Patterns Mer.1 Working models for your Spring and immer wardrobe Paris Spring Openings Mar. 15 The Spring exhibitions of the leading couturiers of Paris CONDE NAST, + Publisher 443 Fourth Avenue NEW YORK CITY Not many flowers are used, yet there are a few make-believe ones, like the wreath speaks 0 well for the new vogue for metallic milhnery. *Special Offer Send in the coupon below with $2.00 and we willsend you with our compliments a_copy of the Autumn Millinery Number showin: the best one hundre model hats that Paris has produced for the Autumn of 1915—making thirteen numbers instead of twelve. Or, if more convenient, send coupon without money and your subscrip- tion will then start with the Paris Openings Number and continue throughout the next eleven numbers, twelve numbers in all. comicbooks.com