Life, 1919-07-10 · page 28 of 50
Life — July 10, 1919 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1920s *Life* page contains two satirical pieces mocking upper-class society. **"Late Summer Styles"** parodies pretentious menswear advertising. The sketches mock designers claiming that subtle details (lapel turns, buttonholes) signal wealth and social distinction. The satire targets the "Kwality Kut Klothes" pitch—suggesting that expensive tailoring is merely marketing snobbery designed to flatter the wealthy into believing their clothes convey superiority and diplomacy. **"Women Are Always the Same"** presents a wealthy young woman's diary boasting of constant luxury travel and male suitors (London, submarine boats, orchids from South Africa, wireless phones, phonographs). The joke's punchline—"life is so terribly monotonous all the time. It's just the same thing, day after day"—satirizes privileged ennui. Despite extraordinary modern conveniences and romantic attention, she finds life boring, mocking the shallowness and entitlement of the leisure class. Both pieces use exaggeration to critique 1920s materialism and the empty lives of the wealthy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘LIFE: Late Summer Styles (From a Recent Announcement of Messrs, Stein, Scarfhocker & Gotz, Architects of Artistic Apparel for Gents) in our business “ distinetion * tweeds f The turn of a lapel—the in That huttonhole may mean the ure of business plans. Assure. suc wearing our * Kwality Kut Klothes.” * hot polloi.”” * indefinable something of our evening clothes is never found in the crassly tailored atrocities worn by the gauche men of affairs” will find models that flavor of the so necessary to diplomatic Statesmen and Me U = "inthe mould _ To the chap who lingers “late o” morn ngs" in his chambers this chic lounge suit maroon toweling will prove a boon “ sans Women Are Always the Same (The 1920 Diary of a Young Lady) ONDAY—Flew across to London with Ed Pep this afternoon and had tea at the Savoy Hotel. Back in New York in time for the dance at the MeMoneys’, Tursoay—Talked over our wireless phone with Jim Cash, who is in South Africa, Asked him to come to New, York for my musicale on Friday evening. He said he'd come by the new transatlantic submarine boat line. Wensespay—Got a nice bunch of orchids from Henry Gilt by pigeon post from South America. Sending me flowers scems to be Henry’s main object in life. Tuvrsvay—Auto riding with John Mazuma in his new We broke the five-mil minute record mile speedwa: four-engined car on the new fifty y Fripay—Musicale a great success. Don Voice, in San i and it was reproduced es just as he sang it. Spent some time Francisco, sang one of his on my phonograph by ether wa Saturpay—Another deadly dull day. looking at wireless movies of new French gowns being displayed in a leading Paris shop. Oh, dear! life is so terribly monotonous all the time. It’s just the same thing, day after day. I wish something new and exciting would happen!