Life — May 17, 1923 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "You and Your 'Upper'" by James Montgomery Flagg This six-panel comic satirizes the frustrations of maintaining a formal appearance. The protagonist, a man in a bowler hat, struggles with his detachable collar—a common men's fashion element of the early 20th century. Panel 1 references "1893" when he last wore an upper collar. Panels 3-4 show him stuck in mud, wishing for help undressing. Panel 5 humorously notes his shaving brush is "entirely wasted" on the filthy situation. Panel 6 concludes with him claiming to have mastered the art of dressing properly. The satire targets the impracticality and pretension of formal Victorian/Edwardian menswear—specifically the detachable "upper" (dress shirt front)—when confronted with real-world messiness and inconvenience.