INTRODUCTION: A Mystery
The meaning of spectator sport style as in ‘spectator pumps’ was a complete mystery to me in my youth. So I decided to do some indepth research recently to find out. As it turned out, the spectator pump was part of the spectator sport style that appeared in the fashion world starting in the 1920s. In fact, the trend has survived over the last century to a greater or lesser degree.
Curiosity Plants the Seed
As a result of long term curiosity, I decided to explore where this name came from and why fashions were branded ‘spectator’. Basically, all I knew from my youth in the mid 1950’s was the name ‘spectator pumps’. As a matter of fact, my mother had a pair of them. Because they were so popular most women did. Thus, I wanted to know where this popular but strange name came from.
DEFINITION FOUND
It turns out that the definition of spectator sport style that even exists in fashion today, can be summarized by the name of a particular fashion icon, Ralph Lauren. Granted, he was not the inventor of the style. None the less, he immortalized this classy fashion statement.
Iconic Brand
As a result. this fashion style has great popularity still. In addition, it has brought great fortune for the Ralph Lauren brand. To summarize this definition are simply these words ‘a fashion style for spectating sports’. And it comes in many clothing items and accessories.
HISTORY
The history of this style includes specific and classic for both men and women. Therefore, this next section from Spectator Sport Style addresses those qualities with description and appropriate photos (as much as possible).
SPECTATOR STYLE FASHIONS: Then
Part One: Men’s Winter Spectator Fashions
“Attending sporting events was a popular leisure time practice that was popularized in the 1920s. Fashion-conscious spectators dressed in attire appropriate for a variety of sports events. The weather often dictated the fashion.
Iconic Brand
As a result. this fashion style has great popularity still. In addition, it has brought great fortune for the Ralph Lauren brand. To summarize this definition are simply these words ‘a fashion style for spectating sports’. And it comes in many clothing items and accessories.
HISTORY
The history of this style includes specific and classic for both men and women. Therefore, this next section from Spectator Sport Style addresses those qualities with description and appropriate photos (as much as possible).
SPECTATOR STYLE FASHIONS: Then
Part One: Men’s Winter Spectator Fashions
“Attending sporting events was a popular leisure time practice that was popularized in the 1920s. Fashion-conscious spectators dressed in attire appropriate for a variety of sports events. The weather often dictated the fashion.
For instance, male and female college students who attended autumn and early winter football games wore bulky raccoon fur coats or heavy tan-colored camel hair and woolen polo coats belted at the waist or with a partial belt at the back.”
Part One: Women’s Winter spectator sport style
“Women’s sportswear was becoming more masculine. By the late 1920s college-aged women wore tailored woolen tweed suits with knee-length skirts and loose-fitting slacks to collegiate sports events.”
(I was unable to find an exact replica of the sort of outfit described above. But the Hermes tailored woolen tweed suit pictured above bears a close resemblance to it. Granted the shoes may be from a later date.)
Part Two: Warm Weather Events Spectator Fashions
“Warm weather events such as horse races often were held in stylish surroundings such as resorts. Wealthy male spectators wore navy blue woolen blazers with gold buttons.”
“In the late 1920s men and women began wearing black-and-white spectator sports style shoes. They were white wing-tipped leather shoes trimmed with black leather or patent leather at the toes and heels.”
“Women wore spectator pumps with matching spectator handbags, white leather rectangular pocketbooks with a clasp at the top and black leather or patent leather trim at the four corners.” (I was unable to find the exact vintage handbag. Instead I included this current, very handsome Diophy bag).
Part Three: Aviator Jackets Became Spectator Rage
“In 1927 Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974) became the first aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. He became an instant popular cultural hero to millions of Americans. By 1928 fans of Lindbergh bought mass-produced reproductions of his leather aviator jacket to wear at sports events”.
Part Four: Golf Participant and Spectator Outfits
“Golf matches also were fashionable places to see and be seen. Men watching the golf games wore clothes that mimicked the players’ outfits: three-piece sports suits that featured knickers (loose-fitting pants that ended just below the knees, usually fitted at the bottom by a button), a vest, and a jacket.”
“These often were made of light-woven woolens or tweeds. Knickers were worn with colorful argyle (diamond-shaped pattern) knee socks. Many of the accessories to golf attire, such as ties, caps, and socks, often were fashioned from Scottish clan plaids, because the game of golf was developed in Scotland.”
Part Five: Tennis Participants and Spectator Outfits For Men
“For tennis matches spectators wore variations of tennis players’ garb.
“The major difference was that tennis players wore white only. Men often wore soft, loose-fitting white woolen flannel trousers with a navy blazer.
Part Five: Tennis Participants and Spectator Outfits For Women
“Golf matches also were fashionable places to see and be seen. Men watching the golf games wore clothes that mimicked the players’ outfits: three-piece sports suits that featured knickers (loose-fitting pants that ended just below the knees, usually fitted at the bottom by a button), a vest, and a jacket.”
Part Five: Tennis Participants and Spectator Outfits For Men
“For tennis matches spectators wore variations of tennis players’ garb.
“The major difference was that tennis players wore white only. Men often wore soft, loose-fitting white woolen flannel trousers with a navy blazer.
Part Five: Tennis Participants and Spectator Outfits For Women
“Women wore knee-length pleated summer dresses in white or pastels, or loose trousers with pleats in the front.
During the late 1920s many women chose to wear berets, or soft, wide rounded woolen caps with narrow headbands, with their spectator style clothing”
SPECTATOR STYLE FASHIONS: Even Now
HATS: The Ultimate Spectator Sport Accessory The Kentucky Derby is home to one of the most spectacular spectator sport events today. It even has a signature spectator sport fashion, the Derby hat. It would seem that almost as many people enjoy the hats as do the horses.
If you would like to learn more, about this unique tradition, click this link. What sets the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks apart from other sports and entertainment events? It’s the hats!
Don’t miss this link for more about the A History of the Kentucky Derby’s Iconic Hats along with a sizeable source and resource section below.
SOURCES & RESEARCH
The Diophy Spectator Style Satchel Bag in Black and White
Diophy Handbags
Leo Women’s Giordano Spectator Dance Shoe
Spectator Sports Style
Ralph Lauren Spectator Sport Style
Encyclopedia.com-Spectator Sports Style
1920s Tennis Clothing: Outfits and Styles
Peacock, John. Men’s Fashion: The Complete Sourcebook. London, England: Thames and Hudson, 1996.
Peacock, John. 20th Century Fashion. London, England: Thames and Hudson, 1993.