File

This file documents the activities and advertising practices of various manufacturers and merchants working in the Canadian clothing industry—particularly in Montreal and Toronto.

It notably contains an extensive catalogue of men's apparel published by custom clothing maker International Tailoring Co. Featuring over fifty models of overcoats, jackets, trousers and vests for the 1926-1927 fall and winter season, this catalogue includes illustrations and fabric samples. The company offers styles to suit every occasion, from formal to casual, as well as classic cuts and those "designed especially for young men desirous of following the latest dictates of fashion in the extreme." The reference to "jazz models" reveals the demand for this type of fitted jacket popular during the 1920s. The catalogue also contains illustrations of the company's buildings in Montreal, New York and Chicago.

Two monthly brochures from pattern companies, one published by McCall and the other by Butterick, chronicle women's fashion trends of the late 1930s. These publications feature illustrated models of coats, dresses, skirts, jackets, blouses, lounge wear, graduation dresses, children's clothes, doll's clothes and ideas for gifts and crafts. The copy of McCall Style News was offered "Compliments of The Robert Simpson Montreal Limited."

Published during the war, the 1942-1943 fall and winter catalogue from Toronto-based Yonge Street Clothing appeals to its clients' patriotism. Describing itself as an economical option ideal for this period of sacrifice, the company's advertising uses inducements like "Buy War Savings Certificates with the money you save at the largest store of its kind in Canada." 

The file also includes a brochure from Montreal retailer Tony Formal Wear & Tailoring, specialized in men's formal wear sales and rentals. Probably created in the 1970s, it presents suits for a variety of occasions (semi-formal, white tie, black tie, daytime formal, summer formal).

Finally, the file contains business cards and handbills for tailors, haberdashers and clothing stores in Montreal, Amos and Vancouver. In addition, there is a greeting card dated November 1890 announcing the reopening of the C. G. Glass Clothing House, a store on the corner of McGill and Notre Dame streets, and an ad for Parkin’s Lace House, located in the H. Beaudry & Co. store/warehouse building. The latter is illustrated with a reproduction of an engraving by John Henry Walker (1870).