The Men's Dress Reform Party

The Men’s Dress Reform Party (MDRP) was a reform movement in interwar Britain.^[1] While the party’s main concerns were the impact of clothes on men’s health and hygiene, their mission also aimed to increase the variety and choice in men’s clothing.^[2]

Background

The injuries and casualties of World War I shifted the public’s focus to the capabilities and general health of the human body,^[3] and a general concern for the social and medical impacts of clothing grew. Specifically focused on this was New Health Society, a group of professionals led by Alfred Charles Jordan who wanted to improve the overall health of adults and children. They pushed for more exercise and fresh air, improved diets, and improved conditions in homes and workplaces. In 1927, Sir Arbuthnot Lane, a co-founder of the New Health Society, formed a subcommittee within the society focused on the health impacts of dress, the Clothing Subcommittee.^[4] On June 12, 1929 this subcommittee officially separated from the New Health Society to form the Men’s Dress Reform Party^[5] through an address to the public in London, England. It read: “Men and women, old and young, rich and poor… interested in healthier and better clothes for men…[and to] reform their clothes with as much profit to health and appearance as women have recently achieved”

Leadership

Alfred Charles Jordan, the founder of the New Health Society, and Dr. Caleb Williams Saleeby served as the leaders of the Clothing Subcommittee and led the charge to form their own party, with Williams as the Chairman of the Council of the Party. Founding members also included the members of the Clothing Subcommittee, William Ralph Iyre, Guy Kendall, Richard Sickert, Ernest Thesiger, and Leonard Williams.

Ideology

John Carl Flügel, a psychologist and member of the MDRP, claimed since the end of the 18th century, men were ignoring the colorful, elaborate and varied forms of “masculine ornamentation”^[6] He called this time the Great Masculine Renunciation and said of it, “Man abandoned his claim to be considered beautiful. He henceforth aimed at only being useful.”^[7] This view aligned with that of founding member of the Men’s Dress Reform Party, William Ralph Iyre. His claim lay in that it was the democratic movements of the French Revolution that caused the increasingly dull male look. He said “to escape the guillotine, dress as bourgeois as possible.”^[8] The party’s goals were reactions to circumstances brought on by World War I. They saw the everyday man as “oppressed by capitalist labor”^[9] and saw his clothes as “depressing”^[10] and lacking creativity. The military style uniformity^[11] of the interwar period had created a culture of men who were happy to see others dressed like them, as opposed to those who craved individuality. World War I also caused unemployment, which caused state intervention and what the Men’s Dress Reform Party saw as the “oppression of professionals”.^[12] Lastly, women were on the rise. Feminism was developing in the interwar period, as women had taken over for men during World War I in jobs, schools and social life. This threatened men, as they felt “like accessories to women”.^[13] The group sought to improve the health and hygiene of men by changing their dress, as they saw the typical male styles and materials growing more restrictive and harmful and women’s clothing become more “emanicipating”^[14] Their goals included “freeing the neck”1 by wearing the “Byron collar”^[15] which was an open-front collar. They also preferred blouses instead of shirts, sandals over shoes, and shorts or breeches to trousers. They even approved of the kilt^[16] as everyday wear for men. The party felt hats and coats were only acceptable in appropriate weather, and that underclothing should be loose. Most of these rules were already acceptable for occasions such as vacation. Rather, the party looked to make these the standard for town, professional and even evening dress.

1929-1940

Unlike other organizations of the time, the MDRP had no formal journal. Instead, the group published articles about their reform ideas in Sunlight, a quarterly journal produced by The Sunlight League, for MDRP member Dr. Caleb Saleeby chaired the Sunlight League, and thus incurred the league’s support of the Men’s Dress Reform Party. A Design Committee was organized to construct designs of “acceptable” clothing, and received national attention for their recommendations. Members claimed branches were forming in all corners of the world including India, China, Australia, South Africa, the USA, New Zealand and Canada, as well as all over Europe and approximately 200 branches in the UK.^[17] These groups held social events, rallies, and debates, but these begin to occur less and less with the onset of World War II.^[18] In 1937, the Men’s Dress Reform Party lost the support of the New Health Society due to financial trouble and eventual bankruptcy.^[19] Then, in 1940 the Sunlight League also dissipated, for a bomb destroyed their offices and founder, Dr. Saleeby, died that year. After this, there is no evidence of the Men’s Dress Reform Party continuing to exist.^[20]

References