In 1951, Macon, GA native William Segal launched a men’s lifestyle publication so unique, it’s still unlike anything we see today. Although it only lasted until 1957 after 22 issues, Gentry magazine’s exceptional quality in content and photographs not only reflected, but influenced the culture of its time, covering men’s attire, food, literature, art, automobiles and the outdoors.
The pioneering magazine is the inspiration for an upcoming exhibit at the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens: Pattern and Palette in Print: Gentry Magazine and a New Generation of Trendsetters. On view March 17 to June 17, the exhibit will present every Gentry cover along with inspired patterns created by current fabric design students, a selection of period menswear and other objects featured in the periodical.
“The magazine was a milestone in its use of hand-pasted tip-ins, superior-grade paper and frequent inserts of such ephemera as booklets, limited prints, die cuts, fabric swatches and even fishing flies,” said Mary Koon, co-curator of the exhibit and editor at the Georgia Museum of Art. “Swatches of twills, poplins and herringbone suiting were hand-pasted in the magazine alongside photographs or drawings of corresponding garments."
As part of a lesson in color forecasting and its significance to fabric design, students were asked to find inspiration from the 1950s and the pages of Gentry to create a master color palette and then design their own patterns.
Below, Mary elaborates on the exhibit, which will hold an opening event on March 23 with catering by her husband, Hugh Acheson, of Five and Ten and Empire State South fame.
On Gentry and today’s trends:
“After I learned about Gentry, Hugh and I started buying the magazines on ebay. Although this is clearly not a monographic fashion exhibition, it does feature a selection of menswear, and I think we are about to see a bigger focus on menswear in fashion exhibitions in major museums. I think it's relevant, too, that this exhibition is happening in the South, where menswear is, I think, experiencing a kind of revival. There is also the recent fascination with heritage brands. Arrow brand shirts were advertised in every issue of Gentry. Urban Outfitters carried a line of Arrow shirts in 2010, and in 2011 Arrow revamped its brand and created a new retail collection in Europe with classic designs and fabrics retrofitted for today's consumer. There is a late 50s Arrow shirt in the exhibition.”
On food, fashion and art:
“I love that James Beard was a frequent contributor to Gentry, which makes it especially fitting that Hugh is catering the event. The opening reception is also celebrating another exhibition, To Make a World: George Ault and 1940s America, so we are asking people to dress in silhouettes from the 40s and 50s, and we will serve a period cocktail, based on a recipe from an issue of Gentry.”
General public tickets for the opening reception at the Georgia Museum of Art (Friday, March 23, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.) are $15 and available at the door, but you need RSVP to sgeorge1@uga.edu.
