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tailoring community that for creating patterns, having
spoke to them about the a school in which to teach it
broader scope of the industry. was a logical next step.
American Tailor and
The Sartorial Cutter was the clear focus of
Mitchell’s marketing efforts
Art Journal to entice potential students
At its beginnings, this to sign up for the course.
long-running trade journal A large amoutn of advertise-
served the Merchant Tailors’ ments were placed in
National Protective Asso- Mitchell’s other publica-
ciation specifically, and the tions, as well. Within its
tailoring and fashion design pages, both American Tailor
trade in general. The Journal and Cutter and The Sartorial
marketed Mitchell’s tools of Journal shared illustrations
the trade, such as patented showing the newly named
measuring devices, patterns, “Mitchell Standard System
and fashion plates. of Cutting” as part of its
Over time, this once overall marketing program.
pamphlet-sized publication The introductory name
expanded to over 100 pages of the school proved to be
per issue by adding business a mouthful – The Jno, J.
news, tips, instruction on Mitchell Co. School of
tailoring techniques, business Garment Cutting, Tailors’
advice, union activity, inter- Implements, Publishers of
national news, and more American Fashions, Works
examples of current fashions. This illustration shows the Fall and Winter looks for the American Gentleman on Cutting.
shown in the The Sartorial Journal, August, 1889,
The Journal came in two and presented as a separate sales card to put on display in a tailor’s shop. The brick-and-mortar
versions—one for men and school married with Mitchell
the other for women—and included full-page, detailed illustrations publications helped establish the Mitchell School as the most successful
showing the upcoming season’s fashion looks. Along with the larger of its kind.
prints were smaller, color versions printed separately and inserted into As a sidebar, Mitchell’s American Tailor and Cutter, which ran
the magazine. These smaller cards were intended to be used by tailors from 1880 to 1916, published almost the entire set of Standard cutting
to show his clients what was possible – and kept the Mitchell name methods (there was one Standard for just about every piece of clothing
front and center. They included a subtle use of color to set the tone. and habidashery made). This pivotal element used for garment
According to Druesdow, “Admittedly, color doesn’t add a whole construction (the paper pat-
lot to the depictions of evening wear but it certainly brings the tern) was associated with
backgrounds to life. Backdrops were often based on real New York many future pattern makers
locations such as Grant’s Tomb and the now-demolished Vanderbilt becoming successful – even
houses and the old Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Furthermore, the extremely the everyday seamstress.
high resolution is astounding in its ability to allow up-close inspection
of the smallest details.” Attend Our School
Other prints and cards included in the Journal were illustrations of
To entice readers of
images of Mitchell’s cutting techniques. These were lauded for their American Tailor and Cutter
detail and forward-thinking design. Some of these are still studied by to enter the School, Mitchell
costume and fashion students today. would publish something
When speaking about the detailed illustrations and how they came
to be, Druesdow notes that in April, 1905, the editors proclaimed: “… akin to an “advertorial,” or a
story that was heavily edited
everything we illustrate is first sketched from the thing itself and that and probably embellished by
the thing itself is the product of some high-class metropolitan tailoring the magazine’s editors. In
establishment that had kindly loaned it to us for that special purpose; this example from the March
the novelties we illustrate are not experiments but new things that men 1902 issue, Arthur Scherrer
of high reputation are wearing …” of St. Gall, Switzerland
The editors then went on to
mention illustrating the “daring shared the positively bubbly
correspondence he mailed to
tastes of tailors of high standing” his family as he was heading Index page to Volume XX of
who dress “acknowledged leaders home after attending the The American Tailor and Cutter, 1898
in exclusive social circles.” Over New York school. This paints a picture of a large business with state-
time, these images provided a of-the-art facilities, and just happens to play up the many high points
strong visual history of American about the capabilities of not just the school, but the company as a whole.
men’s fashions as determined by “One floor is entirely occupied by the Mitchell establishment with
this early influencer.
its various departments. There is the art department where the fashion
plates are designed – you know how much we and our tailors admired
A Marriage Tailor them. They are equaled nowhere, and I have seen many of them
Made by Mitchell everywhere where good tailors were to be found. The printing of
The Mitchell Company opened The Sartorial Art Journal, Men’s and Ladies’ Tailor editions—the first
its first school for tailors at its in four different languages: English, French, Spanish, and German, of
publishing company in New the American Tailor and Cutter and of text books, etc.—together with
York. Once Mitchell created its the etching, engraving and the like, are all done in other buildings.
Mitchell illustration of a happy couple “Standard” pattern-making system There isn’t the space in this building for them.
with the clear focus on the groom.

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