Swatch books such as this one, which contain small sample pieces of a range of men's suiting fabrics and illustrations of men's suit styles, comprise important records of the Australian wool, textile weaving, men's tailoring and retailing industries.

The drawings in the book illustrate a range of different men's suit styles, plus trousers and waistcoats, for formal and informal occasions in the summer season of 1912-13. There is no information in the book that would allow us to identify the artist who drew these illustrations, nor who designed the swatch book itself. Care has been taken in the design and layout of the book, which is bound with a leather-look finish and gold lettering. Decorative borders surround both the illustrations and the mounted fabric swatches.

Swatch books like this were used by tailoring firms to market the suit styles they offered, and new ones were produced each season. These books were particularly important for customers in country areas. Travellers for city tailoring companies would visit their customers in rural areas and show them swatch books containing the latest fabrics and fashions. They would then take orders and careful measurements back to the city, returning to their customers a couple of weeks later with the made to measure clothes.

The drawings in the book illustrate a range of different men's suit styles, plus trousers and waistcoats, for formal and informal occasions in the summer season of 1912-13. There is no information in the book that would allow us to identify the artist who drew these illustrations, nor who designed the swatch book itself. Care has been taken in the design and layout of the book, which is bound with a leather-look finish and gold lettering. Decorative borders surround both the illustrations and the mounted fabric swatches.

Other than the label "Fox's Guaranteed Pure Indigo Serges" on page 6, there is no indication as to who produced the fabrics, nor who published the swatch book. The name G. & R. Wills & Co. on the price sheet, and in initial form on the cover, is the name of the Melbourne tailoring firm that marketed the suits illustrated. The price list was printed by Arbuckle, Waddell & Fawckner of Melbourne, Victoria.

The swatch book is dated 1912-13 and was therefore most probably produced in 1911-12.

Swatch books like this were used by tailoring firms to market the suit styles they offered, and new ones were produced each season. These books were particularly important for customers in country areas. Travellers for city tailoring companies would visit their customers in rural areas and show them swatch books containing the latest fabrics and fashions. They would then take their clients' orders and careful measurements back to the city, returning a couple of weeks later with the made-to-measure clothes.
The book was presumably originally the property of the tailoring firm G. & R. Wills of Melbourne. Its history of ownership is unknown between then and 1998 when the current vendor acquired it from another dealer.

Swatch book and price list, mens suitings, cardboard/paper/fabric, G & R Wills & Co, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1912-13.

Swatch book: a large hard-cover swatch book containing 28 card pages bearing mounted samples of mens wool suiting fabrics together with illustrations of mens suits, trousers and waistcoats. The binding of the swatch book has a black leather-look finish and the front cover is ornamented with a vertical decorative gold band near the spine and is inscribed with gold lettering: 'THE/COMPACT/SAMPLE/BOOK/SUITINGS/COATINGS AND/TROUSERINGS./Summer 1912-13./G.& R.W./M.'. Those pages bearing illustrations of suit styles are decorated with a simple red ornamental border. The fabric swatches, each of which has pinked edges, are mounted within decorative red borders.

Price list: folded leaflet made of white paper printed in brown, 'PRICE LIST/for the Compact Pattern Book/The "NUGGET" Brand/SPECIAL MEASURE ORDERS/G. & R. WILLS & Co.,/MELBOURNE./ARBUCKLE, WADDELL & FAWCKNER, PRINTERS, MELB.'. Contains prices of made to measure and stock size menswear.

Designed: Australia

Made: G & R Wills & Co; Melbourne, Victoria; 1912 - 1913


Used: G & R Wills & Co; Melbourne, Victoria

See description.

2000/136/1