The Secret Life of the Arrow Collar Man, an Early 20th-Century Sex Symbol

Sketches of Charles Beach in a Norfolk jacket in an original ARROW scrapbook from 1913.Photo: Courtesy of PVH Archives — Sketches of Charles Beach in a Norfolk jacket in an original ARROW scrapbook from 1913.
Photo: Courtesy of PVH Archives

Before you make your way to Theatre 80 St Marks on November 8th, find out more about The Secret Life of Charles Beach, The Arrow Collar Man, as detailed by LAIRD BORRELLI-PERSSON in this wonderful article for VOGUE Magazine.

"The Arrow Collar Man was an early 20th-century sex symbol who, in his day, had about as large a place in the pantheon of hotness as Rudolph Valentino, Elvis, and the Marlboro man. This sophisticated yet implicitly sybaritic sex symbol hawked the wares of the Troy, New York–based Cluett, Peabody & Co., Inc., purveyors of detachable crisp collars and cuffs, which men attached to the body of their dress shirts. The Arrow Collar Man predates Jay Gatsby by 20 years, and, critics believe, is referenced when Daisy Buchanan says to Gatsby: “You always look so cool. You resemble the advertisement of the man . . . you know, the advertisement of the man.”