Figure 1.--The National Cloak and Suit Company offered these 'snappy' 'boy proof' suits in 1922. All were lapel suits with only minor stylistic differences. One option offers a second pair of pants. All look to be shown with long stockings instead of knee socks. The illustrations show mostly high-top shoes. They were done for ages 8-18 years of age which would mean into high school, although this varied some hat for the different styles.

This is a page from the National Cloak and Suit Company based in New York and Kansas City. National Cloak and Suit was founded around (1888). The company was reorganized as the National Bellas Hess Company (1910). They had a very substantial 7 story building in Kansas City. It was built (1919). One report indicates, "Two thousand people are employed in this building, which also contains a thoroughly modern hospital, cafeteria, recreation room, ball grounds, tennis courts, etc. " The company relocated to Armor Road in North Kansas City (1927). . Bellas Hess was one of the top five mail order companies in the country, generating sales of more than $250 million a year through the mailing of 25 million catalogs. The company declared bankruptcy (1970s). Former employees attribute the company’s demise to losing focus on the mail order business in favor of discount retail stores and supermarkets. Their 1922 catalog was substantial. This is page 294. That seems like a very large catalog for coats and suits. The page had several different styles of knicker suits. All were lapel suits with only minor stylistic differences. One option offers a second pair of pants. All look to be shown with long stockings instead of knee socks. The illustrations show mostly high-top shoes. They were done for ages 8-18 years of age which would mean into high school, although this varied some hat for the different styles. They were done with different fabrics, but cheviot was very important. One cheviot suit was done with a wool/cotton blend and was only $3.98. Most of the suits were all wool and more expensive.

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Created: 1:48 AM 8/30/2025
Last updated: 1:48 AM 8/30/2025