Before American Apparel & Dov Charney, There Was Delia Mizer & AMG

Since we’re on a bit of a fashion kick this week, we thought we’d draw attention to some rather fashionable drawers – underwear, that is. When AMG first started out, it was intended as a sort of agency for photographers and models of the male form. At the time, Physique Pictorial was little more than a book of advertisements, cut with the occasional editorial, like George Quaintance’s “How to Draw from Projected Color Slides.” It was somewhat of an industry publication, but as demand for the pocket-sized smut rag grew, its audience shifted away from photographers and their subjects, to the men who admired them. With new prospects on the horizon, Mizer and his team (consisting mainly of he and his mother, Delia Mizer) looked to alternative sources of income. Our favorite such money making scheme? You guessed it – underwear.

Before Dov Charney and his merry band of fair-trade misfits strolled into town, brandishing their tri-blend t-shirts and throw-back cotton briefs, Bob Mizer and his mummy were hocking v-necks and terry kwik-kovers from the pages of Physique Pictorial.

In this photo, from an early edition of the magazine, body-builder extraordinaire, Ed Fury sports a pair of “Skivvies,” which, according to the ad copy, “some fellows like to use for underwear, or just to run around the house in.” If one was looking for an alternative with a little more coverage, he might be enticed by the “Corduroy Posing Strap.” At two dollars, this scant piece of fabric was suggested for “conditions where maximum opaqueness is required.” And, just like American Apparel, AMG had the best t-shirts in town. The “Milcas T-shirt” was advertised as, “The best form-fitting t-shirt available anywhere.” For just $1.75 you could have your very own peck-hugging Milcas in any of the “following beautiful dye-fast colors: White, black, red, pink, yellow, chartreuse, light blue, navy, dark green, aqua, beige…” You get the picture.

Now, we’re not claiming to know what kind of labor practices went into the making of these fine and faggy garments, but isn’t nice to know, that no matter how oppressive the circumstances of the time, a guy could always get his hands on a deep-V and a pair of flashy panties?