1930's sport coat with front pleats

[Mario]

A couple of weeks ago, Marc Chevalier sold a rare green tweed sportcoat with breast pleats which went for big bucks. I guess you remember that one.

Now there's a similar 1930's sportcoat for sale on the 'Bay, again green tweed with breast pleats for a BIN price that's about half the sum Marc's jacket went for. Amazing green herringbone fabric with flecks of red, orange, yellow and blue. Oh, I forgot to mention the concealed chin strap... What a jacket!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-1930s-M...pt=Vintage_Men_s_Clothing&hash=item3cbeaa8dc0

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[Mario]

Gone...

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Whoa...just saw this. Too late (but sleeves one inch too short anyway) It's a killer jacket. Did a lounger win it?

 

[Mario]

Yes, the sleeves would have been one inch too short for me as well but that could probably have been remedied. That fabric drives me ne nuts. Ah well, I didn't have the money at the moment anyway...

 

[Nick D]

I like this one better. The pleats lie better and don't interrupt the line of the chest, though the one Marc showed may not have been pressed as well. This one has the pleats the way they're shown in period catalogues.

 

[Mario]

I know what you mean about the pleats on Marc's. This one here looks perfect. If I had the money I would have been tempted to take the plunge...

 

[Marc Chevalier]

... the one Marc showed may not have been pressed as well.

Correct.


Still, mine did had one advantage over this recent jacket. Can you guess what the advantage was? Yep: the darts on the back.

 

[Tomasso]

Boy, that went for a song.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Boy, that went for a song.

I suspect that the lack of a darted, pleated back had something to do with it. Jackets with pleated chests are rare, but the combination of pleated chest and darted, pleated back (without a half-belt) is rarer still. Hardcore collectors know this, and bid accordingly.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

.
The seller may hold the same view as I do about the 'collectible value' of his or her jacket, and therefore accepted a "best offer" that was in keeping with this view.

 

[Mario]

You're right about the darts but I would still have gone for the jacket as is.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

You're right about the darts but I would still have gone for the jacket as is.

Me too! (If it would have fit me.) But hardcore collectors are a fetishistic lot. Their god is in the details, and they'll pay accordingly.

 

[Mario]

Oh, I can really understand what you say about hardcore collectors but in the end it all boils down to what's available to you regarding size, fit and budget. With my illegal proportions (...) I'm somewhat limited...

 

[Rudie]

Yes, the sleeves would have been one inch too short for me as well but that could probably have been remedied. That fabric drives me ne nuts. Ah well, I didn't have the money at the moment anyway...

Just one inch? Aren't there lots and lots of beautiful sports coats with a sleeve length of 25" waiting to be picked up by you? I'm in the market for 27.5". Go figure.

 

[Mario]

27 1/2" - that's long indeed...