20's/30's contrasting trousers

[Rabbit]

These have 10% cashmere in them, I have been testing them, 19oz lambswool, the weave is very smooth and dense, zero bobbling, indeed quiet the opposite the cloth is bedding down nicely.

Sound promising - the weight helps, of course. For how long have you been wearing them? I mean, was it days or months?

 

[volvomeister13]

I probably should have added that one of the jackets is a 30s SB navy jacket with cream/greyish stripes and a matching vest. Is it acceptable to do this if the jacket and vest are striped?

 

[Rabbit]

I probably should have added that one of the jackets is a 30s SB navy jacket with cream/greyish stripes and a matching vest. Is it acceptable to do this if the jacket and vest are striped?

That would depend entirely on the exact pattern of that jacket and waistcoat fabric. If the fabric looks fine for a sportscoat, then yes. Wearing a matching jacket and waistcoat with odd trousers, or a jacket with odd trousers and matching waistcoat, can certainly work very well. It was quite common in the 20s and 30s to mix parts of different suits that way.
A plain pinstripe with razor-sharp stripes and no added texture is probably going to look too much like an orphaned suit part. More complex pinstripes, or pattern-on-texture pinstripes, often work very well for odd combinations. It's not much use to develop rules, though - just use your own judgement. For instance, I imagine a light grey with cream pinstripes could work nicely even as a plain, non-textured pinstripe pattern.

We had a revived thread on that topic some ago, see all posts following this one:
Pinstripe coat w/solid color trousers

 

[Patrick Hall]

I probably should have added that one of the jackets is a 30s SB navy jacket with cream/greyish stripes and a matching vest. Is it acceptable to do this if the jacket and vest are striped?

I agree with Rabbit, pairing a vest/jacket with odd trousers can work well. In terms of the stripes, the only striped jackets I will wear with odd trousers are navy. I think this works because a striped navy jacket reads like a blazer. I'd especially recommend wearing a navy pinstripe with cream flannels. I find that the challenge is all in the formality of the jacket. If your 30's SB navy jacket has peak lapels, is made of a heavy wool, or has other more formal trappings, pairing it up with flannels will be trickier than if it's got a sportier patch-pocketed configuration.

 

[Claudio]

Agree you need to be careful not to look like you lost the trousers from a 3 piece. I personally think that matching trouser + waist coat and different jacket could be ok but thats about it. Thik that a waist coat is meant to be worn as a 3 piece but I know I am in the minority on this

 

[herringbonekid]

If the fabric looks fine for a sportscoat, then yes.

agreed. 'sportscoat' could be plain or jazzy, but usually not a pin/chalk striped worsted or flannel.

 

[volvomeister13]

Thanks for the help guys! I actually like the look of the jacket and vest with the vintage gray trousers I found.

I guess now my only concern is, is it too long for a thirties jacket? The jacket ends just at the bottom of my thumb and a little above the bottom of my rear end. What do you guys think?

I might also want to get it tailored a little more in the upper torso for a slimmer fit. Needless to say I'm wearing it with the wrong clothes in this photo.

 

[Wolf99]

If no-one else is going to dive in here...

The length of the jacket in the body looks fine to me. If it is just covering your seat then sounds about right.

Arguably, the arms of the jacket could be marginally shorter to show more cuff on any shirt you wear, but that's a personal style choice and they don't look excessively long.

I'd think long and hard before getting the upper torso tailored for a slimmer fit. For one thing, that sounds like a rather more involved job than you might think. I imagine there are others who could give a better idea of how easy it might be to do. More fundamentally though, I suspect that the jacket was always intended to have a fuller cut around the upper chest. This was the era of the drape cut and, whilst the jacket you have on doesn't seem to be a particularly full cut example, the suppressed waist and wider chest are probably exactly how this jacket was deliberately cut in the 1930s. In essence, I suppose I'm wondering, if you aren't after a 1930s style cut, why buy a jacket from that era?

Hope you enjoy wearing it.

 

[brendanm720]

I agree with Wolf99... The jacket looks great as-is.

Adjusting the shoulders and chest are risky (you will need a bespoke-level tailor to get close to what you're looking for) and expensive. I can't see all of the tops of your shoulders in the picture, but from what I can see, they don't look too big. The chest looks fine to me as well.

I may be biased, though... My favorite tweed jacket is cut in a similar fashion.

Were that jacket mine, I would only shorten up the sleeves some and MAYBE take in the waist a teeny bit. Maybe.

 

[volvomeister13]

It's taken trying on a lot of different vintage jackets to start educating myself about proper fit and style after being previously exposed to modern junk. Still a little shaky, finally getting the hang of the right way with some experience and help from all you fine folks on here. Thanks guys! Definitely agree regarding the chest. Seems just fine. Waist might need a tiny bit but could stay as is as well. I think I'll leave it for now.