30s-40s British Workwear Influenced Style

[BootsNBraces]

Hello all,

I'm new here so I feel as if I should introduce myself briefly before I get onto topic:

My name is Joshua, I'm 20 and I'm from Berkshire, England although I currently live in Cornwall where I study Illustration at University. I walk, garden and play various instruments. I also colourise black and white photographs, in fact if you follow the WW2 Colourised Photos page on Facebook you may very well have seen some of my work.

I've had an interest in modern history - particularly 1900-1960ish, for a long time however it only manifested itself into an interest in clothing fairly recently. Being a student, I don't have huge amounts of money and while I'm aware of shops such as Old Town and Darcy Clothing, these are out of my price range at present.

What I'm looking for is some advice on how to spot items that I might be able to find in high-street stores and charity shops that will work for emulating the overall appearance. I imagine there are a great number of people on here who insist upon 100% authenticity - believe me, i'd love to, but it just isn't doable for me at the moment.

In terms of what interest me - A lot of vintage fashions in the UK these days seem to focus far more on the American side of 40s style clothing, what I'm interested in is the more rough-and-ready work clothing of interwar/war time Britain. Think land workers, navvies, fishermen etc.

At the moment, my main go-to pair of trousers is a tan pair of high-waist, loose leg fit, 6-wale cords which I have fastened brace buttons onto (sadly not fishtail).

I often pair this with a linen/cotton collarless shirt or fine knit undershirt/henley shirt.

I have a brown/grey tweed bakerboy cap ordered as well.

In case i'm rambling a bit: I'd like to know what sort of key items of clothing I should look out for in order to emulate a look reminiscent of a 30s/40s labourer. For example what should trousers look like (do they have to be fishtail?), what should waistcoats look like, etc. etc.


I'd also be particularly interested in summer-suitable leg wear that fit the look as I'm afraid those big, chunky chords will be far too hot during a Cornish summer!

I hope I haven't been too wordy and nonsensical! Thank you in advance!

 

[Papperskatt]

Hi and welcome to the lounge! If you haven't already then I recommend that you take a look at the Reproduction Classic Workwear thread. Most of the items discussed there aren't exactly cheap, but it should hopefully help you get an idea on what to look for.

I've seen a lot of praise for the "Swedish work trousers" from the 1950s, which can be find inexpensively on eBay.

 

[herringbonekid]

you need the British workwear thread:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?69264-British-Workwear

some British stuff in this thread too:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...s-British-European-sportswear-and-leisurewear

 

[BootsNBraces]

you need the British workwear thread:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?69264-British-Workwear

some British stuff in this thread too:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...s-British-European-sportswear-and-leisurewear

Some great links, the first one in particular - cheers for that!

 

[Talbot]

Welcome aboard!

 

[Two Types]

Welcome. The British workwear thread should help to give you an ideal of British styles. To be honest, it's a look that can be achieved, in its most basic form, without much investment: old waistcoat, collarless flannel shirt, cap, boots etc aren't a problem - but then you know that. With waistcoats, go for ones with four pockets, ideally in heavier wool. If you can find a completely knackered old army surplus leather jerkin that will help. There are plenty around but originals are often expensive. You do see Belgian army ones that look the same but are cheaper. Post-war British army denims and battledress can also sometimes be found cheaply. Battledress was a common workwear style all the way through to the 1980s: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/canadian-pattern-49-battledress-jacket-surplus/31058 Also, a British army surplus haversack is essential - my Dad always carried his sandwiches to work in one until he was made redundant in the early 1990s: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/british-pattern-37-large-pack-used/19933

The main problem is finding high-waisted, loose legged trousers. The advice to look on military surplus websites is good. Ebay is definitely worth checking but also some of the specialist sites: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/swiss-work-trousers-gray-used/8018 https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/belgian-uniform-trousers-older-model-surplus/30807 https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/canadian-pattern-49-battledress-trousers-surplus/30957

Find a good heavy leather belt, with a heavy brass buckle - the more knackered the better - to hold up your trousers (with braces as well). That emphasies the British workwear look.

A nice silk scarf and watchchain is also a nice touch. Look at the bargee from 'Painted Boats' (I think it's on the British workwear thread) he shows how to get that look.

For boots, if you don't have lots of money to spend you can try a pair of cadet boots: http://www.cadetsuk.com/contents/en-us/p849_DMS-cadet-_parade-boots-sea_cadets.html they are cheap and come in all the sizes you need. Ok they don't have welted leather soles but they do give the right sort of look.

And of course, with a workwear look you can always use knackered suits or suit trousers - patched and darned. And you can use ones that are a couple of sizes too big.

 

[Two Types]

Here's a nice cheap leather jerkin: http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/s...genuine-1950-s-army-issue-leather-487604.html

Here's some Dutch battledress that's cheap and, with a bit of mix and match, could help give you a British workwear look: http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/s...orms/wwii-1940-s-style-khaki-wool-741222.html

 

[Two Types]

A modern cotton workwear jacket that has a good look: http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/s.../slop-jacket-navy-blue-100-cotton-230136.html
Greek battledress jacket: http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/s...le-dress-blouse-grade-1-fantastic-856103.html
These Danish civil defence trousers are very popular with people wanting a cheap and cheerful period style trouser in heavyweight cloth: http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/s...ol-trousers-danish-civil-defence-1159164.html
These boots are cheap. If you can get a leather sole pair with hobnails (rather than a DMS sole) they could be good: http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/s...oes/ammo-boots-used-grade-2-ammo-1158780.html

 

[Two Types]

This would have been handy but it is out of stock: http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/s.../new-heavy-duty-long-cotton-shirt-504349.html

 

[Two Types]

These British Army braces can be picked up very cheaply and have a really basic look: http://www.denbigharmysurplus.co.uk...aces-British-Army-Surplus-Elasticated-01.html

 

[BootsNBraces]

Thanks for all this! Fantastic links!

Do my corduroy trousers sound as if they fit the look? They are high waisted, loose leg turn-ups. Similar sort of thing you find when you come across items listed as "80s does 40s".

 

[Two Types]

Corduroy was certainly a popular cloth for workwear. So they sound like they might be right. Oversized trousers also look good for workwear (freedom of movement etc) worn with braces to keep them up and a belt to keep them in..

 

[Edward]

The cords definitely sound right. For Summer, I'd go looking for some in cotton. I've had good experience dealing with Soldier of Fortune (based in Wales), who carry a large range of reproduction for reenactors. I have bought a few pairs of trousers from them here and there, all being worn as civilian wardrobe. Limits the colour palette a bit, but if you can get past that....

http://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/shop-re-enactment-category,941

If you're not too precious about wearing man-made fibres, current British Baracks trousers (No2) issue are readily available at around GBp10.00 (yes, that's a tenner). I wore a pair hard last Summer for about four months. They wore out at the crotch then, but for a tenner for four months, I wouldn't complain. Easy found on eBay from many different suppliers.

Charles Tyrwhitt http://www.ctshirts.co.uk/mens-casualwear/mens-casual-trousers?q=gbpdefault|||||||381,|||||||| can be good. I've got quite a lot of weight to lose, and am reluctant to spend much on trousers til it goes.... I've spent the past year in four pairs of Charles Tyrwhitt cotton chinos, at two pairs for £70 (or two non-iron pairs for £80). Go for the classic fit with pleated front, and turnups. Trousers from CT come unfinished as standard, but if you know your required length, it's inexpensive to have them done by them directly. Decent range of colours. The leg is suitably wide as to compare to some of my original vintage trousers. Not quite as high a waist as I'd like, but they fit comfortably on my natural waist. To my eye, they have a nice, generic early Fifties outline. (YMMV, of course). Hard to beat at the price, and thy look great with tweed or leather.

Danish Civil Defence trousers are probably a bit heavy for the Summer.... but snap them up now for next Winter. Cheap, and look fantastic with either braces or a belt... (Some come with braces buttons in situ, some don't):

http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/s...ol-trousers-danish-civil-defence-1159164.html

Great for that Very British look with an early-50s style navy blazer and club tie... but also great with a more 'working clothes' look, imo.

 

[Two Types]

Edward's suggestion of Soldier of Fortune is a good one. These reproduction RAF trousers are available for £29 in their sale. Maybe get one size too big for the baggy workwear look and they will pass as a civilian work trouser. http://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/ww2-raf-service-dress-trousers-product,15649

Or something like this for summer workwear: http://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/ww2-khaki-drill-kd-trousers-product,7759

And the repro 'greyback' shirt is perfect 1930s army surplus workwear (see the British workwear thread where this is discussed): http://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/pre-war-greyback-shirt-product,14443

 

[Metatron]

Good posts. I want to second Two Type's suggestion of the Danish wool trousers. They are a spectacular, heavy grey wool in a flattering cut, pleated, high waisted, wide legged. There are other vendors in case your size is out of stock, try these search words ''danish wool army trousers'' or ''danish civil defence trousers''.
Seeing as people have been recommending military surplus, I would make sure to add some colour to the outfit, ideally with the shirt and/or a tie/neckerchief to avoid a drab look.

 

[Edward]

Last September, Debenhams had some fantastically 40s looking stuff in among their menswear. I bought a V-neck, sleeveless sweater for £40 that had a quasi-Fairisle look to it. Worth checking to see if any of that sort of thing is around there this year. I always meant to go back around sale time, but I've not been near the high street since... They had a couple of shirts that looked no unlike that, though in cotton.

SoF's KD jungle trousers are great - I bought a pair last year and have had a lot of wear out of them. They've served me well in intense Beijing Summer heat, so Cornwall should be no trouble to them! Braces buttons don't come as standard, but it only took half an hour to sew some in.

 

[BootsNBraces]

Seeing as people have been recommending military surplus, I would make sure to add some colour to the outfit, ideally with the shirt and/or a tie/neckerchief to avoid a drab look.

That actually leads me on nicely to another point: Where I live you can't move for charity shops - I figure with the amount of shirts in them there must be at least a couple that would be suitable for the look I'm going for. Other than collarless shirts, what should I be looking out for in terms of colour, print/pattern and collar shape? I image collar shape would be one of the most vital aspects when it comes to getting the look correct.

The same goes for neckerchiefs - what prints are yes/no or is anything fairly acceptable given it isn't too obviously of a specific period?

 

[Papperskatt]

Danish wool trousers. They are a spectacular, heavy grey wool in a flattering cut, pleated, high waisted, wide legged.

It sounds like I need to get me a pair of those as I've been looking for a good pair of inexpensive grey wool trousers for a while now. How is the wool, is it very coarse or could it be worn with "dressier" outfits?

 

[Metatron]

It's fairly coarse, but the weave is neat and uniform-not lumpy. It would work with a sports coat. Another thing that helps the look is the colour-it is quite a 'cold' grey rather than that muddled brown/grey/green 1940s military wool you often see.
Here are some better pics than you'll find in any of the online stores





Josh, as far as patterns and collar shapes, it depends how hardcore your authenticity is. The rule I generally observe is the collar shouldn't be too small, and the shirt shouldn't have that crisp-business look, unless you want it for a dressy outfit, otherwise the look tends to veer towards office clerk instead of vintage casual. One type of pattern that I have never seen on shirts from that period is floral. 1930s-1940s shirts were generally not fitted as far as I know, but here I take a bit of artistic license and prefer a modern fit.
This is something that will be a fun journey for you, that you will figure out yourself by watching movies, examining photos, looking at pics of originals on ebay etc.

 

[esteban68]

it is possible to fond some quite nice shirts in charity shops with 'vintage' weaves and colourings however often they have awful cutaway collars though it is very easy if a little fiddly to remove the collar and convert it to accept a detachable collar!