30s-40s British Workwear Influenced Style

[Nigel]

How about these flannel collarless shirts, at a price that won't break the bank too, they also stock these by Magee which I prefer.

 

[esteban68]

they'd be perfect and an easy conversion then all that's needed is to find vintage collars whiuch isn't that hard depending on sizes!

 

[Two Types]

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?

Stripes for popular on British work shirts and the shirts were usually in flannel or heavy cotton. And they were often more ornately patterned than you might expect (i.e. not just straightforward stripes). If you find a shirt in a heavy striped cotton that doesn't have the workwear look due it's horrible modern collar, it's easy to remove the collar.

Neckerchiefs: Look out for all sorts of large handkerchiefs. Polka dots are the obvious choice. But plains and all sorts of patterns can give you a period look. You will also see workmen wearing larger silk/rayon scarves knotted around their necks. Look among the women's scarves in charity shops, you are sure to find some polka dots among them. As long as it isn't too obviously feminine you should be ok. I do it sometimes. If the scarf is too long you can always cut it shorter. Back in the day many workmen wore all manner of old pieces of cloth around their necks. After tall, they wore them to wipe up sweat!

 

[Two Types]

they'd be perfect and an easy conversion then all that's needed is to find vintage collars whiuch isn't that hard depending on sizes!

No conversion needed if he wants them for the workwear look.

Those striped Magee shirts look ideal for the look you want.

 

[Papperskatt]

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

Cool, thansk for the pics! I have to remember this when autumn comes.

 

[esteban68]

Obviously TT. ...no collar sizes stated though on those just chest sizes....M&S have done quite a few grandad collar shirts over the last few years in heavy cotton and linen you find them fairly often in charity shops or on fleabay for around a fiver.

 

[Edward]

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?

As Metatron has aid, they're not as fine as a typical suit trouser, but they're perfectly decent for both a more relaxed workwear look and wearing with a blazer and tie. I've worn mine to the office in the Winter, and they're superb.

Cool, thansk for the pics! I have to remember this when autumn comes.

Worth having a hunt now. I'm not sure these are still issued; the lesson I learned the hard way with military surplus is that if you see stuff you like and it's cheap, buy as much of it as you can, as it won't always be around...

 

[Two Types]

Swedish prison suits:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-W...f63c591&pid=100011&rk=2&rkt=5&sd=330761709876

cotton workshirt: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Long-Slee...ffType=OrderSubTotalOffer&_trksid=p5731.m3795

This ebay seller has a selection of cheap stuff that might work for you: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/vintagemi...derSubTotalOffer&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

 

[Eddie Derbyshire]

Swedish prison suits:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-W...f63c591&pid=100011&rk=2&rkt=5&sd=330761709876

cotton workshirt: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Long-Slee...ffType=OrderSubTotalOffer&_trksid=p5731.m3795

This ebay seller has a selection of cheap stuff that might work for you: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/vintagemi...derSubTotalOffer&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

Strangely enough I've bought quite a few Swedish army things. I bought one of those prison suits ages ago and wear it for gardening - It's great, and very tough. Also, I bought a couple of those work shirts but in a cream linen - the ones I got had a decent spear-point collar on them and are OK with a tie, but luckily for this thread, aren't dressy enough to go with a suit, so they're ideal. And on that last thread TT, I have a Swedish army wool tunic that I really like. It is tailored superbly and has fantastic narrow shoulders and wide skirt, and lacks epaulettes so it doesn't look overtly military - more a heavy-duty chore coat. Sometimes they get advertised as cycling jackets. I would recommend anyone to get one.

 

[BootsNBraces]

Thanks once again for the continued advice!

I've got a couple of things in mind already actually: There is a shop in town which sells cotton Cornish Fisherman's smocks for just £10.
I also ordered a bakerboy cap at the end of last week which will hopefully arrive soon.

Out of curiosity - how do you choose items on those surplus pages what makes you know certain items will work for the look while others won't, Is it the material, the cut, etc?

 

[Two Types]

Things to look out for:

A lot of items sold by military surplus companies are not necessarily 'military surplus' - instead they are 'government surplus', hence the prison suits and civil defence trousers.

It's always a good idea to check the fabric details. Unless they clearly state cotton or wool there's a good chance they will include man made fibres - not a good thing! Also the cut is important: workwear was traditionally worn loose. Check for high waists and loose legs (buy a size too big if you have to). On the military surplus make sure you avoid trousers with those horrible big 'cargo pockets' on the leg (but also remember pockets can usaully be removed if the trousers are the right cut).

Look at items that don't have too many military-specific details such as epaulettes and obvious military buttons. But remember these can easily be removed. Also remember that you can dye clothes if you want to chance something that has too military an appearance.

The fisherman's smock is a good idea.

The good thing about the British workwear look is that you can mix & (mis)match almost anything. So a pair of Swedish prison trousers with a collarless shirt, a silk scarf and a battered vintage jacket is just as much 'workwear' as £500's worth of selvedge Japanese denim reproduction 'workwear'. And a damn site cheaper.

 

[Two Types]

PS. getting the right style of cap will be difficult to do cheaply. the eight piece 'baker boy' caps always look good because they are usually wide but they are not an authentic British 20th century cap. Most British caps had one piece tops. But your widely avaialable modern British flat cap just isn't wide enough for an authentic look. The alternatives are: 1)get lucky with a vintage cap 2) get an expensive ciustom cap 3)find a cheaper substitute (Metatron was selling some nice Polish caps a few months back) 4) wear a beret (always a cheap alternative - you can get an old black British army beret cheaply) since the beret was widely worn by workmen in the post-WW2 years.

 

[BootsNBraces]

Bugger, I wish I knew that earlier.
I was aware that modern flat caps weren't appropriate for the look, but not Bakerboy caps.

Oh well, I'm sure it'll be a nice enough cap when it turns up.

 

[esteban68]

I've recently been watching the re runs of 'All creatures great and small' and it's chocked full of all types of workwear from our chosen era, not just workmen per se but also farmers and obviously the vets in cords and tweed and with the obligatory plaid ties.....recommended viewing if you can find it.....I wonder how much of the clothing is original in the series?

 

[Metatron]

The alternatives are: 1)get lucky with a vintage cap 2) get an expensive ciustom cap 3)find a cheaper substitute (Metatron was selling some nice Polish caps a few months back)

The ones I was selling were actually by the British brand Olney.
Sterkowski is the Polish brand, they have a large vintage looking cap, it comes in a couple of different flannels or tweed. It works perfectly for me, a simple round cap.
Another good cap maker is MamieBlues Paris, specialises in the octagonal darted cap.
For real masterpieces you have Monsivais, Simmonds, Cordova, A well dressed head.

 

[BootsNBraces]

I just had a quick flick through their page - I was pleasantly surprised by how little their hats cost. Would it be the BERETÓWKAs to which you are reffering?

What is the delivery cost like?

 

[Eddie Derbyshire]

I've ordered a Sterkowski, all told it came to something in the £30 range. Still waiting on it yet (been a couple of weeks or so) but excited from the reviews. Can also recommend Olney.

 

[Metatron]

I just had a quick flick through their page - I was pleasantly surprised by how little their hats cost. Would it be the BERETÓWKAs to which you are reffering?

What is the delivery cost like?

Yes!! That is my daily cap. Mine is in a light grey thick flannel. The tall snap brim ones look nice too, if less wide.
Delivery is £10. Try the .com version of their page, it is in English.

As to knowing what works, in surplus sites or otherwise, the answer is research. If you like the 1930s worker look, check out some old movies, I recommend 'La Bete Humain' with Jean Gabin, a 1938 movie about a train driver.
Have a look at the Romanian photo archive Colecția Costică Acsinte (also on facebook) and adjust your search settings on ebay to keep an eye on vintage clothing between the 1920s-1950s.

 

[Two Types]

 

[BootsNBraces]

So I found these trousers on Ebay, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Swedish-C...t=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item642645b397

Cheap and cheerful. They also look like a good summer weight. Do they look appropriate? They're also available in black and green but I imagine Blue is probably most appropriate?