A Suit To Make Anyone Proud

[Paul Roerich]

Paul, If one were to have this suit replicated to the very last stitch(sloppy x stitching and all), what would a rough estimate be in cost?

I have no idea. Oviatt suits were expensive, but less so than competitors' suits of equal quality. Why? Because RTW and MTM Oviatt suits were made in the massive third floor workroom of the Oviatt Building. (The haberdashery was on the first and second floors.) The resultant cost savings were passed on to the customer.

 

[Qirrel]

James Oviatt was the first to make men's trousers with same-fabric, built-in belts

They are all over the 1929/1930 Schneidermeister journals.

 

[Paul Roerich]

They are all over the 1929/1930 Schneidermeister journals.

Not exactly. What makes the Oviatt belt different is the way in which its back ends are sewn into the trouser band. This was new.

 

[Paul Roerich]

 

[Qirrel]

Well, I give up, slightly. Does it make a large difference from a belt which goes into a tunnel at the side seam or at the pleats?

 

[delectans]

Another example of an Oviatt's label with erratic stitching:




Is this an illustration of Oviatt's exaggerated display of handwork, or does it raise other possibilities?

 

[Paul Roerich]

Well, I give up, slightly. Does it make a large difference from a belt which goes into a tunnel at the side seam or at the pleats?

I'll let the Oviatt patent abstract answer for itself:


"When the belt is properly adjusted to the waist of the wearer, the two parts exert a pull from the two points of attachment at the back forwardly over the hips of the wearer. In this manner, the waist portion is caused to more snugly embrace the wearer's body directly above the hips, thereby securely holding the trousers on the hips to effectively support the trousers from the hips. This function is rendered possible by reason of the fact that the trousers snugly fit the back of the wearer, and hence cannot give across the back under the pull exerted by the belt parts."

 

[Paul Roerich]

Another example of an Oviatt's label with erratic stitching:




Is this an illustration of Oviatt's exaggerated display of handwork, or does it raise other possibilities?

I think it's an example of bad handwork. Whoever did the stitching that day was not on his or her game.

 

[Tomasso]

Paul, If one were to have this suit replicated to the very last stitch(sloppy x stitching and all), what would a rough estimate be in cost?

Not Paul, but I would guesstimate (the quality of the cashmere being the wildcard) in the neighborhood of $10k.

 

[Paul Roerich]

Not Paul, but I would guesstimate (the quality of the cashmere being the wildcard) in the neighborhood of $10k.

Here's what one Hollywood actor of the '20s and '30s said years later about Oviatt east India cashmere:

"I was wearing cashmere suits ... from Oviatt's. Indian cashmere. When you were a cashmere man, you were in a different world. Certain cashmeres were good for business and certain ones were good for romance, if you knew the balance of these things. Right now there are certain pieces of cashmere that, if I could get hold of, I would make a new world for myself."

 

[Tomasso]

And then there's vicuña........

 

[Paul Roerich]

And then there's vicuña........

Why, of course. A 100% vicuña overcoat custom made for James Oviatt's 12-year-old grand nephew.

 

[Paul Roerich]

Oviatt's also made a vicuña polo coat for President Eisenhower, who had quietly expensive taste in clothes.

 

[herringbonekid]

Not Paul, but I would guesstimate (the quality of the cashmere being the wildcard) in the neighborhood of $10k.

sounds a bit high to me. most of the big name London tailors start at around £2500 for a two piece suit. including extra for cashmere and waistcoat; £3500 - £4000 ($6.5k)

 

[Tomasso]

sounds a bit high to me. most of the big name London tailors start at around £2500 for a two piece suit. including extra for cashmere and waistcoat; £3500 - £4000 ($6.5k)

I was going off list prices for brands such as Oxxford, Kiton, Brioni, Borrelli, Attolini, etc....who offer cashmere 2pc in the 7-10k range. Add a vest and.......

 

[delectans]

Bespoke Attolini, Kiton, or Rubinacci can be even higher depending upon fabric.

 

[Qirrel]

Not exactly. What makes the Oviatt belt different is the way in which its back ends are sewn into the trouser band. This was new.

I might be splitting hairs, but I found this, from 1931:

 

[Paul Roerich]

I might be splitting hairs, but I found this, from 1931:

But that looks like there might be an elastic "back section" of the belt which goes through a long tunnel loop in the back waistband. Oviatt's belt had no back section: it was in two strips, both of which ended at (and were sewn onto) the waistband behind each side pocket.

 

[Paul Roerich]

 

[Paul Roerich]

That's what I meant when I said that the Oviatt belt was "built in": it was literally sewn onto the waistband.