Almost the season for it ...

[tonyb]

So I bought this coat ...

... today, from a vintage shop that enjoys my and my wife's regular patronage. The coat is a bit darker than it appears in the photo above. It's missing some buttons on the sleeves (easy to fix), but other than that it's in very good condition.

So, this is the 1939-'49 union label, right?

This tag says it's a size 40, but it fits me much better than any 40 I've tried on in, oh, 40 years or so. (I've dropped quite a bit of weight over the past couple of years, but a size 40?) Worn over a suit jacket, it fits just right across the shoulders and ever-so-slightly snug around the waist. It has that sculpted 1940s fit -- broad shoulders tapering into a definite waist and then flaring out again over the hips.

Anyone familiar with this store?

 

[thunderw21]

Very nice find. The material looks perfect, like it was never worn. We must have more pics of it, especially with you in it.

Yep, that's a '39 union tag.

I'm hoping to wear a similar overcoat tomorrow. Again, awesome find and enjoy it!

 

[tonyb]

Yeah, thunder, I'm just tickled by it. I've gone over it pretty darned carefully and, other than those missing sleeve buttons, I've yet to find anything wrong with it. The more I go over it, the more I find to like about it -- nice little touches, such as those flap pockets, which are lined in a tan thin-wale corduroy. The color is a deeper, richer color than it appears in the photo. (It can be tough to get dark blues to show true in photos.)

At 68 bucks, it wasn't an outright steal, but it's still quite the bargain. It would easily sell for twice that or more in the bigger city an hour or so up the road.