Anyone seen a better repro?

[Baron Kurtz]

This one appears to be an off the rack Ralph Lauren of unknown vintage. It's pretty damn near perfect repro of a British demob suit. The pattern and apparent jacket shape are wonderfully faithful. With a distinct lack of the "modern-touch" we see so much on repops. From what i can see, the only non-perfect repro details are: The vents, lack of watch pocket in the trousers, maybe low rise?, and a ticket pocket on the jacket that wasn't very common (though it was seen).

I love this suit. Someone got a steal. The opinions of other vintage-istos would be appreciated.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=001&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=110092736330&rd=1&rd=1

Check the button stance & very high gorge.

The fabric like that commonly seen on pac man suits.

And lack of taper to the leg cuffs.

bk

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

One of those retro suits from the seventies?
I almost bought a belted back houndstooth jacket, size 44 a while back. But something about it just didn't seem right. The buttons I think,...they were plastic as I recall, and that would date something to a more modern era I think.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Though from RL, this could just as easily be a suit designed by Avery Lucas in the early or mid 1990s. We've talked about Mr. Lucas before. Based in NYC, he's a great fan of Golden Era tailoring, and is rumored to own a complete collection of Apparel Arts, which is a feat in itself.


I have an Avery Lucas suit that looks pretty much identical to the one in the photos above.


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[Orgetorix]

Man, that's a beautiful suit. I'm sorry I missed it.

 

[herringbonekid]

i've never seen a ticket pocket on a CC41 suit, almost certainly because of restrictions for precisely that kind of thing. the rise does look about an inch and a half too low. but then, only vintage geeks like us would notice such a thing.

very accurate otherwise !

 

[Baron Kurtz]

The reason i'm thinking a repro of a CC41 suit is because of the fabric. At least half of the CC41's i've seen have very similar fabric . . .

bk

 

[Marc Chevalier]

The fabric on that Ralph Lauren repro suit is a lightweight tropical worsted wool. Tropical worsteds existed in the 1930s, and were used for summer suits. They're harder to find these days, but were common enough as recently as the 1990s.


Here's a tropical worsted suit I owned. It's from the later 1930s.

Now, compare its fabric to that of the Ralph Lauren suit:

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[reetpleat]

Suprisingly nice reproduction. The cut is excellent.

Most suits of this era, while rather vintagy, still miss on the pants. Most have flat front and slim thighs. I suppose it might be kind of a twenties attemt.

But these hve the pleasts which give it a little balance. I would argue that the lack of taper in he legs throws them off vintagewise, although not so much thanks to the pleats.

I would consider giving them a proper taper, or at least get rid ofthe sligh flair. We know there were bell bottoms and oxford bags, but neither of them would be justification for a suit like this having a slight flair.

Agree? Disagree anyone?

I wold have to say,I wold consider wearing a suit like that, even though it is not hard to find vintage in my size and I am a bit of a purist. BUt this cut would pass the test, especially if it were cream or white.

Good eye Baron.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I would argue that the lack of taper in he legs throws them off vintagewise, ...

Actually, 1930s trouser options included tapered, straight leg, wide leg, and flared leg. In the '30s, if you ordered a pair of pants from Sears, you could choose any of those options.


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[Baron Kurtz]

the majority of the trousers from my suits have no taper between the knee and the ankle.

bk

 

[Feraud]

That is a great looking suit. I like the high gorge ( a personal perference on DB suits) and the suit is very nicely shaped.
Are the shoulders "roped"?

 

[Micawber]

i've never seen a ticket pocket on a CC41 suit, almost certainly because of restrictions for precisely that kind of thing.

Me neither.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

me neiver, though i have seen 30s and later 40s examples without the CC41 label that had ticket pockets.

bk

 

[herringbonekid]

The fabric on that Ralph Lauren repro suit is a lightweight tropical worsted wool.

doesn't look lightweight to me Marc. looks more like a medium weight. but certainly not as heavy as the original CC41 fabrics.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

My hunch is that the fabric itself is lightweight, but the jacket is fully lined ... which gives the suit a bit of 'body.' Modern suits, even the lightweight kind, tend to be fully lined. (I've even seen modern seersucker suits with full linings.)

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