BRITISH Belt-Back Suits and Sports Jackets

[Two Types]

As is often noted here on the FL, British suits and jackets with belt-backs are somewhat rare. As such, I thought I would start to search for advertisements offering them for sale to the great British public.

Here are the first I was able to locate:

The first is from 1937 and gives a rear view of a summer sports jacket complete with belt:

The next is from 1938 and shows sports jackets from 'Jacksons the Tailors'. They offer a choice of a variety of styles of pleated or gathered backs. Available in a selection of coloured tweeds:

This is from 1939. Cornish's Men & Boys Wear offer sports jackets with the choice of plain or belted backs. Again, a selection of tweeds, including Harris Tweed:

Hopefully, I'll be able to find some more.

 

[Guttersnipe]

What's really interesting about these, is since the English much more than Americans maintain distinctions between "city" and "country" cloths/colors, we can infer the intended purpose of these garments very clearly. I like that flannel trousers ate clearly referred to as weekend wear too. Thanks for posting!

One question: in the old Pound Sterling system, when a price is written as 7/6, does that mean 7 shilling and 6 pence or 7 pound and 6 shillings?

 

[Qirrel]

7 shillings/6 pence. 20 shillings to the pound. The guinea is also frequently seen in menswear catalogs. I believe it was seen as a sort of status symbol to quote the price of something in guineas. (One guinea=21 shillings.)

 

[Baron Kurtz]

yes, and often in the lower end catalogues, they shy away from using pounds (sounds more expensive). so you quite often see things marketed at 57/6 and the like crazy numbers. Perhaps this was because people were so used to working in numbers way, way, way below the pound that they found absurdly high numbers of shillings easier to understand.

I'll post some of my catalogue belt back references when I get a chance. One, The Houndsditch Warehouse Co. General Catalogue For 1938 offers many different back treatments, and has illustrations of them. I think my Dunlop Sports Clothing for 1939 catalogue also has belted backs, but I'm not sure.

bk

 

[herringbonekid]

TT, in case you forgot about this one from the British suits thread:

Lounge Sports jacket and flannels, 1939:

is this thread just for ads or photos too ?

(apart from the light blue Burtons suit in the British suits thread and BK's possible one from Australia are there any other British belt-backs already posted on here ? Ben ?)

 

[Two Types]

HBK: I think this could be a place for adverts, old photographs, film stills and photos of Loungers' suits. Throw them all in! I was going to copy over the pictures from the 'british suits' thread, but was a bit tired last night.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Is that Burton's? The back of the brown one looks like the back on mine.

TT, in case you forgot about this one from the British suits thread:

Lounge Sports jacket and flannels, 1939:

is this thread just for ads or photos too ?

(apart from the light blue Burtons suit in the British suits thread and BK's possible one from Australia are there any other British belt-backs already posted on here ? Ben ?)

 

[Two Types]

Yes. Burtons, 1939.

 

[Fletch]

What's becoming clear is that this was an American style that took a few years to cross over to Britain. And that was a real departure back then. When Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David was the only serious influence on American men's clothes, this was like putting toothpaste back in the tube.

It was always my impression that the beltback style came out of Hollywood, or at least caught on there, and that it was around the time the drape or blade suit came here from England. That was 1934, about when your modestly well off gent could start buying new clothes again.

 

[herringbonekid]

Is that Burton's? The back of the brown one looks like the back on mine.

and like this one:

which may have served as inspiration for this one:

 

[Baron Kurtz]

My one. Pocket pleats match rear pleats:

 

[Fletch]

Much nicer looking with the yoke shoulder. The one in the b&w still forms these 3 huge arcs that remind me of...hell, I don't know what they remind me of. They look flashy and cheap, which might have been the point.

BTW, it's Richard Attenborough in Brighton Rock, 1947.

 

[Mario]

BTW, it's Richard Attenborough in Brighton Rock, 1947.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...-their-suits&p=1492793&viewfull=1#post1492793

 

[Fletch]

Thanks - I'd forgotten that posting. Dickie's character definitely has the look of a guy who had connections in the black market.

 

[Two Types]

Some more adverts ...

Whitson 1936, a choice of 'plain or fancy back' sports jackets:

Here are sports jackets by 'Jacksons the Tailor' in 1938:

detail:

Here is a belt-back jacket made by 'Sandom' (1937):

Here are two adverts for 'Sportown' jackets. They are both almost identical. In 1936, they are offering a choice of pleated or plain pockets.The main difference is that the 1936 advert doesn't offer belt backs, however there is the choice of 'plain, half belt or pleated back models' in 1937:

Easter 1937:

 

[herringbonekid]

from the George Formby film "turned out nice again" 1941, a gathered back jacket with pleat pockets:

oddly, for a sports jacket this one is pinstriped:

and from "Come on George!" 1939, a light tweed pleated back worn with jodhpurs:

 

[Mario]

Where, oh where have they gone, one and all?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

From the 1938 General Catalogue of the Houndsditch Warehouse Co., Ltd. Batteries just died on my camera, so this cruddy iMac photograph will be replaced when I have more batteries. They offered these in 4 different belt back styles and a plain back, too: A belt with "action" pleats to the shoulders (similar to those seen on Pinkie's jacket); Scalloped shoulder yoke, full length centre pleat and belt with smaller side pleats; belt with no pleats; belt with small side pleats.

trorusers available in waist sizes 32-42 inches. Chest sizes were 34-42, mentioned on a different page.

 

[herringbonekid]

Where, oh where have they gone, one and all?

i'm hoping Ben Stephens can add something to our collection of two British belt backs.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I know he told me once of a cream suit that he'd passed on to someone else. I think it might have been belted.

bk