Casablanca 'style' white Tuxedo / Dinner Jacket

[chanteuseCarey]

Well, young Daniel (almost 13yo) is too small for the real deal...

So I went for the next best thing. Its a former rental and not vintage, but the little guy's only got a chest measuring 24-1/2" at this age! Here's what I did find for him on evilBay:

This will be perfect for any and all summer events and on the Queen Mary! Yeah, okay so it ain't wool, but this will have to do until he can fit in a size men's size 36S or 36R! Maybe Wingnut can pass down some things on to Daniel someday down the road if he ever outgrows or gets tired of them ! At least it is being appreciated that Daniel is making the effort to want to be appropriately and well dressed for Deco era events and such. He's got white tie and tails already and a single button tux jacket- we just bought him new tux pants in time for the Art Deco Ball that he can grow with for a while. Here's Daniel as dressed for the Art Deco Ball dress, minus his vintage beaver top hat that was checked at the time I took this picture. The lithe blonde with him is his sister (almost 15yo) wearing her vintage silk velvet with ermine trim evening gown.

 

[Chasseur]

Putting mine together... 1940s/50s Palm Beach dinner jacket.

 

[FinalVestige79]

So I went for the next best thing. Its a former rental and not vintage, but the little guy's only got a chest measuring 24-1/2" at this age! Here's what I did find for him on evilBay:

This will be perfect for any and all summer events and on the Queen Mary! Yeah, okay so it ain't wool, but this will have to do until he can fit in a size men's size 36S or 36R! Maybe Wingnut can pass down some things on to Daniel someday down the road if he ever outgrows or gets tired of them ! At least it is being appreciated that Daniel is making the effort to want to be appropriately and well dressed for Deco era events and such. He's got white tie and tails already and a single button tux jacket- we just bought him new tux pants in time for the Art Deco Ball that he can grow with for a while. Here's Daniel as dressed for the Art Deco Ball dress, minus his vintage beaver top hat that was checked at the time I took this picture. The lithe blonde with him is his sister (almost 15yo) wearing her vintage silk velvet with ermine trim evening gown.

Your family astounds me CC, I wish my mother was tolerant of my being vintage...wanna adopt me? I'm a swell cook!

 

[PADDY]

Summertime somewhere in this world...show us your whites!

It's gotta to be summertime somewhere in the World..! So let's see those white Dinner Jackets (or as the Cousins would say...Tux'es ).

From the Fanhams 1938 week...

 

[cookie]

So I went for the next best thing. Its a former rental and not vintage, but the little guy's only got a chest measuring 24-1/2" at this age! Here's what I did find for him on evilBay:

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That jacket profile is so authentic with the bellied lapels.....

 

[chanteuseCarey]

and here he is...

young Daniel wearing his ivory dinner jacket to the recent Mobster's Ball at the Verdi Club in SF, pictured with his sister in her lovely vintage 40s gown. I think they were the youngest attendees.

 

[chanteuseCarey]

I must say it my dear, as much as some dislike this term we ladies oft use here--- *swoon*

You look most dashing in this Paddy. Did the lady pictured with you get to dance an Argentine Tango with you? Or a Foxtrot?

I want this lady's complete outfit, made up in my best colors- especially those killer gloves!!

It's gotta to be summertime somewhere in the World..! So let's see those white Dinner Jackets (or as the Cousins would say...Tux'es ).
From the Fanhams 1938 week...

 

[chanteuseCarey]

Sure GG617, I don't cook... I just heat up! That is not meant to be as blatant as it probably sounds, honest...

Your family astounds me CC, I wish my mother was tolerant of my being vintage...wanna adopt me? I'm a swell cook!

 

[chanteuseCarey]

Thanks cookie, can't beat it for 29 bucks off evilBay. Its terrific except that Daniel gets the darn thing so filthy every time he wears it. Our dry cleaners is a miracle worker on this.

That jacket profile is so authentic with the bellied lapels.....

 

[Tailor Tom]

Getting back to the original question…. Dinner jackets were (and still are) made from lightweight and even tropical weight fabrics, worsted wool & Mohair being the most common. The Mohair was specially sought after, as it had great characteristics for the warms climes, for its wrinkle resistance and its generally more open weaving structure. Some even were advertised as “washable” (obviously with the understanding that the light color would show dirt), these were usually a cotton blend of some sort. Covered buttons (matching the lapel) were favored, but many had Mother of Pearl, true Ivory or Bone buttons. To facilitate breath-ability & comfort further, many Jackets were only half-lined. Trousers had a single braid down the outseam.

For the summer months (particularly in tropical locations), Ivory was the favored color choice for dinner jackets. But, most any non-black color was accepted. Some popular choices in the late 30’s were Midnight blue (double-breasted, shawl collar and brass buttons), along with a tan or beige. The 40’s saw a rise in the popularity of collars made from matching material, or synthetics as opposed to traditional silk collar/lapels, what with silk being scarce and used mainly in the military (parachutes). The 50’s saw an even wider palette of colors, including French Blues and Burgundies, tone-on-tone, along with the onset of plaid.

I recently acquired the fabric I will be using for my own upcoming Dinner Jacket, lightweight worsted wool & Cashmere, approx 8.5 oz. in the classic Ivory color. When it will get built is an open-ended question, much as the cobblers going shoeless, personal items are the very last things to be built.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Some popular choices in the late 30’s were Midnight blue (double-breasted, shawl collar and brass buttons),...

Brass buttons? Huh?


.

 

[jamespowers]

Good points. Your Palm Beach materials were a cotton Mohair blend. I forget the percentages but here is a blurry picture of the cleaning instructions:

A page from a 1916 suit catalog noting the cotton content of Palm Beach Material.

Palm Beach Label:

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I forget the percentages ...

You can't forget what you never knew. (The exact percentages were a 'company secret'.)


.

 

[jamespowers]

You can't forget what you never knew. (The exact percentages were a 'company secret'.)


.

Actually they weren't. I have the percentages here somewhere. In fact, I think it was on the clothing itself about how much of each was used. On the ties I think it was. Something in the order of 55-45.
Here's another ad:

 

[chanteuseCarey]

the first time...

I can clearly remember seeing a man in a wool ivory dinner jacket was way back when I was single, and attended a Michael Feinstein summer concert at the Paul Masson Winery in Saratoga, CA in 1989. M. Feinstein's DJ jacket had a herringbone weave in the fabric. My goodness, that jacket was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever seen... Mr. Feinstein was very easy on a lady's eyes that night, with a singing voice like velvet...

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Actually they weren't. I have the percentages here somewhere. In fact, I think it was on the clothing itself about how much of each was used. On the ties I think it was. Something in the order of 55-45.

I'd like to see that, since I've read the opposite in Goodall's own ads -- and I've never come across the percentages anywhere, despite having seen many, many vintage Palm Beach Cloth items.


Not denying what you're saying ... just want to see it in black and white.

.

 

[jamespowers]

I'd like to see that, since I've read the opposite in Goodall's own ads -- and I've never come across the percentages anywhere, despite having seen many, many vintage Palm Beach Cloth items.


Not denying what you're saying ... just want to see it in black and white.

.

I'll have to look for it. I think it was on one of my bowties. It kind of surprised me as well when I noticed it. [huh]

 

[Tailor Tom]

Brass buttons? Huh?


.

The brass button adornment was quoted from Esquire. And I have seen formal ware with brass buttons, I admit very rare and some ties to the military come to mind, but they are out there.

 

[PADDY]

Hamming-it-Up from MadMen (Don in his Tux)

Hard to beat a white Tux, but...this 60's rendition just wouldn't work for 'me,' (totally personal choice), as the narrow lapels wouldn't flatter my body shape, in my humble opinion. But Messr's Hamm does 'Ham it Up' well in the outfit.

 

[Feraud]

I'll have to look for it. I think it was on one of my bowties. It kind of surprised me as well when I noticed it. [huh]

Please do check your bowtie. I recently saw a Palm Beach bowtie label and I believe there was the fabric content noted on it.