Clear vintage Raincoats

[Metatron]

Hello loungers, I just watched the french movie 'Port of Shadows' with Jean Gabin from 1938 [not a bad movie, a bit tedious]
and noticed this:

The girl's raincoat is obviously transparent, and looks just like nylon. Can anyone confirm if this is actually the case? I know that nylon existed at the time, but I hadn't thought it was widely commercially available this early.
Certainly looks like something rare, and ahead of it's time, in fact like something from the late 1950s or 1960s, but then I guess France is often a leader in fashion design.

 

[Dinerman]

Clear rubber/vinyl raincoats were made back then- I have an ad somewhere from a US manufacturer if I can track it down. The company I'm thinking of also made clear belts and suspenders.

 

[dhermann1]

They were thought of as very cool, but the plastic tended to crack if you looked at it funny. And I think this happened almost as soon as they were made, not after years of use.

 

[Dinerman]

Scarlet Street. 1945.
Looks flimsier than the one above, but the idea is the same.

Phantom Lady. 1944

Source

Follow me Quietly. 1949. SOURCE

Miss Sadie Thompson. 1953.SOURCE

I'm moving this to the Powder Room. Since these seem to be primarily women's coats (though I know they made them for children as well), it might get more traffic over there.

 

[Dinerman]

Although here is proof they did make them for men as well. 1946. Elastiglas. Made of nylon/vinyl.

 

[MikePotts]

I remember a British company call 'Pacamac' or possibly 'Pak-A-Mak' (or some other version of the same thing) who made lightweight nylon/plastic raincoats for men and women, very cheap and handy to have in the North of England on a bright summers day!

 

[Lauren]

Yes, they did do clear plastic rain coats and other articles of clothing and accessories. They seldom survive today, and if they do, they are generally an all over yellow hue. I forget the actual name of the material used, but it was an early plastic.

 

[lareine]

Reminds me of the clear straps on my Swatch watches as a teenager, which always went yellow with wear. It's not a good look.

If you are handy with a sewing machine it would be quite easy to make a clear raincoat using modern materials. You'd just need a walking foot or Teflon foot for the machine so it didn't catch and grip onto the PVC or whatever was being used as fabric.

 

[sheeplady]

Scarlet Street. 1945.
Looks flimsier than the one above, but the idea is the same.

Not too get too off topic, but did anyone else notice her shoes? They are gorgeous!

 

[Metatron]

Well what do you know, another sighting, this time in 'Brighton Rock'