Cuffed Sleeves

[Mr Maltby]

Gents -

One thing I never see on modern suits is the cuff on the sleeve of the actual coat. I was curious if you fellas could enlighten me on origins, or why they died out, or if any of you guys have got them on your fine apparel? Alot of the crooners in the vegas/sharkskin era had them. Frank had them as early as the 40's. Well, men of knowledge. Please enlighten. Cheers, Kevin

PS I also noticed I posted this in suits instead of Jackets. Sorry, men.

 

[Senator Jack]

Really? A buttoned cuff on the jacket? You mean like folded back like a french cuff? I used to collect a lot of sharkskin/60s suits in my younger days and I don't recall ever coming across one like that. Can you supply pics?

Oh, and welcome to the lounge.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Tomasso]

I've Heard Them Called Both Casino And Cocktail Cuffs.

Here's the POW sporting them. I love this photo, look at their facial expressions. And, what is the POW's right hand doing to elicit such a response from the First Lady?

I've read that the cuffs were a post WWII Saville Row affectation that was a nod to an Edwardian coat style. It ran for around twenty years with the Rat Pack, Teddy Boys and such.


]

 

[scotrace]

Welcome!

They seem to have a military origin. You don't see them much after the Edwardian. Anone have better pictures?

 

[Terry Lennox]

I found a sweet sharkskin with that style cuff, but didn't buy it as it was too short in the sleeve and thought it would be tough to lengthen....

 

[Senator Jack]

I have these on two tuxedo jackets. I'd like to see pics of them on a 60s suit, though.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Senator Jack]

Except for Mr. A.E. Newman's tux jacket, the other pics are of overcoats. Quite common on them, of course.

 

[Senator Jack]

Scotrace, now I'm thinking that since the tux is the descended from military garb, it's natural that the cuff would be incorporated. Are they still doing this?

Regards,

SJ

 

[Tomasso]

A Tidbit, Jack.

I'm thinking that since the tux is the descended from military garb, it's natural that the cuff would be incorporated.

From Henry Poole & Co.


http://www.henrypoole.com/the_true_story_of_the_tuxedo.html

 

[Senator Jack]

Having read through that item, it now puts into my head something I never thought about this before. Why do smoking jackets have cuffs? An offshoot of the tux, or a precursor? It is a bit like wearing a tux, isn't it?

 

[Tomasso]

a precursor

Yep, the smoking jacket begot the dinner jacket but the DJ didn't acquire cuffs until after WWII.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I have a 60s (1968, i think) chesterfield overcoat with such cuffs (velvet, naturally).

I can't say i'm a fan of the style, but then i'm not much of a New Edwardian fan.

bk

 

[Mr Maltby]

Well, I have them on a standard sharkskin suit coat from "May Co" which looks to be from the early 1960's. Its definately there on tuxedo jackets as well. However, all the guys from then who went to a place like Sy Devore "Tailor To The Stars" (jerrly lewis *who never wore the same suit twice due to an allergic reaction to the dry cleaning cleaning chemicals*, the whole rat pack, david niven, bob hope, john wayne, anyone who was worth anything in hollywood at that time) had them on a good amount of their normal suits. not just on their after 6 attire. And again I have seen photos of sinatra as early as the 1940s with these cuffs on his every day suits.

 

[Senator Jack]

Must be regionalized to LA and environs, maybe even to the tailors they used. Definitely have not come across that on the East Coast. I should think it would have stuck in my mind. Do you know if they wear them in any films? Or is there a Sinatra documentary you can refer me to? I'd really like to see how it looks.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Mr Maltby]

The Bellboy

but of course!

I was just watching the bellboy last night. Jerry Lewis does a guest appearance(in addition to playing Stanley the Bellboy) as himself, as does Milton Berle. The both of the aforementioned cuffs. Besides, its just an awesome film.

 

[Tomasso]

Must be regionalized to LA and environs, maybe even to the tailors they used.

LaBaron was a large RTW concern that offered cuffed sleeves well into the 1970's.

 

[Wolfmanjack]

The Edwardian look enjoyed a brief period of popularity in the early '60s. I know, because I owned an Edwardian suit at the time. It was four button, single-breasted, three-piece, in a brown, loose tweed fabric. Yes, it had 1.5 in. cuffs on the sleeves of the coat and no cuffs on the narrow trousers. I wore it with a tab-collar, French cuff shirt and a narrow paisley tie. I smoked a pipe in those days; and the whole look was very Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

I was sophomore in college, just out of the Army and 3 yrs. older than most of my fellow students, so I could carry it off in a way no 19-year-old chap could. It was (ahem) quite a hit with the 19-year-old ladies. Sowed quite a few wild oats with that suit.

Thanks for the opportunity to share a reminiscence of my younger days.

 

[Senator Jack]

All right. The Bellboy. I'm going to put that on Netflix list and look out for those cuffs.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

I have to find some good pictures of the wedding if Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate in 1968. Polanski wore one of those "Edwardian" suits.

 

[Senator Jack]

Yes, this I've seen before, but is it what we're talking about? I don't think so. I can't imagine Sinatra in one of these. From what I'm led to believe, we're looking for the cuffed sleeves but with a notched lapel. With the shawl collars, these look more like the tux jacket I posted than a sharkskin.

Regards,

SJ