How it was worn.

[Marc Chevalier]

My limited experience watching movies from that era was the impression that everybody wore some type of suit - you rarely see anyone in a sport coat.

There's a good reason you got that impression. Sport coats --as opposed to, say, blue blazers-- were still a relatively new item in the '30s. More than anywhere else, Southern California (Hollywood!) was the place where they were embraced and made popular. It wasn't until the end of the '30s that sport coats began to be seen with regularity outside of Southern California and Florida beach resorts.


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[mike]

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.... and sometimes the photographer's assistance should make sure the bounce card is out of the way

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.... and sometimes the photographer's assistance should make sure the bounce card is out of the way

Look closely at his waistband. He's wearing a pair of clip-on suspenders.


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[mike]

I quite like the tie though!

 

[benstephens]

There's a good reason you got that impression. Sport coats --as opposed to, say, blue blazers-- were still a relatively new item in the '30s. More than anywhere else, Southern California (Hollywood!) was the place where they were embraced and made popular. It wasn't until the end of the '30s that sport coats began to be seen with regularity outside of Southern California and Florida beach resorts.


.

So, was the sports coat more popular in England in the early 1930s than it was in America? It was pretty much the stable with a pair of Flannels for the British gentlemen throughout the period. I had not realised that it was not that popular in America to wear a sports coats.

Kindest Regards

Ben

 

[Canadave]

...make sure the bounce card is out of the way

[huh] [huh] [huh]

Can you 'splain?

 

[Marc Chevalier]

So, was the sports coat more popular in England in the early 1930s than it was in America?

Very traditional, heavy Harris tweed jackets (from suits) were worn by America's East Coast/New England establishment in the 1920s. However, this 'sport coat' style didn't really spread beyond their 'habitat' until the '30s.


Sport coats made of a wide variety of fabrics and a dizzying array of colors and weaves? That was a Californian innovation.



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[benstephens]

Yes, true enough. You only begin to see those styles in England in the very late 1930s, and even then not in huge numbers.

It is very interesting to look at photographs of recruiting stations in the late 30s and early 40s. The men are obvisously young and the fashions they wear are deffinately influenced by hollywood and America through the cinema. Many sport jackets with belted backs, and very interesting fabrics.

A bot of searching on the Getty Image archive will show these.

Kindest Regards

Ben

 

[mike]

[huh] [huh] [huh]

Can you 'splain?

During an outdoor film or photo shoot a crew will harness natural lighting by bouncing sunlight to fill in shadows from the single light source. I don't know that that actually is what it we're seeing as it seems opposite to where the light/reflecting would be, but it doesn't seem to be on purpose.