Ladies suits

[Paisley]

My Dues to the Lounge

A coworker took the picture. Maybe next week I'll have him photograph me in the summer suit. As for the complete winter suits, maybe this winter.

This is the bolero jacket. Imagine this with a pleated skirt where the with a slightly high waist, but the pleats begin at the hips. The length is 3 or 4 inches below the knee. I'd like to wear a different sweater or blouse with this suit. How about this?

 

[Matt Deckard]

Good show madame... good show indeed.

Can't wait for your summer look.

 

[Mr. Rover]

Deckard test?

 

[Wild Root]

A coworker took the picture. Maybe next week I'll have him photograph me in the summer suit. As for the complete winter suits, maybe this winter.

This is the bolero jacket. Imagine this with a pleated skirt where the with a slightly high waist, but the pleats begin at the hips. The length is 3 or 4 inches below the knee. I'd like to wear a different sweater or blouse with this suit. How about this?

Wow, the coat looks pretty cool; I can't wait to see it with the skirt!
As for tops, I would suggest something from maybe Banana Republic, they're making some fantastic ladies tops or blouses that are patterned after 1930's and 40's styles. I would wear something like that with such a high caliber suit such as this. Something with collars and pleated front.

=WR=

 

[RedShoesGirl]

AHhahahahah, oh man, this is good stuff.

Well, to get back on track, I love a lady in a suit. Not pants suits, but a classic 30's or 40's suit topped with a nice hat.

What happened to this look? Where did it go? How come today I see a lady wearing a very nice vintage suit coat but pared with a pair of Levi's?

What are most women thinking today?....

you are really trying to figure out what women are thinking?! Brave man.

I am one of those that pairs vintage jackets with jeans or modern slacks. I like the way it looks. and for my work it is more pratical than a full suit.

so there you have it, at least what one woman is thinking - we like the way it looks.

lara

 

[Wild Root]

you are really trying to figure out what women are thinking?! Brave man.

I am one of those that pairs vintage jackets with jeans or modern slacks. I like the way it looks. and for my work it is more pratical than a full suit.

so there you have it, at least what one woman is thinking - we like the way it looks.

lara

Well, thank you for that, to understand me more, I'm a vintage purest. I see more ladies in mixed vintage then wearing the piece as it was designed. I believe that for the maximum results, they look absolutely stunning the way they were designed. To me (My opinion only remember) jeans are dress down and paired with a dressy gabardine or tweed suit coat is some what confusing. Remember I have a mind of an 80 year old. lol but, truthfully, I'm sure most would enjoy seeing the return of the full skirt suit... not short skirt suits, nice calf length A line or pencil skirt suits. I love the 30's and 40's... the fashion was just so amazing when all put together correctly, I'd just love to see this again.

I know one member here who wears them to work, she gets nothing but complements all the time... good stuff!

=WR=

 

[Tomasso]

How So?(no pun)

Menswear is constructed internally entirely different than womenswear.

Are you speaking of canvassing?

 

[Matt Deckard]

I'm really liking what I am seeing on the racks for you ladies. Went to the local Macy's with my friend Michelle the other day and noticed just the variety of vintage looking fabrics that are used in women's wear. I just wish we had such variety in the men's.

Belted suits and patche pockets. Herringbone three piece numbers and tweed suits galore. Linen cotton blends and bold stripes. Stuff that would work well for men's suitings.

I guess as a guy I'll have to go custom if I don't want something boring.

 

[Paisley]

Wow, the coat looks pretty cool; I can't wait to see it with the skirt!
As for tops, I would suggest something from maybe Banana Republic, they're making some fantastic ladies tops or blouses that are patterned after 1930's and 40's styles. I would wear something like that with such a high caliber suit such as this. Something with collars and pleated front.

=WR=

Thanks! I thought of your post today when I got dressed. The skirt is at the tailor, so I wore the bolero jacket with a white collared shirt and gray flannel pants. I added a silver, antique-looking pin after shining it up with some Bar Keeper's Friend.

 

[olive bleu]

Great stuff ladies & gents... i was just saying to the girls in the powder room that i need to aquire some nice vintage suits for work.Tons of swell ideas.

 

[Lauren]

Are you speaking of canvassing?

Sorry, just checked this thread again. The construction of menswear is so complex that most people who are taught design are not taught it at all. If you take apart even a cheap thrift store men's jacket you'll find an intricate design of layers, padding, etc that just isn't done in women's wear. We had more construction back in say, the 1940's, but generally women's wear is constructed of a fabric, interlining, shoulder pads, and lining. I'm not certain what webbing is, so please let me know if you happen to check this thread again! Also, the design of menswear has to accomidate for the additional layers, and I just really have no idea how to go about doing that!

Lovely suits, ladies! I love seeing them!

 

[Redlights]

Here is my suit. I don't know how old it is or when it is from but I love it. It was my first major wearable vintage purchase (EG: Wearing it around to school/work). I get a lot of compliments on it. I don't have any pictures where I'm kitted up all vintagey so goofing off on a summer day ones will have to do!

Front: top detail...

Front: Sillouette

Back: I must have been doing the robot or something...

Any ideas on date? I can't decide when it's from...

 

[Matt Deckard]

Those pics are stunningly awsome... The dating of ladies suits is best done when i can see the inside. I'll say 40's for now...
beautiful.

 

[manton]

Sorry, just checked this thread again. The construction of menswear is so complex that most people who are taught design are not taught it at all. If you take apart even a cheap thrift store men's jacket you'll find an intricate design of layers, padding, etc that just isn't done in women's wear. We had more construction back in say, the 1940's, but generally women's wear is constructed of a fabric, interlining, shoulder pads, and lining. I'm not certain what webbing is, so please let me know if you happen to check this thread again! Also, the design of menswear has to accomidate for the additional layers, and I just really have no idea how to go about doing that!

I'm not exaclty up to date on women's fashions [understatement] but many bespoke tailors working today make women's suits that are constructed almost identically to a man's suit. I'm talking about the interior, of course; the cut will be significantly different. Back in the day, quite a few tailors learned how to cut both as a matter of course, and the big establishments had cutters who specialized in women's clothes. The great tailoring textbooks from the 30s through the 70s all have ladies' pattern drafting formulas, and take for granted that construction and sewing will be largely the same.

As to what are in the guts of a ladies worsted business suit sold OTR today, I have no idea. But given the economics of the business, I would bet that most or nearly all are fused.

 

[Lauren]

You are exactly correct, manton! Unfortunately, I for one was not taught tailoring, so I can't even begin to fathom all the parts that go into the interior of a suit. The more advanced construction has been nearly always left to the tailors, generally in the past who were male. I believe that tailoring by men for women's fashion began in the lat 18th century with the "masculine" styles which were popularized by Anglomania and to my knowledge the more costructed suits all the way to the present have been made by men or women who are classified as "tailors" rather than "seamstresses". But, of course, the majority of people now if they were to buy a suit would buy it off-the-peg which means that it will not have the intricate costruction that comes with tailoring. I believe that most women's suits now which are mass produced are fused, as you said. With the coats and jackets I have made I use interlining of a muslin or a little heavier weight cotton and insert readymade shoulder pads before I put in the lining.

 

[manton]

It's funny because these days, there are several brands of upper-end men's suits on the market that are fully canvassed and even boast a lot of handwork. I guess no one is doing the same thing for women. I suppose a man's suit can be expected to last several seasons, so the sales staff can more easily justify the high price. Would a typical businesswoman today spend $3,000 on a RTW suit, on the argument that the construction makes it worth it?

BTW, understanding with your brain how a suit is made is not so hard, or at least it's managable. Teaching your fingers how to do it -- that's hard. You could always buy pre-made collars and canvases and machine most of the seams. The one place where you will run into trouble is padding the canvas to the lapels. The machines that do that cost thousands. .

 

[Redlights]

Those pics are stunningly awsome... The dating of ladies suits is best done when i can see the inside. I'll say 40's for now...
beautiful.

Mr. Deckard - what sort of interior shots of the suit do you need? I can take some and post them.

 

[Lauren]

Manton, definately agreed! I would love to study suit construction someday so I can at least wrap my mind around it. It would be wonderful to see firsthand the layers and such that go into it firsthand- I have seen a section in a wool store downtown LA with all the "condiments" if you will, for suit construction and I am the first to admit I'm dumbfounded by them all! And I admit that I may be mistaken, there may very well be a readymade line of women's suits with the interior construction of a men's suit. I guess from my experience going to school for Fashion Design we never addressed more than coatmaking which the only fabric we used in addition to the self and the lining was canvas interlining and shoulderpads [huh]

Redlights, gorgeous suit! It looks possibly late 40's to me. I adore the pictures you posted!

 

[manton]

I would love to study suit construction someday so I can at least wrap my mind around it. It would be wonderful to see firsthand the layers and such that go into it

There's not much, really. Leave aside the trimmings like zippers and pocketings. The canvas typically has three layers: a piece of linen that runs from the shoulder seam to the bottom edge of the coat, and is several inches wide; a piece of stiff horsehair to hold the shape of the chest; and a piece of cotton flannel that covers the horsehair. Otherwise the horse bristles will stick out of the lining and stab you in the chest (this is painful; trust me). These three pieces are sewn together (this is complicated to do oneself) and then attached to the coat front. You can buy the assembly ready-made, but attaching it to the coat front has to be done oneself.

The collar is usually one layer of linen and hymo, pad-stitched together, and then attached to a felt melton undercollar. SHoulderpads can vary widely in terms of thickness, width, materials, and how far over the front and back of the shoulders they go. All of these can also be bought ready-made, and inserted into a coat you make yourself.

I wonder what cloth you are working with that you can skip all this. Heavy stuff? Or are the clothes just more drapey, and that is the style? Me, I like very soft tailioring, and get my stuff that way, but all the basic guts are there.

It's too bad more women's suits are not made this way. Tailoring can do wonders for almost anyone, male of female. Plus, good woolen or worsted cloth is just inimitable.

 

[Honey Doll]

Suit construction

There is a tailor here who does very high end work, Adrian Jules. They had a shop window that had on display a suit jacket as a "work in progress", to show all of the construction-- it was really marvelous to look at. I've considered calling them to get a price on doing a ladies suit, or even inquiring as to whether or not they do that sort of thing.....i'm frearful though that it's a 'if you have to ask, you can't afford it' scenario, given some of their celebrity clientel.

Honey Doll