Main differences between 30's & early 40's suits and the rest out there?

[iammatt]

Pretty obvious in the lapels alone....look at the belly in the vintage suit lapels. And , I might add, that 30's suit you could wear to a rastlin' match and not feel restricted in any movement, they used to know how to make a suit for active folks.

Hmm. The lapels are obvious, but peak lapels will always have more belly and a bit more width, especially in a dinner jacket.

The movement, well I don't really know what you mean. The armholes are identical if not slightly higher in the modern suit, and the extra bit of drape in the chest makes the jacket move quite a bit freer. More than anything, other than the lapels, the lines of the two jackets are very, very similar, although the modern one was made for me and obviously fits better.

Anyway, the point is not that this suit is a copy of a vintage suit, it is not. I don't happen to like the vintage look as much as I do appreciate some details that were done at other points but are not done now. The point is that simply the age or era of a garment means a lot less than the cut and construction of it.

 

[Rooster]

Obviously I need to learn to keep my mouth closed.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

And, well, the jacket on the right looks just like a middle 1930s 2-button notch jacket. Maybe with a little lower button stance.

Bespoke is always best. Far better made than most of the vintage you'll find, though there are of course bad tailors out there.

Do i recall correctly that these jackets were Italian?

bk

 

[iammatt]

And, well, the jacket on the right looks just like a middle 1930s 2-button notch jacket. Maybe with a little lower button stance.

Bespoke is always best. Far better made than most of the vintage you'll find, though there are of course bad tailors out there.

Do i recall correctly that these jackets were Italian?

bk

Yes, both jackets were made in a shop in Naples that opened up in the 20s and have made a point to stay as close as possible to what their own history is. Interestingly he has been buying up the collections of some of the old families in Naples that were made in the shop under his father's management in order to steal a detail here and there and to figure out what is better now and what was better then. Some very interesting stuff in the collection, although much of it is formal wear.

Rooster- sorry if I came on a little strong. Cheers.

 

[reetpleat]

I posted this in response to a similar question on another forum. These two were made 75 years apart at the same tailor shop. I think that the average custom made suit has not changed that much at all, at least in the jacket. The pants have, as have RTW suits, but you do need to be careful before making blanket judgments.

SWorry, but I think this is kind of a coincidence. I look at this and I see a thirties suit, similar to a seventies suit that was influenced by it, and a modern suit which is kind of doing a retro seventies thing.

I would guess that the suit on the left is either pretty modern stylish, or a guy who is still wearing a kind of seventies look.

I could be wrong. But that is the trend in designer suits.

 

[iammatt]

SWorry, but I think this is kind of a coincidence. I look at this and I see a thirties suit, similar to a seventies suit that was influenced by it, and a modern suit which is kind of doing a retro seventies thing.

I would guess that the suit on the left is either pretty modern stylish, or a guy who is still wearing a kind of seventies look.

I could be wrong. But that is the trend in designer suits.

So let me get this straight, you think the one on the left is probably a 1970s suit (or perhaps a modern fashion suit based on the 70s) and the one on the right is a 30s suit of the sort which influenced the 70s styling?

 

[Sin Khan]

I don't think that he is questioning the truth of your post in what you say is a 30's suit and a modern suit. I think what he was trying to say was that the examples that you have used all come from one tailors shop and that the tailors shop has pretty much stuck to the same style of design in most of their suits. What I think he is trying to say is that the 30's suit that you have chosen for an example is a "modern" 30's suit and perhaps not as typical a 30's suit that one would find elsewhere. As well, I think that he is trying to say that your modern suit is a throwback designed suit that more closely resembles a 30‘s suit.

All in all I think that he is trying to say that the examples that you have chosen are too similar to each other and not true representatives of the periods chosen.

However, I have 2 tailoring books on creating suits and both of them list that the methods of creating suits have not changed in over 100 years. Sure styles and cuts change, but the overall design and construction has not (not in a tailored suit anyways).

I too am interested in what worked and what didn't as far as suit design. What gives the best movement? What are the best features for function? It seems to me that we have lost a lot of the usefulness of suits because many of the features that were once prevalent cost too much to create in a modern suit.

I am interested in learning to make my own cloths and coats and perhaps one day a suit so these things interest me greatly. I am still reading the tailoring books so I still have a lot to learn and I have rather no experience in matters of history as it concerns clothing. All I know is what I have read and the modern suits that I own, but I am learning.

 

[Jovan]

Sin: There's a tailor on this forum who goes by Marty M. who should be able to help you. Also, see the blog www.englishcut.com for some insight into the world of tailoring. I've emailed the author, tailor Thomas Mahon, and he usually replies with informative responses.

 

[Edward]

early 40's (pre-WWII) suit?

This made me smile - different cultural perceptions and all that... I always think of WW2 as having consumed the entire first half of the 40s, but then it only began in 39 for Europe.

The experts are strangely quite here ......lol
"Most" of the 30's and 40's suits are not vented. I've seen some belted back 30's suits in the old movies that had a center vent, although I've never had one in my hands personally. They are at times fully lined also as I just sold a '49 dated example with a full lining.

There are several folks on here better qualified than I (to say the least) to comment on this, but to the best of my knowledge while a full lining was not common in the US, it was the standard in the UK, so this may also be an indicator of geographic origin in some cases.

 

[cookie]

Have a Look at this for a Belly!



Someone said 40s but what is it?