I once interviewed a bloke who bought a blue beach suit (described as similar to this) in Puerto Rico during WW2 (after his ship was sunk by an enemy submarine in the Atlantic). He wore it with a panama hat and spectators. He was seventeen years old and all he could think of was 'Wait till i get home to Kent (where he lived in a mining village) the girls will be well impressed by this outfit.'
Unfortunately he was sunk again on the way home and lost his treasured beach suit! So instead, he arrived home in a second hand suit from a seaman's mission in New York.
You're right: He said that even the patterned American socks and boxer shorts were revolutionary in his village (so God knows what they thought of his pet monkey!).
The sleeve length wouldn't bother me: it's a beach jacket and could legitimately be worn with the sleeves rolled up to 3/4 length. I think it would look rather nice. I have a safari jacket and never wear the sleeves down:
BK, i mean it resembles the pseudo - Norfolk straps which stop at the belt seen on many 20s jackets.
purely decorative. i've never seen one on a 30s jacket before.
I agree it does look like that. I think it's a box pleat though. Maybe functional, maybe not. I think this because the closer-up shot of the lapels shows a single central seam in the back with no evidence of stitching to hold down a strap. There's also a central ripple on the "strap" on the rear view of the jacket, the centre of the box pleat.
I had a similar jacket but in cotton. It had barrel cuffs and flaps on the pockets. Same back with a functional box pleat. It was from Abercrombie & Fitch circa 1960
there's a very similar one in the Free & Easy '30s-40s' catalogue made by Levis. they call it 40s but the buttons suggest 30s. no shots of the back though.
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