Show Us Vintage GERMAN Suits

[Mario]

Lovely. I really like the lapels on this jacket.

 

[Fastuni]

But the body is bloody short (total 71 cm).
The sleeves are good (65 cm), the legs work fine (after letting out).

I'd hate to pass this one on - it's my only non-sport notch-lapel (and even with waistcoat).
But if I get the feeling that it is way too short for me I'd just might have to.

 

[Broccoli]

Great roll to that jacket, and those lapels are quite huge. Lovely how the arms are longer than the rest of the coat. Do you have all the three pieces?

Edit: I now see you've posted all parts. They look equally good, that is a great suit to have. What trouser inseam do you require? Is 65cm not quite long for the arms? I know you are about 8cm taller than me though.

 

[Fastuni]

I would have liked it better if the body was a bit longer than the sleeves.

My inseam is around 82 cms. 65 cm sleeves are minimum. 67 cm is ideal.
I have quite long arms and legs.

 

[Two Types]

Is that another new discovery? How do you keep doing it?

Now find me one!

 

[Fastuni]

Yes my most recent discovery.
I must have won the favor of the vintage goddess...
although she must have a sense of sadistic humor, as I currently tend to find too many short sizes (either in your or my size)!

 

[Metatron]

Nice, we haven't been seeing that style of lapel for a while now.

 

[Broccoli]

It is not always easy to carry a such short jacket. Not always does it look suitable, and longer jackets are always a safe bet. I have found that mostly younger and thinner men fit into shorter jackets. Picture an old or a stout man in a jacket that short, and it probably will look a bit silly. I am not at all saying you are fat or old, but it is probably harder also for longer men to wear short jackets.

 

[Fastuni]

I am not at all saying you are fat or old, but it is probably harder also for longer men to wear short jackets.

Haha. Yes, I am neither old nor fat, but there is a thin line between short and too short.

It's about proportions, too. I have long arms and legs... therefore the jacket length ought to reach at least my wrists.
I will make photos of me wearing this suit and you can judge.

 

[Broccoli]

Very good point. I had not thought about that. But that must be one of the reasons that I can wear shorter jackets, since my arms always are too short for every suit. I need about a 60,5cm arm even though I am nearly 180cm...
It would very be interesting to see that jacket being worn.

 

[Two Types]

I currently tend to find too many short sizes (either in your or my size)!

Yes, I checked the most recent large jacket and it is about two inches shorter than most of my others!

 

[Rabbit]

Adding one point to the fat-and-old discussion, I find it interesting how different jacket lengths can look so differently in front versus profil view. I'm not saying that one of the extremes in the pics below is better than the other, although the longer jacket is certainly the safer bet, as Broccoli so aptly put it, and the shorter one isn't for every day. It seems to me that a short jacket that looks fine in front view can look too short in profile view, depending on body proportions. I'd compare this to the approach in full dress, where an idealized shape is achieved by combining a short jacket front with longer sides/back.

US late 30s/ early40s to the left, German 30s to the right:

 

[herringbonekid]

...I find it interesting how different jacket lengths can look so differently in front versus profile view.

i think the rear view is the least forgiving when it comes to jacket length, but probably the one we consider least. i saw a guy at an event once in a very nice vintage DB flannel suit. it looked superb from all angles until he turned around and you saw about 2 inches of the trouser seat protruding out the bottom edge of the jacket.

 

[Broccoli]

Yes, the rear and side view are certainly what stands out the most on short jackets. Still, one might argue that it is part of the "charm". I see it as something to make some perhaps boring suits a bit more hip and fashionable.

 

[Rabbit]

i think the rear view is the least forgiving when it comes to jacket length, but probably the one we consider least. i saw a guy at an event once in a very nice vintage DB flannel suit. it looked superb from all angles until he turned around and you saw about 2 inches of the trouser seat protruding out the bottom edge of the jacket.

You're right of course. In that context I recently discovered that, surprisingly or not as the case may be, a lot of my vintage jackets are cut shorter in the back than in the front. I don't think I've seen the reverse (longer back than front). I had assumed that an evenly cut front/back would have been the norm (if there is such a thing), but perhaps that isn't true.

 

[Mario]

Is that another new discovery? How do you keep doing it?

Don't ask him. He'll answer your question in the most harmless, innocuous manner. It will come across sounding perfectly reasonable, but when you try to put his advice into practice you'll most probably discover that there must be more to it. Somethig he never mentioned. Maybe he comes from a very distant place where the spacetime fabric has been radically altered - or else he's simply not revealing all of his tricks to us. Don't ask him...

 

[herringbonekid]

I had assumed that an evenly cut front/back would have been the norm (if there is such a thing), but perhaps that isn't true.

nearly all suit / sports jackets are a tad longer at the front. i've never found an official reason why, but it seems to be the accepted thing.


p.s. it wasn't that the guy's jacket (mentioned above) was significantly shorter at the back than the front... just that you didn't notice anything 'off' from the front.

 

[Two Types]

The front view of the short German jacket looks wonderful. I have a similar jacket and I really like how it makes my legs appear longer.

Of course, I've never seen a back view of myself.

 

[Fastuni]

I think the reason why jackets are usually shorter in the back is to allow for a good fit in sitting posture.

***

Rabbit, the right one is a good short length as it reaches your wrists. That's for me the deciding factor.

A well-fitting short jacket looks more dynamic and sportive than long jackets.
This is why European sport coats were always cut a bit shorter than their normal suit equivalents.

 

[Dostioffsky]

First of all, sorry for the late reply.

Dostioffsky, that British jacket is cracking. Jackets from the teens and earlier in wearable condition are hard enough to find as it is, which makes it all the more interesting. I think it deserves to be worn - with a repair of the cuff extensions - despite the jacket being so remote from late 20s/ 30s jacket styles. You wear it well in the photo.
Looks like you have a lucky hand in finding vintage clothes!

I do really like the similarities it has to the late 10s/early 20s style of jackets with its button stance and slanted pocket. I don't know if I have a lucky hand, might just be 'beginners luck' as they say.

Two new suits from the Stuttgart region.

1. Blue pinstripe peak-lapel SB from Stuttgart.

This one (lapels and drape) look similar to Dostioffskys extraordinary Dutch suit (except my lapels are a bit wider).

Quite similar indeed!

2. Dark blue ropestripe DB from Kornwestheim near Stuttgart.

The construction of the fly is exactly the same as on my suit. It also has that strap with the two buttons. No ticket pocket, though. I suspect that is what the breast pocket was used for.

Here's my Swedish "£2 suit"

Great! It has lots of character!