Show us your British suits

[herringbonekid]

some more circular corner thingies (from a 1903 trashed blazer which just sold for £300):

these ones are more delicately done than the last blazer.
you can clearly see in this photo that no topstitching goes through the pad so it must be, as Nick suggests, simply a cover for a corner stay.
(a corner stay so ugly that it must be hidden behind a small circular shield !)

 

[Qirrel]

(a corner stay so ugly that it must be hidden behind a small circular shield !)

It wouldn't be very neat to have those little squares of linen uncovered, in my opinion.
And while we are on the topic of pocket stays, here is another way of doing it. (A better way, to be precise.):

 

[Two Types]

Here are some British Suit advertisements from Burtons catalogues in the 1930s:

Ready to wear:

Plus 4s, 1939:

1939 flannel double breasted:

1939 Dinner Suit:

1939 Business Suit:

Lounge Sports jacket and flannels, 1939:

Made to measure in 'Pinnacle Weaves', 1939:

Made to measure in 'Oceanic Weaves', 1939:

Made to measure for the younger made, peaked lapels, 1939:

 

[Two Types]

DAKs suit adverts, 1950s:

1951:

1953:

1953:

 

[esteban68]

great adverts TT, liking the 3 button belted back patch pocket number in the Burton catalogue...wondering if my local tailor could do a version?

 

[Two Types]

great adverts TT, liking the 3 button belted back patch pocket number in the Burton catalogue...wondering if my local tailor could do a version?

Don't some branches of Burtons still make suits? (I'm sure they did a few years ago). I so, find a branch that does, take in the advert, and tell them to look through their records for that suit (and expect to see some very blank faces).

 

[esteban68]

I think Burtons first shop was just down the road from me on 20 Holywell Street, the shop was insured under the name The Cross-Tailoring Company(Holywell Cross being the area) , our local Burtons sells fashion stuff mostly ....even the ads in BITD were better!

 

[herringbonekid]

Lounge Sports jacket and flannels, 1939:

English belt-backs like this are the holy grail. to this day i haven't found one.

 

[Nick D]

Don't some branches of Burtons still make suits? (I'm sure they did a few years ago). I so, find a branch that does, take in the advert, and tell them to look through their records for that suit (and expect to see some very blank faces).

Burtons has a made-to-measure service, but not bespoke. I have a mid-50s Burtons gray flannel 3-piece, it's one of my favorite suits.

 

[herringbonekid]

i trust that London dwellers have all made a pilgrimage to the Simpsons of Piccadilly store on Jermyn Street to try a spot of time travel ? (now Waterstones).

 

[Two Types]

i trust that London dwellers have all made a pilgrimage to the Simpsons of Piccadilly store on Jermyn Street to try a spot of time travel ? (now Waterstones).

I was a little disappointed when they modernised the toilets a couple of years back.

I am quite keen on the 5th floor cocktail bar - if only for the fantastic view across Westminster.

 

[PADDY]

Burtons of today has no resemblance to Montague Burton in terms of style, knowledge base or service. It's all very sad how downhill it has gone.

 

[herringbonekid]

Burtons of today has no resemblance to Montague Burton in terms of style, knowledge base or service. It's all very sad how downhill it has gone.

i wonder if they even have an archive of patterns and fabrics etc ?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I passed up on a baby blue Burton's belt back DB suit. Couldn't afford £100 at the time. The other one I've seen, I own. henry Boxer made me take it off so he could study it when I went into Old Hat; that's how rare these things are!

English belt-backs like this are the holy grail. to this day i haven't found one.

 

[Nick D]

I was a little disappointed when they modernised the toilets a couple of years back.

They've been tearing out all the '30s fixtures in the university here and replacing them with the same bland modern ones with automatic taps that don't work right. I think I'm the only one sad about it.

i wonder if they even have an archive of patterns and fabrics etc ?

Leeds City Museum might, given the link between Montague Burton and Leeds for decades when Burton was still making suits and Leeds was still a textile centre.

 

[Two Types]

They are held by West Yorkshire Archive Service:
http://www.archives.wyjs.org.uk/

 

[herringbonekid]

The other one I've seen, I own.

please post some photos of it when you have time.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

please post some photos of it when you have time.

 

[herringbonekid]

ah that one. amazing jacket thanks BK, i didn't realise it was English. what's the label ?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

There're no labels. Construction, lining type and inner pocket placement mark it as British.

The only spanner in the works is that it came from a store in Sydney. But the construction is different from any Australian vintage jacket I've seen/handled, and identical to pretty much every British suit jacket I've got.

bk