Show us your suits

[thunderw21]

Good deal.

I can never seem to find vintage shops the have good suits for prices that aren't insane.

I've heard that time and again, especially on the two coasts. Guess I'm lucky to find a decently priced place nowadays.

 

[reetpleat]

This is the best 3pc I've found yet in terms of classic period silhouette.

It's lightish-weight super-itchy oxford, labeled "Silvertone," in a polychrome stripe over navy blue and dates from ca. 1940. (ACTWU tag © 1939 and an over-all prewar cut tell me so.)

Hat is a Schoble Cavanaugh-edge from johnnyphi's auctions. Cost more than the suit!

With charcoal grey and plain navy trou for comparison. In good light you see tones of maroon, powder blue and an undertone of charcoal.

No visible wear or damage on this babe, altho it was worn (found cigarette or pipe tobacco shreds in the pockets).
Size 46R(!), so it'll need a good bit of taking in. (I've got it pinned up in the pix.)

That must have been labelled very badly, because that size in such a shap suit should have brought $300 or so. The irony is it went to a guy who is too small for it.

 

[Dr Doran]

I've been thrifting with some pretty good results. Found a '40s? '50s? 2 button for $5, it's made from Pacific Mills "Mohara" fabric, a lightweight summer wool blend, with, if the name's any indication, some mohair in it. It was Tailored by Joseph & Feiss Co exclusively for the Leon Godchaux Clothing Company of New Orleans, La. Skeleton lined, overall decent worn condition. Important thing is that there was no mothing. The pants are cuffed, double pleated with dropped loops, suspender buttons, watch pocket, talon zip, gripper snaps. Pretty standard stuff.

The other suit is newer, I don't know by how much, but it has a very vintage feel to it. It was also $5 from the same thrift shop. It's a southwick, half lined two button. The fabric feels like the fabric on my '40s jackets, with that same slight stiffness and fine scratchiness to it; very heavy-weight with a nice stripe.
Feels very high quality.

pics to come.

Perhaps I need to go to Nova Scotia.

 

[Dinerman]

Perhaps I need to go to Nova Scotia.

That was back in Maryland. I'm going thrifting this weekend, my dorm walls look pretty sad and I need something to put up. We'll see if in the process I turn up any good clothes.

 

[Dr Doran]

Few things are as fun as decorating a place from scratch by getting things from thrift stores.

That was back in Maryland. I'm going thrifting this weekend, my dorm walls look pretty sad and I need something to put up. We'll see if in the process I turn up any good clothes.

 

[thunderw21]

I like the Double Breasted.

 

[thunderw21]

The above suit in full wear.

The jacket fit is decent, though the original owner must have had a rather large rear. The jacket back is huge near the bottom. Trousers fit fine after I took them in.

The legs measure 20" in circumference at the hem. Very nice drape.

 

[undertaker]

After what has seemed like a long time, I've finally come up with morning dress of which I'm pleased, and for a relatively inexpensive amount. Enjoy.

John

G.G.,

Just been catching up on some posts and found this one. I have to concur with the others it looks great! I have a similar outfit that I wear to Civil War functions\renactments as, you guessed it, the Undertaker. You can find a reason if you look hard enough . Again, it looks great on you.

Regards,
J.S.

 

[resortes805]

You are strictly forbiden to wear "Gibus" or opera top hats with morning dress.

Owned.

 

[brendon]

My suit has arrived two weeks ago and just got it back from the seamstress, who let out the pants and took in the waist a bit. The jacket still feels a little baggy to be, but the pants are great.


I'm wearing it with my new favourite tie and a matching hankie.

Regards,
Henrik

im ew t this thread im slowly readin thought previous posts glad to see you finally got rid of te awuful clip on braces seen in your first post i look forward to putting upsome pics when i get my first vintage suit

 

[brendon]

After what has seemed like a long time, I've finally come up with morning dress of which I'm pleased, and for a relatively inexpensive amount. Enjoy.

John

excellent get up i recently ried stiiff wing collars for the first time and loved it how was it wearing an imperial was it comfortable i'm looking to start geting some more vintage clothes as i really enjoy wearing them

 

[scotrace]

Well done. Excellent hat & footwear choices as well.

 

[GBR]

Can you not present this with some punctuation - IE paragraphs - it is unreadable.

First, I must explain that I am a college student with an incurable and hopelessly romantic hobby and interest in vintage menswear, so naturally, I had to get my hands on morning dress, a look that's always interested me, but without breaking the bank, and yet still looking smart and proper. I have to thank everyone at the Fedora Lounge, which has served as entertainment for countless hours, for allowing me to read up on what the rules are. I'm glad I learned that some things just aren't done. I guess we'll start from the bottom up. Basic, sturdy, fairly high-quality, plain black captoe oxfords of Johnston & Murphy that I got at Jos. A. Bank. They're very nice. Yes, Balmoral boots, or some type of canvas-topped button boot would be nice, but those are pretty rare in good condition, and to get them made today would be expensive. Here, I can use these shoes with all my suits, and I think they fit the parameters of morning dress footwear pretty well, at least, better than some God-awful blucher or square-toed shoe or something. Next, we see where this look becomes my own, not the stereotypical look, and where I saved a good amount. The trousers were a part of a suit that I "acquired" from my dad's closet. They were gray and had white pinstripes, so I made them work for the time being. Perhaps I will get a vintage pair of morning trousers with the more traditional wedding stripe some day, but as many of you know, there were plenty of variations in trouser patterns in the old days, so I think these do fine for now. I did have to make my own alterations to them though: first, they had cuffs at the bottom, a no-no, so I turned them up into the leg and sewed them in place, thereby also shortening the trousers to my leg, because my dad's legs are longer than mine. I also added suspender buttons to the waistline, and I think the trousers work nicely. The shirt was a bit of an expense, because I bought it from across the pond from the Vintage Shirt Co. It's their standard white tunic shirt, collarless, and with double cuffs. I have attached to that, one of their 2.5" high Imperial collars (while I have several different collar styles, I just happened to choose that one to wear). The waistcoat and tailcoat came together from eBay. The waistcoat is a charcoal gray, almost black, 6-button, single-breasted number, lacking lapels, and with a grosgrain braid around the front. I noticed the existence of what I learned were waistcoat slips a couple of years ago, and really liked the look. I've always been creative, and after realizing that it would be very difficult to find a vintage one by itself, I decided to make my own. Perhaps you could use this idea yourself for an inexpensive addition to waistcoats, if you don't think it's too childish. All I did was take an old, white button-down shirt, and took a seam-ripper to the buttonhole placket. Then I cut the buttons off the other side, sewed them to the inside of the waistcoat, and buttoned the placket to the buttons. You might be laughing at this ghetto mod, but I bet most of you thought it was a real waistcoat slip, and would never have known, had I not told you. Anyway, moving on to the tailcoat. As I said, I got it with the waistcoat off of eBay. Unfortunately, I don't remember how much I paid for the two, probably serving as a testament to their inexpensiveness. It is also the dark charcoal gray, and also has the grosgrain trim. Peak lapels would be nice, but as this coat is from the 30's, I know that notch lapels were around then, and I have seen fashion plates and other things which show men in notch lapel morning tailcoats. It has a single-button closure, and features 3 buttons at the cuffs. The sleeve lining was in poor condition, which contributed to it's diminished value, but no one will know anymore. The lapel has a buttonhole in it, so I added a flower for a splash of color, and I also have a square-folded pocket handkerchief to round things out. I think that about covers the coat. The necktie is just a regular necktie I had in my closet, which I just tied on with a four-in-hand knot. The top hat was one of the most expensive things in the look, but I just had to splurge on a good hat, as anything less would be undesirable to me. It's a vintage black silk pop-up hat, virtually flawless on the outside; worse off on the inside, from where the supports tore the lining when the hat was compressed. I was able to get it off of eBay as well for somewhere around $100. This particular type of hat is probably more evening-wear-kosher, but it's a hell of a lot better than practically anything else you can get today, certainly better than those horrible wool felt pieces of crap you get from most places. Plus, this one hat complements my full dress attire as well, so its versatility was a bonus. Accessories include a pocket watch, the chain of which you can see, a cane, and gloves. The gloves are cheap...they are just gray cotton costume-quality gloves with the three welts on the back. For me, something like gloves seemed a trivial expense for which to go all the way. Yes, it would be nice to have a pair of chamois or kid gloves or something, but I didn't see the need. I hope that you can sympathize, and see my point of view; I feel that Fedora Lounge members would let a cheap pair of gloves slide, much easier than if I skimped on one of the necessary parts of the dress. Such as, if I had this photo taken with some horrible "cutaway tuxedo jacket" from a rental shop, etc. Overall, I'm pleased with the look, and I would estimate that it cost me well under $400. I think that covers pretty much everything. I hope you can all take pride and consider me a product of your knowledgeable posts and activity on this site, and know that there is at least one member of the younger generation (I'm 19) who can still appreciate style. Feel free to ask other questions.

John

Oh, I also wanted to say that I am wearing sock garters in the photo as well, something I got on a whim for more of that vintage feel.

 

[resortes805]

Can you not present this with some punctuation - IE paragraphs - it is unreadable.

Owned. Again.

 

[resortes805]

The legs measure 20" in circumference at the hem. Very nice drape.

Is there any material left to lengthen the inseam a bit? The slacks look great (WWII rationed-look) but they would look better if they were a little bit longer.

 

[thunderw21]

Thanks scotrace and resortes.

Is there any material left to lengthen the inseam a bit? The slacks look great (WWII rationed-look) but they would look better if they were a little bit longer.

There's 2" extra. I agree, the inseam needs to be lengthened at least another inch. The crotch comes down a little too much for my liking. I got the suit just a few days before that picture was taken so I didn't get a chance to lengthen them. I'm working on a couple other suits as well as this one.

Thanks again, I appreciate the feedback.

 

[brendon]

hi please see below pictures of me trying out to seperate costume both are basedn gangsters none of the clothes are vintage as i havent been able to get hold of any yet but the clothes are the closest i colud get from my own wardrobe you comments on the accessories, fit and look is greatly appreciated

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp258/brendonbulb/103_1673.jpg[/IMG
[IMG]http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp258/brendonbulb/103_1675.jpg

 

[jcw122]

This forum drives me nuts everytime I see threads like this! I need to get myself a three piece suit! :eusa_doh:

 

[Sir RBH]

Wdll Done Brendon

Just thought I would say well done. The images are excellent.. keep it up!
RBH

 

[resortes805]

hi please see below pictures of me trying out to seperate costume both are basedn gangsters none of the clothes are vintage as i havent been able to get hold of any yet but the clothes are the closest i colud get from my own wardrobe you comments on the accessories, fit and look is greatly appreciated

Punctuation is your friend.