Show us your suits

[Two Types]

Great suits Johnny J!

There really needs to be a 'vintage suits only' version of the show us your suits thread.

What would your cut off date be?

Do you think new suits cut from vintage patterns should be in the 'vintage suits only' thread (as an inspiration to those who cant find a vintage suit that fits them); or in with other suits; or in a separate 'vintage style new suits' thread?

Maybe it would best work by decade? (20s, 30s etc)

What about a separate thread for 'Date this suit' for those who have a vintage suit they are not certain about? Then if and when they have a conclusive answer they can put the suit in the correct thread.

 

[clarinetplayer]

Not a vintage, but a 3 piece DB, Oxxford:

 

[Tomasso]

Lovely suit, cp. Was it a special order or are Oxxford making their lapels that wide these days.

 

[clarinetplayer]

Lovely suit, cp. Was it a special order or are Oxxford making their lapels that wide these days.

Many thanks, sir! It was MTM, out of the "book".

 

[Giftmacher]

What do you think about this jacket? It is supposed to be from 1939

 

[SteveAS]

I have no opinion on its age, but, aesthetically, I don't like the shape of its collar/lapels.

 

[Giftmacher]

Yeah, quite unusual. Starting price is 400CZK, which is equivalent approx. to $21.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Could be 1939. Looks like it's been pressed (out of shape) to within an inch of its life. I think it should be coaxable back to the original state. You can almost see the original pressing seam from the top fastening button up to the left chest area.

bk

 

[SteveAS]

Could be 1939. Looks like it's been pressed (out of shape) to within an inch of its life. I think it should be coaxable back to the original state. You can almost see the original pressing seam from the top fastening button up to the left chest area.

I see what you mean. Perhaps it's a good steaming/pressing away from being a nice suit?!

 

[Giftmacher]

Thanks Gentlemen, I'll try to get it, but it will be hard battle since aukro.cz ain't rich in nice and vintage apparel. Let me show you an example: http://moda.aukro.cz/retro-stare-obleceni-a-boty-panske-obleceni-12777
Ain't that pathetic? Sorry for OT.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

I found some nice vintage clothes in Prague 2 years ago. The suits were too small tough.

 

[Giftmacher]

Thanks, I will look for it.

 

[Two Types]

Here is my latest suit. The trousers look a little odd since I couldn't find any braces! It is in a Bedford Cord (cotton rather than wool). It's going to be just the right weight once spring arrives.

 

[avedwards]

Here is my latest suit. The trousers look a little odd since I couldn't find any braces! It is in a Bedford Cord (cotton rather than wool). It's going to be just the right weight once spring arrives.

Nice suit. Is it MTM? The jacket looks like a modern cut but the trousers are completely unlike anything sold off the rack.

 

[Two Types]

Nice suit. Is it MTM? The jacket looks like a modern cut but the trousers are completely unlike anything sold off the rack.

Thanks. The trousers were made by Spencers in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire. They cut them to a pattern they hold for me, made from a pair that a tailor made for me 20 years ago using a vintage pattern. The good thing about Spencers is that they have been in business since the 1920s and still hold old patterns. So, as far as I know, they can make anything you want!

They supplied me with sufficient fabric to get a jacket made by Bookster. I made an error on the order form: I forgot to get the sleeves narrowed and forgot to request wider lapels. In total, it cost around £500 - and that includes a spare pair of trousers. Not a bad price considering.

If you've never had any clothes in Bedford Cord, it is (in my mind) the king of fabrics: heavy and hardwearing. As such, it gives the suit a weight you'll be lucky to find elsewhere. Once it's been 'lived in' for a while, it'll look fantastic.

 

[Tommy]

Length tended to be shorter than today, still covering but not as much.

(I should add, the basis of comparison I'm using is the suits I see out and about, which are very long I think.)

I was wondering about that as well, more along the thought of what really is the proper length for an individual, and I think it varies ever so slightly depending on build. I happen to have the issue of being long waisted, so if I compare myself to a "normal" figure, my legs are a little shorter than normal, and my upper body, down to my waist is longer than normal. So if my jacket length is 'standard' covering the buttocks completely, the silhouette carved exaggerates the squattiness of my lower section. Bottom line is, I have recently tended to wear slightly shorter lengths in my jackets (instead of 33, maybe 32 or 31-3/4, in order to balance the entire figure. I don't know if that's a correct way to go about adjusting for my frame, but I think the look is a bit more balancing for me. Maybe I'll post a pic of two when I get the time to show you what I mean.

To comment specifically on Mr. Vim's question, granted the 1930's Esquire and Apparel Arts illustrations are just that - illustrations, many of them show a jacket length half the distance between shoulder edge and trouser bottom, splitting the length in half. My latest attempts to balance out the length to my frame would be following more closely along this line of thought of equidistant between shoulder and trouser length.

And I don't know if there is difference between a suit jacket length and a sportcoat length on an individual, I assume they would be the same.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

I need help for dating this black suit. I think it is from the golden era. The fabric is rather heavy. The sleeves are a bit too long and there was a piece of fabric inserted in the back to make it fit a bigger size. After reversing this change the suit would fit good. There are a few moth holes in the trousers though.

 

[Tomasso]

Nice suit though the jacket looks to be a tad too short on you.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

I don't think it is to short. I suppose it i a 1930s suit and by the lenght of the sleeves and legs it was meant to be worn this way.

 

[Mario]

Nice suit though the jacket looks to be a tad too short on you.

Ha! There's that topic again! Guess we've been through that before a number of times...

It might look a tad short by modern standards but then we came to agree that jackets (when compared to contemporary styles) were sometimes worn shorter on vintage suits, especially in the 30's (as I suppose is the case here). If this happens to be a German suit (Flo?) the alleged shortness of the jacket could be emphasized by the fact that on vintage German pants the crotch sits usually slightly lower than on American suits of the same era.

@Flo At last a full vintage suit! And a 3-piece, no less. :eusa_clap Where did you find it and what do you think where it it is from? And can we have a photo taken from the back (with you in the suit and the jacket on)?