So what is the diff between...

[chucklehead]

I.So what is the diff between...suits from the early 20th century, 1900 to
the 1940's, & the suits they make today? ... (the shapes and cuts, details
etc... not the workmanship or quality of fabrics.):fedora:

II.What is "new trad"?

 

[Matt Deckard]

The one major difference if we are going to be discecting style and how they have changed would have to be the closeness of the suit to the body. Now a tailored fit may be looke at as a pinched waist while the shoulders are large and the skirt is longe.

The pre-teens had longer skirts and very fitted shoulders and were slim through the sleaves and body. Shoulder padding wasn't in the shoulders. Sac suits were in vogue at the same time so you'd see frocks coats and sac suits which were thought of as more casual. Wide curved lapels.

Teens was a time when the more fitted look for men was coming into fashion. Movies gave the world a view of actors with better made clothes and shorter more fitted jackets were in with narrow trousers.

The thirties were when shoulder padding in more casual suits started becoming a standard and a pinched waist look was very common. The skirts on the suits were a bit longer than in the 20's and the the lapels were slim.

The men went for a baggier fit with even bigger shoulders. The hourglass shape was dissapearing in favor of a triangle shape wide at the shoulders and narrow toward the ankles, gorges on suits lowered and lapels became very wide.

The 50's had more of a monolithic look for suits and in the late 50's lapels became very narrow, shoulders became more squared off and not as wide and grey was in.

The biggest difference between today's suits and the ones back then in style? well today it's about anti-fit. Look at Polo.com and see how the suits are made to be puckering and the trousers look too tight. Of course the salesmen of today will most likely want to sell you a suit 2 sizes too big... though what is being shown to the public on the runways right now is skinny models and skinnier suits. Suits that are sort of an interpretation of what was cool in the mid 60's... The Alfie mod look though tight.

If the old trad (American Trad) is that preppy oversized navy jacket, khakis and a striped tie look... then I'm all for the old old trad of the three piece suit and hat.

The new trad is a model wearing sneakers blue jeans a polo shirt in an empty room with a lightbulb swaying overhead while he looks through the help wanted ads.