The find of the year!!!

[The Wolf]

Why have I turned green all of a sudden?

Tell me the vest with your second suit is not a four-pocket! That is the suit I've been trying to find in 40 regular. I think we are all envious of you.
Those are great suits and you wear them well.
Congratulations on a great find.

Yours truly,
The Wolf

 

[Wild Root]

The two three pieces have four pocket vests. Glad you like!

Root.

 

[SHARPETOYS]

Here are the first wave of photos for you all!

The first ones are of the striped three piece. One of my faves!

Root.

Now, the the second three piece.

The spot on the pants is just dust on the camera.

Now the shot of the best part of these suits! The vest sits over the waist band! The way it should fit!!!

I wish my 58 year old body could find a nice Vintage in my size.48R and 34 waist. I guess i will have to go custom copy. Still not the real deal. Like wearing a fake Montecristi or a Paper Biltmore Milan . No one else may know but you do!

I think the suits looks great!

 

[BellyTank]

Just do It!

There's no harm in that Mr. Sharpe, an excellent copy should be as good as vintage and you have the bonus of choosing colour, fabric and style.
With all those fine hats, you deserve the suit of your dreams.
A modern copy of a vintage style can be made exactly like a vintage one- unlike with hats, as it seems.
Go for it. I can see you in a nice natural linen suit for the Florida climes, or maybe the striped seersucker- with all those Panamas, you owe it to yourself!

BT.

 

[SHARPETOYS]

Who!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Would you use the Tailor we have been reading about on this Forum ?????

 

[BellyTank]

Well, I don't live in the 'States, so I couldn't tell you.
Try finding a local one and see if he/she can do exactly what you want- it would be good to show an example though and get all the details presented up front so's not to be disappointed with the result. I had a so-so experience once with a Tailor in India- he said "yes, yes, yes" and he got it mostly right but the small details were not correct, although he got the cut and proportion spot on.
But then that was India and the suit cost me the equivalent of $30 and I was trying to get it done in 3 days! But next time I go, I'll use a Tailor with better English and offer him more examples to look at. Anything's possible in India, they have the vintage technology!- can do the old style buttonholes and all the vintage detailing- it's all done on old machines and by hand.
It's just a matter of communication and pushing the point.

But, I digress- find a local and see what he can do/has done.
Make a list of the details you MUST have and the fitting, etc.
Get it clear in YOUR mind before you even try to communicate what you want. Take your time with this-
With a 'modern' tailor, you have to force a 'mental shift' in his garment construction because most modern tailors have no real idea of vintage clothing and have a 'template' in mind, on which to build your design- some of these 'design/construction templates' are far removed from the construction of a vintage suit- just compare a modern suit to a vintage one and not the differences in the basic construction-
Someone here can surely point you in the right direction- and you have plenty of vintage resources to hand in the form of photo's of the real thing, or of course, the real thing.
It could be a great experience- commissioning a bespoke suit to your requirements.

Good Luck!

BT.

 

[jamespowers]

Sharpe I think there are probably many good tailors in your area. It is just a matter of finding them. Go to your local high end clothing store and ask who they recommend. They might have some on staff but they probably have sources for the really tough and touchy jobs. You might even find on that moonlights a bit.
BT is right about getting a real live example to extrapolate on though. In your case I would do a Palm Beach. That would be the material for where you live and it would be what they wore back then. You have to decide double breasted versus single and a few other things but if you find a vintage suit you like that is too small then there is your template. I could see you in a double breasted Palm Beach with a belted back, spectators or white wing tips and a panama. It would make quite a nice ensemble. :cool2:
The major problem you are going to run into is the material. It is just not the same but you can get close to the Goodall material with today's linens. The weave may not be the same but it will give the same appearance. Ninety percent of the people would not know the difference anyway.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Wild Root]

Where I live and other places I have been, THERE IS NOTHING LIKE VINTAGE!!! The fabric is far superior then to that of today. Just ask Matt and he'll agree on this. He has been looking and looking for the good stuff and has come up empty handed on more then one account. They aren't making the heavy stuff any more and it's just hard to find any thing that has the heavy vintage feel. I have been wearing vintage for 10 years and trust me, there is no fabric I have seen today that compares to the lasting wear and beauty of what was made only 60 years ago.

Matt has been to tailors after tailors in Beverly Hills and other very high priced clothing establishments and he is sick of what they make for him. They don't understand the old ways and they don't want to do it old school. It's against their will and their schooling. I have had to tell tailors how I want something and they look at me like I'm from Mars!

Sharpy, do like JP has said, there are good linens out there and you just need to find a good bolt of it and have a nice belted back Palm Beach like suit made. You'll like it a lot!

All the best,

Root.

 

[BellyTank]

There are still excellent modern fabrics around, you just have to find them.

BT.

 

[BellyTank]

Don't rule out upholstery fabrics!
Resourcefulness, creative and lateral thinking is not only allowed,
it's a must for the modern vintage-wanting person.
Gotta find it where it is-

BT.

 

[wackyvorlon]

They aren't making the heavy stuff any more and it's just hard to find any thing that has the heavy vintage feel.

I agree entirely! I visited a local tailor's shop not long ago to check out some Harris tweed. Very disappointing. Here's something a lot of people don't realize about suits: They are not just sewn, they are sculpted. The suit has to be pressed into shape as it's being sewn, and a good tailor always has an iron at the ready. This is also why we hang our suit jackets on wide hangers, a narrow hanger will put a crease in the shoulders. Suits have a very specific shape.

Light fabrics are not nearly as good at maintaining a given shape as heavier fabrics. Also, am I the only one who notices that off-the-rack suits these days don't have vents? The jackets rumple obscenely when you sit down! Very unpleasant.

 

[BellyTank]

It seems that most modern suit jackets are made the same way- like a template- gradeable/adaptable for size and fit- and just adding a vintage style collar and lapels and pockets just doesn't make a vintage suit. The jacket needs to be tailored in a vintage style- vintage jacket construction was different and there were so many completely distinct styles from the '20s-'40s which shared virtually nothing in cut and style- this is why it's hard to get a modern 'Tailor' to make something that's embracing vintage style. They didn't learn the older styles. It seems that modern Tailoring style is locked into the '60s and later suit style. The perfect example is to look at a '30s or '40s DB suit jacket and compare it to a modern one- it's all nuance and some 'Tailors' aren't even capable of acknowledging the differences- they just want to take their 'same-old' design and make you something out of it.
Wrong, wrong, wrong!
A GOOD Tailor should be able to make something bespoke using a vintage example as a model- then we're getting somewhere. If the guy truly understands garment construction, he should be able to pull it off.

Look at the differences between vintage and modern dress shirts- the difference is in the fit.

This is a real tough one to get around unless you have an obliging Tailor with real know-how.

BT.

 

[BellyTank]

I forgot to mention...

My bro' back in NZ isn't a true vintage nut but he likes to dress sharp and have his threads custom made and appreciates the kind of suit that's not stingy on cloth and a good enough fit to dance in- so- he gravitates toward the '40s-'50s styles.
His Tailor, who has a Gentlemans Outfitter/Tailoring business called
'Strangely Normal' uses vintage fabrics where he can AND any modern fabrics which can hold the garment style and drape correctly- he sources fabrics from all over the world just to get what works. Some of the fabrics are 'modern' and not meant specifically as suiting or shirting cloth but he uses what makes a good set of threads. He was sourcing rayon for summer/hawaiian shirts from God only knows where- but this guy spoecialises in menswear with a timeless style- he's a modern Tailor but not a 'modern Tailor', if you get my drift. He does what it takes to get it right.
There are people, you just have to find them and you might have to find the fabric yourself...
I'll see if I can find some sources for GOOD fabrics.

BT.

 

[wackyvorlon]

The perfect example is to look at a '30s or '40s DB suit jacket and compare it to a modern one- it's all nuance and some 'Tailors' aren't even capable of acknowledging the differences- they just want to take their 'same-old' design and make you something out of it.

BT.

In a lot of ways, proper men's tailoring is almost a lost art these days. How many people buy bespoke suits these days? How many people even consider becoming a tailor? You almost have to go to Jermyn St. to find anything at all. I have also noticed a distinct lack of books on the topic(they may be out there, but I haven't found them yet). Hmmph, just going to have to teach myself...

 

[gandydancer]

Custom tailoring was a true apprentice learned skill. There is very little written information about it out there. In those wonderful 60's - 70's there was little call for it, and even fewer youngsters who were interested in learning the skill. Skip one generation and trade tricks and secrets are lost forever.

Still, I understand there a few good custom taylors still out there. Finding them, and getting them to accept a new customer is the problem. One place custom tayloring is alive seems unlikely, but if you ever meet a Jesuit Priest notice the fit and materials of his suit.

BTW, made to measure, and custom are not the same thing. Made to measure is modifying a standard pattern to fit you. Custom is designing a suit to fit you. The difference may sound slight, but it is not. The made to measure taylor can not make a suit he does not already have a pattern for.

 

[jamespowers]

Don't rule out upholstery fabrics!
Resourcefulness, creative and lateral thinking is not only allowed,
it's a must for the modern vintage-wanting person.
Gotta find it where it is-

Upholstery fabrics!? Hmmm...
I can see it now. "For some reason that suit makes me want to cuddle up on you and go to sleep." That and you can have a scotch guarded suit so you have to clean it less.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Wild Root]

Well, you know it’s not impossible to find fabric that is close to vintage or finding real vintage fabric. But, it seems WAY easier to find an original suit made 60 years ago from some one who has died to fit me then to find the fabric and find a tailor who knows his stuff. Trust me on that! It’s not only easier, it’s cheaper!

Root.

 

[BellyTank]

you're right 'Root- but some people fear that their size prohibits finding a 'suitable' vintage item- and the tought of a 'custom' suit is quite appealing.

I was serious with the upholstery fabric angle. Upholstery fabrics are going to be available in a heavier weight than the modern suitings and you can get tweeds and solids and linens- and of course, they're hard wearing. I've seen it done- that's why I mentioned it. If you want this 'weird stuff' then you need to be a little bit resourceful if you want a result.
And that Scotchguard angle is actually quite sensible...

BT.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I agree wih the apholstry angle. If it's all wool and dense and hard fabric, what is the difference whether it goes in a car or on your back.

I thought about that a few years back, though never got around to looking for the stuff.

They do make tweeds in England that are hard wearing and of the weights of the old goods, though when it comes to the regular old school pinstripes and whipcords, the lightweight is all you will find. You can find cavalry twill wool, though you have to look at overcoat swatches to find the stuff.

 

[BellyTank]

Mr.D-

Mr. Deckard, I'm looking for whipcord and so far havenøt found any online...
Do you know a source, web-present or otherwise, where I can source Whipcord and Cav Twill? I would be happy to find these. The Whipcord I'm looking for is like that used in the older Filson jackets and the Day's Ranger work jackets-
wool hopefully.

Thanks for any help you can offer-

BT.