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The Vintage Tailoring Thread

Metatron

One Too Many
Messages
1,536
Location
United Kingdom
There is also a ritualistic pleasure in putting on a solidly built jacket.
Btw I am not waging a war on lighter fabrics, I just think it's misleading to write that vintage is heavy, only for winter etc.
 

lordwinters

Familiar Face
Messages
58
Location
Suecia, Quite so town.
There is also a ritualistic pleasure in putting on a solidly built jacket.
Btw I am not waging a war on lighter fabrics, I just think it's misleading to write that vintage is heavy, only for winter etc.

Quite, I mean I find a 1940's three piece to be warm in the summer, but I must say it is really not unbearable in any way. It can even work as an isolation from the heat, up to a certain point.
 

Nick D

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,166
Location
Upper Michigan
There is also a ritualistic pleasure in putting on a solidly built jacket.
Btw I am not waging a war on lighter fabrics, I just think it's misleading to write that vintage is heavy, only for winter etc.

That's the thing, though. A vintage winter suit is made of much thicker fabric than you'll generally find today. Even lightweight fabrics then seem to drape better than lightweights today. I think the yarns from which fabrics today are often made from, the much vaunted Super-100s, etc, are thinner than the yarns of the 30s and 40s. Matt Deckard posted about Superfine wools some time ago, I should try to find that post.
 

Patrick Hall

Practically Family
Messages
541
Location
Houston, TX
Friends,

talk to me about the possibility of having patch pockets added to a (bespoke) jacket that was constructed with standard flapped pockets? Assuming my tailor could source the fabric he used for the suit, this could theoretically happen right? The jacket in question (featured somewhere in this section) has a lovely patched breast pocket with an inverse pleat, but I neglected to specify that I'd like all three pockets to match. Every time I wear the suit it drives me more nuts.
 

Nick D

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,166
Location
Upper Michigan
Yes, should be doable. As long as the tops of the patches were a little higher than the slit of the pocket mouth, say a half inch at least.
 

Claudio

Vendor
Messages
377
Location
Italian living in Spain
sounds liek a nightmare if you ask me. Where the slitted pockets once were, what are you going to do? After all the fabric would need to be cut to make standard pockets. DO you mind adding the said suit here? It can't be that bad ...
 

Nick D

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,166
Location
Upper Michigan
There's always going to be evidence of the old pockets, but the slit could be closed up. Some (modern) patch pockets I've seen have a bit of stay tape on the outside below the edge of the patch, so if that were adopted it would cover the slit. There are some other options, too. In any case, it depends on the tailor having more of the correct fabric. I'm actually kind of surprised he didn't bring it up in the first place.
 

Patrick Hall

Practically Family
Messages
541
Location
Houston, TX
Here's the link to pics of the suit: http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?65804-Vintage-Suitings-Discussions-of-and-sourcing-modern-equivalents-etc&p=1791962&viewfull=1#post1791962

I intend for the patch pockets to be flapped and buttoned, like the breast pocket. Wouldn't that conceal the slits?


One of my big beefs with this tailor is that he is oblivious to detail. Big problem, it would seem to me, when you are making bespoke garments, but I guess he's used to people expressing their uniqueness with the liner fabric and not much else.
 
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volvomeister13

One of the Regulars
Messages
107
Location
United States
I'm hoping to get a 1920's or 30's bespoke suit (still undecided which and what exactly) when and if I can find the right place, and I've turned to this thread for much of my research. A while back fellow lounger Qirrel posted these two fabric links:

Fox Brothers: http://www.foxflannel.com/ (specifically the London Lounge line)
http://www.dugdalebros.com/cloth-ranges/english-and-town-classics-bunch-134/

As far as proximity to the great fabrics of vintage suits, these two are my favorites from what I've seen on the thread. Dugdale's look fantastic and really quite affordable, but would there be a significant advantage to shelling out nearly four times as much money for Fox Flannel's London Lounge fabrics?
 

herringbonekid

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,016
Location
East Sussex, England
As far as proximity to the great fabrics of vintage suits, these two are my favorites from what I've seen on the thread. Dugdale's look fantastic and really quite affordable, but would there be a significant advantage to shelling out nearly four times as much money for Fox Flannel's London Lounge fabrics?


depends what weight you require i.e. what temperature you'll be wearing the suit in. the Dugdale range you linked to is 13-14oz, whereas the Fox is 18oz.
personally i'd go for the 18oz every time, but i live in chilly old England and don't wear wool suits in the summer. i also think the pattern designs and weaves are far nicer (and more 1930s looking) on the Fox LL range than the Dugdale.
 

volvomeister13

One of the Regulars
Messages
107
Location
United States
The fox fabrics are expensive, I agree, but the weights and designs are incomparable to what is available elsewhere. If you want something in the lighter range with nicer designs there is also this range from Huddersfield Cloth: http://www.huddersfieldcloth.com/Products/34

Wow, love those Huddersfield designs, but the light weight and "high twist" sound a bit modern for me. Fox is probably the way to go as you say.
 

Broccoli

One of the Regulars
Messages
264
Location
Sweden
I am about to get started with sewing myself, thanks to all the inspiration you all have provided.
Could anyone help me out on where to find patterns? I'll only make trousers until I feel I am ready to make a suit. For those who have made patterns themselves, I am interested in what techniques that are used for this? I have found tailor books, but are there any good ways to learn about cutting?

Thanks for any help!
 

herringbonekid

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,016
Location
East Sussex, England
i've never used a drafting system.

i believe Nick D has used Eva Dress patterns before, and Barmey has used drafts from vintage tailoring books / magazines. both are relatively easy to find online.

i would recommend buying a book such as Carbrera's 'classic tailoring techniques'. i use it more as a reference book to check the 'correct' way to do something before going and doing it my own way. ;)
 
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Dostioffsky

One of the Regulars
Messages
213
Location
the Netherlands
I have now made a few pairs of trousers myself and am about to start a sporty tweed suit. I used this draft from the 'New supreme system' (as found here: https://archive.org/stream/newsupremesystem00croo#page/118/mode/2up) which I found quite easy to follow. During the process of making up the trousers I changed a few things and then before starting the next pair I altered my draft/pattern to reflect those changes. And so the pattern kind of evolved. In the back of the New supreme system book there are also layouts showing how to efficiently distribute your pattern on the fabric.

As for the cutting and construction, I found this very useful: http://www.cutterandtailor.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=406. It pretty much takes you through the process step by step.

Also don't abandon your own logic, I found it sometimes easy to get lost in all the theory and make things more difficult than they need to be.

Good luck!
 

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