The Vintage Tailoring Thread

[Broccoli]

Thanks guys, I'm getting started with this as soon as possible, your advice has been very helpful. Hopefully one day I'll be able to show off suits I've done myself in this thread! That might take a few years though.

 

[Metatron]

One thing I have noticed with old jackets is that the buttons tend to be sewn quite far from the edge:


Is this to allow for some adjustability? I found that when I repositioned the buttons on my 1940s/50s tweed jacket which was a bit tight, I was able to loosen the fit considerably.
Quite a useful feature if this is it's original purpose.

 

[herringbonekid]

can't say that's the case with most of my vintage jackets Metatron.... if they are far from the edge its possible they've already been moved.

 

[Nick D]

Sometimes it's a facing, to cover the buttonholes on the inside, but that's more common on vests and overcoats. I have one suit jacket that seems to have that as an original feature.

 

[Patrick Hall]

I have one suit with that button placement. It's a 30's bespoke number I bought from BK. Have always wondered why the buttons were so peculiarly placed.

 

[Metatron]

Or perhaps the question should be '' why is there such an extended facing''

 

[Rodney]

I'm new here. I've been reading and lurking a bit but just signed up last night. You guys have made some truly impressive suits here. I don't own any vintage clothes. I do sew although I'm no where near being a tailor. I am considering putting together an outfit from the 30s or 40s. I'm 5'10 and weigh around 250 lbs. From what I've seen most vintage clothing tends to be smaller than what I can wear, or at least my correct size isn't as common as smaller sizes. I'm very new to vintage clothing and sewing and have not had much luck finding older sewing patterns for men's clothing. Plenty for the ladies though. I did see the link for Siam Costumes and it looks like there's plenty of older tailoring books there. One question I have is which books would you recommend? Would a person be able to put together a basic suit just from reading the books? Also are there any good vintage sewing patterns for men and where would I find them?
I actually have a ton of questions but at this point I don't even know which questions to ask.
Thanks for any help you can give me,
Rodney

 

[PeterB]

Gentlemen, a question here from a beginner: what do you tell the tailor in order to get the back of the suit to achieve a perfect shape (no creases, bulges, pulls) and yet not so tight that it prevents the arms from moving easily, and sits on the neck? Is it the size of the arm holes that does it, or something more mysterious? I ask because my tailors over here have never quite been able to manage it, but I have seen men wearing MTMs and off the peg suits where the back seems just about perfect.

 

[herringbonekid]

PeterB, what you're describing is basically a 'clean' back as oppose to one with a bit of 'drape'.

 

[Rabbit]

I think what Peter means is how to tell the tailor not to mess up the neck and shoulder area etc. A drape cut is a correct fit, too, and a difficult one to get right.

If a man's anatomy is near to the industry standard, meaning near the standard pattern used, it's easy to get the neck and other crucial parts right.

When you get your fittings, stand completely natural. Don't stand at attention! You may have the habit of doing so, even without being aware of it, when standing in front of a mirror and trying on a jacket. I've seen it countless times in shops. It may impress the tailor, but it won't do the fitting any good. When standing unnaturally straight, the neck section will often correspond nicely to the industry standard, thus concealing the real posture where the neck is stooped and the jacket may be in need of a modification.

The posture can also affect the fit of the back in lots of places.

The balance between a good fit and an absense of creases is something that modern suits seem to have some difficulty with, as if they weren't quite on speaking terms with the human anatomy.

 

[herringbonekid]

i would go to a different tailor.

 

[Rabbit]

i would go to a different tailor.

That's what I thought but didn't dare to say.

 

[PeterB]

Gentlemen, thank you all.

HBK, I intend to. Rabbit, you are right.

Trouble is my old tailor retired to the Philippines and his protégé died, so I was cast adrift, you might say. Now on the next attempt, after two, one of which was not bad, and one of which was hopeless. So this is number four, but comes recommended.

Really appreciate the advice that you fellows are able to provide.

 

[PeterB]

Not sure if this is the right thread, but I have been reading up on vintage cloth weights (seems to be about 15 to 17oz for suits). I checked with some of the ebay sellers, and they weigh by the running meter. Even accounting for the difference in meters and yards, this makes what they call a 17oz fabric only about 11oz. Thus, it would appear that most of their heavy fabrics are in fact light fabrics. Have I been missing something? Because the same method would make a 14oz into a 9oz, which they call medium weight. Has anybody else had that experience, and should I buy what they call 17oz?

 

[PeterB]

Note to the above, even Harrisons of Edinburgh lists flannel as follows: Flannel

Worsted (01-35) and Woollen (36-55) Flannels
150cm wide 11-13ozs 340-400gms
100% All Wool

They do not specify the oz / grams are per square metre or running metre.

 

[herringbonekid]

i would assume those weights are per running metre since they've specified the 150cm width.

 

[PeterB]

I checked, and it seems everyone sells to the running metre, which means a bit heavier to the yard. It would also appear that the running yard was the standard back in the day, though some refer to the square meter. I take it that when one reads about 16 and 17oz fabrics in old tailors' books, they were referring to the running yard, which was I think a little narrower than the modern widths.

 

[Soldat]

Hello, I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question but here it is. Is there a vendor or anybody in the United States producing vintage suits? I've been trying to modify modern clothing to look vintage with very little success. Any ideas?

Soldat

 

[Rudie]

Not in the US, but in the UK and probably your best bet is SJC. Currently in the pipeline are a 1930 winter suit and a 1918 winter suit, both in an American style. Both are due in September.
http://sjcforum.com/portal.php

 

[herringbonekid]

discussions of modern vintage-inspired suits here please: http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?66098-Show-us-your-vintage-inspired-suits