Three piece suits

[avedwards]

I'm looking for a royal blue suit at the moment. I have a DB one but that obviously doesn't go as well with the waistcoat.

 

[Shangas]

Royal blue would go nice with that waistcoat I think.

 

[Fletch]

I always say matching fabrics after-the-fact is impossible, but could I send a "virtual swatch" to a decent fabric shop and have them send me a real swatch? It would sure save leg work, altho I'll bet a lot of them don't like using e-mail, which defeats the purpose.

 

[Woland]

 

[avedwards]

^^ Nice. Details?

 

[RobStC]

Great clothes, great car, nice house..... great combo!

 

[Edward]

Post-War Riley RM? Lovely cars....

 

[Qirrel]

Saw you in Oslo a couple of weeks ago in (I think it was) that very suit. Very nice. Where was the photo taken? (I see some other well-dressed people in the background; looks like some kind of market?)

 

[Tomasso]

I always say matching fabrics after-the-fact is impossible, but could I send a "virtual swatch" to a decent fabric shop and have them send me a real swatch?

Try this outfit, they use e-mail. But call first and ask for Gregg to see if they're up for it.


And good luck with Fletch's Folly.... lol

 

[Woland]

Saw you in Oslo a couple of weeks ago in (I think it was) that very suit. Very nice. Where was the photo taken? (I see some other well-dressed people in the background; looks like some kind of market?)

Thank you. The occasion was a 40s revival in Bletchley Park Uk.
My dear Tuppence B. and myself hit the area after a very nice concert in Hitchin.
No clues as to the make of the vehicle, but it fit like a glove. ;-)

The suit is a cheapish linen suit from Charles Thyrwitt.
Complemented by a waistcoat from Magee.

Had a really nice meet with a mens fashion shop in Oxford earlier.
Bought a complete three-piece linen suit from Magee, which I am adviced (by Tuppence) to save for festive occasions.
(I tend to overdo it...)

They also offered a nice price on a semi-tailormade tweed three-piece, tailored by Magee.
Something in between MTM and bespoke.
Measures taken, one fitting, for close to 800 GBP.
I just might take them up on it...

Loved the shop and the attitude.
And the Magee cut really suits me.
We'll see.

 

[Shangas]

Sweet CAR!!! *Drools*

Suit aint' bad either. I like it. It goes well with the choice of wheels.

 

[Maguire]

I have to say i absolutely agree with what was said earlier in this thread regarding heating and AC. I recall going to university in winter here in NYC in a suit and overcoat and by the time i was in the classroom i was dripping with sweat on account of the jungle temperature. In the summer though, i notice places are getting cheap about AC, and i find most buildings are still rather uncomfortable and warm. But the bit about winter is very annoying, it encourages the all too common dress in university of pajama pants, shorts, sandals and t shirts at the expense of the rest of us.

I always liked the three piece suit, i wish i didn't own any other kind but unfortunately as was mentioned they are hard to come by so i find that i only have one or two, along with two odd vests. I supplement it with pull over sweaters as much as i can during the winter, but what can i do otherwise. You do see three piece suits, including three piece separates sold here in NYC rather frequently, I even see light colored summer/spring suits here with vests off the rack.

While i admire anyone willing to go with a three piece in the summer, i'd say personally i'd probably never go that far, especially with the oppressive heat of the last few days. At the worst, i'll wear a guayabera/ no jacket but i try to avoid short sleeve shirts altogether.

As for three piece suits being the standard- this may be true but i've seen plenty of pre 1940 photos where the men are clearly wearing two piece suits. Two piece suits were worn in the 20s and 30s, its just that this wasn't the standard until probably around WWII and after. Correct me if I'm wrong, of course.

 

[Shangas]

Three-piece suits (or a jacket, trousers and waistcoat, not necessarily matching) became de-rigeur for men's dressing throughout the 19th and first half of the 20th century mostly due to the weather.

Remember, not all buildings in the 1800s or indeed the 1900s, had central heating. In instances when it could be just as cold inside as it was outside, that extra layer of warmth (provided by the waistcoat) was a necessity...and it gave a place for your pocketwatch. Two-piece suits (or three-piecers sans waistcoat) would've been more common during summer months.

The decline of the three-piece suit started during the Second World War, obviously. The extra material needed to make the waistcoat just couldn't be found due to the strict rationing of cloth that was needed for other things (uniforms, parachutes, kit-bags etc). They eventually died out in the 1950s. They came back in the 70s and 80s for a brief time, and then they disappeared again, although I believe that now in the second decade of the 21st century, they are slowly returning to fashion. Of course, anybody can wear a three-piece suit for whatever reason. I think the reason that it's not as common today is because people perceive it as something only a professional man wears - Bankers, lawyers, physicians and successful businessmen etc. As a child, I remember my family doctor frequently wore a three-piece suit (although he usually left the jacket hanging on his chair and would walk around his surgery with just the trousers and waistcoat).

I think it's this perception that three-piecers are worn by businessmen and professionals and the "stuffy, straitlaced" air that they give, is what's caused their decline in general during the 1980s-2000s. But in recent times, I think people have developed more of an interest in dressing more classically, so that's why they're returning.

 

[Fletch]

You do see three piece suits, including three piece separates sold here in NYC rather frequently, I even see light colored summer/spring suits here with vests off the rack.

Where are you shopping, may I ask?

 

[Achturn]

I think it's this perception that three-piecers are worn by businessmen and professionals and the "stuffy, straitlaced" air that they give, is what's caused their decline in general during the 1980s-2000s.

I can attest to this, locally even a two piece suit is usually reserved for those who work professional office jobs. A three piece suit is looked at as either fashion for an older man who wears out-of-date styles or for those with obscene amounts of money.

I for one would love to see a return of the three piece suit, but I don't see that happening until there's a general rise in the use of suits outside of the business world. As of now I think current style is a little too casual for that to happen.

 

[Maguire]

Where are you shopping, may I ask?

Well i'd honestly almost never shop for a suit out of a store, i get most of my stuff online, but i've seen three piece suits at Macy's and Kohls. Yes, Kohl's actually has three piece, spring suits in tan and cream colors. I don't know the material but they don't look half bad either, and aren't particularly expensive. How many people are actually buying them is another story, unfortunately.

 

[DocMustang]

As a child, I remember my family doctor frequently wore a three-piece suit (although he usually left the jacket hanging on his chair and would walk around his surgery with just the trousers and waistcoat).

I am attempting to get enough waistcoats in my wardrobe to replicate that look. I really hate just wearing a shirt and tie under my white coat. The tie flops around (even with a tie bar). I already refrain from wearing a white shirt, as I feel I need some degree of color under the coat, having waistcoats brings more options, particularly if they are interesting waistcoats like double breasted or if they have lapels.

I also like the anachronism of taking a pulse with a pocket watch!

 

[Shangas]

My family doc's a great guy and I've known him for over 20 years. He's a family friend of ours. I've never seen him in his surgery wearing anything less than a suit, two piece or three-piece, dependig on the weather. But if he wore a three-piece, he usually broke it up and keeps the jacket on a hanger or on the chairback and would walk around just in his shirtsleeves and waistcoat. He has at least two waistcoats that I really noticed. One solid jet-black with black silk backing and one dark grey one.

 

[Tomasso]

My family doc from childhood prowled his offices (in a Victorian mansion) wearing suit vest sans jacket with sleeves rolled up; he never wore a white jacket. He bore a resemblance to Danny DeVito and often smoked cigarettes as he walked through the various examination rooms. What a character.....

 

[Shangas]

I am attempting to get enough waistcoats in my wardrobe to replicate that look. I really hate just wearing a shirt and tie under my white coat. The tie flops around (even with a tie bar). I already refrain from wearing a white shirt, as I feel I need some degree of color under the coat, having waistcoats brings more options, particularly if they are interesting waistcoats like double breasted or if they have lapels.

I also like the anachronism of taking a pulse with a pocket watch!

I don't mean to be rude, Mustang, but is the 'Doc' in your name actually indicative of your profession? If so, then you need to start mirroring other doctors and get yourself a waistcoat collection. I remember lots of movies where doctors took a patient's pulse with a pocketwatch. You should start doing that! It'll be a talking-point if nothing else.

Now that I come to think of it, my family physician is the only person I know who wears a three-piece suit on a regular basis. A sign of the times, perhaps?