Tuxedo Waistcoats

[Jeffrey S]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum. I am getting married this year and my groomsmen party is dressing in jazz era/30's tuxedos. Classic peak lapel black tie. I wanted traditional waistcoasts, either single our double breasted, flat waistline, with a deep horseshoe front. Does anyone know where these can be found of a good quality (not waiter-uniform quality)? I've looked for quite sometime, and the only I could find was through Dobell but it is sold out. I've reached out to see if they will restock but would love some help if anyone knows a traditional black tie companies.

http://www.dobell.co.uk/wilvorst-100-wool-black-tuxedo-waistcoat/

Brooks brothers only has a backless, more white tie version, and Charles Tyrwitt has very low stock of their horseshoe waistcoat.

Thanks for the help,

Jeff

 

[Hap Hapablap]

I see great, fully-backed brocade 20s/30s ones at vintage shops pretty regularly. I would check there or Etsy. Unfortunately, the terms "new" and "correctly-made formalwear" and no longer synonymous – although Gentleman's Gazette has wonderful, new, fixed-length grosgrain bowties, proper shoe laces, hoes, etc. if you're looking to cap off the look correctly.

 

[LuvMyMan]

I see great, fully-backed brocade 20s/30s ones at vintage shops pretty regularly. I would check there or Etsy. Unfortunately, the terms "new" and "correctly-made formalwear" and no longer synonymous – although Gentleman's Gazette has wonderful, new, fixed-length grosgrain bowties, proper shoe laces, hoes, etc. if you're looking to cap off the look correctly.

I agree. You can also find some vest on eBay but you have to look and find them when they are there, as some times nicer vests do not last long.

Good luck!

 

[F. J.]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum. I am getting married this year and my groomsmen party is dressing in jazz era/30's tuxedos. Classic peak lapel black tie. I wanted traditional waistcoasts, either single our double breasted, flat waistline, with a deep horseshoe front. [...]

I don’t know what your budget is, but here are all the sources for black u-fronted waistcoats that I could think of:
Oliver Brown—£195

Ede & Ravenscroft—£175

Magnoli Clothiers—$205

Waistcoats Direct—£93

Tom Sawyer Waistcoats—£66.66

Don’t forget, though, that in ’20’s and ’30’s, it was common for a white waistcoat to be worn with black tie, especially if one was wearing a full-dress shirt and stiff collar.
Examples:

from The Furies, 1930:

Nat Pendleton in Manhattan Melodrama, 1934:

I lifted this one from another thread on the Lounge:

William Powell in The Thin Man, 1934:

The dance scene (set in 1928) from It’s A Wonderful Life, 1946:

Oh, and who can forget Cary Grant?