Update: EXTREME SUIT MAKEOVER

[Marc Chevalier]

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I took these photos a week ago, then never got around to posting them here.

This is the 1930s "extreme makeover" suit soon after it arrived from the seller. It needs a lot of work: some creative reweaving in the jacket, and a very deep cleaning. Frankly, I'm not sure if it can be saved. Might have to use it as a pattern source.

One detail that surprised me: the pleats in the belted back are inverse box pleats (see photos). I've never run into this type of pleat before on a belt-back jacket. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that the fabric is a wool GABARDINE. I've never had an actual windowpane patterned gabardine, though I've seen them in vintage catalogues.

As you can see, I moved the jacket's front buttons back to their original locations. Looks better now, I think. Turns out that the suit's original size is a 39 R.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

 

[Marc Chevalier]

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I do hope it's savable. That is a fine suit.

bk

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I do hope it's savable.

So do I, my friend. So do I.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Wow! That is something. I like the square pattern made by the buttons on the front, so different from the slanted buttons on today's double-breasted suits. The pattern is amazing as well: window pane on gabardine. It must be very soft.

You have to bring it back, my friend; like restoring a grand cathedral.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Glad you like it! Actually this gabardine is not the very soft kind; it's lighter weight and slightly stiff to the touch.

If I were an excellent tailor (or knew one), I'd make copies of this suit in every size. It would be great to offer something like this to everyone who appreciates it.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

I'll never know why they did away with the belt backs and the pleats; it gives so much more freedom of movement.

The tweed sporting suits out of the UK still have them, but I would love to see these come back to business suits.

Oh, and if you did get those suits made; I would buy one!

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I agree with you. Belted backs came back in the '70s, but unfortunately in double-knit polyester.

And that's why I'm not yet prepared to make copies of my vintage suits. If they're going to be made, they must be made exactly like the originals (but in larger sizes!)

Basically, I need to find the Art Fawcett of tailors ... and I need to figure out how these suits could be made and sold at a fairly reasonable price. By "fairly reasonable", I mean less than $350. Don't know how possible that is! Economies of scale don't work in my favor here.

.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Are there any other folks around here who'd want a repro of a suit like this?

 

[herringbonekid]

Marc, why do you say they'd have to be sold for less than $350 ?

if someone were offering well-made replica 30s belt-backs surely they'd be willing to pay quite a bit more than that. i certainly would !

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Here's the thing: I like to sell original, one-of-a-kind vintage pieces for top dollar ... but my dream is to offer vintage quality suits that most folks could afford. My hero is Raymond Loewy, a '30s marvel who figured out how to make the best Deco/Streamline Moderne designs available to the masses.
(By the way, TARGET stores have been doing something similar for the past few years. Love those guys!)

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Are there any other folks around here who'd want a repro of a suit like this?

Yes, in a 46Long.

 

[herringbonekid]

you need to find the seamstresses who do most of the actual work for a tailor (the tailor might measure and pattern cut and flatter his clients, but rarely do much sewing).
if you have the pattern copied from an original suit, then you'll just be paying for the fabric and their labour and you can add your own (small) percentage on top.
in theory this seems do-able.
i've thought about a similar venture myself.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

So the question is, how to make a pattern for every size? I'm assuming that you'd have to totally deconstruct a vintage suit to do this.

And what about those nutty details that may not be do-able anymore? Take, for instance, the inverse box pleats on the belted back. Are there any machines that can do this? Or did they all get junked or recalibrated after the 1940s?

.

 

[herringbonekid]

inverse box pleats are the least of your worries ! all done by hand and eye.

yes, take a suit apart to get the basic pattern. pay an expert pattern draughter to help. i'm sure there are simple mathematical formulas used to scale a pattern up and down to various sizes.

i reckon finding good fabrics would be the biggest challenge.

 

[Zach R.]

Great looking vintage styles + larger sizes = hundreds of happy Fedora Lounge Patrons

 

[Hemingway Jones]

I believe much of that was done by hand. So, you should be able to find someone.
You may want to watch "Tucker..;" a good example of compromising during the process of bringing a product to market.
You know, mycustomtailor invites a franchisee and private label.
-Just a thought. We all know they can be inconsistent.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Great looking vintage styles + larger sizes = hundreds of happy Fedora Lounge Patrons

No doubt about it. But how much is that happiness worth?

 

[Hemingway Jones]

No doubt about it. But how much is that happiness worth?

I'm sure Magnoli would have an opinion on it. He has some beautiful items on his website.