Vintage Suitings: Discussions of, and sourcing modern equivalents, etc.

[herringbonekid]

Well, I thought it would be around 22 oz or so.

it would. the H.E. BOX stuff might be good for upholstery, but not for trousers.


this is quickly becoming my must-find fabric.. same as the French above, but in grey:

 

[Barmey]

I've got a pair of 30s bedford cord riding breeches made by Mans Shop - Selfridges. Practically stand up on the own. Think the moths have broken their teeth on them

I did some work experiance at Kilgour with one of the only cutters on Savile Row still able to cut a good pair of breeches. Challenging myself to give breeches making a go soon. Better finish my other projects first though :/

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

hmm... according to google 'coutil' is a herringbone cotton used in corsetry. :eusa_doh:

I got this word from the "Vintage Showroom" book and the Mr FCC blog. From page 75:
"The fabric is pique or coutil, as it is known in France; this is a dry, extrastrong variant of corduroy with flatter nap, also commonly used for french hunting and work trousers, not to mention to hold boning in place in corsetry. This fabric was able to withstand hard wear and contact with tough undergrowth alike."

And Mr FCC does mention it here:
http://fcancan.blogspot.de/2010/09/30s-french-style-work-hunting.html

 

[Guttersnipe]

With summer upon us, I was wondering if anyone knows what weights of seersucker and linen were used in the 30s and 40s?

 

[Two Types]

HBK: Thanks for the Bedford cord samples. I compared then to my old trousers (now worn out). I think they are the same weight. The trousers were super heavy but became very comfortable after a few washes. They were warm, but never too warm in winter. I would certainly use the 32oz cloth for trousers. It's wonderful stuff.

 

[herringbonekid]

more fabric similar to the French cord above; this one apparently from a German fireman's uniform, 1920s:

(edit: actually, the weave looks closer to Bedford cord !)

 

[herringbonekid]

With summer upon us, I was wondering if anyone knows what weights of seersucker and linen were used in the 30s and 40s?

can't give you an actual weight, but i have a white linen NRA label suit which is heavier than modern linen i've found (with the exception of some 'vintage' effect linen), however different rules apply to linen than wool and i wouldn't worry about going lighter if i liked the 'feel' of the fabric.

i made some glen-check linen trousers which are very lightweight and work perfectly well for very hot weather. they don't 'drape' like wool but i don't think that is to be expected of linen. it has different qualities. bottom line; if you fancy a light as paper seersucker or linen for summer then go for it.

 

[Barmey]

I've got a few samples of the LL Flannels. I think they're great and would quite happily order a suit length of each if they weren't £100 a meter. Can only hope the iGents dont see their appeal and that Fox bros start selling them off cheap The only critisism the HBK and myself could find was that they had a slight shinny finish you sometimes find on modern flannel.
Talking to one of the cutters on Savile Row, he told me that when cloth came out of the mills in Huddersfield back in the day, it had a similar finish. Alot of the West End firms didn't like it so it was taken to the London Shrinking Houses to be hand shrunk. This gave the cloth a certain firmness, but nice soft looking finish.

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/london-shrinking-house

 

[herringbonekid]

flipping heck, what a job !
well done for finding that little movie Barmey.

 

[herringbonekid]

just received an email that Bookster has closed and filed for bankruptcy.

i was going to order some of their cord soon for my 20s Norfolk suit project !

 

[Tomasso]

That is truly a shame. I hope he can reorganize

 

[Two Types]

(edit: actually, the weave looks closer to Bedford cord !)

It reminds me of the cotton, rather than woollen, Bedford Cord. It appears similar to the fabric used by Levis in the 1990s when they made jackets in a variety of shades (I have a grey jacket from that period in a very similar weave).

 

[Fastuni]

Today at a fleamarket in deepest Bavaria I found 3.5 meters of this superb Dutch suit fabric - navy blue herringbone with red and white stripes.

 

[herringbonekid]

good find !

 

[herringbonekid]

as Bookster have now closed i'm trying to find out who is the most likely manufacturer of their heavyweight cord (below). any leads much appreciated.

 

[Rudie]

They had a lot of stuff from Harrison's of Edinburgh. It seems to be very heavy stuff.

Just click the P&H link: http://www.harrisonsofedinburgh.com/collections.html

 

[herringbonekid]

thanks Rudie, i'll get onto them !

 

[Two Types]

HBK: check your email. Great timing. Two minutes before I saw this post, I emailed you the contact details for the company who made the jackets for Bookster. They should be able to point you in the direction for the correct mill.

 

[herringbonekid]

TT, eerie synchronicity ! that's great thanks.
i've emailed Bookster themselves but they haven't responded to the query.

 

[hatband]

Great pity about Bookster. I bought quite a lot from them, 3 waistcoats, grey Fox Flannel 3 piece, and several pairs of trousers. I always found them great to deal with.

Any ideas as to other on line tailors who deal in tweed?

Thought I might try Old Town next time, or Darcy Clothing.