after clearing all my mens stuff... i bought more! doh.. date help?

Hattysattic

Hattysattic

VFG Secretary
bought these two suits at the weekend after clearing an entire rail of menswear as i desperately needed the space. i can't help myself, have a problem!! they were so unworn i couldn't leave them (but maybe i should have?)

two identical tailor made suits in superfine wool (selvedge in the pants is the same as i have in a 50's wiggle so i know what fabric it is, hurrah!). one beige, one grey.
the jackets seem like a slightly longer length to me, and my first thought was mid-late 60's? trousers are tapered and have a pleat at the front though which confused me. i have had to clip it slightly on the dummy but it is quite tailored at the sides.




am digging the two tone lining..



any clues? they are pretty big. i have no perception of size it would seem - bought them with husband in mind, who dismissed them immediately as you could 'fit two of him in there'.
i said he should be flattered, in my head he is obviously hugely muscular.. :)

do i list, or donate? the grey one has 2 pairs of pants with it!
 
Don't donate! Not yet!

Complete vintage suits and vintage style suits (pants and jacket) are much harder to come by (esp with the gray having 2 pairs!). Especially large sizes. Trust me though, once you measure it you may find that the suit is not as big as you thought it was. (unless your husband tried the jacket on already)
I think you are right on date, but am thinking more late 60s rather than mid.

Another thing not to discount is the pant construction. The INSIDE waistband and zipper configuration/buttons. You also definitely want to say "flap" pockets or gosh, i can't think of the other name for them at the moment. I will have to look up what I put .

As far as sizes, vintage loving guys are used to buying items with flat measurements like ladies, so measure acrossed the chest and use the flat chest measurement instead of guessing "size". Sometimes the printed size and the chest measurement are the same, sometimes the measurement is a bit bigger depending on cut, but don't try to "guess".
If the sleeves are long as well and not just the body length, you may have a "long"or a "tall" size. But let the guys figure that out by checking the measurements.

Chris
 
Don't donate! Not yet!

Complete vintage suits (pants and jacket) are much harder to come by (esp with the gray having 2 pairs!). Especially large sizes. Trust me though, once you measure it you may find that the suit is not as big as you thought it was. (unless your husband tried the jacket on already)
I think you are right on date, but am thinking more late 60s rather than mid.

Another thing not to discount is the pant construction. The INSIDE waistband and zipper configuration/buttons. You also definitely want to say "flap" pockets or gosh, i can't think of the other name for them at the moment. I will have to look up what I put .

As far as sizes, vintage loving guys are used to buying items with flat measurements like ladies, so measure acrossed the chest and use the flat chest measurement instead of guessing "size". Sometimes the printed size and the chest measurement are the same, sometimes the measurement is a bit bigger depending on cut, but don't try to "guess".
If the sleeves are long as well and not just the body length, you may have a "long"or a "tall" size. But let the guys figure that out by checking the measurements.

Chris
 
thanks chris! sorry, am having trouble getting onto the site. late 60's sounds right - need to look at the pants a bit more closely... just got asked for mens jacket in 44/46 so might email back with this!
 
Is there any tags on the inside of the pocket? Looks 50's to me, but I'm no expert. The best I can go by is the union tags, or of course, dating by the tailor.
 
I always do too. But if its british it might not necessarily have it. The union tag with the sewing machine on it dates from 1949 and the latest i have seen it in a garment is just about 1970 on the nose.

I would think the lapels would be a bit narrower if 50s, but i am open to being wrong for sure.
 
sorry guys, these are made to measure as far as i can tell - so no labels/clues!!
will add a pic of the pants later on incase that helps - two back flap pockets with a 'v' shaped flap. single pleat front and back centre and a tapered leg.
and a nylon zipper.
 
Doens't appear to be vintage from looking at the inside detail in your photo. 40s/50s vintage suits didn't have those extra replacement buttons or nylon zips. Look in the inside chest pocket for labels.
 
thanks jim,
i think you're right - i don't think it's particularly old, nylon zip being a give a way particularly and what made me think late 60's/70's. it reminds me of suits my grandfather wore in the early 80's that were 'old fashioned' (i.e. not flared).
it's definitely been made to order by (at a guess) a local tailor, as although well done you can see the tailors chalk in parts. i've looked everywhere for labels, but to no avail - shall keep checking pockets in future though!
it's unworn, and hopefully someone can use it. especially if they wear their pants extremely short..
i suppose the trouble with anything made at the request of an individual is it may not fit precisely into the mode of the day. especially not in my little backwater!

OT i know, but one of my favourite items (keep but won't sell!) is a 1940's pinstriped db suit. i ought to photograph it really as it's pretty cool - still has half a theatre stub and a toothpick - still wrapped, not used btw - in the pocket. aside from that i've avoided menswear as it doesn't interest me quite so much (and because i can't wear it before i sell it on!) :)
 
When i heard the nylon zipper, I was thinking that it must be custom tailored and based on an older style but really couldn't pinpoint when. It makes sense if it was worn in the early 80s. The interior pant construction if you look will be more simplified than a vintage pair.

That being said, today, with the higher two button construction, it wouldn't be seen as old fashioned because those styles are coming back - the three button, and the two that sits a little higher versus the one button.
 
Oh I am glad he is still around!

(but guys can still be around and stop wearing a suit!)

My grandpa is still around too...has the same haircut he has had since around 1946, and still looks pretty dapper. He was a carpenter but the type that worked in dress shirts with rolled up sleeves! I have never seen him in a T-shirt unless its over a dress shirt or turtleneck!

Chris
 
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