Help dating this vintage blazer? "R Froio's Custom House"

TeamSparkleVintage

TeamSparkleVintage

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Hi everyone! I have this wool blazer jacket which I'm trying to identify. It is a pinstripe blazer, featuring a double breasted closure as you can see. The interior tags say "R. Froio's Custom House" out of Worcester MA. I believe this is vintage but I'm having trouble dating it. This appears to be a "tiny fit" blazer, it fits my mannequin through the shoulders and torso but it is fitted and the arms run a bit "short". I would have thought that it was a boy's blazer but it also has a tag that says "custom tailored for Tia Froio" presumably of some relation to the company itself...I suppose the original wearer could have simply been petite but the fit seems intentional. Is there a specific term for a "tiny fit" blazer or is this just the way it was tailored? Any input is appreciated, thank you1
 

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Well, it's a woman's blazer (note the direction of fastening) and Tia is a woman's name so I would suggest the sleeve length was designed to be shorter, to display bracelets perhaps, as has been the trend in the 60's previously. I would think your blazer is 1980s. The labelling looks a little older in style, however it's a custom made garment which tend to be more traditional in manufacture, and the care label suggests a post 1970 dating to me.
 
Does it possibly button the other way? Everything about this looks like a men's jacket. It is gaping oddly the around the bust which makes me wonder if it isn't meant to go over tatas.
 
You might want to check out Maureen's suggestion about buttoning it the other way, but I think it's a woman's blazer/jacket from the '60's - possibly part of a suit. The skirt would have been short. There were care labels earlier than the '70's. I have a wool jacket from the '40's with a Dry Clean Only label.

As Melanie mentioned the sleeves are short. They look like 3/4 length which allowed for bracelets - and gloves!!!! I see mid- late '60's.

Linn
 
I agree with Linn - I see an early '60s jacket with matching straight or A line skirt. It's made for someone much slimmer than your mannequin, with the top button done up not worn open as you've displayed it. I wonder if it's for a school girl? The done up bust measurement should give an idea.

I, too, have seen "dry clean only" labels much earlier than the '70s although they were only mandated in that decade. The labels and lining look '60s although it's an unusual style for the time - hence why I wonder if it's a school uniform.
 
Perhaps that is what is throwing me off...it is too small which is throwing off the fit. I can see more now on my computer and I agree it is a woman's blazer. I like the uniform idea. I makes sense as to why this has some menswear hints if she was working at the family tailor shop.
 
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Maureen, you've given me an idea!

Perhaps Tia was the young daughter of the owner, helping out in the shop and needed something suitably man style to sell tailored suits to men? She could be quite young, 13-16 which is acceptable as a relative.
 
There's a Tia Froio on etsy and I found a page that says she's 26 and lives in Charlton MA. There could be more than one of course - and now that I think about it, this jacket could be any time from the '60s onwards because old style tailors often use old fashioned looking materials.

I used to buy supplies from a local tailor haberdasher: it was perfect for me because everything he had looked like it was from the '20s to '50s, even though it was brand new. It's a very old fashioned industry and fashions change very slowly. I'm sure many tailors don't change their labels, or take a long time to use up stocks of old labels.
 
Thanks for all of your input everyone!! I appreciate all of the thoughtful responses...in that case, perhaps I should just list it with emphasis on the custom made "uniform" aspect? It seems so hard to get a date on these types of custom made pieces and I wouldn't want to give any potential buyers incorrect information! Thanks again!
 
Hi Carrie-thanks for posting those links! I called both numbers and sadly they both seem to have been disconnected/reassigned to other businesses...Ah well, the mystery of "Tia" remains. Thanks everyone :)!
 
This morning, the VFG got this message on facebook from a user named Tia Marie in regards to this jacket:


Alright pretty neat but apparently there is a search party out there trying to identify this "mystery Tia". Hopefully this post gives em some answers

http://forums.vintagefashionguild.org/threads/help-dating-this-vintage-blazer-r-froios-custom-house.53354/#post-534268

Yes that was my blazer. Originally it was made as a three piece suit with a skirt and a trouser. My dad Rocco Froio, made it for me when I was a little girl sometime in the late 90s. His store Rocco's is located at 315 Park Ave Worcester, Ma 508-752-6892, www.roccothetailor.com

feel free to contact him if you have further questions. Hope this post helped the mystery file
 
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