Tweed coat dating and can you suggest a possible manufacturer/brand?

Pinkcoke

Pinkcoke

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I picked this up largely because I thought the tweed was exactly the same as my 1940s CC41 Harris tweed coat, despite it having no labels, but the pockets are lined in rayon crepe which certainly could be that old. The main lining is a satin more like acetate but apparantly also period as there is the ghost stitching of a label there. I since discovered the shop I purchased it from (which sells 'vintage' although largely 80s/90s) has a contract to sell on de-branded counterfeit goods seized by the council, so I have this horrible feeling the label of a well known brand was removed in error because it was not identified as a vintage garment. You can see the ghost stitiching looks very fresh.
I haven't come across a coat of this shape before - it's boxy, A line and feel's like a man's jacket, but it has long bust darts from the shoulders (which are WIDE - 16" between seams) I dunno is this just a loose 40s style or maternity?! or what? I have given the size of the ghost label in case someone has any comparables.
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It does look like a harris tweed to me. I am wondering if it was longer and cut down. Or could it have had a matching slim lined skirt originally.
I have had harris tweed coats with the same seam down the back like this...I believe I had dated those to the early 50s. This one is a bit tough to id due to its length.
 
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I went looking (by the way, how did I not know I needed a tweed suit???.....there are some beauties out there).....could it be the jacket of a walking suit? I had been thinking it reminded me of some of the Pendleton or Hourihan jackets/coats I have had, but I guess they are all so classic they sort of blend into one. The labels had a similar size.
 
Thank you both. I had noticed the back seam Mary Jane but not associated it with HT, my examples not featuring this. I did wonder about the length too, but I think it's original as the front edges feature the same topstitched seam which goes to the bottom with uninterupted stitches. The lining is also sewn at the bottom, I think from the inside, or very neatly as the last sewing.
I've only handled the Hourihan here in the UK but the 70s tweed suit I have by them (I'm saving it for the Tweed Run at the moment) is Donegal Tweed, and being irish I sort of think they wouldn't go for Harris Tweed, but I may contact them and ask if they have ever used it.
Seeing as my 1940s HT coat said the fabric was stamped with the orb mark inside I'm tempted to open the lining further (there is a bit that needs resewing anyway shh) and check...
 
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Melanie, thanks for the confirmation about the length, I was wondering about that too. It looks early '50s, very early '50s to me too as it has aspects that I associate with the '40s including the colour combination of tweed. The boxy shape could be for an older woman, but it looks like a short coat to me.
 
Tweed Run....that sounds so fun. Okay, got to do some more tweed research....wikipedia tells me this (love the term 'Heathered'...will be using that one for sure!) "While the weavers in County Donegal provide a number of different tweed fabrics, including herringbone and check patterns, the area is best known for a plain-weave cloth of differently-coloured warp and weft, with small pieces of yarn in various colours woven in at irregular intervals to produce a heathered effect.....I guess no such whimsy in the Harris?
 
Donegal tweed has a distinctive fleck which is usually in a brighter colour than the rest of the wool yarns used. A bit like flecked yarn you knit with. Harris Tweed is more of a traditional heritage look. Donegal I'd say is the flashier variety?
Heathered refers to the plant Heather which grows on the hillier parts of the UK, mostly Scotland. A Heathered hill gives the same visual picture as Donegal tweed - flashes of colour in muted earthy tones.
 
The colorway of the tweed is so similar to an unlabelled 50s 4 piece suit I have (beret/vest/skirt/coat). Here's the coat (sorry for the quick pic):

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I'll take a look later this week when I'm at my storage unit (where all the men's tweed coats are), to see if any have that kind of dart treatment at the shoulders. The back seam, wide shoulders, and style of button all look very mannish to me...
 
Carrie that colourway does seem to pertain to this particular era which is great. I LOVE your set, and I have a slight tendency to collect matching sets....should it fit XS-S please let me know details.
 
Well you have a stunning set there I shall admire from afar, I'd love to see the full set sometime, just to ogle. Perhaps on the Show and Tell thread? :)
 
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