Fun challenge. Please help me date this vintage German suit.

[Marc Chevalier]

Originally Posted by Mr Mueller

Where do you learn so much about 20th century suits?

More than 20 years of examining hundreds of vintage American and European suits up close; poring over old American and European catalogues from the 1900s to the '50s; collecting and reading many vintage issues of Tailor & Cutter, Apparel Arts and Esquire; and reading Esquire's Encyclopedia of 20th Century Men's Fashion from cover to cover -- twice.


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[Mysterious Mose]

I had a similar suit, 1950's, C&A, in a s.b. two buttons variety. The trousers had a really fancy cuff (un)buttoning system, I presume for brushing out dust.

[filfoster]

Tomasso: Are those trousers part of a suit? Could we see the ensemble?

[Mr Mueller]

Originally Posted by Marc Chevalier

More than 20 years of examining hundreds of vintage American and European suits up close; poring over old American and European catalogues from the 1900s to the '50s; collecting and reading many vintage issues of Tailor & Cutter, Apparel Arts and Esquire; and reading Esquire's Encyclopedia of 20th Century Men's Fashion from cover to cover -- twice.


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I'll have to look into the Esquire book. Definitely something I need to brush up on. Also something that I think there would be a demand for a more up to date publication. Ever thought about publishing your own book.

[cookie]

Originally Posted by benstephens

Hi,

I would take a stab at 1950s. It is the C&A Label which is interesting in itself. C&A was a textile company set up in the 1840s. They had stores all over Europe at one time but they seem to have disappeared now.

It is hard to tell from the photos though as to what the lining is and what the sleeves are lined in. Button fly is really not going to tell you much as button fly suits were still used well into the 1960s, even on off the peg suits.

The cut and style is certainly making it look pre war, the European fashions of around 1938 seemd to start favouring one button closure on a Dbl breasted suit.

My thoughts though are the Reine Wolle label. This means real wool. I have only ever seen this on 1950s European suits, as nearly all pre war suits would have been real wool.

The inside of the trousers certainly look certainly 1940s to me if not latter.

Just my thoughts,

Kindest Regards

Ben

+1 on the C&A label.

[cookie]

Originally Posted by Marc Chevalier

You'd be surprised. As recently as 5 years ago, a LOT of pre-WWII German menswear was being exported from Germany to developing countries. In Chile, I found tons of 1930s German overcoats (leather and heavy wool), horsehide motorcycle coats, tuxedos, and some suits in used clothing stores. Every winter, bales of clothes would arrive in Chile from Germany.


Oddly enough, the shipments also included many 1920s and '30s frock coats (specifically, the kind worn by Orthodox Jews). Sometimes I ask myself, "Could much of this pre-WWII clothing have come from victims of the Holocaust?" After all, there would have been millions upon millions of items, if you know what I mean.


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I have heard that story Marc and I wonder whether there is something in that thought. Chile was of course close to Germany and lotsa Nazis ended up down there. One was caught only about 5 years ago.

How would you explain the export of millions of clothing items from an impoverished, broken down, shell shocked and starving country that had the worst winters during the 1940s on record and yet disposes of copious winter clothing items overseas?

They must have been Jewish clothing that would have been hoarded for use after the Third Reich had reclaimed Eastern Europe for Lebensraum...the Nazis wasted nothing.

[Tomasso]

Originally Posted by filfoster

Tomasso: Are those trousers part of a suit? Could we see the ensemble?

Ask reetpleat, it's his stuff.

[filfoster]

Originally Posted by Tomasso

Ask reetpleat, it's his stuff.

Duh

[Orgetorix]

Originally Posted by Mr Mueller

I'll have to look into the Esquire book. Definitely something I need to brush up on. Also something that I think there would be a demand for a more up to date publication. Ever thought about publishing your own book.

Look in a library, perhaps at your local university. The book is pretty rare outside libraries, and often goes for several hundred dollars when a copy shows up on Ebay. And it's even hard to find in libraries, as so many copies have been "liberated" and sold online, given the high price it fetches.

[Marc Chevalier]

Originally Posted by cookie

I have heard that story Marc and I wonder whether there is something in that thought. Chile was of course close to Germany and lotsa Nazis ended up down there.

No connection in this case. Chile only began to import used clothing from outside the country in 1993. Germany didn't export its used clothes to Chile before the 1990s.


My point is that Germany is exporting bales of 1900s, '20s and '30s menswear (curiously, I never ran into ladies' wear) in our time, right now.


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