Polyester?

jamespowers · Feb 2, 2006

Lincsong said:
I wore polyester every day. When I was King Stud, cruising in the Trans Am, blown dry hair, open collared black shirt to show my hairy chest :cheers1: and white polyester suit, with a different babe on Friday and Saturday nights I would dance the night away. (Just kidding!)

I believe it.

Regards to all,

J

Briscoeteque · Feb 2, 2006

Wild Root said:
Eww. No offence, but all the Polyester ties I've seen are kind of well, nasty and way too long. This is coming from some one who only wears vintage 30's or 40's ties. I hang them in the closet and they stay nice. Natural ties with natural suits I say.

Enjoy the Disco ties.

=WR=

I cant even stand the small or feel of the stuff! Just feels fake.

They're not disco, they're the 50's-early 60's narrow numbers. A few subtle patterns, a few slightly louder ones. They are a litte on the long side, but tie them up with a half-windsor knot, and they hang just at the right level.

I think it works, but you can judge for yourself. This is one of the louder pieces, with one of my louder suits. Keep in mind I also usually wear the narrow lapeled suits to balence, though those pictures didn't come out very good.

Edit: and I'm afraid I don't really have closet space. I already hang my suits on the walls.

Wild Root · Feb 2, 2006

Baron Kurtz said:
Oh, come on, now. You're saying that if a beautiful late 40s - early fifties Sears Dacron geometric print tie fell into your lap, you wouldn't love and cherish her?

I agree on the disco ties. Hideous! And MASSIVE. Why did they have to be so long and so wide? And with so much padding? I just searched through a couple thousand ties in a thrift shop. I pulled out about 10 decent 40s/50s ones at $2 a pop. Most of the others were 70s poly jobs. Made me feel sick just touching them while i passed them to the discarded pile.
bk

Yes, if weâ€™re talking Dacron late 40â€™s and early 50â€™s ties, Iâ€™d jump on them (Iâ€™m sure I may have a few any way, donâ€™t know for sure) but, yes, those are ok. Itâ€™s the 60â€™s and 70â€™s ties that I will never wear. Eww, never!

So, digging through 70â€™s ties to find the gold makes you feel sick? Hahahahah, I get the same way man! (William Shatner voice) *Gasp* canâ€™t, wash, the, Polyester off! Draining, energy, canâ€™t breath, fading, fast,â€¦ *Gasp*! Ahhhhhhhhh.

Briscoeteque said:
They're not disco, they're the 50's-early 60's narrow numbers. A few subtle patterns, a few slightly louder ones. They are a little on the long side, but tie them up with a half-windsor knot, and they hang just at the right level.

I think it works, but you can judge for yourself. This is one of the louder pieces, with one of my louder suits. Keep in mind I also usually wear the narrow lapelled suits to balance, though those pictures didn't come out very good.

Edit: and I'm afraid I don't really have closet space. I already hang my suits on the walls.

Oh, those kind. I see, those arenâ€™t so bad I guess. If you love them, thatâ€™s great!

Iâ€™d suggest, (only constructive coaching from an vintage expert) you should wear a wider tie with your double breasted 40â€™s suit. It would balance it out better for sure. The suit looks good on you but, Iâ€™m sorry, it may be loud to you but, itâ€™s really a conservative suit in all respects. A loud suit has bright colors with bold stripes which are in high demand.

Keep it up friend, you're learning!

=WR=

EL COLORADO · Feb 8, 2006

Dacron is ultra cool!
But only in those early 60's suits that are made from it.
Theyre razor sharp.
Dacron is what gives that sharkskiny, iridescent, swingin sheen to those suits , that you have to see in person,..cause it doesnt come out in photographs.
Pair that up with a skinny tie and wraparound shades.
And youre ready to roll.

Now,.. them late 60's and early 70's polyester clown outfits is another matter.

EC

Sefton · Feb 8, 2006

I wore a baby blue poly tux with dark blue velvet trim to my sisters wedding. Of course this was 1977 (Sorry, no pics of the super wide lapeled sartorial splendor of it!) As to the suit that started this thread, I like the peaked lapel and overall look...too bad about the poly though. I didn't realize that they still made suits from it anymore....

Noirblack · Apr 3, 2012

Not a lot of love here for polyester. In it's defence, I had a pair of polyester pants that looked like grey wool trousers. It was difficult to tell them apart from wool and I will buy similar pants in the future. They were a thin material and great in the summer. Being able to machine wash them was great. Some facts to consider:

Characteristics of polyester

Polyester fabrics and fibers are extremely strong.
Polyester is very durable: resistant to most chemicals, stretching and shrinking, wrinkle resistant, mildew and abrasion resistant.
Polyester is hydrophobic in nature and quick drying. It can be used for insulation by manufacturing hollow fibers.
Polyester retains its shape and hence is good for making outdoor clothing for harsh climates.
It is easily washed and dried.

Brevetti · Apr 3, 2012

I like polyester. It will never beat wool, cotton, and linen, of course, but it has its uses. Like someone said earlier in this thread, polyester has advanced since its heyday in the 1970s. It can now be made a lot softer, and can come pretty close to natural fibers. There are a lot of people out there who want to reproduce the aesthetic of the Golden Era, but as we have all come to learn, there just simply isn't big enough of a market for it. Companies can get around this, though, by using blends of synthetic textiles. The thing about polyester is that it is very cheap. I own a few really nice retro-style suits and shirts made of the stuff, that I bought for next to nothing. And think about it this way: if you accessorize well, with a good Bold Look tie, a white point collar shirt, and a pair of shined Allen Edmonds on your feet, an off-white polyester suit wouldn't look half bad.

Gin&Tonics · Apr 3, 2012

The thing about polyester for suits is that it simply doesn't drape, move or breathe as nicely as wool, linen or cotton. Yes, polyester manufacture has come a long way, and there are some very decent looking ties made nowadays from polyester that are perfectly fine to wear, but if you're going to buy a suit, you might as well invest a bit of money and get something nice made of wool. The price difference isn't big enough to justify the drop in quality with polyester, in my opinion. Also, if you shop thrift stores you can find plenty of very, very nice 100% wool suits, some even vintage, for next to nothing. Natural fibres alllllll the way.

One other thing' never ever buy a polyester/wool blend suit. The biggest problem is that the poly fibres are SO much stronger than the wool fibres that they will actually damage and wear out the wool, making the suit look shabby and worn out well before its time.

I have to wear a polyester uniform shirt every day, and trust me, it's uncomfortable as hell.

Edward · Apr 3, 2012

Noirblack said:
Not a lot of love here for polyester. In it's defence, I had a pair of polyester pants that looked like grey wool trousers. It was difficult to tell them apart from wool and I will buy similar pants in the future. They were a thin material and great in the summer. Being able to machine wash them was great. Some facts to consider:

Characteristics of polyester

Polyester fabrics and fibers are extremely strong.
Polyester is very durable: resistant to most chemicals, stretching and shrinking, wrinkle resistant, mildew and abrasion resistant.
Polyester is hydrophobic in nature and quick drying. It can be used for insulation by manufacturing hollow fibers.
Polyester retains its shape and hence is good for making outdoor clothing for harsh climates.
It is easily washed and dried.

I have one or two poly bits myself. This includes a couple of drapes (really would love to have a few heavy wool ted suits, but the only thing I'd be likely to wear less often would be a zoot, and the only option for a wool ted suit these days is to go bespoke: pricey). I have a couple of pairs of poly-viscose trousers that are to the eye indistinguishable (and pretty damn close to the finger) from old-school gaberdine. Machine washable, drape beautifully, and have been worn in the heat of India with no problem. Oh... that and a very 50s-style loop-collar, ss Hawaiian style shirt that I bought in a sale in the Gap back in 1999, still machine washes and wears beautifully all these years later. So it definitely has its place. I'd avoid it in a dress shirt, though - or the kind of Seventies-style heavy poly that goes shiny in no time.

It's also nice to have just a couple of pieces I don't have to worry about damn moths with all the damn time....

Gin&Tonics said:
One other thing' never ever buy a polyester/wool blend suit. The biggest problem is that the poly fibres are SO much stronger than the wool fibres that they will actually damage and wear out the wool, making the suit look shabby and worn out well before its time.

Interesting, never heard that before. Back in the Eighties when I was getting my first few suits, poly-wool mix was considered to be better than wool for the same reason that a linen mix is often preferred over pure linen: less prone to wrinkling. I never had any problem with premature wear, but that said in those days I was till growing too quickly to have the opportunity to wear out a suit.

MisterGrey · Apr 3, 2012

I love my wool suits but always keep a poly on hand for when I want to look sharp but am also wary of getting messy/doing something where the suit might sustain damage. For all of its other virtues, wool doesn't have the brutal, workhorse quality of poly.

For my own money, I've also found that no matter the weight, I'm usually warmer in poly in the winter than any wool.

DocMustang · Apr 3, 2012

I despise polyester. I have been involved in historic costuming for the better part of 20 years. I work primarily in the Elizabethan period but have dabbled in other periods. In the fabric world polyester is the great imitator. I have seen polyester fabrics that mimiced everything from linen to heavy weight wool. In each case the drape, breathability and sheen (particularly in direct sunlight) make polyester a poor choice.

Other posters have pointed out that it is stain resistant. This is a byproduct of the fiber's chemical nature and the fact that the fibers are non porous and and must be dyed when the fiber is first created.

When it comes to garments of quality natural fibers, wool, silk, flax, hemp, and cotton are vastly preferable. They have superior qualities that polyester and other artificial fibers can only imitate but never duplicate.

Mario · Apr 4, 2012

I have a 1950's Dacron seersucker suit. What can I say? I really like it but even though it's extremely lightweight it somehow wears like iron (which is exactly what the seller told me). It's not that I'm getting overly hot in the summer wearing it. The fabric is just...well, it's neither wool nor linen. It's polyester. The feel is very different. I wouldn't want to sell it, though...

Gene · Apr 4, 2012

Mario said:
I have a 1950's Dacron seersucker suit. What can I say? I really like it but even though it's extremely lightweight it somehow wears like iron (which is exactly what the seller told me). It's not that I'm getting overly hot in the summer wearing it. The fabric is just...well, it's neither wool nor linen. It's polyester. The feel is very different. I wouldn't want to sell it, though...

Polyester blends when done correctly and tastefully can look great, good example Mario!

Mario · Apr 4, 2012

Gene said:
Polyester blends when done correctly and tastefully can look great, good example Mario!

Thanks. As I said before: I really like that suit. It's actually pretty light and cool even when the weather is getting hot - but I still prefer Palm Beach or linen.

TheBronze · May 10, 2012

Hmm...I have to wear a 100% wool uniform everyday and for years have wished they would make it in a wool/poly blend. The pure wool uniforms are prone to wearing through in places and a small amount of polyester makes them tougher. That said, in a suit I'm sticking to 100% wool. I think its just more of a "correct" material for a suit.

Stanley Doble · May 11, 2012

(Bill Mitchell, head of General Motors styling, eying an underling in a loud polyester bell bottom outfit, circa 1975)

My wife has better linoleum on her kitchen floor than you have in that suit.

wildturkey8 · May 15, 2012

A small amount of polyester blended into wool can help a suit keep its shape longer.

Gin&Tonics · May 15, 2012

wildturkey8 said:
A small amount of polyester blended into wool can help a suit keep its shape longer.

The problem, though, is that the polyester fibres are so much stronger and harder than the wool they will actually wear out the wool fibres through friction of motion and cause the suit to look shabby and worn out far sooner than a pure wool suit would.

Undertow · May 15, 2012

In case anyone's interested, here are some trade names for polyester:
Avlin, Dacron, Encron, Esterweld, Fortrel, GoldenTouch, Kodel, Quintess, Spectran, Strialine, Textura, Trevira, Vycron

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