Long time lurker asking for advice!

Hello everyone!

After being a long time lurker for several years now, I've finally came into possession of my very own first vintage suit.
A very close friend of mine gave it to me as it was too big for him. I tried it on and it was a perfect fit for me (46)!

Unfortunately, there isn't a tag or label on the jacket. I've searched all the pockets, looked at the back of the buttons for makers marks. But allas, nothing to be found.

I'm hoping that the knowledgeable enthousiasts on this wonderfull forum will be able to send me into the right direction!

With the (limited) amount of knowledge that I possess, am I correct in dating this in the 1900-1910's period?
I have no idea if it is more British or European in style. Any help on that would be much appreciated as well.

Details I know of:
- 4 Button jacket. Top button is covered in similar fabric as jacket to blend in.
- 3 Buttons on sleeve. Seam about 10-12cm's above opening.
- Back seam in middle.
- Shoulder seam is in a backwards angle.
- Sleeve has another seam on the back side ( vertical).
- Breast pocket is angled.
- (Reinforcement?) Tabs in the armpits.

Hope these details help a bit.

Here are the photos of the jacket:


I am very happy with the jacket though . It fits perfectly! Waist, length of the sleeves... It's like it was made for me.

Thank you in advance for your input!

Congratulations! That is indeed a very old jacket, most likely pre 1910. Possibly late 1890s, but my guess is 1900s.

It looks quite formal with the cloth-covered buttons, that's probably why it's survived all these years as it wouldn't have been worn every day.

Do you have the trousers and waistcoat too, as you mention suit?

The chain in the neck is something that I've only ever seen in continental and Scandinavian suits, but I don't know enough about British suits of the period to say for sure.

There's a lot of machine work on it, including the undercollar and other places where it would have been done by hand at such an early date, with machine work reserved for less visible work - something true even of early ready-to-wear.

Is this not a skilled reproduction? Perhaps even an older style produced at a later date (20s/30s/40s even?).

Sure, it's possible but my vote is that it is the real deal. I have several pieces from the 10s and earlier with the same level of machine work.

Thanks for the replies so far!

Affraid I don't have the rest of the suit.. It's only the jacket, bad habbit of automatically reffering to it as a suit .
Any ideas on why the top button is covered in the same fabric as the rest of the jacket?
To facilitate a certain style of wearing it?

Or the other three buttons were lost and non-matching replacements sewn on? It's likely at one point they were all cloth-covered buttons.

They are all Cloth covered. The bottom 3 have the woven-ish pattern as in the pictures.
The top button is covered in the same type of cloth as the jacket. As to "blend in" sort of speak.

Mortars said:

They are all Cloth covered. The bottom 3 have the woven-ish pattern as in the pictures.
The top button is covered in the same type of cloth as the jacket. As to "blend in" sort of speak.

Click to expand...

Then maybe that one is the 'odd' button.