advice needed - how to wear those short 50's jackets

[jimpascale]

Hello All, New member here (first post, so please be kind). I tend to dress 50's style. I just bought a killer 50's jacket. The problem is it's very short because in the 50's men wore high waisted pants. I'm not a fan of high wasited pants. My wife says I look like Steve Erkel!(sp?). So, here's my concern/question -when I wear this jacket my shirt & pants belt buckle show - looks terrible - like my jacket shrunk!
Has anyone sucessfully covered up this area with say a sweater & still have it look good? Any photos?
Perhaps I'm just deluding myself & that high waisted pants are the only way it will work.
Any/all advice appreciated.
Regards,
Jim
PS
I'm going to try to attach the photo below - please forgive me if it's too big or not correct.
PSS
It looks much better in person

 

[Feraud]

It sounds as if the jacket is too short if your shirt is showing.
Higher waisted pants should help.

 

[BellyTank]

Maybe high-waisted JEANS...(?)

Levis/Lee "Vintage" jeans are cool and have a higher waist- should work and avoid the Erkel.


B
T

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Can't make the jacket longer, best to make the trousers higher.

As BT says, if you don't like high waisted trousers the repro jeans are very cool. But won't the undesirable effects of high waist be the same, independent of what the trousers are made of?

bk

 

[Feraud]

How long is the jacket?

 

[jimpascale]

First, thank to all you gents for the warm welcome.
I'm at work now so I can't personally measure the jacket. From the ebay ad,"underarm to bottom hemline of jacket 11 1/2 ". So, as you can see, it's pretty short. The shoulders & sleeves, however, fit very well.
I guess the only real solution is high waisted pants. I'll have to deal with it.
Thanks again gentlemen.
Regards,
Jim

 

[reetpleat]

First, thank to all you gents for the warm welcome.
I'm at work now so I can't personally measure the jacket. From the ebay ad,"underarm to bottom hemline of jacket 11 1/2 ". So, as you can see, it's pretty short. The shoulders & sleeves, however, fit very well.
I guess the only real solution is high waisted pants. I'll have to deal with it.
Thanks again gentlemen.
Regards,
Jim

You may end up just rebaying it and getting another. many repros are probably not too short as many of the wearers do not wear high waisted slacks. Maybe try to find a bigger jacket, or one made longer.

 

[jimpascale]

Good suggestion. There are many others out there. Hey, maybe I'll make a few buck?!
Jim

 

[reetpleat]

After seeing the jacket, I would have to say it must be too small or you are really tall. That style is not so short that it should be a problem with normal pants. Assuming you are not wearing them really low. It is not even the type with a ribbed waistband. Those tend to be hard to wear and make look good without wearing higher pants.

Not sure what you payed, but should be able to get a decent price with good pics and description.

 

[kools]

Jim,
That's a nice looking jacket. I hope your wife's opinion isn't holding you back. If you wish to continue wearing 1950s attire, high waists may be part of the package. If you do it regularly, she will get used to it; others will get used to it; and most importantly, you will get used to it. If you cruise around the FL, you'll find numerous discussions regarding the advantages of properly waisted pants.

 

[Rufus]

Hi Jim,

Welcome to FL!

I'm guessing the jacket is to short.. Best to measure a jacket you're happy with, and check Ebay listing's accordingly...

Guessing can lead to very unhappy results.. ( I've over enthusiastically bid on wwaaaaaay to many items..hoping I'll magically fit an item I know in my heart I don't have a hop of fitting!!)

I'd look for a new Ricky style jacket that fits, rather than rebuild your wardrobe around an ill fitting jacket..

Loads of 50s jackets come up on Ebay (Many reversible, the 2 in 1 jackets)

Good luck!

Rufus

 

[dakotanorth]

Short jackets, 1950's

Also known as "Eisenhowers" and "Rickys".

They were cut for waist-length style on a high-waisted pants. Keep in mind, this is for the AVERAGE height man. I'm 6'1" which means a lot of them barely touch my belt buckle!
Sometimes the solution is to buy a size 44 which is proportionally larger and hence, longer. Something I've noticed though, is a size 46 tends to be actually SHORTER than a 44; I think they believed a 46 was becoming "stocky" and didn't need the extra length.
A good measurement to watch is the back length, from base of the collar to the bottom. The front doesn't always tell you that much because collars are shaped differently; some wrap tightly, others come to more of a point.
Get a jacket that fits well, measure the back length, hunt for that size!
(Good luck scoring reversible ones, they tend to go high on Ebay).