Fabric content?

[Mr. Rover]

Can anybody identify the type of fabric in this suit? The seller seems to think that it isn't wool, but being from the 30's, I would think suits then were made only from wool (not including summer clothes).

 

[BellyTank]

Hmmm.... looks like wool. What else could it really be I wonder? Some people (your vendor) are not able to- or don't have the knowledge to correlate fabrics and era/age. If it is '30s, which it looks like, or there abouts, it should be wool.
BT.

 

[Fuente]

From the photo you can only tell that it is a four harness right hand twill weave. Based on your assumed date it would most certainly be 100% wool spun on the worsted system. If you can remove a few threads from an inside seam, burn them with a butane lighter or a match, allow the sulfer odor to disapate before you hold a match to the threads. Wool will leave a distictive odor when burned and the ash will crumble into dust. If it is of more recent vintage and is a Polyester Wool blend the ash will behave like wool but leave a small hard bead of melted polyester.

I hope this helps

Rich

 

[Fuente]

With further examination, the belt loops are top stitched. It has been a long time since suit or dress pants have used atop stitched loop. Modern pants use a belt loop the is created on a machine that stitches from the under side after inserting a woven stiffener. Top stitched loops are still common on some casual pants. More modern Trousers would have a Bar Tack at the top of the pocket which would help keep the pocket from coming loose as the photo shows it has. So a guess of 100% wool and a vintage prior to the 70's would be an educated guess.

Rich

 

[Matt Deckard]

If it is 30's it most likely is wool. Even many of the cream colored summer clothes from the era were wool. you find colored linen suits from back then, though that doesn't appear to be linen, and it's not cotton.

The machine stitching on the belt loops I have seen on modern pants.

The belt loops are sewn into the waistband which is a good indicator that it could be pre WWII. I see alot of the post war pants with the loops attached under the waistband showing that they were added after the waist was attached. To my eye the The cut of the vest is very early 30's in style, so is the jacket.

If you could find out if it has a skeleton lining and if the fly is button or zipper that would tell you more.

You can also ask him to look in the inside pocket to see if there is a year listed.

Then again it could be from the 70's and 100% polyester!

 

[Wild Root]

Yes, most suits of the pre war era were wool. Now, if you know some about fabric then you’ll know that cashmere was used as an additive before Polyester was invented. Sears would sell wool and cashmere blends for less compared to 100% wool in the 30’s. The type of weave I see is some what of a worsted or serge type. Back then, they cold weave wool in so many ways that it could appear that is made of some other fibers then wool. I for one can tell that this suit would be of a pre WWII era. Looking at the lapels, vest and belt loops, I would say that you have a suit with a 1939 copy right union tag in the inside pocket! I have a single breasted suit that looks much like this in cut and style. I have a double breasted suit that is also of the same fabric which is worsted wool I believe and it has a 1939 union tag in it!

So, don’t listen to some of these sellers since they think Polyester has been around forever. I would buy this suit if I were you!

Root.

 

[Mr. Rover]

Matt, it has a button fly.

 

[Wild Root]

HA! I knew it! All I had to do was look at the fabric and well, there you go!

The use of buttons in the fly was common from the 20's to the early 40's. Buttons were cheaper to use then the new zipper at the time. Also, they used buttons during the war years. So now you know that it's a mid to late 30's suit! Good deal friend!

Root.

 

[Mr. Rover]

I never do, but is there a reason why? Just tradition?

 

[Fuente]

The pictured waistcoat is a six button six to button style. The bottom buttom may be left unbuttoned, however the six button five to button is the one most often seen as the lower button and button hole are positioned so that they are non functional.

Rich

 

[Mr. Rover]

Interesing anecdote, although I must say Mr. Bogart didn't follow that rule of thumb all the time. I was watching Maltese Falcon today (what else is better to do when you're sick than to get a nice wool blanket and watch a detective movie?) and noticed that Bogey's waistcoat was buttoned all the way. Or maybe the flu medication is playing tricks on my mind?

 

[Matt Deckard]

If you watch old movies and check out pictures from the golden era (as we like to call it) you will see that most of the vests for suits in the US were made so you could button the bottom button. England is where the tradition prevailed and the US is where is trickled around for a bit. Most suits in the US did not have the cuttaway bottom button that was just for looks and not buttoning.

As an American, wear it as you like... it is a british rule which was not prolific in the US in the 20's and 30's. Back then your mother would have probably told you to finish buttoning your vest.

I preffer all working buttons.

I sometimes button the bottom button and sometimes do not -- depends on my belly.

As for jackets, most 2 button jackets nowadays allow you to button the bottom button with a bottom button that is made on a cuttaway which means the jacket spreads from the top button and the bottom button is not meant to be functional. This style has been around since before the turn of the century to now. Back then they also had alot of 2 button jackets with a higher button stance without a cuttaway allowing you to button both buttons.

 

[Mr. Rover]

Won the Auction

Well, I just bought the suit. I think that the price was a decent price. Not exactly a bargain, but I'm still on the vintage-buying learning curve. And with my small size, I'm a bit limited. I am going to need to get the sleeves shortened, reduce the chest a size, narrow the shoulders by an inch, have a button replaced, and have that part of the pants mended. And then get it dry cleaned. *sigh* The toils of dressing nice.
Well, in another year or so, I can fit a 38R.

Ray

 

[AlanC]

I would think it's almost certainly all wool. I vote never to button the bottom button on the vest. And it has great roll to the lapel.

 

[Mr. Rover]

This is a navy blue pinstripe, the stripe is not so much a color in the fabric but is in the texture of the fabic, it is from Curlee Clothes. I am unsure of the fabric content but it is not wool. It has a button fly and cuffed pants, the coat has three pockets, the two lower ones have a flap, one of these has a small inner pocket and there is one upper left pocket. also an inside pocket. The vest has four pockets. There are buttons on the inside waistband for suspenders. It is in very good condition, it appears to have had little use, no worn areas at all, there is one place at the front pocket on the pants where it has pulled out from under the waistband, this is less than a 1/2" area and would be easily sewn, shown in photo #4. The vest has one button missing, this is a plain button and should be easily replaced. There is just the lightest soil, a couple of places where it has brushed against something dusty and one small soil spot on the arm, there is what appears to be a small ink spot on the inside vest lining.

That's the description from the auction.

 

[Wild Root]

I have a double breasted suit from Curlee Clothes! The fabric is much the same! How much did it cost? I payed $120 for mine.

Root.

 

[Mr. Rover]

What a coincidence! I paid $82, plus about $20-30 shipping to Asia (urgh...if only the auction ended last week when I was in New York and would pay half for shipping!!!!) So in the end, I paid about the same (except I need to get a few repairs and alterations after I receive it.)

How is the quality of the fabric?The pinstripes look awesome.

Speaking of double-breasted, I asked Art to check if he had any dbl-breasted pinstripes, but the only one he could find for me seemed a bit big on all fronts. Oh well...maybe in the future.
I can still do SOME business with him: I need to send my Stetson Whippet to replace the sweatband and size it up one. I had forgotten about hte preliminary coat of pecards before I put it on, and the sweatband just ripped lke tissue paper in the back.

Ray

PS- YAY! IT SAYS IM A FAMILIAR FACE NOW!

 

[Mr. Rover]

IT FINALLY ARRIVED! The suit is beautiful. The button-holes and lapel are beautiful. The number of stitches in the lapel is astonishing! I have been looking for the Union label that Wildroot was talking about but I can't find it. There's only one inside pocket and the only label is Curlee Clothes.


The fabric is very heavy, but is only partially lined. the seams on the lining near an armpit is coming apart. It seems to lack moth holes, but there is a small hole in the lining. I was surprised that the waistcoat back wasn't just satin, but was wool with satin over it. Gotta get a button repaired on that...Also, does anyone know if button-holes can be repaired? A button-hole seems to be wearing out and a bunch of the threads are sticking out.

I guess people then were shorter, but there arms were fuller, because the jacket ends perfectly on my thigh, but the sleeves end down by my knuckles.

The second I tried on the pants, I reached into the pocket and found 2 unused matches. They looked like they had been there for an eternity. I haven't found cigarette ashes in the cuffs, though, like some have reported.

Does anyone have pictures of how the pants should look from the back? Because, the waist fits, but the butt seems to have some extra-unneeded bagage, and all the Sears catalogue pictures I've seen are from the front.

I need to find a good alterations tailor to take in some things. Being a teenager, I'm still considerably smaller sized. And after that, I need to find a dry cleaner that doesn't ship it out. I wouldn't trust them to mess it up.

Ray

 

[Wild Root]

Good to hear that you got your suit! So, no Union tag eh? That’s odd to say the least. Well, I have some coats that don’t have the tag in them. But, by the way you have described it, it sounds like a pre-war suit.

The back of the vest is wool lined with satin??? That’s new! All the vintage vests I have are just satin with a cotton inner lining. Does the vest match the coat and pants? If not, then you have a vest that would be known as a casual type of vest. If you could post more photos I could tell you more.

Buttonhole trouble? Well, all I can say is that you can take it to a tailor and he can mend it as best as he or she can. The problem is that the button holes were made with a stitching machine that only the manufacture would have. I have some stuff that the buttonholes are needing repair on and my tailor has told me that all they can do is stitch it so it won’t get worse. They told me that they lack the equipment to stitch it like it was originally. So, all you can really do is have them do their best job on it and it will keep it from getting worse and it will look better then it does now.

All you could find was a hole in the lining? Good! You’re lucky that it’s on the lining and not in the fabric!!! To have a hole fixed in the fabric can get pricey. I would just leave it alone. As for me, when it comes to little flaws or imperfections, I leave most of them alone. One reason is that the garment is 60+ years old and will never be new again no matter what you have done to it. I have a few pairs of pants from the 30’s that have little holes here and there. Funny, I wear them and I get complement after complement! No one ever sees them! A vintage suit is just that; a vintage suit! I know of some friends of mine who have passed up some really cool stuff because of one little flaw! They expect it to be perfect or something. You can find vintage that is in near perfect condition, but the price tag can hurt you financially.

All in all, you did good my friend! Hope to see some more photos of this suit!

Root.

PS. As for the correct way the pants should fit in the back, sounds like you should have them taken in a bit. Remember, pants of this era were designed to be worn high waisted so, you may try wearing them just above your navel where its first owner would have worn them.

 

[Mr. Rover]

The vest matches the suit. Actually, it may be cotton now that you mention it. The front of the vest continues for parts of the back an the collar, and then entire vest is lined in cotton.

I'm just mostly worried about the seat of the pants. They are looking too shiny, which I assume it how wool gets when it is worn. The fabric is feeling thnner there than the rest of the pants. Should I worry about it ripping within, oh..say the next year?



Ray