How to date vintage boating blazers ...

[Two Types]

I often see vintage boating blazers advertised for sale on Ebay etc. However, unless the blazer is labelled, I don't have much idea about how to work out the date. Obviously the cloth would help, but one can't always tell from photographs.

Therefore does anyone have any ideas about blazer styles etc that might help to date them? I had thought about buttons since I have seen early blazers with four buttons, rather than three, but i also seem to recall seeing later ones with four buttons.

For example, this is advertised as being a boating blazer from the 1960s:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-College-Boating-Blazer-Jacket-1960-s-Green-Striped-Mod-Indie-XS-36-chest-/170902006760?pt=UK_Men_s_Coats_Jackets&hash=item27ca8dabe8
But could it just as easily be from the 1930s?

I'd be interested to know people's thoughts.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

quote the seller: "it certainly looks and feels 60s"

I hate this kind of phrase as it asks you to accept that the teller knows what they're talking about. In the main, from sellers and from within the vintage community, most people do not know what they're talking about.

As regards boating blazers it's very difficult to tell without having the thing in your hands. Buttons can sometimes give a clue, but even that can be misleading. Without a label, all you can say is that the model is wearing a jacket that's far too short for him …

 

[herringbonekid]

TT, i have several images of 30s blazers; they're all three button and the construction is basically the same as the one you've posted. some have an embroidered crest, some don't.
they're one of those garments that would have changed little over the years so dating them is very difficult as BK has said. i'm sure the seasoned vintage blazer handler could tell the fabrics apart by feel, but i'm not such a person, and that's not much help for looking at them online either.

 

[Two Types]

Thanks. This confirms my original thought: without actually handling a garment of this type and feeling the weight etc (especially when there is no makers/tailor's label) there is little to give away its age.

 

[herringbonekid]

if you have a look here :

http://tvsarchive.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/school-jackets-1930s-1960s.html

...there's a 60s blazer among a load of 30s-50s ones. the 60s blazer has noticeably narrower lapels than the rest.

 

[Two Types]

Thanks. That's very interesting. Looking at the 1960s blazer it was interesting to note that the label did not look like a sixties label, thus reminding us that labels (though often very useful) can be misleading.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tvShDoSSyAI/S1oLZTTnZ4I/AAAAAAAAA7U/hz6AQ7Fptm8/s1600/DSC_0028.JPG

Look at the London postcode of 'W', as noted in other threads this numbering system changed in 1917. As such, it appears that we are seeing a 1968 blazer with an old pre-1917 label.

 

[herringbonekid]

TT, well spotted; i didn't notice that. you might expect old labels to be used a few years after the change but as late as 1968 !!!

 

[Baron Kurtz]

It's possible that that blazer was made much earlier and had the lapels cut down. Those lapels are terribly done.

 

[herringbonekid]

It's possible that that blazer was made much earlier and had the lapels cut down. Those lapels are terribly done.

what about the '68 date on the label ?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

blazer made earlier and sat in shop with label in situ 'til 68, when the lapels were cut down and date appended.

bk

 

[herringbonekid]

lapels look fine to me... for a 60s blazer.
i'll stick with the old label story.

 

[Two Types]

In the main, from sellers and from within the vintage community, most people do not know what they're talking about.

That makes me think of the sellers of vintage ties who automatically refer to ties under 50 inches long as being a boys tie. Or the people who list 1950s Tootal ties as 'sixties mod ties' even though they look nothing like a mod tie.

Ignorance can be irritating but it does help the odd bargain appear.

 

[Qirrel]

lapels look fine to me... for a 60s blazer.
i'll stick with the old label story.

I agree. They aren't badly made, just unappealing.

 

[Two Types]

Bukta boating blazer

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENTS-VINTAGE-SPORTS-JACKET-in-Blue-Cream-Stripe-GOODWOOD-REVIVAL-/251145602282?pt=UK_Men_s_Vintage_Coats_Jackets&hash=item3a7971c4ea

What thoughts on the date of this from the label? maybe 1930s?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Yeah, that's a pretty old Bukta label, I think. I'd put the jacket at about the same date as the one that started this thread (which i now own). The buttons are a good sign of age.

 

[Two Types]

BK: now that you own the green blazer, are there any hints on date etc inside it?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I'll need to wait 'til it arrives. But I suspect not.

 

[Two Types]

TT, well spotted; i didn't notice that. you might expect old labels to be used a few years after the change but as late as 1968 !!!

http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/3/0/4/7/5/4/webimg/603339689_tp.jpg

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare-1930...UK_Men_s_Vintage_Clothing&hash=item564c345416

Here's an example of exactly the same Denman & Goddard label being used in 1934.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Yes, that's the thing with labels. Probably the only thing that would have changed would be to add a 1 onto the postcode. So, possibly when the label was grabbed from the back of a drawer no-one noticed (or cared about) the difference.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

The green and white one arrived. Not sure on age (certainly no hints from the inside), but I'm thinking 30s - it's got my vintage radar humming, which is usually correct. The buttons are certainly old, but that doesn't mean much. It'll be perfect for a summer evening birthday/MBE party I'm going to on Saturday.

It's a feckin' beauty. (I don't usually like these blazers). If only I could find a cheap, old, pink one.

bk