not so Atomic Fleck

[thunderw21]

Having looked through several hundred suit fabric samples dating from the late-teens to the early-1960s, I've noticed that the popular 1950s "Atomic Fleck" was around long before it ever came under that name. My 'study' has shown that extremely similar fleck patterns can be found as early as the late-teens.



Let's play a game.

Below are 7 fabric samples that could be considered Atomic Fleck. Some date from the early 1920s while the rest date from the 1950s. They are all disorganized and it is your task to identify from which era each sample comes. Let's see if we can tell what is 'real' Atomic Fleck and what is not. Good luck.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

 

[thunderw21]

No interest?

 

[Fletch]

2 and 6 look '30s or '40s to me.
3, 5, and 7 look '50s.
1 and 4 look '60s.

How'd I do?

 

[Esme]

I say 2, 4 and 6 are the later ones, 50's and the rest are earlier.

 

[thunderw21]

Good guesses so far.
I'll post answers in a few days, let some more people chime in.

I do have a reason for this.

 

[Subvet642]

I'll take a SWAG at it: 2 and 7 are from the 20's, the rest are later? [huh]

 

[resortes805]

Just a quick clarification.....

How are differentiating between "atomic" flecks and just plain ol' flecks? Some of the fabrics featured above aren't really what I would consider atomic. I've always considered atomic fleck to be those bold streaks of contrasting colored threads in an interrupted cross hatch pattern, like so:

or so...

Of course, I've been wrong before. Thunder, I'll try and post some pics of some 30's items I have with '50's looking fabrics too!

 

[thunderw21]

Just a quick clarification.....

How are differentiating between "atomic" flecks and just plain ol' flecks? Some of the fabrics featured above aren't really what I would consider atomic. I've always considered atomic fleck to be those bold streaks of contrasting colored threads in an interrupted cross hatch pattern, like so:

or so...

Of course, I've been wrong before. Thunder, I'll try and post some pics of some 30's items I have with '50's looking fabrics too!

I definitely agree with you that there is a difference between "atomic" fleck and regular fleck (like those found on Donegal Tweed, for example). I'm having a difficult time defining what atomic fleck is exactly.

How I see it, while the atomic fleck category definitely covers the style of fleck you showed (cross hatch pattern. Awesome jackets, btw), I also believe it covers a certain random fleck like those shown in the samples I posted.



Here, check out this '50s jacket:

Would this be considered atomic fleck? I think so. It's a unique fleck seen on a style of jacket that was unique to the 1950s. It's of the "Atomic Era" and you can tell.

I would also call this atomic fleck; check out the flecks of silver and the flecky lines:

This is from a late-1950s jacket.



This 1937 jacket was posted a while ago by one of the Bartenders (Marc, I believe):

Most people would consider this atomic fleck. Same type of pattern as atomic fleck, but it's not, it's pre-atomic. Because of this I'm having a bit of a difficult time defining what atomic fleck is exactly.


One thing's for certain, though, the style of fabric known as atomic fleck was around long before it was ever called by that name.

Cheers, resortes, interesting discussion this is.

 

[tonyb]

I definitely agree with you that there is a difference between "atomic" fleck and regular fleck (like those found on Donegal Tweed, for example). I'm having a difficult time defining what atomic fleck is exactly.

...

One thing's for certain, though, the style of fabric known as atomic fleck was around long before it was ever called by that name.

So, any idea when we find the earliest use of the phrase "atomic fleck," then? Is it sorta like other genre names, such as "film noir" and "art deco," which, as I understand it, didn't enter the popular lexicon until their eras were past, or at least the height of their eras were past? Or was it in common usage back in the era with which we associate it?

 

[Esme]

Well, what's the answer? I am waiting to find out.

 

[cookie]

Most people would consider this atomic fleck. Same type of pattern as atomic fleck, but it's not, it's pre-atomic. Because of this I'm having a bit of a difficult time defining what atomic fleck is exactly.


One thing's for certain, though, the style of fabric known as atomic fleck was around long before it was ever called by that name.

Cheers, resortes, interesting discussion this is.

Yes that's whay I consider Atomic to mean.

 

[thunderw21]

Well, what's the answer? I am waiting to find out.

Here are the answers:

1- 1920s

2- 1920s

3- 1950s

4- 1920s

5- 1950s

6- 1950s

7- 1920s

 

[Benny Holiday]

It's my understanding that the phrase 'atomic' is a contemporary phrase when applied to the fleck patterns, gleaned from the modern notion of the 1950s being the 'atomic age'. That notion wasn't entirely alien to the period, being quite futuristic in its outlook in terms of engineering and design; and in 1956, the savvy ol' Colonel even promoted Elvis Presley as the 'World's First Atomic-Powered Singer'.

In terms of vintage clothing, though, I believe that the use of 'atomic fleck' is akin to the modern usage of 'doo-wop'; a record collector coined that phrase in the 1970s to describe a style of music that in its heyday was simply referred to as rhythm and blues/vocal groups. I haven't seen any 1950s references even to the word fleck, let alone 'atomic fleck'; I have seen the terms 'step-weave', 'slub' and 'nep' used in period articles, though.

 

[VintageEveryday]

How does one even go about dating a tweed just by looking at it?? I can typically tell by feel, but dating it by pictures only.....what is the secret, oh wise ones??