"Sanfordized" and other vintage terms...

[HistoricDetroit]

Hey Folks,
Wow am I excited!

I just received a shipment of three 1940s and one 1950s Montgomery Ward Catalogs. These are my first vintage catalogs, and I can't believe just how awesome they are. At some point, when I've the time and money, I will be visiting the best tailor I can find here in Michigan or one of the nearby states, and having him reproduce some of the items in there, starting with those fabulous high waisted / correctly positioned pants!

Being that I missed the 1940s and 1950s by about three decades, I'm unfamiliar with some of the terms used in the catalogs, and was hoping some of the more knowledgable here on the forum could help put. And if anyone else has the skinny on other clothing related terms that are vintage or out of use to the general public, let's hear them!

1.) Sanfordized - I see this a lot in the catalogs, seems to be a very good thing!

2.) Drop Loop - Something to do with the position of belt loops on pants I assume?

 

[Nick Charles]

Sanforization is the shrinking of fabric while it is still fabric not a garment, that way the garment is already at its smallest size, usually clothes were garunteed to shrink less than 1%.

Drop loop are belt loops that are positioned lower on the waist band, they don't touch the top like on say a pair of newly made pants. like this

 

[HistoricDetroit]

so it's s-a-n-f-o-r-i-z-e-d

Thanks for the info Nick! And for providing the accurate spelling of the word sanforized. (Perhaps I'd of known how to spell the word had my eyes not been immediately averted to the wonderful clothing on each page!) I also noticed the 1% guarantee throughout the catalogs, I didn't realize they went hand in hand with the sanforized statement.

Any other terms a guy fairly new to the vintage clothing hobby I should be familiar with?

 

[scotrace]

When did the term "sanforized" come into usage?













.

 

[herringbonekid]

1933.

 

[scotrace]

Thank you.
Just found a formal bib shirt with detachable collar. "Sanforized."















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