Vintage Suitings: Discussions of, and sourcing modern equivalents, etc.

[herringbonekid]

Am I mistaken or does it look like a kind of knit fabric?

if by 'knit' you mean jersey -as in stretchy- i don't think so.
some sort of fancy weave wool though.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

or very wide wale cord?

 

[HimmelsBlau]

I had this suit made up last autumn, it's made to measure and made of a navy heavy 21 oz fabric from Harrisons of Edinburgh. I originally intended to make this suit with a similar, but even heavier, fabric I inherited from my great grandfather, but it wasn't enough for my height. He was quite a short man.

Please click the link: http://imgur.com/a/awR72#Bcp5esO

 

[herringbonekid]

beautifully tailored suit HimmelsBlau. timeless, but something a bit 1920s about it too. i would have gone for turn-ups myself to make it even more 20s, but that's just me.

who was the tailor ?

 

[HimmelsBlau]

beautifully tailored suit HimmelsBlau. timeless, but something a bit 1920s about it too. i would have gone for turn-ups myself to make it even more 20s, but that's just me.

who was the tailor ?

Thank you! Or well, I guess it's the tailor we should give our thanks to!

Yes, I find it to resemble that as well. Although I had it made with double pleats on the pants, which is more 40s, but I guess it all blends together when you make a suit. Originally, my thought was also in making it with turn-ups, but I wanted to have a sharp knife trouser leg so I had the end of them made with a cavalry cut, i.e. angled a little bit.

I was measured here in Sweden by the store Tweed Country Sports, but it was made in Norwich, England at Wensum Tailoring at the hands of the manufacturer Bladen 1917.

 

[volvomeister13]

That is an incredible suit! Did Bladen 1917 make it to your bespoke specifications entirely, or was it based on a made-to-measure model? Also, how padded are the shoulders?

Way to go! It looks fantastic!

Thank you! Or well, I guess it's the tailor we should give our thanks to!

Yes, I find it to resemble that as well. Although I had it made with double pleats on the pants, which is more 40s, but I guess it all blends together when you make a suit. Originally, my thought was also in making it with turn-ups, but I wanted to have a sharp knife trouser leg so I had the end of them made with a cavalry cut, i.e. angled a little bit.

I was measured here in Sweden by the store Tweed Country Sports, but it was made in Norwich, England at Wensum Tailoring at the hands of the manufacturer Bladen 1917.

 

[HimmelsBlau]

That is an incredible suit! Did Bladen 1917 make it to your bespoke specifications entirely, or was it based on a made-to-measure model? Also, how padded are the shoulders?

Way to go! It looks fantastic!

Thank you!

No, it was based on an MTM-model. I would perhaps given the lapels a bit more width for instance (not possible). But I chose quite a lot of the specifications myself and it turned out exactly the way I wanted. The trousers are of course 12 inches high (above the hips) with brace buttons etc.
The shoulders are more padded than usual, because of the suit-block this suit is based on, which is called the Hacking Jacket, a very traditional English cut with sturdy shoulders and defined waistline. And we put in some extra padding in one shoulder because my shoulder slopes a bit.. to compensate

 

[herringbonekid]

Fox Brothers are apparently producing some cloths this Autumn-Winter based on their 1924-5 archive book, although they don't say exactly which ones.
more great cloth i can't afford !

the swatches above are very similar to a fabric Fastuni found last year in Germany. just shows how difficult it is to date vintage fabric when it looks so similar from the 20-30s-40s, and even to be sure where it was made if there are no labels or identifying prints on the fabric.

 

[Fastuni]

Yes I was immediately reminded of the big bolt I found. Austria it was, by the way.

Did you have the chance yet to start making something out of it?

(I unfortunately just can't find the time. :eusa_doh

 

[herringbonekid]

Had you the chance to start doing something of it?

I unfortunately just can't find the time. :eusa_doh:

you must be a busy chap !

i'm afraid my own tailoring efforts have been lacking this year also, but i do have a couple of things on the go at present, albeit of the summer-linen variety, not the tweed in question.

 

[Two Types]

All lovely, but the blueish-grey with red and blue stripes is something special.

 

[herringbonekid]

more from Fox (i'm not getting commission, honest)...

i have a swatch of this and it's very nice.
19-20 oz 'soft grey twill' taken from their 1940s archive. called 'overcoat' weight but ignore that; it would make great odd trousers or jacket:

 

[Barmey]

Needless to say I want a good suit length in all those origianl fox swatches.

A rather brilliant old Scottish chap turned up on Savile row the other week with a white van full of deadstock lengths of cloth from the mills up in Scotland. I think I picked out the two oldest ones.



Excuse the poor phone photography. The Crombie one on the left is actually a herringbone with blue flecks, looks nuts. The one on the right is a pretty bold cabel stripe, but I'm sure I can make it work. 3.5metters of each but the crombie lenght has been cut in half at some point, so nut sure i can get a decent lay ofr a suit a out of it but we'll see.

 

[Two Types]

They look wonderful.

 

[herringbonekid]

new Fox cotton khakees :

£45 a meter.

the one on the left isn't as bright as it appears in the photo. it's more like a natural 'stone' colour.

 

[Two Types]

What is their weight?

 

[herringbonekid]

200g or 7oz (i would have guessed they were a bit heavier though going just by feel).

 

[Belloqinabush]

I've have a cream colored suit I made from 15 ounce wool with a really neat herringbone pattern. I was so enamored with the fabric at the time I purchased it I didn't really give too much thought to when I would wear it. Being that it's finished and we have entered August I can hardly bare wearing it out in this heat. Could such a suit be worn in the fall or winter? I always hear "winter white" but I don't recall seeing many cream or ivory colored suits about in New York during the winter.

 

[Patrick Hall]

Cream summer suits are usually made of linen, silk, cotton, or some blend thereof. I think cream wool suits are a dandyish fall/winter option with a strong literary pedigree, pulled off with panache by folks like Mark Twain and Tom Wolfe. Cream flannel trousers were work-horse odd pants of many a golden era wardrobe, and were paired with suit jackets, irrespective of season (I think). Much has been said about such trousers here in various threads. So even if you feel reluctant to wear the whole suit out when the weather gets cooler, try pairing the trousers with your other suit coats and see how it looks.

 

[Fastuni]

While no doubt cream flannels made from heavy wool are suited for winter at least on seasonal fashion illustrations grey flannels were preferred for Autumn/Winter, while cream was for Spring/Summer. I intuitively grab the heavy grey flannels once the wheather gets cold.