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When I first bought that jacket I assumed it was either a sports coat or an orphaned suit jacket, the trousers having been worn out and thrown away long ago. Finding vintage orphaned suit jackets is quite common.
Roughly a month ago I returned to that same local vintage shop and found, you guessed it, the matching pair of trousers. And three years later, a miracle! Both the jacket and trousers are made of the same blue worsted wool material with an unusual and rare woven plaid pattern.
So, after 3 long years the two pieces were reunited once again when I wore them yesterday.
While the jacket itself is amazing, the trousers step the entire outfit up a notch. Though flat-front, they have cuffs that are nearly 2" deep. Not only that, but the extremely wide and straight, full-cut legs measure a whopping 21" in circumference at the hem. Talk about wide-legged trousers!
Such wide, straight-legged trousers were common back during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Here's another suit of mine with such trousers, this one dating from the late 1920s:
Here's a pair of trousers with 22 inch in circumference legs from a 1932 Sears, Roebuck catalog. Also note the strange and unusual "trouser vest":
20 inch circumference trouser legs were still being advertised into the 1940s, the below ad being from the Spring/Summer 1940 edition of the Mont. Ward catalog:
It's very unusual to find the trousers to an orphaned vintage jacket, even more so after three years. I was quite lucky to find them especially since they add another layer of excellence to an already great jacket.
3 comments:
I love the description of that trouser vest. “A tailoring triumph, often tried, never before accomplished.” Brings to mind a team of haggard-looking tailors at the end of a long day. “It’s okay, boys,” says their boss. “Nobody said the trouser vest was going to be easy. Go home and get some rest. We’ll take a fresh run at the problem in the morning.”
Thank God, Sears finally did it.
@Kurt..haha..your vivid description brought it to life.
I dream of finding pairs of trousers to jackets I've acquired. So lucky you finding the other half to a great suit. To have spotted them means you must have a mental inventory of all your stuff. I know I do.
@Kurt: I giggled a little when reading your description. Really, just how did they come up with such a strange idea?
@Roger: Definitely have a mental inventory of my stuff but then again the unique material made it pretty easy.
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