That's an Odd One

Once in a while in this hobby (or should I say addiction?) you'll stumble upon something that's just plain odd.

Case in point, while browsing an online vintage shop I ran across a strange sports coat.  The seller described the jacket as being from the 1940s and made of navy blue flannel material.  It is dated but the date is incomplete: "4-1-?8".  I believe that jacket is from the late 1920s or possibly even the 1930s, though the former is most likely.  Looking at the photos provided by the seller we see some unique characteristics.

-Fishmouth lapels
-French cuffs
-Pleated patch pockets
-Multi-pleated and bi-swing back but lacks a belt
-Dual vents in the back, something fairly unusual to find on vintage sports coats

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The buttons were obviously moved at some point in time.

You might expect to see this kind of odd sports coat sold in a fashion forward city like New York City or Los Angeles.  But no, it's originally from ol' Indianapolis, smack in the midwest.  I've found in my searches that some of the craziest, most unusual and 'Hollywood-esque' vintage actually comes from small town USA.

I purchased this jacket and when it finally arrives I'll post photos up, so keep an eye on this blog.

WIW: Reunited!

You may remember the mid-1930s belted back jacket I picked up from a local vintage shop 3 years ago.

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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.

Perry Ellis

There are few OTR companies today that can accurately copy the belted and action backs of Golden Era suits. One of those companies is Perry Ellis.

And this company does it with regularity. While many modern OTR companies have tried and horribly failed to create a working belted back, it seems that Perry Ellis has done it's homework. Creating a good belted back jacket is not an easy task.

While I will not go into great depth as to what makes a belted back (I'll leave that for a later post), I will say that its location on the jacket plays a vital role. For example, notice the rather crazy 1930s belted/action back jacket in the advertisement below.

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The belt is located at the wearer's waist, or roughly half way down the back of the jacket. In order for a belted back to nip the waist and provide ease of movement it must be located at the wearer's waist, neither higher nor lower. Unfortunately for us today most companies that try the belted back tend to locate the belt too low, down around the hips where it provides absolutely no waist suppression or ease of movement.

Keep this in mind as we examine a Perry Ellis jacket.

This jacket was found at Younkers, on sale for $50. While I'm a size 38R the smallest left was a 40R but it's a fine fit, though 38 would have been perfect.
A couple details. It has a working ticket pocket as well as working cuff buttonholes, two on each sleeve. It also has a patch on the right shoulder, giving it a travel/hiking/shooting jacket feel. It is fully lined with three internal pockets and sweat guards under the armpits. Neat little details make this jacket.

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Notice that the belt sits at or ever so slighly lower than my waist. This helps create the slight waist suppression.

Breast pocket showing the working gusset.

A medium weight twill material. The jacket itself is rather heavy thanks to the full lining.

This is not the only belted back jacket that Perry Ellis offers. At this link you will find another very vintage single-breasted peaked-lapel jacket with a nice belted back. The windowpane fabric pattern also adds to the overall look, as does the high button stance and short skirt length.

I would not hesitate to purchase another Perry Ellis jacket. This company seems to have done its homework and for that it should be commended.