1940 Mont. Ward Spring Summer Suits, Part 7

It's been a while so let's get back into this series.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

Who says you can't use a suit jacket as a sports coat? The suit below was meant to be used this way. The "no suit jacket as sports coat" rule is a modern creation and should be taken with a grain of salt.


Note the pinched front that was a short-lived fad for the youth in the late 1930s and early 1940s and the patch pockets. Also interesting is the shoulder gusset (bi-swing back) lacking a belted back, the two being rather commonly combined during this time period. Four button jacket instead of six like your grandpa's suit.

Also take note of the shipping weight: 5 pounds for a two piece suit. Modern material density and weight (along with the quality) have fallen far from the tree.

click photos to enlarge

Look, another bi-swing back that lacks the belted back. A neat sports coat in the truest sense of the word. Note the green again.
A couple of great collegiate looks for the young beau.

1940 Mont. Ward Spring Summer Suits, Part 6

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5


Note the very shapely tweed (in Spring!) jacket on the left paired with what could be wool or even gabardine trousers of a slightly different shade. The green is very sharp. Also note the "pinched" front of the green jacket, a short-lived fad that was meant to give the jacket more shape and one that died out with the American entry into the Second World War. A pair of spectator shoes finishes the look.

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The jacket on the right is well proportioned with a belted and pinched back.

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1940 Mont. Ward Spring/Summer Suits, Part 5

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

The numberous style choices out of one company were amazing. Plain back, sports back, double breasted, single breasted, the rainbow of colors and fabrics...

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1940 Mont. Ward Spring/Summer Suits, Part 4

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

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Note the pleated/pinched front on the jackets above. This was a sporty look for young men and a very short-lived fad thanks to the American entry into the Second World War a year later. Fabric could not be spared for such unusual and uneeded features during the war.

1940 Mont. Ward Spring/Summer Suits, Part 3

Part 1
Part 2

We continue the 1940s Mont. Ward catalog series with this third part. Be sure to click on the photos to see the details and descriptions.

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A wonderful green tweed (again, green seemed to be the color that year) belted back jacket. A Holy Grail for vintage enthusiasts. Also note the number of pockets, creating no need for a vest.

A conservative late-'30s 3-piece suit, good for business. Note the green fedora the subject is holding.

A rather unique suit with a "blade back" (often called a bi-swing back) for better movement in the arms and shoulders. The bi-swing back was often seen combined with belted backs but as the illustration above shows this was not always the case.

Again, note the green fedora.

A fine looking pinstripe suit, something a dandy might be drawn to.

1940 Mont. Ward Spring/Summer Suits, Part 2

The second of several posts in this series.

Part 1

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The '70s, 1940s-Style

Sometimes it's amazing how different eras of clothing can be so alike.

Take this suede leather sportscoat for instance:

While at a glance it looks like something you might expect to find from the 1970s (especially with that orangish-brown color), this sportscoat is actually from the 1940s, perhaps a little earlier.



The devil is in the details, such as the belted back with two small pleats above it and buttons:

And the 1940s-style tag as well as the silver/gray rayon lining:

Or the Art Deco plastic buttons:

Happily, the Fall/Winter 1944-'45 copy of the Sears, Roebuck catalog
shows an incredibly similar suede leather jacket (sans belted back):


Now, what to wear with such an unusual vintage jacket?



How about something casual like a flannel button-down shirt,
vintage Stratoliner fedora, jeans and vintage sunglasses?

My first vintage leather jacket.

1940 Mont. Ward Spring Summer Suits, Part 1

Oh yes, suit fans, you read correctly. 1940: the last hurrah of the belted back and when green was the color.
Such unusual treatments as the belted back, the bi-swing back, pinch pleated front, the beltless pleated back, patch pockets, etc. will make their appearances throughout this series, so be on the lookout for those.

And, with nothing better to do, here is the first post of the "1940 Mont. Ward catalog suits" series. More to follow in due time.

Be sure to click on the photos to enlarge.

Suit Surprise

For your viewing pleasure, scans of a complete 1943-1944 Sears, Roebuck catolog complete with real fabric swatches.

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These are the highest resolution I can get. Enjoy.

Cover- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/001-3.jpg

P. 2- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/002-2.jpg

P. 3- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/003-3.jpg

P. 4- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/004-2.jpg

P. 5- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/005-1.jpg

P. 6- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/006-3.jpg

P. 7- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/007-2.jpg

P. 8- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/008-2.jpg

P. 9- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/009-1.jpg

P. 10- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/010-1.jpg

P. 11- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/011-1.jpg

P. 12- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/012.jpg

P. 13- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/013-2.jpg

P. 14- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/014.jpg

Order form 1- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/015.jpg

Order form 2- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/016-2.jpg

P. 15- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/017.jpg

Back cover- http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/thunderw21/018-1.jpg

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One of my favorite things in this book is the original owner's scribblings.

Like on page 12 he wants to be a big spender and get a 3-piece suit and extra trou for $50.50!Another thing that surprised me was the almost total lack of cloth rationing. The only rationing I could find was that the trousers seem to lack pleats (though there could be a stylistic reason for this rather than a rationing one) and the comments under trouser style 626 on page 15:"...in keeping with government regulations based on seat measurements..."

Imagine, having government regulations getting into one's trousers!