That's an Odd One, With a Twist...

I've finally photographed that strange jacket I found back in December.  I also moved the buttons back to their original positions and gave it a good cleaning.

It's simply amazing.  Made of dark navy flannel, it is super soft to the touch.  The gusseted pockets are a very nice touch and add subtle character to the front.  I love patch type breast pockets, especially when their gusseted.

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The sleeves also have French cuffs, lending the jacket a bit of a casual feel, like that of a smoking jacket.

If the front has subtle character, the back is outright crazy.  Along with some pleats along the shoulders, it has fairly long bi-swing back gussets at each shoulder blade, allowing for improved arm movement.  If that isn't enough, it also has dual vents.

While the outer flannel material is a bit boring, the interior lining will make your eye bleed.

This is a custom-made piece and has no union tag.  Amazing quality, fantastic flannel, and great styling.  A superb specimen of the 1920s sports coat.

Except for one thing: it's date 1968.

That's right, this 1920s style sports coat was made the same year as the Battle of Khe Sanh, the Tet Offensive, and the My Lai Massacre.  RFK and Martin Luther King Jr. were both assassinated the year this coat was tailored.  Apollo 8 orbited the Moon.

How does a 1920s style sports coat get made 30-40 years after that style died out?  Well, firstly the 1920/1930s style of clothing was making a comeback in the late 1960s and some of it was quite authentic, as this sports coat shows.  Natural fibers were often used in these 1960s reiterations before the polyester craze of the 1970s took hold.  So perhaps it was made by someone trying to keep up with the new fashion of the time, which was the old style of the 1920s.

Or, maybe, as this was a custom piece in a larger size, an older plumper man who longed for his younger years and styles had this piece created.  I recently discussed this sports coat with a fellow vintage aficionado and expert who, upon learning the date, related the story of an old tailor in New York City in the 1960s who made absolutely perfect reproduction pieces for a specific client, often out of vintage 1920s and 1930s fabrics.  Those 1960s-made pieces would be nearly impossible to differentiate from original pieces if it weren't for the 1960s dates on the tailor's tag.  Remember, there were still plenty of tailors in the 1960s who used the old school techniques often seen in suits and sports coats from the 1920s-1940s.

I like to think that the second possibility is the correct one, that an elderly man longed for the "good ol' days" of his youth and therefore commissioned something familiar and at the time, surprisingly, in fashion.  Maybe he had a sports coat just like this one when he was a youth.

Who knows?  All I know is that this is one fantastic piece of vintage, with a twist.

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: Casual in the Afternoon

The weather can't seem to make up its mind. One day it's 80 degrees out, the next it's down in the 50s.

Warm weather will come and stay, but for now I'm bundled up.


Yesterday I wore my mid-'40s flannel suit to help fight off the cold morning air. The tie is late-'20s/early-'30s French, a really neat floral design. The hat is a 1930s Adam. Mixing brown and black (very dark gray in this case) can work if the colors and shades are right.

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After church I finished fixing up and cleaning my 'new' 1970s Schwinn Suburban. Nothing like riding a vintage bike! Really comfortable to ride and I love the big, padded seat.
The shirt is a ligher weight flannel from Bass Pro Shop.


Can't wait to take it out again when the weather is warmer.

Under the Weather

Not feeling too well today so I threw on this comfy vintage flannel shirt I recently acquired and am hanging around my place.
It is soooo soft...

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...and the material is beautiful...

...as are the buttons.

They just don't make shirts like they did back then.

Flannel Trousers

With the onset of warmer weather close at hand, it will soon be time to put away the heavy weight wool garments and pull the cotton, linen and Palm Beach fabric from the closet.

That is, except for the flannel trousers. Preferably in cream.

The contrasting jacket (most often blue, though brown was seen as the Esquire illustration shows above) and trousers was a popular look during the summer in the 1930s and 1940s. And wool flannel trousers were the mainstay of any respectible man's summer wardrobe.

Why flannel?
The loosely woven flannel allows the wearer to remain cool in all but the most extreme heat by wicking away sweat and letting air flow around the wearer's body. Not only that, but it drapes better than many lighter fabrics.

I was lucky enough to find a pair of vintage cream flannel trousers in excellent shape for a good price.
After a cleaning and an alteration they are in wearable condition and should serve me well in the coming months. Check out those nifty waist adjustment tabs, too! These will work well with a navy blue belted back sportscoat, a panama hat and brown and white spectator shoes.

Bring on the warm weather.

What I Wore Yesterday

Autumn is coming around early this year. A cool nip was in the air so I needed something a bit warmer.

Enter the flannel suit.

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What you see me wearing is a wonderful mid-1940s flannel suit. The hat is a mid-1940s Dobbs, the tie is from the 1930s and everything else is modern.

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With the cous.

Sorry for the poor quality pics above, the lighting was not the best and dark suits are so hard to photograph anyways. So, here are some better quality photos:

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Very large lapels. A nicely pinched waist shows us this suit does not fall into the "Bold Look" category that was just taking hold in the U.S. about the time this suit was made. There's no maker's label (it was removed sometime in the past) but it does have a 1939 union tag, helping date the suit. The trousers also have "Gripper" snaps and a "Conmar" zipper.

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While zippers were first used in trousers in the mid-1930s and therefore don't help in dating this suit, the Gripper snaps do. Gripper snaps, getting their name from the company that made them, are notorious for being used mainly in the mid-1940s, thereby placing this suit within that time period.

It's a lovely suit. I traded a too-small mid-1940s wool 3-piece suit with a fellow in England for this flannel suit. We're both happy with the trade since we both got vintage suits that actually fit.

Vintage flannel suits are somewhat rare too, making the trade even better.