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.

On the Drape Suit, Part 1: Style

It was the most influential suit style of the Golden Era yet it is perhaps the least understood. Today it is (usually badly) imitated in what is known as "Neapolitan Tailoring" which is just as difficult to understand, is highly controversial and something I will not go into here.

The Drape Suit, quite simply, is a soft tailored style of suit that was first introduced in England during the 1930s, hence the name so often used to describe the style: English Drape. Other names for the Drape Suit include the "Blade Suit" or "Lounge Suit".

The Drape Suit has a few specific characteristics that seperates it from the other styles of the time. These characteristics include a full, soft chest often with vertical wrinkles or puckers; a gathered sleevehead; a well-tapered waist and padded shoulders. While a jacket may have some or all of these characteristics, the full chest is a must. Take a look at the late-1930s Drape sports coat below:

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Although the above jacket lacks the 1gathered sleevehead, notice that it does have the 2well padded shoulders; the 3 full, soft chest with a vertical 'wave' and the 4highly suppressed waist. These are the vital characteristics of the vintage Drape Suit.
To quote "Esquire's Encyclopedia of 20th Century Men's Fashion" from 1973, the Drape Suit had a "...soft front, full across the chest and shoulder blades. Tapered sleeves with full sleevehead finished with tiny tucks at the shoulder. A decided suppression at the waist and close fitted at the hips...American interpretations eliminate the tiny tucks or pleats found at the top of the sleeveheads of the British models."

Trousers, though not as vital to the Drape Suit as the jacket, were cut very full and straight-legged, usually with pleats and generous cuffs.

Now remember that these are rules of thumb and may not apply to every Drape Suit. Just as the above Drape sports coat lacks the gathered sleevehead, another jacket may lack a different characteristic. The important thing is that the jacket has a full-cut chest and a fitted waist, giving the wearer an athletic appearance.

Here are some more examples of Drape Suits, all dating from the very early 1940s.

This is a 1941-dated tweed American suit. Notice, again, the full, soft-tailored chest with vertical waves in it. The jacket also has a small number of tucks at the sleevehead:



A 1940-dated American example of a Drape Suit. While difficult to see, the full-cut chest does have vertical waves.


This suit has well defined sleevehead tucks along with a lot of 'pooching' where the chest meets the armhole (indicating a full-cut chest) as the below image shows. Again, while the sleevehead tucks are not necessary, they often will be present.



Here is another example of a Drape Suit, this time from an ad found in an April, 1936 edition of the "New York Times". Take a look at the suit on the left and notice how the chest bows out: a full-cut chest.
The top of the sleeve just below the sleevehead also has vertical waves, indicating tucks at the sleevehead. While these waves may appear to be a flaw to the untrained eye, they have been carefully and purposefully placed there by the tailor.
"...our new 'Contour' model, emphasizing the broader-shoulder effect, fuller chest and slenderized hips."


Compared to the previous close-cut, body-hugging, well-structured suits of the 1920s, the Drape Suit is a more casual, soft-tailored style that was born out of the rough times of the 1930s and influenced men's suit styles through to the 1950s and even today. Because of this fact the Drape Suit needs to be better examined under the microscope of sartorial history.

The next time we look at the Drape Suit we'll do just that.

Autumn Inspiration

If you live in the northern hemisphere, Fall has officially fallen upon you. While our cousins in the lower half of the globe are gearing up for summer with linen, panama hats and spectators, we lucky folks are putting those things away and pulling out the big guns.

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Not that there's anything wrong with those summer articles. But Autumn is my favorite season, though every season has its own special characteristics and holidays to offer. It's just that after a long, hot summer it's nice to be able to snuggle up under a blanket and just relax with a cup of hot chocolate while watching a movie. Sure you're wasting the day but it's not like it's warm enough outside to do anything anyways...

And there's nothing like donning a suit that weighs 8 pounds, has great colors/textures and drapes so wonderfully.

This Autumn and winter take a cue from nature and use not only colors but also textures found out of doors. Pretty much every color imaginable can be found once the air starts turning cold but the warm burnt colors like orange, yellow red and brown are most prevelant. Use them to your advantage.



You can do this by either complimenting those natural colors, which is easiest and most popular, or contrasting them with cooler colors.

Take a few minutes to look over the following illustrations from the 1930s. Notice the color combinations and textures and be inspired to experiment with your wardrobe as the air turns cold.

A corduroy suit? Yes, please.

The fur lapels are a nice touch.

WIW: Engaged!

Saturday I took my lovely new fiancée Cassie on a special date. We dressed to the nines, had dinner, I popped the question during a walk around town (she said yes) and then I took her to a surprise concert featuring Andre Rieu and his orchestra before heading to the Cheesecake Factory with some friends. I highly recommend going to Andre Rieu's concert, btw.

Enjoy the following photos with the WIW rundown towards the bottom.

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Heading out on the town:

At the Cheesecake Factory:

Cassie's new accessory:

On to the WIW portion of this post. I don't have any good full length shots of Cassie because of the surprise nature of the date but here's what she was wearing:
-modern elegant, silky striped dress
-vintage pearl earrings
-modern cream-colored high heels
-vintage long gloves
-retro navy handbag
-modern cashmere shawl
-new diamond ring

Simple rundown of my outfit:
-1940s dinner suit
-1930s 5th Avenue homburg
-modern Allen Edmond patent leather shoes
-modern formal shirt (with a collar that's a tad large)
-modern gloves

Cassie and I had a great time and are looking forward to a life together.

WIW: The '70s Weren't All Bad

After a couple weeks of unbearable heat, we've had several weeks of beautiful weather. A little drizzly today but very nice.

Today I broke out the early 1960s/late 1970s linen jacket I've had for a short time. I widened the button stance to improve the proportions and help it fit me better and the sleeves probably needed to be lengthened but it's not a big deal.

The 1970s are seared into our minds for being an awful era for style. Parts of it, however, were not so bad as this classically styled jacket can attest to. Not a lick of polyester is present in the 100% linen material.

The trousers are early 1950s gabardine Hollywood-waist trousers. They go very well with with the linen jacket.

Usually for a summer look I'll wear a blue jacket with cream trousers; today I switched the traditional color scheme, putting cream on top of the blue and creating a striking appearance.

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My cute photographer:

Allen Edmonds Fall Catalog

The Fall 2011 AE catalog is now out. You'll notice many of the regular styles along with a few new ones including those featured in the "Independence Collection". A longwing with less bulky soles? Yes, please.

Allen Edmonds is a quality shoe company that not only makes a very fine product but will also refurbish and refinish old and used AE shoes at a very fair price. I own several pairs of AE shoes and have been very happy with their fit, finish, style and comfort. The average price for a pair of Allen Edmonds shoes is $300 though prices vary depending on style and collection. These aren't the average $100 dress shoe you find at the mall; these will last a lifetime or longer if cared for properly.


Allen Edmonds is just one mid- to upper price and quality range shoe manufacturer that creates products on par with the style and quality of vintage manufacturers. Don't hesitate to make a purchase from this company, especially now that the new Fall styles are out.

WIW: Heat and Hollywood

To beat the heat sometimes you have to go the simple route: shirt, tie and trousers. No suit, no jacket. It makes for a classic look in the heat of the day, especially if the trousers are high-waisted.

-1950s NOS Hollywood Waist trousers
-1940s painted palm tree tie
-1940s barely used Freeman shoes
-1940s Stetson Panama hat
-Modern shirt

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The trousers shown were until recently NOS (New-Old-Stock) meaning they were never worn, never hemmed and still had the original tags attached. Finding such an item is rare, especially when you factor in that these are highly desirable Hollywood-waisted trousers, not to mention the baby blue color.

What is a Hollywood Waist? As the photo below shows, a Hollywood Waist has no waistband. The material is continuous from the leg hem all the way up to the waist. Such a waist makes for a sleek pant.


It also helps that Hollywood-waisted trousers are normally very high-waisted with a rise of 12 inches or greater. Trousers with such high waists will sit at or above the wearer's navel and around the natural waistline, making them wear more comfortably than trousers that sit on the hips. It also gives the wearer a more athletic and long-legged appearance, something shorter men should utilize. Though, there is a point at which trousers can become too high waisted...



^I have to admit, those do drape pretty well.

But I digress.

Of note is the 'slubbing', those woven lines in the fabric. Slubbing could be considered a flaw in the material but is often used to good effect as decoration and texture. Slubbing is quite common in Golden Era clothing, specifically from the mid-1940s through to the 1950s.

Note the slubbing as well as the fine workmanship of the shoes:



The original tag for my trousers, priced at $6.95 which is roughly $63 in today's money. I'm happy to have paid only $25 for 'em.