What I Wore Today

-1950s DB jacket
-George brand trousers
-George brand socks
-Vintage tie
-Royal Stetson fedora
-Allen Edmond shoes

Non-vintage Vintage Movies

For a moment I'm putting the sartorialist aspect of this blog on the back burner for something a bit more...entertaining.

Hollywood, as out of touch as it is, has found it nearly impossible to ignore the Golden Age. It was a time period that is so close to us, roughly only 70 years ago, but seems so completely different from how we know life today. It was a fleeting moment in the history of humankind, a transition from the old pre-modern ways that formed so many of our western traditions to the post-modern world where those same traditions are being tested and stood on end. The Golden Age was a cocktail mixture of the new and the old; where automobiles still had graceful lines, Art Deco was the main design element and clothing not only looked good but was functional. Even war was waged differently, with advanced assault rifles still being made of wood and steel and airplanes advancing from metal and fabric biplanes to aluminum jets within a short decade. Neither before or since has so much changed so quickly.

That is why we are unable to ignore the struggles, challenges, triumphs, victories and defeats of the Golden Age. Neither can Hollywood.

Here are some of my favorite non-vintage vintage movies, filmed no earlier than 1970 and in no particular order.

Chinatown (1974)

L.A. is in the middle of a drought in the mid-1930s and there's a growing battle over water. P.I. Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is sent to investigate the city water commissioner and stumples upon a murder.
A classic Film Noir, "Chinatown" has so many twists and turns and a surprise ending it'll make your head swim. Filled with humor, some dark, this movie will make you both laugh and cry.

"Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown."

The Sting (1973)

Portraying two grifters trying to make the Chicago big con in 1936, "The Sting" is another vintage masterpiece from the early 1970s. With the interaction between Robert Redford and Paul Newman it was bound to be a classic; the deal was sealed with actor Robert Shaw playing the bad guy.

Great humor and plot twists in this classic film the family will enjoy.

"Your boss is quite a card player, Mr. Kelly; how does he do it?"
"He cheats."

The Road to Perdition (2002)
A more recent film, "The Road to Perdition" is based upon a graphic novel. This is a dark film dealing with the struggles of a mobster and his son as they seek revenge for several murders in a small Irish gang-ruled town. Paul Newman stars as the old head of the gang who has to choose between his spoiled biological son and his much beloved "adopted" son.




Seabiscuit (2003)

An inspiring true depression-era story of a too large jocky riding a too small race horse into the history books, beating all odds. It is a story of the little guy beating the big and powerful and is an uplifting story.

The Natural (1984)

Robert Redford stars as a mysterious and seemingly useless baseball player who finally makes the big league and is given a chance, turning into a baseball sensation. But the powers that be are against him as he deals with a medical condition that could not only end his career but also kill him.
A great vintage sports movie with several back-tingling moments.

Here's a new one due to be released in the summer, 2008:

Leatherheads

George Clooney, John Krasinksi and Renee Zellweger star in a 1920s-era story about the newly born professional football league. Clooney portrays a burned out football player who recruits the youthful and up and coming Krasinski to join the struggling league. This romantic comedy looks quite promising and I am looking forward to it, though I am not a big fan of Clooney.

The website and trailer for this movie can be found at http://www.leatherheads.com/.

I hope you enjoyed this quick look at some of my favorite modern vintage movies.

Real Russian

I just picked up this vintage 8-panel newsboy cap.

"Real Russian"

I hope that's not what it is made out of.

George Trousers

I mentioned in my posting of December 16th that I would talk more about the George trousers I wore that day.

This post will fulfill my promise.

I believe George brand trousers are some of the best vintage-style trousers one can find that are very reasonably priced. Why? What makes these $15-$20 trousers better vintage-wise compared to many other seemingly better and higher priced brands?

I'll show you.
The picture below shows three pairs of trousers. One pair is from the late-1940s while the other two are modern George brand trousers. Can you pick out the vintage pair?

You might have decided that the pair on the left is the vintage pair and you would be right, but you probably had some trouble coming to that conclusion. As you can see, like trousers from the 1930s through the early 1950s, the two George trousers have very little taper to them. Wide legged trousers were the style during the Golden Age and these modern trousers mimic the old style very closely.

So closely, infact, that they have the same diameter leg at the cuff, as the below photo clearly illustrates. The vintage trou is beneath the modern.

One thing you might notice in the above photo is that the vintage trou is missing cuffs while the modern George trousers have cuffs. While cuffs were prevalent during the Golden Age they were not always present as a result of fads, personal preferences and even the need to let them down to lengthen the trou to accomidate longer legs.

Yet, as you can see, both of my George trousers have cuffs, which I prefer since they can be let down if needed, help the leg drape better and overall look classic. Both pairs of trousers have cuffs that measure 1 1/2" in length, falling in at the very bottom of the vintage cuff length of 1 1/2" to 2". These cuffs are perfect.

Not only that, but these trousers are pleated. I, not being a fan of plain-front trousers, love the look of pleats and, yes, pleats were fairly common during the Golden Age. Rack up another positive point.

You might also wonder about the fabric weight and pattern. The pictures clearly show that these two examples of George trousers have very classic fabric patterns. The neutral base colors paired with lighter windowpaning as well as other subtle colors (like blue windowpaning on the gray trou) gives these trousers a vintage look that will go with many a suit jacket and shirt.

The fabric weight can be described somewhere inbetween heavy and light, making the trousers perfect for cool and warm weather wear. They are made of a polyester that differs from each style of trouser. But keep in mind that today's polyester is very different from that of the 1970s. These trousers feel like they are made of a heavy cotton blend rather than a polyester blend. The fabric breathes well and they are very comfortable to wear.

My only problem with them is they don't come with suspender buttons but this is easily solved. Plus, they have high enough waists that they wear very well with suspenders.

This is why George brand trousers are my favorite modern trousers to wear: they look classic in both design and color, they are made of medium-weight fabric and they are very comfortable to wear. I would advise you to pick up a pair at your local Wal-Mart and try them out for yourself. they cost anywhere from $15 to $20, making them very affordable and are great trousers for vintage afficionados.

What I Wore Today

Merry Christmas.

In honor of Christmas I wore something a bit more simple yet still striking in the form of this suit:
-Modern 100% wool suit
-Festive 1940s tie

-1940s Dobbs fedora

-Allen Edmond shoes

-George socks (in clearance aisle at Wal-Mart)

The Devil is in the details:

I don't know what kind of fabric pattern you would call this. Windowpane? Plaid? A mixture of the two? Whatever it is, it's classic and attractive.

What I Wore Today

I haven't posted lately, mainly because of 50+ pages of papers that had to be written and multiple finals before the end of the semester. But now I'm graduated from college so the blogging can continue.

Today I wore this:























-A nicely fitting modern 6x3 double breasted jacket
-A pair of Wal-Mart bought George trousers (more on this at a later date)
-Botany 500 two-tone shoes
-A vintage 1930s tie
-My one-of-a-kind "Chinatown" cowboy conversion fedora (more on this at a later date)

Here's a detailed shot of the jacket.















Yes, the lapels are quite small and that's not a bad thing. These lapels remind me of the 3 button suit jackets we see from the 1920s and early 1930s with short-gorged lapels that still looked fabulous. And the shape of these peaked lapels have something so stunningly vintage about them.
Another thing about this jacket is that it is a 6x3, meaning there are 6 buttons and 3 can be buttoned. Usually double breasted jackets are 6x2, making 6x3 jackets even more unique.

It's a rarity to find such a finely fitted and uniquely vintage styled modern suit jacket. This is not your run-of-the-mill sack suit.

And that wonderful beautifully shaped brown overcoat I rambled on about in a previous post:

I received many a comment and look while sporting this combination. It think it's a keeper.

Inspiration?

From where do you think Johnny Depp got inspiration for this very dapper ensemble? I'm digging the nicely fitted double breasted suit and especially the spats.

Could it be possible that he was inspired by this advertisement from the 1930s?

I think so. What a great combo. The suit is nice but the spats complete the look.