1930s-40s pullover shirts (AKA "Gaucho shirts" and "waistband shirts"

[Benny Holiday]

Greetings all! Can anyone out there educate me about pullover shirts of the Golden Era? I've been fascinated by the ones depicted in the Jeff Bridges "Tucker" movie for years. What are the differences between the earlier and later styles? Who has some, or pictures of some? Restortes I'm particularly thinking of you, cos your threads knock me out and I know you'll be right in there with that look.

Thanks everyone, go on and hep me!

 

[resortes805]

Benny! How are ya' man!

Yes, for the uninitiated loungers, 'gaucho' shirts are vintage, usually rayon gabardine, pullover shirts from the late 1940s and early to mid 1950s. What makes them special (and hard to find in decent condition) are the frog button closure at the neck, and the knit elastic stretch waistbands. 'Gaucho' was a popular brand name that made these shirts. Much like kleenex has come to refer to all tissues, any pullover shirt with a waistband and frog buttons are referred to as 'gauchos' on the vintage market.

As visible in old catalogs, pullover shirts with waistbands and frog buttons were available in the 1930s, yet few of those survive today, and most of what I have seen are in kid's sizes. Gaucho pullovers are easier to find from the late '40s and early '50s, but event those are pretty expensive (current market prices for these shirts hover around $125-$160). Of course there are a small handful of details that distinguish the '50s gauchos from the earlier ones, but i am not prepared to share all of my secrets yet! I'll send you a private message with my quick and dirty guide to gauchos of different decades!

 

[Benny Holiday]

All's well here thanks bud! hope it's the same for you! I knew you'd be the man to go to where that style of shirt is concerned.

Here are a couple of pictures of vintage pullover shirts. The first one was either worn by Christian Slater in Tucker: The Man and His Dream or it's the movie shirt's identical twin.

If Paramount Pictures' wardrobe department was right in using the shirt, and the film looks pretty good from a costuming perspective, that style of shirt would be from 1946-1948. They look pretty cool I reckon.

 

[kingken]

Greetings all! Can anyone out there educate me about pullover shirts of the Golden Era? I've been fascinated by the ones depicted in the Jeff Bridges "Tucker" movie for years. What are the differences between the earlier and later styles? Who has some, or pictures of some? Restortes I'm particularly thinking of you, cos your threads knock me out and I know you'll be right in there with that look.

Thanks everyone, go on and hep me!

Here ya go. My Grandad circa 1940-41.