BRITISH Belt-Back Suits and Sports Jackets

[Baron Kurtz]

I don't know them, but I've bought quite a bit from them too. A stall that's always packed with high quality goods.

Thank you!
Yeah indeed it did come from Lynn and Rob. I have bought quite a few suits from them and have gotten to know them fairly well.

TwoTypes, Lynn and Rob also sold (via eBay) the baby blue belt back DB that features earlier in this thread.

So, by my count, we now have 4 belted back British jackets in this thread?

 

[Two Types]

I was talking to the bloke in Celia's Vintage Clothing in Nottingham. He has been selling vintage for over twenty years and said he hadn't seen any British belt-backs (apart from the later 1960s style).

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I'm not surprised! I've only handled one of them, except for Norfolk jackets.

 

[Two Types]

Here's a jacket back 'in action' from the film 1939 The Arsenal Stadium Mystery (worn by an Arsenal player to a pre-match team talk.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

p.s. 1940sFreddy: I'm pretty sure the DB is British. Could you post a picture of the "hook and eye" closure at the waistband and the jacket liner? These should confirm it

 

[1940sFreddie]

Hi Baron yeah will do soon as I get home from work. Freddie

 

[Baron Kurtz]

As an aside, I recently sold this Burton's suit with similar tunnel belt loops. It had the old-style Burton's label.

 

[1940sFreddie]

Nice suit Baron would of loved to added that to my collection. I have a dark blue pinstripe Burtons suit with these tunnel belt loops too.
Here are the pictures of the back-belt suit.

sorry the pictures are not great

Freddie

 

[Two Types]

Some belt-back golfing jackets from the 1920s:

 

[herringbonekid]

i would love to see an original of one of those jackets with the twin rear pleats.

 

[Two Types]

Here's an interesting selection from the 1933 British film The Red Wagon. We often note how rare British belt-back jackets are: well here's a film with not one but two such jackets:

The first is worn by Anthony Bushell:

It has great fabric, scalloped yoke, four buttoning pockets with breast pockets placed low. To be honest, I thought the jacket looks American (but then again I don't know much about jackets of the period - I always associate four pockets with American jackets) but who knows?

The next is worn by Charles Bickford:

 

[herringbonekid]

the low patch chest pockets remind me of some i've seen in a teens/early 20s French photo.

 

[herringbonekid]

Brooklands, early 20s:

 

[herringbonekid]

these are the belted back suit styles scanned from a British 1922 fabric sample wallet, which seems to have no actual manufacturer's name on it:

 

[Two Types]

21 Days is a truly dreadful film, redeemed only by Laurence Olivier's jacket:

The jacket appears to be made from very soft, fluffy wool with a hint of a fleck.

 

[Two Types]

I think this has been posted before ...

... but I am wondering whether this is actually a suit, rather than just a sports jacket:

If so, I imagine an original British belt-back suit in that light colour might get the collectors salivating.

 

[Two Types]

Here's a British belt-back with all the features, worn by Peter Haddon (who was a sort of prototype Leslie Phillips) in the film The House of the Spaniard (1936):

one button closure (with a shank button):

belt back:

with scalloped yoke:

and a nice weave:

The same film includes this one, worn by Alan Jeayes. It appears to be a very heavy fabric, possibly even a moleskin:

 

[herringbonekid]

Here's a British belt-back with all the features...

very interesting jacket. not sure if we should conclude it's British though.

 

[Two Types]

Good point. I suppose that's the trouble with all the screen grab jackets - one can never really be certain of their origin. Although Jacksons did offer a scalloped back with a similar pleat arrangement:

 

[herringbonekid]

i hope it is British - notice that it has an extra scallop point along the yoke in the centre - it would prove that Vin-Brit tailoring wasn't as stodgy and slow moving as it seems. but i require further evidence.