Darcy's or Old Town Clothing? What are your experiences?

[Rudie]

Does anybody of you have the Fishtail Back Trousers from Darcy's http://www.darcyclothing.com/shop/trousers/fishtail-back-trousers-tr200.html or the High Rise Trousers from Old Town Clothing http://www.old-town.co.uk/products/highrise.htm?

How would you rate them in terms of quality, period accuracy and fit? What weight and quality are the fabrics?

I'd be very interested in hearing your experiences, especially if you own both kinds of trousers and can compare them.

Thanks.

Rudie

 

[Chasseur]

I would second your question. I am particularly interested in hearing about people owning Old Town trousers and jackets.

I have a couple of Darcy' shirts for formal evening wear and I am quite please with them, but no experience with their trousers.

 

[Two Types]

An acquaintance of mine has a suit from Old Town. It looks splendid, drapes splendidly, and is made from a very heavy fabric. I was impressed. That said, my personal preference is for trousers with pleats and - to my knowledge - none of Old Town's trousers are pleated. I do have a couple of shirts from them and i did not like the cut. It may be a traditional workwear thing, but the shirt sat too high on the neck and was very broad on the body whilst snug on the shoulders. I adore their silk diagonally striped ties. They look splendid and make a very nice small knot. They are perfectly styled for their suits. I also found them very prompt when sending out orders, which is always a good thing.

I have purchased a number of shirts from Darcy. They are good quality - not cheap, but I like the cut. In particular, I like their soft-collared workmen's and farmer's shirts. The cricket shirt is also splendid. I found the cut of their shirts superior to the Old Town shirts (but that might just be my body shape). Once again, they are very helpful on the telephone and deliver promptly. One further point - a few months back they were working on making some 'Oxford Bags' for the shop. I don't know how far they have got with that project.

I hope this is useful.

 

[Rudie]

Thanks.

I have enough "suit" trousers. What I am after are 1930s style workwear trousers other than denims. In wool serge, corduroy or moleskin. Something labourers in Europe might have worn that can take a beating. So flat fronts or no turn-ups are no problem.

 

[herringbonekid]

one thing to consider is that the Old Town trousers have flat felled seams which are stronger, especially down the rear. i have a pair of vintage French work trousers and they also have flat felled seams, so the Old Town trousers are more authentic in that respect. they are also wider at the hem by an inch.

 

[dhermann1]

I have a pair of the Darcy moleskin trousers. They are built like iron and very comfortable. I haven't worn them out of the house yet, but I think I'm gonna love wearing them. I have a couple of shirts from them, also, and they're really well made, too.

 

[AntonAAK]

I have a Darcy cricket shirt and love it.

 

[Edward]

I have a Darcy formal shirt with which I am very pleased. It's a mimic of a traditional boil-fronted shirt, but with an attached collar, and machine washable. The stiff front is achieved via stiffness of the material rather than the traditional method. Perfect compromise of retaining the general look, without the hassle. I very much like their spearpoint collar shirts, though they are rather beyond my pocket for daily wear. I may pick up one or two if ever I'm feeling flush for special occasions. I don't own any OldTown items myself, but I know a number who do, and all speak very highly of them. It is possible to create either a very 1910s/20s working class, workaday suit from them, or something a little more refined, depending upon cloth selected. Quite keen on the idea of one in drill cotton, myself, for Summer wear when a little less formality is required. The wide-leg in a chambery or drill cotton would be perfect for 1930s workwear trews, imo.

 

[Rudie]

Thanks, gents.

Do you have any information about the weight of the trouser fabrics both companies use? Corduroy and moleskin are often quite heavy, but what about the other fabrics?

Is Old Town's cavalry twill made from wool?

 

[herringbonekid]

Rudie, the cavalry drill is cotton. i've felt the Tin House drills, twills etc and they're pretty much the weight you'd expect a vintage shop coat to be.

 

[Rudie]

Thanks, hbk. I'll probably buy one in corduroy or moleskin when summer comes to an end. Something that goes well with a leather jacket.

 

[Pinesiw]

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hpho..._100000063132344_1161269_287736619_n.jpg?dl=1

Calvary drill high rise trousers last fall. I should have went with the cords and a size bigger considering shrinkage and the fact that smaller sizes take away from the rise. Cords would be great wearing for the winter as well, so again a bigger size would have been perfect.
So I ordered a harris tweed at a bigger size and I couldnt be happier.

 

[Rudie]

Great, they really look authentic and like they can stand up to some abuse. When shrinking, did they shrink in the waist or in length?

 

[Pinesiw]

Both in waist and length hang dryed. Dont know if you would do turn ups with the taper, shrinkage is about in inch both ways. I would imagine cords to shrink more than the drill. Im not familiar with moleskin.
If high waist is what you want I wouldnt recommend the orfords, I got a pair come in a few days ago. Fits more like a full strait cut, little taper but still wide. (wider than most modern jeans) Still a great pair of jeans.

 

[Chasseur]

Pinesiw any chance we could see photos of the Harris Tweeds? I've been tempted to get a pair and one of their jackets.

 

[Pinesiw]

Dont have high quality pics but ill post soon

 

[Pinesiw]

Best that I got. As soon as I get my laptop and camera from home, I can post much better pics.
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hpho...71_100003897247088_12397_454948936_n.jpg?dl=1
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hpho...0_100003897247088_12396_1408032649_n.jpg?dl=1

 

[Pinesiw]

some better shots of the calvary drills, ill have to snap some the tweeds

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

 

[Rudie]

Man, they look cool. That settles it, I'll have to get one (or two). Nice cap and suspenders, too.

 

[Chasseur]

Thank you for the additional photos. Those look really nice. I've been temped for some time to get some tweed ones and also one of their jackets.