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Haspel or Fredrick 100%DeLave linen suit?

sandysot

New in Town
Messages
43
I've pretty much made up my mind to buy a linen suit to wear at my Florida home and to that end have preliminarily decided that it will be either a Haspel or a Paul Fredrick suit.Each has its advantages and both are of 100% Belgian DeLave linen.

Unless one maker is quite inferior to the other, each has merits.

The Fredrick suit is on sale with coupon for about $150.00, including flat front trousers, stone color and two button.Limited color and size options leaves me with stone color on sale.. It would be an internet purchase and sight unseen.

The Haspel is about $250.00-$275 and comes in stone half lined french faced or bright summer white, full lined.Two or three button-I lean toward three button and true white ala Sidney Greenstreet and can try the suit on at a local retailer.

Would appreciate any input concerning the quality of these two makers.

Sandy
 

Matt Deckard

Man of Action
Messages
10,045
Location
A devout capitalist in Los Angeles CA.
I don't know of how well those two companies make suits though I do like it when a summer suit is partially lined... Cooler the better.

I believe the ones they wore in Cuba were known as Drill cien suits. I read n article on them few years back. I wish we had back the days of the good old Palm Beach suit.

Keep us posted with pics. The button are Mother of Pearl.

Art Faucet in his vintage linen suit.
Febo5expo3-vi.jpg
 

sandysot

New in Town
Messages
43
Matt:

I have until the 21st to order the Fredrick suit on a coupon sale. So I'll wait for a day or so to see if anyone here opines on quality for these makers.

Love the Art Faucet pic in his DB white.Is that a winter white (slightly cream) that he's wearing?You also pictured him in a clothing store on the J.Peterman linen suit thread.Oh to be so slim and dapper.I'd almost bet that the "drill cien" you mentioned means "100" fabric. but I mis-remembered it as 800 fabric on that same thread.I was at a wedding back in June 1970's when a man entered the reception hall wearing a summer white suit.A woman nearby asked "Whos the Guy in the F--K You Suit? I guess she meant that he didnt care about the social conventions of that working class group.


Would you be partial to the winter white or the whiter "summer"white?I think I might go out on a limb and try the summer white (really 40's to me),although we wear the winter white to October down here.
Sandy
 

sandysot

New in Town
Messages
43
Well, the Haspel folks helped make my mind up which to buy. Two local Haspel retailers told me their last linen suit purchase was for the 1994 spring season and only off sizes are left.Prices are discounted but nothing in my size. Haspel told them White linen is no longer available.All Haspels come only in even number sizes, with a six inch drop to waist size, so my a 42 jacket came with size 36 pants.The Fredrick suit is composed of individually listed separates, enabling the buyer to match coat size (43) to waist size (40 & going down).
I combined one of the several Fredrick's online coupons with the deeply discounted clearance page sale price for the linen suit from Fredricks.This late in any sale,it was getting dicey trying to put it together because clearance page items arent in all colors or sizes.See this url for the coupon and clearance page.Click the coupon to get to the Fredrick page.

http://www.edealfinder.com/coupons/stores/300.html

The pleated pants werent available in my color and size combination so I got the flat front pants and ordered a 2nd pair of pants for spare.Total cost $186.00 for a two pant 100% DeLave linen suit delivered, that retails at near or over $400.00 Ill post pics when it arrives.I already know the Fredrick suit is fully lined and the pants are lined to the knee.

Sandy
 

sandysot

New in Town
Messages
43
Root:
The "winter white" description is from my wife who is acutely fashion and style knowledgeable. She says that, among the fashionable set, true white is never worn after labor day (Sept. 5th).The use of "winter white" as a description is for several shades of vanilla or creamy white that can be worn after September without giving offense to fashion purists.

I cant get a three button from Haspel, white or stone, without sight unseen and special order from the factory and full retail prices.With Haspel Id have to settle for a 6 inch drop and that doesnt work for me.

So to Fredricks we went a-buying!

Sandy
 

Wild Root

Gone Home
Messages
5,532
Location
Monrovia California.
Very interesting, I have never heard that term before. I have studied vintage fashion which is different then modern fashion so, I’m way behind on the up to date stuff. As far as I know, I haven’t seen white or vanilla tones being worn in winter time. Well, unless you live in Cuba or another tropical area then it’s cool to wear what ever spring or summer fabric you can find.

Thanks,

Root.
 

sandysot

New in Town
Messages
43
Hey Again Root:
If I were a betting man I'd guess that the term winter white is,of necessity, weather related too.Probably heavily used in the temperate zone larger urban areas, like New York City.It probably has less and less and less fashion relevance as you get into the sub-tropics. Real white would always be the everyday wear in the tropics like Cuba and Mexico, and the like.

Bye the bye-the everyday fashion books you suggested and which I ordered just arrived. They are everything you said they'd be.I noticed that pictured on page 14 of the 40's book is the "swing kings"style with the exaggerated motif s but by page 117 the sack look sloped shoulder took prominence.Wish I could find some decent vintage forties suits .Im really attracted to that look.

sandy
 

Daniel Riser

A-List Customer
Messages
349
Location
51st State
Actually the suit Art is wearing is a dated 1935 German made cream wool suit. Not linen. It's a beautiful suit, and the buttons are incredible.
 

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