Insane 'Holy Grail' houndstooth jacket

[repeatclicks]

... which is why it's so unfortunate that most of the United States -- heck, most of the world-- has virtually no vintage-themed events.

Correct Marc, come on over to the UK! Your eyes'll pop outta your head with all the fantastic events we have going on year round, and they cater to ALL eras. Pick your poison!

 

[repeatclicks]

I usually save my wildest vintage garments for vintage themed events, where they can be truly appreciated!

And also, at the same time, disguised by all the other insane outfits floating around! I feel like I blend in and my shirts and suits are appreciated less at vintage events than outside of them. Sigh.

 

[repeatclicks]

There is nuthin' wrong with this, but it just kind of hurts when you see those with deeper pockets sporting a garment you know that you, yourself would have worn much better.

Sigh.

Er... not being funny mate, but that depends entirely not on who wears it, but how it's worn, no matter where you're from. You have obviously never had the pleasure of seeing The Travellers perform. 3 piece band from Tokyo who wear 40s attire so sharp it would cut you wide open from 30 feet, and their musicianship backs it up! There's a great photo of them in issue 2 of Men's File, but they are hard get photos of otherwise

http://www.the-travellers.com/biography.html

 

[Marc Chevalier]

... The Travellers ...3 piece band from Tokyo who wear 40s attire so sharp it would cut you wide open from 30 feet, and their musicianship backs it up!

Small world. I've sold some suits to Kenzaburo Ishihara. Don't know if he wears 'em or has 'em copied.

 

[resortes805]

Er... not being funny mate, but that depends entirely not on who wears it, but how it's worn, no matter where you're from. You have obviously never had the pleasure of seeing The Travellers perform. 3 piece band from Tokyo who wear 40s attire so sharp it would cut you wide open from 30 feet, and their musicianship backs it up! There's a great photo of them in issue 2 of Men's File, but they are hard get photos of otherwise

http://www.the-travellers.com/biography.html

Yes, I've seen many amazing period looks achieved by the Japanese with authentically vintage garments. The 30's style website is a great example, as are the Japanese Rockabilly enthusiasts I see every year at weekenders. But the whole, "I am going to wear these super rare Headlight buckle back jeans with a tore up oversized knit sweater and Pumas" is exclusively a Japanese phenomenom.

 

[resortes805]

... are men more castigated than women for wearing vintage 'golden era' clothes? And if so, could this lead to them being more "gun-shy" about forking over cash for the stuff?

I think this may apply to casual shoppers, its hard for a lot of 'normal' men to justify paying more than a fistful of dollars on what is essentially, second hand clothing.

 

[flat-top]

And also, at the same time, disguised by all the other insane outfits floating around! I feel like I blend in and my shirts and suits are appreciated less at vintage events than outside of them. Sigh.

True true, but fellow enthusiasts will at least get what you are doing! If I wore the jacket in the original post around my town I'd get nothing but "70's" comments.

 

[resortes805]

I'm not sure if Japanese collectors have deeper pockets as a rule. Instead, I think that American men, as a rule, are not as inclined to spend that kind of money --even if they have it to spend-- on those sorts of things.


A small example: in my six years at the Fedora Lounge, I've seen one --just one-- American Lounger who admitted to having spent around $400 on a vintage suit to wear. Granted, the odds are that at least some other American Loungers have spent that much, and more, on a vintage suit, and haven't told us about it. And yet ... so few examples have come to light, that I reckon practically none have occurred at all.


Now, can it be --is it even statistically probable-- that practically all American Loungers who find vintage $350+ suits, in their preferred size and style, don't buy 'em because they can't afford 'em?

I see where you are coming from. However, I have spoken with both Japanese and European collectors who have commented on how the value of the American dollar compared to the Yen or the Euro always works in their favor.

For sure, there are financially well-off vintage clothing enthusiasts (Lord knows, I'm not one of them) who can buy whatever they want, whenever they want. But one of the perks of vintage clothing collecting in the United States is that even if you don't have a lot of money, you have a equal chance at discovering something great for peanuts, be it at a flea market, in a thrift store, or a estate sale. In fact, some were initially turned onto vintage precisely because they were poor and the clothing was affordable.

 

[Tommy]

The jacket in my avatar was $250, but well worth it.

Agreed, it's worth it if you wear it, the expensive clothing is that
purchased and not worn.

 

[repeatclicks]

Very true man, very true.

 

[LuckyKat]

Buy Vintage

Its only worth what people are willing to pay...so if its $1000 for a belted back suit, then there's your value on that particular suit, but it doesn't apply to all 3 piece belted back suits. I hate when people see a suit go for crazy money & then all of a sudden all suits (or any items) are worth that because "thats the value on eBay".

I've seen similar items on ebay go for such different prices, you can't compare them...because it is an auction site, & thats why you don't see a $1000 price tag on a suit in vintage stores.

On a different note, I never understood why you would buy clothes to stare at them or put them on a wall...everything I buy, I wear, otherwise I sell it. The exception is NOS; I have a very difficult time wearing NOS clothes, so 99% of the time I find them, I sell them & let the new owner decide.
For example: I have an amazing diagonal striped gray & black 40s suit that has all the tags on the coat & pants & there has never been a hem on them, so I put it in my NOS display case w/ my nic nacs (not clothes) because I know I won't wear it, and I just recently decided to sell it...I also know that I don't want to just sell it on ebay, but I'd rather sell it to someone I know will either take care of it & wear it, or add it to their NOS collection.

As a few of you mentioned, vintage clothes are almost always cheaper than modern clothes, or having modern clothes made, PLUS vintage clothes are better quality...more time spent, better materials, etc. If I have the choice, I choose vintage over modern 98% of the time & I wear vintage everyday & I clean it or dryclean it & its still holds up...given that I have enough vintage for a few months of different outfits for each day...

As I always say: "Go big or go home"...why wear a vintage jacket (or vintage hat for that matter) w/ modern jeans? It takes away from the style...the clothes are out there if you look. Just like anything else. If you buy a new car, all of a sudden you start seeing the kind of car more often than you did before...keep looking for vintage, & you'll find it...even if you're an odd size...I've bought & seen vintage clothes from infant to a 50 chest suit...I even have some womens clothes that are closer to the 40" waist....it is out there!

So the best way of "going green & recycling" is... BUY VINTAGE!

P.S. the coat is neat and why wouldn't someone pay $300+ if you don't have it or if you've never seen that before? I agree w/ Resortes that it looks like a 40s/50s Hollywood jacket with a full belt...which I have several of, so I dont see the necessity to have a similar one...but if I didn't have one, I would purchase it, plus I think people would bid on it if it had a lower starting price...the higher prices usually take a lot of bidders out of the bidding process.

 

[Guttersnipe]

Its only worth what people are willing to pay...so if its $1000 for a belted back suit, then there's your value on that particular suit, but it doesn't apply to all 3 piece belted back suits. I hate when people see a suit go for crazy money & then all of a sudden all suits (or any items) are worth that because "thats the value on eBay".

I've seen similar items on ebay go for such different prices, you can't compare them...because it is an auction site, & thats why you don't see a $1000 price tag on a suit in vintage stores.

Hear, hear! One of my pet peeves, which relates LuckyKat's point, is the assumption that x vintage item is worth y price because a seller has an active fixed-price listing for a similar item(s) on eBay or etsy. Not only does that assumption ignore the relative uniqueness/non-comparability of vintage items, but it also ignores the basic fact that an asking price is not a transacted price . . .

 

[herringbonekid]

back on topic... the jacket didn't get a bid first time round, was re-listed and sold for $275 buy-it-now.
like resortes805, i also didn't suspect this one would go crazy, for much the same reasons as he stated, also; if a garment is too unique and unusual it can fall outside the hotly collectable categories.

 

[resortes805]

Had it been my size, I would have gladly plunked down $275 and worn it proudly, the fact that so many find it ugly would have been an added incentive.

 

[Metatron]

Ditto, what is so crazy about that when people walk around dressed like gangsters, post apocalyptic gang kings and evil sorcerers?
Surely this is only mildly eccentric by comparison? There's a guy I see every day with purple hair, makeup and shiny black boots that look like they were designed for a Tie Fighter pilot, I have no problem with that, I just think that if anyone should be self conscious of looking camp, it's one of these guys.