Looks like I missed on this one...

[Marshall]

I recently bought a three piece suit off Ebay (link), where it was advertised as a vintage 1950s suit. It looked like I snagged it for a really good price; I was really excited for it arrive. When it did come in the mail, it initially seemed to have the correct signs of a vintage suit. The wool was nice and thick (made my modern suit I bought a couple years ago feel like a summer suit) and there was only partial lining.

My excitement continued right up to the point when I put on the coat and tried to raise my arms. The suit rode up and twisted exactly the same way my modern suit with low armholes does. Needless to say I was quite disappointed, as I was sure that low arm holes didn't really come into being until the 1970s or 80s.

Further investigation revealed a quite modern looking union label.

So gentlemen, am I correct in assuming that this is not a 1950s vintage but rather something from the 1980s or possibly even the 1990s?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

That union label is certainly 70s or later.

2 signs from the listing that would tell you it was a 70s/80s suit are the two pocket waistcoat (a typical 50s one would have 4 pockets) and the long vent on the jacket. But especially the waistcoat. I would also note the buttons and the hook at the top of the waistband as being not correct for a 50s suit, and that particular style of half lining is indicative of the 70s era, rather than an earlier one. It was seen earlier, but not frequently, and certainly not without taped seams.

bk

 

[Marshall]

Thanks for the reply Baron, I'm still quite new to the world of vintage suits, so I appreciate the info on things to look for.

I think I'll see the seller about a refund...

 

[Red Leader]

Keep looking...you'll find something! If you don't need the suit right away, hit up thrift stores. I've found plenty of 1950s-1960s suits and jackets at them. My last great find (suit-speaking) was a 1941 3 piece blue pinstripe SB, in fabulous condition. $15. The deal are out there but keep at it! My ratio is somewhere around 50 or 100 to one (it takes me sifting through about 50 or 100 suits to find something special)...but when you reach that threshold in a week's time, you start finding all kinds of things

 

[Shangas]

It's a nice suit, nonetheless. But yeah, the waistcoat sent up flares to me as well.

In my experience, vintage waistcoats have four instead of two pockets, more often. And will usually have six, instead of five buttons.

Of course there's no hard and fast rules about this, but that's what I've come to understand, based on the vintage suits I've seen for sale on eBay.

 

[Guttersnipe]

The Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union, or ACTWU, was in existence from 1976 until 1995 (citation).

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I don't think that will happen. The seller should have hedged their bets, putting a (?) after the statement of 50s. If they honestly believed it was 50s I think eBay tends to let them away with it. (A lot of them are now following the flawed reasoning that half lining went out in the 60s and so anything half lined must be 50s. A bit like the false reasoning about button and/or zipper fly closures on trousers - no zips before WWII, no buttons after, goes this shoddy reasoning).

You might as well try, but don't expect too much.

I think I'll see the seller about a refund...

 

[Marshall]

Thanks guys, you live and learn right?

The seller has agreed to a return, though I'm waiting for confirmation that the refund will include the original shipping. No sense in paying $20 in shipping costs (original plus return shipping) for a $25 refund. So we'll see what happens.

I'll definitely keep looking, I have yet to find anything very exciting in my local thrift stores, but it's the thrill of the hunt that makes it fun!

 

[Red Leader]

A bit like the false reasoning about button and/or zipper fly closures on trousers - no zips before WWII, no buttons after, goes this shoddy reasoning).

Agreed.

The aforementioned suit (Sept 1941) has a metal zipper.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

The fist marketing I've seen for zippers in trousers is from 1931, for Talon slide fasteners.

bk

 

[Red Leader]

Thanks guys, you live and learn right?

The seller has agreed to a return, though I'm waiting for confirmation that the refund will include the original shipping. No sense in paying $20 in shipping costs (original plus return shipping) for a $25 refund. So we'll see what happens.

I'll definitely keep looking, I have yet to find anything very exciting in my local thrift stores, but it's the thrill of the hunt that makes it fun!

Antique stores or 'hole in the wall' places are good to look to. More often than not, you come up empty handed. However, it is fun browsing, and when you do find something it is a pleasant surprise. A couple months ago I found a black belt-back jacket for $12 so things are definitely still out there! They made millions of these suits and while many were destroyed/used up and many have already been bought or put in collections, there are still plenty that are undiscovered or waiting in people's closets...or in places mentioned above!

 

[GoldenEraFan]

The big tips I can give for vintage shopping especially in thrift stores are: label, union tag, lining, vents and lapel buttonholes. The union tag is the best dating clue, and there's a sticky here on Fedora Lounge that talks all about them.