Wild Root
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- Monrovia California.
Over the last 9 or so years ever since I bought my first vintage fedora I had a natural feel for things of the past. Picking out suits and other vintage items came very easily. I have had only a little help when I first started to shop at vintage stores here in CA.
As I have collected I have noticed many things in the clothes I have. There are general rules to how to date a suit or “Estimate� the general age of a suit, slack, or shirt. Since 1996 to now I have learned a lot on my own about vintage suits. Mostly buy watching movies, wearing them, looking at old catalogs and original snapshots. As I have studded the different years it’s really quite something to learn that the more you know about vintage, the less you know about vintage I’ll elaborate, and dates in coats are one of the only true ways to date a suit. Now, there are other things that can be looked for to offer clues but, I have found some things aren’t always reliable.
The button fly pant:
Button flies have been on pants since they came around. When the zipper came into fruition in the 20’s it was a rather new and expensive way to fasten one’s pants. As the new idea became of age, it started to replace the button fly by the 40s. But, there are two sides to the coin! The button fly (Although more work and harder to make) was cheaper to make seeing that the metal zipper was not as cheap as vegetable ivory, bakelite, or glass buttons. So, I have seen button flies on pants all the way into the 50’s. I know they were 50’s because of the cut and the fabric of the slack. Also it depended on the personal preference of the customer.
Shoulder pads:
Most suits in the 40’s have reputation for having larger then life shoulder pads. The Hollywood drape models used this but most traditional tailors didn’t always embrace the new fashions. A man still could get a 30’s cut suit made in the 40’s. It always depended on the customer’s wishes. I have some suits I’d swear were 30’s but, to find a date that says to the contrary. Dates are your best friend for dating a suit.
Fabric:
The fabric of the 20’s 30’s 40’s and early 50’s were very close in relation. In the 20’s fabric was rather heavy as it was on through the next two decades. In the 20’s wool, linen, and cotton were the top choices. The 30’s saw the use of blends like Wool Casmir, wool cotton, and cotton or wool rayon blends. In the 40’s it was pretty much the same! Just as the 30’s had plenty of tweeds, worsted wools, wool rayon surge and twill, it didn’t change at all.
Cut: Traditionally in the 30’s pants were not very high waisted. They started to get higher waisted by the mid and late 30’s. Pants in the 30’s were some what wider but only with the collage youth of the time. Adults wore very conservative suits much the same look to that of the 20’s. In the 40’s the late 30’s look continued on till WWII. After the war that’s when the larger shoulder pads came out and very flowing drape like fit was in. But, must remember that the customer had a key in what his suit looked like. Most wanted to be modern and up with the times but there were older men who didn’t care for the new look or found it vulgar in some respects. I have on gray pinstriped double breasted suit that has a 1949 copy write union tag and you’ll swear this suit was made earlier! Has a true 30’s hourglass cut to the coat and the pants wear like an early 40’s pant. But, it’s from the early 50’s!
Details:
When looking for a particular vintage, I look for small details like suspender button placement, the coat lining, pocket placement, pleat style and so forth. This can often confuse me because some of the stuff that was started in the 30’s sill continued on into years after. If you find a suit with two inch cuffs and peaked lapels and think to your self that it has to be a 30’s suit you could be wrong. Thinking that some details were only used in years you read about is misleading and is a foolish way of thinking when looking at vintage. It may have a 30’s cut or look and you could wear it to pull of a 30’s look and that’s great but 3 out of 5 times it’s not always as old as you may like to think. Look at how there are lots of people still wearing 70’s and 80’s fashion today! The same was taking place in the Depression and the war years. Men liked to look sharp, but if a suit was still good why buy a new one? Only Hollywood and others in show business would have custom tailored suits to keep up with the times. And on that note it was mostly the studios who wanted it to be that way.
So, when you men and lads are shopping for vintage, be sure to feel the fabric look at the wear on the suit! Old suits have a patina if you will. They also have a smell you can’t mistake for a 60’s or 70’s suit. They will also weigh more then a later suit. Watch lots of black and white movies and also what ever Technicolor films you find from the 40’s. This will also help you a lot.
Good luck,
Root
As I have collected I have noticed many things in the clothes I have. There are general rules to how to date a suit or “Estimate� the general age of a suit, slack, or shirt. Since 1996 to now I have learned a lot on my own about vintage suits. Mostly buy watching movies, wearing them, looking at old catalogs and original snapshots. As I have studded the different years it’s really quite something to learn that the more you know about vintage, the less you know about vintage I’ll elaborate, and dates in coats are one of the only true ways to date a suit. Now, there are other things that can be looked for to offer clues but, I have found some things aren’t always reliable.
The button fly pant:
Button flies have been on pants since they came around. When the zipper came into fruition in the 20’s it was a rather new and expensive way to fasten one’s pants. As the new idea became of age, it started to replace the button fly by the 40s. But, there are two sides to the coin! The button fly (Although more work and harder to make) was cheaper to make seeing that the metal zipper was not as cheap as vegetable ivory, bakelite, or glass buttons. So, I have seen button flies on pants all the way into the 50’s. I know they were 50’s because of the cut and the fabric of the slack. Also it depended on the personal preference of the customer.
Shoulder pads:
Most suits in the 40’s have reputation for having larger then life shoulder pads. The Hollywood drape models used this but most traditional tailors didn’t always embrace the new fashions. A man still could get a 30’s cut suit made in the 40’s. It always depended on the customer’s wishes. I have some suits I’d swear were 30’s but, to find a date that says to the contrary. Dates are your best friend for dating a suit.
Fabric:
The fabric of the 20’s 30’s 40’s and early 50’s were very close in relation. In the 20’s fabric was rather heavy as it was on through the next two decades. In the 20’s wool, linen, and cotton were the top choices. The 30’s saw the use of blends like Wool Casmir, wool cotton, and cotton or wool rayon blends. In the 40’s it was pretty much the same! Just as the 30’s had plenty of tweeds, worsted wools, wool rayon surge and twill, it didn’t change at all.
Cut: Traditionally in the 30’s pants were not very high waisted. They started to get higher waisted by the mid and late 30’s. Pants in the 30’s were some what wider but only with the collage youth of the time. Adults wore very conservative suits much the same look to that of the 20’s. In the 40’s the late 30’s look continued on till WWII. After the war that’s when the larger shoulder pads came out and very flowing drape like fit was in. But, must remember that the customer had a key in what his suit looked like. Most wanted to be modern and up with the times but there were older men who didn’t care for the new look or found it vulgar in some respects. I have on gray pinstriped double breasted suit that has a 1949 copy write union tag and you’ll swear this suit was made earlier! Has a true 30’s hourglass cut to the coat and the pants wear like an early 40’s pant. But, it’s from the early 50’s!
Details:
When looking for a particular vintage, I look for small details like suspender button placement, the coat lining, pocket placement, pleat style and so forth. This can often confuse me because some of the stuff that was started in the 30’s sill continued on into years after. If you find a suit with two inch cuffs and peaked lapels and think to your self that it has to be a 30’s suit you could be wrong. Thinking that some details were only used in years you read about is misleading and is a foolish way of thinking when looking at vintage. It may have a 30’s cut or look and you could wear it to pull of a 30’s look and that’s great but 3 out of 5 times it’s not always as old as you may like to think. Look at how there are lots of people still wearing 70’s and 80’s fashion today! The same was taking place in the Depression and the war years. Men liked to look sharp, but if a suit was still good why buy a new one? Only Hollywood and others in show business would have custom tailored suits to keep up with the times. And on that note it was mostly the studios who wanted it to be that way.
So, when you men and lads are shopping for vintage, be sure to feel the fabric look at the wear on the suit! Old suits have a patina if you will. They also have a smell you can’t mistake for a 60’s or 70’s suit. They will also weigh more then a later suit. Watch lots of black and white movies and also what ever Technicolor films you find from the 40’s. This will also help you a lot.
Good luck,
Root
Rayon is technically a man-made, but not really synthetic fibre (cellulose based, common from 1910). Acetate is a synthetic fibre.
