Single breasted peak lapel

[Baron Kurtz]

Okay, i got around to photogaphing those 20s SB peak lapel jackets. The first is a hart Schaffner Marx. A little long for my taste, and with a few moth holes but with a nice collar treatment. I can't prove that this one's NOS:

The second is Clothcraft from the Joseph and Feiss company:

The store tag. Pretty unreadable, but the size 35 (or 36) is visible (the darkest blue spots). From the underside of the collar:

The other tags from the inner collar region and from the inside pocket:

And the beast itself. Closeup:

And my conception of the way i'll be wearing this jacket. Paired with some mustard yellow 20s bags. Note, i got me some cap-toe spectators:

bk

 

[herringbonekid]

Baron, the fit is great in the shoulders and chest. if i were you i would take up the sleeves and length of each jacket. looks like it shouldn't be a problem...the pockets are pretty high and wouldn't look too close to the bottom edge of the jacket if altered. the fact that the sleeves are long show that it was made for a very tall guy, so you wouldn't be altering the style.

what do you think ?

 

[Wild Root]

Just take up the sleeves. The length is ok, I'd not touch that. Those pants look perfect with the coat.

Just need to lob off that mop and you'll be a well groomed young man!

=WR=

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Baron, the fit is great in the shoulders and chest. if i were you i would take up the sleeves and length of each jacket. looks like it shouldn't be a problem...the pockets are pretty high and wouldn't look too close to the bottom edge of the jacket if altered. the fact that the sleeves are long show that it was made for a very tall guy, so you wouldn't be altering the style.

what do you think ?

Thanks for the feedback. I'll be getting the arms shortened on the Joseph and Feiss jacket. These are pretty much just out of the shipping packaging! I'm of the opinion that the arms are so long because this jacket was supposed to be altered for the owner when purchased. The first button is a long way from the placket hem. I reckon this was the longest length they reckoned a man of this size could need - someone who'd need 35L instead of my 35S. Since this is a jacket which was never purchased, the arms are in their "out of the factory" state. From what i've been able to find out the Joseph and Feiss Company were one of the pioneer mass production companies. They really refined their mechanised production line facilities and produced low priced and low quality (for the day!!! So much better than todays top-of-the-line off-the-peg stuff). They also had all this progressive stuff for their workers, like a library where they could educate themselves, various facilities where they could get decent food etc. Sounds like propaganda to me, but that's a different discussion.

As for the length, well i'm your typical scottish gent - normal length of torso, and stumpy short arms and legs (hence high rise pants do me *a lot* of favours). The bottom hem of the jacket is right at the bottom of my buttocks - just the right length. Bacause my limbs are so short the jacket looks long. It actually looks a good length in real life.

The Hart Schaffner Marx one i'm considering reselling because it is a little big all over.

bk

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Just need to lob off that mop and you'll be a well groomed young man!

=WR=

You shall not wear me down, sir!

bk

 

[jamespowers]

Those Spectators are great. I have a pair around here somewhere too. Pretty comfortable aren't they? :clap

Regards to all,

J

 

[herringbonekid]

You shall not wear me down, sir!

bk

...but you were rhapsodising about albert camus's hair style !

go on Baron, you know you want to.

 

[Wild Root]

You shall not wear me down, sir!

bk

Oh yeah, is that a dare?
You know, the ladies dig a well groomed man with hair to match the clohtes You'll thank me later.

=WR=

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Oh yeah, is that a dare?
You know, the ladies dig a well groomed man with hair to match the clohtes You'll thank me later.

=WR=

Shhhh, i'm a married man!

bk

 

[Mr. Rover]

How long ARE those sleeves, Kurtz? You could always save the expense of getting those sleeves altered and send them to me

I'll PM you about the HS&Marx jacket.

 

[jamespowers]

Shhhh, i'm a married man!

You two are killing me. Hahahhahahah! Hair wars.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Wild Root]

Shhhh, i'm a married man!

bk

In that case, "The Lady" would dig it.

=WR=

 

[Baron Kurtz]

The only thing she'd be digging would be a grave for me if i went back to brylcreme

bk

took me a long time to come up with a reply. my wits are slow this weekend for some reason

 

[nightandthecity]

A) off with that hair sir! And use Dax or Pluko, she'll be so horrified by the subsequent state of pillow cases that she'll soon compromise happily on Brylcreem.

B) I think we can all agree the cuffs are too long, but I'd be interested to hear what others think is the ideal cuff length. I find myself caught between two contradictory ideas......on the one hand (ha ha!) I like the cuff to come to the actual join of wrist and hand - the bit where it widens out and where the shirt cuff "sits". On the other hand I feel that a bit of shirt cuff should be showing. The former matches the way the trouser leg sits on the shoe, the second complements the shirt and tie showing at the chest. But you can't do both.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I like the shirt cuffs to sit at the point where the wrist/hand join - just a little elbow-wards of the pisiforum. The jacket cuffs i like to have about 1/2 inch higher than that - just at the end of the radius & ulna. This leaves the hands free. Trying to get my seamstress to actually do this is a chore. She seems to have the idea that she knows best, resulting in too long arm sleeves. I dunno, maybe she thinks my wrists will get cold

bk

 

[nightandthecity]

I keep an eye out in old films and photos for guidance on this issue but its hard to get good clear images of arms held straight down - they're usually holding a dame or a gat or something which of course pulls the sleeve up. But as far as I can tell you get both alternatives - i.e. suit and shirt cuff both on the join, and suit cuff about half an inch higher than shirt cuff. In fact i was looking at some Casablanca stills yesterday and i noticed Bogey seemed to go for long sleeve in his tux and shorter in his suit....

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I read (or was told) something somewhere sometime that there was a trend in golden era America to have the jacket arms a bit (unfashionably) longer than the traditional British tailoring. An attempt to break away from the British mold/mouldy Britishness? May be just an old blighty tailors tale. Dunno.

bk

 

[Mr. Rover]

I like my sleeves to hit my wrist bone. That protruding thing? And then my shirt sleeves should just cover it. Then usually gives me about the right ratio of linen showing.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Gary Cooper 1930
2 button single breasted peak lapel

Next time I say I'm getting a suit made, remind me that this is what I want.

I sold the suit below a few months ago. Ribbed cotton. Cream color. High armholes. Unpadded shoulders. From the early 1930s; custom-made in Trinidad, which was then a British colony. As you can see, it is very similar to the suit worn by Gary Cooper, above.

 

[herringbonekid]

Marc,
that is a great jacket.
did you sell it on ebay ? i don't recall seeing it on there.