Something I noticed with Henry Sr.'s waistcoat in The Last Crusade...

[Jovan]

What in the wide, wide world of sports is this belt thing on his waistcoat? Can also be seen a bit here.

Slightly off topic, I noticed the tweed of his suit is a brown herringbone. So, anyone getting the Magnoli suit should get that instead of the fabric pictured. :fedora: (And, of course, no cuffs on the trousers and no lapels on the waistcoat.)

 

[Marc Chevalier]

The belt thing serves as a watch chain. Normally, a leather strap like that would dangle a pocket watch at one end and a flat metal fob at the other. The strap would hang down vertically from the waistcoat pocket opening, and display the fob. These straps were usually no more than a few inches long.


For some reason, Henry Sr. is wearing the strap as if it were a linked metal watch chain. He's threaded it through the waistcoat's buttonhole and into the other pocket. Eccentric, to say the least.

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[Jovan]

Interesting. I guess I figured it was something like that.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I sometimes use a shoestring

 

[Jovan]

Is it just me, or are Ford and Connery a perfect match as son and father in that movie, if only because they're both very handsome men who age gracefully?

Just a random thought.

 

[Indy Magnoli]

Considering there is only something like ten years between them, they really pulled it off well.

A shoestring, Matt? Good show.

Kind regards,
Magnoli

 

[Jovan]

12 years, I believe. No reason Connery can't be playing an energetic older man, of course.

 

[Indy Magnoli]

Absolutely. According to the internal history of the series, their is an age difference of twenty-seven years between the characters. During the time of LC, Indy is around 39 (played by a 47 year-old Ford) and Henry is 66 (played by a 59 year old Connery)... So Connery was playing as much older as Ford was younger.

Kind regards,
Magnoli

 

[Jovan]

Ah, yes. Indy was born in 1899 according to The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones (which I'm having a blast checking out and watching from the library here).

Does your Princeton waistcoat have the upper welt and lower flap pockets like in the movie, by the way?

 

[Indy Magnoli]

Actually, the Princeton suit is more of an "inspired by" suit than a direct copy of Henry's suit (hence the lapelled vest, which I thought was more fitting to the style). It can be made without the lapel and with the top pockets welted and lower ones flapped.

Kind regards,
Magnoli

 

[Jovan]

Ah, okay. Thank you.

 

[Russ]

It's interesting how the leather strap is apparently threaded straight through a separate opening between the button holes. Now how did they manage that?

 

[Jovan]

Probably tailored that way. I have no doubt that someone either today or in the past would request a special feature like that. Young businessman today request pockets in their coats just for their size of PDAs or mobile phones.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

It's interesting how the leather strap is apparently threaded straight through a separate opening between the button holes. Now how did they manage that?

This special buttonhole was (and still is) found on bespoke vests, including formal evening waistcoats. Unlike the other buttonholes on vests, this buttonhole is vertical. It is meant to hold the metal "T" bar of a watch chain (see photo at right, below), which would be slipped into the buttonhole from the front, thereby 'anchoring' the chain to the vest.

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[Baron Kurtz]

yep, and the example Marc posted - that ended on eBay yesterday - is the only one i've ever come across. Didn't go for much either, did it? 40 quid or so.

bk

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I've seen about three or four, and they all came from the UK. In 1986, in London, I saw bespoke evening waistcoats with those buttonholes.

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[Jovan]

Very interesting.

For some reason I thought that watch chain had a swastika medallion at first glance. :eusa_doh:

 

[Marc Chevalier]

For some reason I thought that watch chain had a swastika medallion at first glance. :eusa_doh:

Freemasonry. Some think it as scary as Nazism.

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[Jovan]

I really should stop making so many references to Nazis and Hitler all the time. But it's too fun. Because seriously... the guy was hilarious in a twisted sort of way.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Because seriously... the guy was hilarious in a twisted sort of way.

No less a man than Charlie Chaplin agreed with you, and he put it to the test in The Great Dictator.

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