Vintage Suitings: Discussions of, and sourcing modern equivalents, etc.

[Two Types]

I have it in my memory somewhere that alpaca was the fabric used for these coats, and maybe some versions in mohair? I had always assumed that the name 'Teddy Bear coat' came from being made from the same fabric as teddy bears. I had a quick search online and found a number of places selling fabrics for making teddy bears. Maybe it's worth looking at those suppliers?

 

[herringbonekid]

thanks Rabbit and TT,

i just found this and it looks very similar:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/165681139/quality-alp8s-alpaca-14-yard-fat-in?ref=related-2

 

[Two Types]

Here's a link to Schulte who make the fabric for Steiff teddy bears:
http://www.steiff-schulte.de/en/produkte.html

Here's a couple of other links:

http://www.bearbasics.co.uk/schulte-alpaca/c14
http://www.christiebears.com/acatalog/Dense_Straight.html

 

[Rabbit]

This might be the answer. I remembered reading a post on teddy coats somewhere. Here it is.

http://asuitablewardrobe.blogspot.de/search?q=teddy

The chap writes for the A Suitable Wardrobe blog, but he's also into vintage. He mentions that the Teddy coats were "usually made of alpaca pile", like TT said; he himself owns one that is made of llama.
He also has the theory of the Teddy Bear coat's name deriving from being made from the same fabric as teddy bears.

 

[Rabbit]

Slightly off-topic, but perhaps of interest:

This ad lists the fiber contents of an Ulster-type overcoat of the variety that I mentioned earlier - one of those heavy alpaca blends. There's mohair in this one, too. Browsing through the Canadian mail catalogue scans, I was surprised to see quite a lot of variety in fabric blends.

Fiber blend of alpaca, mohair, guanaco, wool:



1946 ad - alpaca, mohair, wool:

 

[Rabbit]

Here is a teddy bear coat with a "100% alpaca pile" label.

Boy, this is some teddy.

Auction pics, not mine, already ended. I remember wishing I'd have the frame size for this specimen. It was 53" back length...

 

[herringbonekid]

thanks for the info Rabbit.
i would have bought the British one on the previous page as it's one of the nicest i've seen, but it's too badly moth eaten for me.

 

[Rabbit]

thanks for the info Rabbit.
i would have bought the British one on the previous page as it's one of the nicest i've seen, but it's too badly moth eaten for me.

That's just the trouble with most of them. It kept me from buying one, too, on several occasions.

Even back in a mid 1930s Esquire magazine issue, a "moth-eaten stadium overcoat" (meaning a leftover from the 20s) was the recommended wear for regattas. lol

 

[herringbonekid]

i've ordered some of this 'rust' coloured 'dense 5mm pile' mohair. it looks very similar indeed to the original, but obviously there's the chance it might be lighter in weight so i've just ordered a small piece as a test.

 

[Two Types]

I don't know much about teddy bear coats but I do recall seeing one for sale (I think it was on Savvy Row). If I remember correctly the proportions were incredibly generous considering the size marked on the label. I got the impression that they were designed to be much more loose fitting than the standard overcoat.

 

[simonc]

I've been eyeing them too, this one is made by Camotex & Llamovel - made from Alpaca and Mohair

 

[Rabbit]

I don't know much about teddy bear coats but I do recall seeing one for sale (I think it was on Savvy Row). If I remember correctly the proportions were incredibly generous considering the size marked on the label. I got the impression that they were designed to be much more loose fitting than the standard overcoat.

The teddy bear coat from the auction pics that I posted on the previous page also measured quite generous in the chest for its labeled size 40:
Chest 30", shoulders 18" (the shoulder could have been measured the wrong way, between the shoulder blades instead of at the seams junctions as it so often happens), sleeves 28", back 53".
Those are outer measurements, of course. I wouldn't know how thick the cloth is.

 

[Tomasso]

anyone know what the fabric content is of these 30s 'teddy' coats, and if there's a quality modern equivalent ?

I have Paul Stuart's version of the 'teddy' which goes by the *much more manly moniker* of Bearcat and is made of 100% Alpaca. It was a perennial staple of their outerwear collection since their opening in the 30s. I checked their website and didn't see it so I called my guy at PS and he said that they no longer carry the coat. He said that the mill that produced the cloth was shuttered five or six years ago and that they were the last source for the stuff. Mind you, there's probably a good amount of NOS laying around that a thorough search might turn up.







*try saying that ten times real fast!

 

[Broccoli]

Would anyone perhaps mind to put together of a list of which manufacturers to look into when searching suiting fabrics? A short recap of the tread, sort of.
Fabrics should ideally be around 18oz>. Thanks in advance!

 

[Rabbit]

Would anyone perhaps mind to put together of a list of which manufacturers to look into when searching suiting fabrics? A short recap of the tread, sort of.
Fabrics should ideally be around 18oz>. Thanks in advance!

There you are. If the links are outdated, just google the company names. This is an older list.

Since you mention an 18oz weight minimum, I assume you're looking for tweed and heavy woolens. Of tweed sources there are many; for heavy woolens you might check Harrisons of Edinburgh, UK and Huddersfield, UK.

Fox Flannel, UK - excellent English Flannel, both woolen and worsted flannels:
http://www.foxflannel.com/tailoringbunches.php

Huddersfield, UK: Lots of worsted cloth, but also a nice selection of flannels, linens, overcoat woolens etc.:
http://www.hfwltd.com/

Harrisons of Edinburgh, UK – like Huddersfield, one of the big sources for tailoring houses:
http://www.harrisonsofedinburgh.com/welcome.html

Brisbane Moss, UK – strong on corduroys, cottons, linens and more:
http://www.brisbanemoss.co.uk/

Harris Tweed and Knitwear – Harris Tweed directly from the weavers, at an unbeatable price.
http://harristweedandknitwear.co.uk/shop_pages/tweed.html

John Molloy, Ireland – Donegal tweed:
http://www.johnmolloy.com

Tweed Time: Have a good look at the different weights (both single width and double width, listed separately). Lots of Harris Tweed and lots of lesser known tweeds.
http://www.tweedtime.co.uk/html/harris_tweed_fabric.html
http://www.tweedtime.co.uk/html/tweed_fabric.html

Magee, IRL - The 'original' brand name for Donegal Tweed
http://mageeireland.worldsecuresystems.com/overview/tweeds

Ardalanish, UK - Tweed from the Isle of Mull. Their lovely diamond twill tweed is a lightweight tweed, the rest I don't know.
http://ardalanish.com/tweeds.html

H.E. BOX Limited - Wholesale Woollen merchants
http://www.hebox.co.uk/

Hunters Tweed (Hunters of Brora):
http://www.hunterstweed.com/

 

[Broccoli]

Thanks a lot, that went fast!

 

[herringbonekid]

here's another Molloy link (not sure if there are two competing Molloys):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/molloyandsons/

and their home page:

http://molloyandsons.com/

Rabbit, the Magee link you posted has expired. here's another:

http://www.magee1866.com/donegal-tweed-c36/tweed-c31

 

[Broccoli]

Oh dear. Watching fabrics makes my imagination run wild. Do I save some money, or do I learn to sew? I am yearning for a 4-piece with a matching cap.

 

[Broccoli]

Don't know if this is the right thread, but does anyone have any thoughts on linen trouser fabric? Luxire is having a 20% discount right now and I think I want them to copy a pair of cream flannels for me. They have dugdale linen and "vintage" linen, I have no idea which to pick. Perhaps I'll end up with just picking the most expensive one. Is it possible to get a good drape in linen?

They don't tell you much about the fabrics. The dugdale is 9oz, is that okay for linen or is that always terrible for trousers?

http://luxire.com/collections/pants/products/dugdale_linen_white_plain

http://luxire.com/collections/pants/products/linen_off-white_heavy_vintage

http://luxire.com/collections/pants/products/white-linen-pant

http://luxire.com/collections/pants/products/linen_white_plain_pants

 

[Rabbit]

Don't know if this is the right thread, but does anyone have any thoughts on linen trouser fabric? Luxire is having a 20% discount right now and I think I want them to copy a pair of cream flannels for me. They have dugdale linen and "vintage" linen, I have no idea which to pick. Perhaps I'll end up with just picking the most expensive one. Is it possible to get a good drape in linen?

They don't tell you much about the fabrics. The dugdale is 9oz, is that okay for linen or is that always terrible for trousers?

http://luxire.com/collections/pants/products/dugdale_linen_white_plain

http://luxire.com/collections/pants/products/linen_off-white_heavy_vintage

http://luxire.com/collections/pants/products/white-linen-pant

http://luxire.com/collections/pants/products/linen_white_plain_pants

I had the 9oz Dugdale linen made as a 1930s/40s trousers replica. It's a very even and tight weave, good stuff. As for the weight, 9oz is just about the lower limit for any trousers fabric. 9oz linen rumples easily, but it's ok. It depends a lot on the weave how much it will rumple. The heavyweight linens (14oz) are ideal for a good hang, but they're hard to find; Scabal has a 14oz that's very nice although perhaps a bit too tightly woven for the real heat.
All in all, you'll probably like the 9oz Dugdale linen. I have linen suits in 9oz Scabal linen (quarterlined jacket) and find the weight just right. Nevertheless, heavier linens are worth it if you can find them.

If you want something that rumples much less, choose a wool twist like Minnis Fresco. The 9/10oz version is clearly better than the 8/9oz in this respect; Luxire has both. It's a good choice for summer wear as long as there is some air movement. Stand in a slight breeze wearing twist trousers and you'll feel the need to look down to see whether your trousers are still there. In windstill weather, however, twist can be warmer than a tightly woven worsted.
Linen is still the best choice because it wicks moisture and doesn't stay damp when it gets damp, which is what cotton does. Wool twist is good in that respect, too, but linen clearly tops it.

The new no-name linen fabrics at Luxire are actually several different types. The "chinos" are a twill weave linen which is rather unusual. Some of the others, like the steel blue, look like a regular plain weave. The "vintage" must be a slightly heavier fabric, I imagine; it loos like a plain weave, too.

I'll try the "vintage" linen sometime. I'm over the fence with this twill linen. The other plain weave linens look like they're a bit more loosely woven, which is a good thing for the heat, plus they might wrinkle a bit less. As for the fabric quality, you never know how good they'll last in the long run... Try one, perhaps? Even at 129,- they'd still be very inexpensive. I wouldn't hesitate to try one myself.