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White tie tailor made in 1953.

Markus Rasmussen

New in Town
Messages
31
Location
Copenhagen
I wanted to share something with you fine people in here. A few weeks ago I found this in a thriftstore. It is made by Alfred Alm, probably the finest men's tailor in Copenhagen in the 20th century (late 1920's to 1990) with the royalty, nobility and captains of industry as his clients. It was dirt cheap, around 18 USD. I couldn't believe my luck and it even fit me. Here are a few photos. Ignore the black west and black tie, couldn't find my white ones when I tried it at home. The old photo is of Mr. Alm and his wife in the late 40's.
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Mean Eyed Matt

One Too Many
Messages
1,143
Location
Germany
Nice one! And nice fit! Just the sleeves could be 1 cm longer.
But can it be that the date on the sign is 1963 rather than 1953?
 

GHT

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,801
Location
New Forest
It's definitely 1953. Finds like that are rare indeed and to be so fortunate as to find it at a thrift store is a true bonus indeed. A trader in vintage clothing knows full well that they could have it dry cleaned, put in a purpose made zipper bag and sell it for well over £200. You were in the right place at the right time, you should have pushed your luck that day and bought a lottery ticket.
Check out the prices of your find with this trader: https://www.savvyrow.co.uk/collections/morningwear
 

Mathematicus

A-List Customer
Messages
379
Location
Coventry, UK
Nice tailcoat, indeed. Did it come with matching trousers? Otherwise, unfortunately, it won't be of much use.
I agree that full white tie sets (tailcoat and matching trousers) are rare but not too much (they can be found regularly on eBay); orphaned tailcoats are even more common and cheaper.

But still, nice find!
 

Mathematicus

A-List Customer
Messages
379
Location
Coventry, UK
It says 1953, the picture is not the best. I agree that I might have the sleeves brought out just a tad but that is an easy thing to do.
Matching trousers, yes. High waist as they should be. It gives me a sleek silhouette.
Great! I think high rise trousers from that era are the best for formal wear; you'll just need to find a white waistcoat of the proper length (and this won't be too difficult) and you'll see how your silhouette will magically become dashing!

From the picture I see the signs of a potentially very good fit: collar that stays in place, smooth and straight shoulder line, tails not flaring out. Apart from the sleeves being a bit short, I'd suggest cheching whether you could use some waist suppression or not. These tailcoats should fit very close around the body and there should be virtually no drape at chest, nor ease at waist. Alterations on this kind of garments are expensive (and need to be done by competent people) but even the smallest details can make a huge difference.
 

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