Sports Coat Question - Bold Look?

[HardBoiledMarlowe]

This sports coat has a 1949 union label and I'd say it's from the mid 50's. I'm curious to know if anyone would classify it as part of the Bold Look era.

 

[GoldenEraFan]

I'd say it is. The low gorge, big shoulders, decent sized lapels and boxy cut all say "bold look" to me. A very nice example I might add. From what I've read and seen in person and in movies, the "bold look" was in vogue from around 1947-1955.

 

[Paul Roerich]

Yes.

 

[Paul Roerich]

... the "bold look" was in vogue from around 1947-1955.

Partially right. The Bold Look began to be replaced by the 'Mr. T' look (yes, you read that right) in the early '50s. The demise of 'Mr. T' began in the mid 1950s, when the Ivy League look and the Continental look rose to the fore.

 

[O2BSwank]

Why was it called "Mister T?" What were it's characteristics?

 

[Paul Roerich]

Why was it called "Mister T?" What were it's characteristics?

The "T" stood for "trim" and "tapered", which it was ... at least in comparison with the Bold Look. From Esquire magazine, 1950:

“Mr. T, introduced in Esquire last month, has been booming across the country. In every major store in every community, he’s right on target – and will stay there throughout 1951. This man has everything the American male has been wanting in his wardrobe- from tapered hat to trim shoes, a strictly new and masculine closetful of clothes. Around the clock, twelve months a year, the Mr. T idea is to make a man look taller, trimmer, and always in perfect taste. Mr. T has that comfortable, custom look that you’ve been waiting for in your apparel: straight-hanging lines; restrained colors; fresh, new designs. Examine our man below; he’s Mr. T personified. Everything he wears is right in the T-formula: Tremont hat ( snap brim, tapered pinch crown ), pinpoint collar shirt (fastened with a pin), tartan checked tie, Tower model suit (three button notched lapel jacket), and trim, straight-tipped shoes.”

 

[Paul Roerich]

Also, read here about the Continental look: http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?40159-What-killed-the-40s-suit

 

[HardBoiledMarlowe]

Thanks Paul. I was almost certain that it qualified. Most of my resources only have examples of Bold Look double breasted suits. Would you say the following is an example of the Mr. T look? The button stance and label both make me think the jacket is from the 40's. It is skeleton lined, lacks a vent, and the UGWA label places it before 1955. The owner says the collar appears to have been reworked at some point.

 

[Paul Roerich]

I don't think that your jacket is a Mr. T, mainly because of the amount of vertical 'drape' (extra fabric) from the shoulder down to the lower chest. Mr. T jackets weren't made with that kind of drape. I think you're right that it's '40s; I'd say Bold Look as well. The lapels have been narrowed at some point; this was commonly done in the late '50s and '60s by tailors and even dry cleaners.

 

[Oldsarge]

I'm not enough of a connoisseur to say whether it's 'Bold' or not but it certainly is classy! And such a great fabric.