1935 Holy Grail Suit

[resortes805]

This is my 'holy grail' of 1930s suits: three piece action back/peak lapels, with trousers wide at the cuff.

 

[herringbonekid]

wasn't that suit for sale recently ?


edit, found it:


http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?65421-1935-Dated-3-Piece-Belted-Back-Suit

 

[Salieri]

Wow, that is a beautiful suit. But isn't an action back one with a bigger pleat like you see on a shooting coat?

 

[herringbonekid]

resortes, would that be your 'holy grail' fabric too ?

 

[dhermann1]

Mr K. Kimura, from LA. I wonder where he spent the years 1942 to 45.

 

[Guttersnipe]

There are a lot of elements which make this a very interesting suit and rare suit worthy of "holy grail" status.

First it's a quintessential 1930s American business suit in the ubiquitous navy serge. If you read gentleman's guides from the era, they uniformly all state a man must have a suit like this in his wardrobe (3-piece, serge suiting, dark blue or navy color, little or not texture/pattern to the cloth). While *some* many not view this coloring/cloth as a desirable, thinking it's boring, despite their commonness during the era, business suits like these are exceedingly rare today. The reason for this scarcity is that, as a day in, day out garment they got ample wear and wore out.

Second, it's a belt back. Such "businessy" suits with belt back are rarer than their country / weekend cousins.

Lastly, for my money, a plain navy suit is always a good buy. Something I discovered when I finished school and joined the ranks of the "great washed masses" (e.g. started wearing modern suits every day). Much in vintage style, I survived my first 6 months on the job with just two suits, a gray flannel and a navy serge. You cannot beat the versatility of such suits. The same is true for this suit here. It can be worn as a 3-piece, accessorized with a cream or gray flannels for a weekend look, or even worn in combination fair isle or other such sweater vest for a county look.

Awesome suit!

 

[DamianM]

Resortes Have you seen Mr. Luna about the 30s suit he found?

 

[Gin&Tonics]

Very nice suit. I like everything except the wide bottoms on the trousers. So true what you say about the navy blue suit; I chose that colour for my newest suit for just that reason - it's so versatile, it can go with almost everything!

 

[Guttersnipe]

You'd be surprised. In my experience, 1930s wide legged trousers don't look as nearly like bell bottom when worn as you would expect from their profile when on a hanger. It's gives a really classic, full silhouette that really can't be beat.

 

[Gin&Tonics]

You'd be surprised. In my experience, 1930s wide legged trousers don't look as nearly like bell bottom when worn as you would expect from their profile when on a hanger. It's gives a really classic, full silhouette that really can't be beat.

Would be nice to see some shots of you wearing this very excellent suit. I definitely like what I've seen so far; the fabric looks very luxurious and supple.

Also, what size is this suit?

edit:

Just checked out the photos on the ebay posting. Man what beautiful detailing on that thing! The workmanship is just superb. The condition looks fantastic as well. What a great piece of clothing you got, if a bit pricey for a 77 year old garment. Congrats!

 

[Guttersnipe]

Considering this: heavy weight suitings from quality British mills often cost well over £50 per-meter and it takes about 4 meters to make a belt back 3-piece, +/- depending on girth.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Yes. And the "77 year" old garment will have a superior construction compared to a modern made to measure suit. You would need to go full bespoke to get even near to this.
I agree to the color being versatile and a great foundation of a vintage wardrobe. SB and peak label together with a belt back is a win win for me anyway. I love the wide trousers too.

 

[Shangas]

It's a beautiful suit. A pity about the owner probably being chucked in an interment camp for the duration of the American War...

 

[dhermann1]

Shangas, I wondered if anyone would pickup on that. If suits could talk!

 

[Shangas]

Well I did, so you can spend the rest of the day happy in the knowledge that history is being passed down to younger generations

It's a snappy suit. I wish I could have it! Knowing me though, it's probably too damn big.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Yes, indeed. I have a suit from December 1941 - that seems to have been worn little - for someone with a Japanese name from San Francisco. Always wondered about that one.

Mr K. Kimura, from LA. I wonder where he spent the years 1942 to 45.

 

[Gin&Tonics]

Well I did, so you can spend the rest of the day happy in the knowledge that history is being passed down to younger generations

It's a snappy suit. I wish I could have it! Knowing me though, it's probably too damn big.

Shangas, it seems like you and I have opposite problems. I'm too tall to fit into almost anything vintage, and you're too small. I suppose between the two of us, if you take an average, we have one vintage sized guy!

 

[Gin&Tonics]

Yes. And the "77 year" old garment will have a superior construction compared to a modern made to measure suit. You would need to go full bespoke to get even near to this.
I agree to the color being versatile and a great foundation of a vintage wardrobe. SB and peak label together with a belt back is a win win for me anyway. I love the wide trousers too.

Yes, looking at the photos on ebay I was amazed at the obvious quality of the construction (and the material). What a shame that they don't make suits like this anymore!

 

[Shangas]

They WOULD, if people actually gave a damn about wearing them. It's a sad state of affairs, dear Ginny.

 

[resortes805]

Wow, that is a beautiful suit. But isn't an action back one with a bigger pleat like you see on a shooting coat?

True; 'fancy' back, then!

resortes, would that be your 'holy grail' fabric too ?

Actually yes, I've been on the search for the perfect navy blue suit. Of course, this suit would look great in other fabrics and colors as well....

Mr K. Kimura, from LA. I wonder where he spent the years 1942 to 45.

Mostly like Manzanar, if he was residing in LA at the time. Since the internees were only able to take what they could carry, I wonder if this suit went with him?

Resortes Have you seen Mr. Luna about the 30s suit he found?

He told me about it, but I haven't seen it yet. He says the waist is a 32, so I think it might fit me with alterations!

Would be nice to see some shots of you wearing this very excellent suit. I definitely like what I've seen so far; the fabric looks very luxurious and supple.

I wish, this suit is way too small for me!