Norfolk Jacket

[Tomasso]

i'm pretty certain it's bespoke.

I'd bet the farm on it.

 

[Qirrel]

i'm pretty certain it's bespoke.

That would be a safe bet.

Very interesting piece. I just noticed that it has pivot sleeves, a feature I haven't seen before on anything but military garments.

 

[herringbonekid]

i've only seen them in photos and illustrations, not in real life:

 

[Baron Kurtz]

The Cutter's Practical Guide v 17 has a small golfing jacket draft that has such sleeves. Quite a complex construction, IIRC.

 

[herringbonekid]

here's the label of the aforementioned Norfolk jacket:

 

[Baron Kurtz]

wonder if any link to THE Jardines of opium/East India Company fame? prob not.

 

[herringbonekid]

more info just in from the owner:

-it has a centre strap at the back ending at the belt.
-it has a centre vent, with pleats either side facing the vent.
-it has pivot sleeves.
-it is a three piece plus four suit !

 

[Baron Kurtz]

And a 5-button front. very nice indeed.

 

[herringbonekid]

And a 5-button front. very nice indeed.

i don't own any jackets that are more than three button. i haven't come around to the higher buttoning Edwardian look yet. doubt i ever will, but never say never.

 

[Mr. Purple]

Here's a few pictures of me in a Norfolk jacket with matching waistcoat. I believe they're 1910s or possibly 1920s.

 

[herringbonekid]

Mr Purple, that's a very rare jacket and waistcoat you have.
is the lining velvet ? and any idea what country it was made in ?

my estimate at date would be around 1910-15, going by the fancy buttoned yoke and height of buttoning.

 

[Two Types]

What is the design in the lining? it looks like an owl.

 

[Oldsarge]

I just published a comprehensive Norfolk Jacket guide with a bunch of historic details, which might be of interest to some of you. It discusses the full Norfolk jacket, half Norfolk jacket and the Norfolk suit. You can read it here.
View attachment 451

And quite a good article it is. I have long held a passion for the half Norfolk and will eventually have Mearsbespoke make one up for me. It has all the advantages of the full Norfolk without that tedious belt. Belts on jackets are a nuisance, IMO, whether Norfolk or safari. Probably not this year, unfortunately, but I shall have one!

 

[Mr. Purple]

Mr Purple, that's a very rare jacket and waistcoat you have.
is the lining velvet ? and any idea what country it was made in ?

my estimate at date would be around 1910-15, going by the fancy buttoned yoke and height of buttoning.

Yes, Herringbonekid, that's my impression, too. It does have a styling I've never seen anywhere else. There's no labels anywhere and therefore no way to be certain of its country of origin, though a clue might be the scribbled note - in Swedish - which came with it when I bought it (in the late 90s) in a Stockholm shop: "Used during spa visits in the Alps in the '20s". My guess is that it was made to order (a bit earlier, as you suggest) either here in Sweden, or in Switzerland/Austria/Germany. The owner probably didn't write the note himself, most likely he had passed away and his widow or child put the note in one of its pockets.
The lining is similar to velvet but shaggier and softer, resembling the fabric found on upholstered furniture of the time. It certainly looks like owls, but they're so stylized it could be some sort of insect(?)
The extra decorative buttons (corozo?) is something that sets it apart from most other Norfolk jackets I have seen.

 

[herringbonekid]

here's an illustration from May 1909 of a jacket with similar buttoned yoke:

it was a very experimental time and they were trying out many things, some of them a bit over the top.

 

[Mr. Purple]

it was a very experimental time and they were trying out many things, some of them a bit over the top.

Thank you! And I agree - much as I love to see those vintage pics, this one from 1909 does look a tad too cluttered for my taste. My own jacket is borderline, I guess! Apart from the 4-buttoning front, there's two cuff buttons and eight more (four front, four back) with no apparent function.
Interesting, too, that the 1909 trousers are full-length. Mine did come with the same, but the trousers were too short for me. They also, astonishingly, differed in shade just enough to render them useless as an ensemble...

 

[RichardsFabulousFinds]

Please list any For Sale items to the classified section.
Thanks.

 

[Tomasso]

I have some amazing Norfolk full & half back belt styles in my Etsy store... check them out at www.RichardsFabulousFind.etsy.com

I hope you don't intend to litter various threads with your sale items when we have the classifieds for that purpose.

 

[herringbonekid]

rather nice RRL norfolk:

i didn't see this jacket when i was in the RRL shop in London recently.

one thing about the Norfolk strap which goes to the shoulder seam (as above) is that if you did them on the vert - perfectly parallel with the vertical stripes - they would end up looking / \.
to avoid that the straps have to be cut going slightly \ /... which is a pain for pattern matching. the RRL one above is well done.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Another modern interpretation I've found on tumblr. I don't know the maker of the jacket.