The QUALITY of 1937 Sears suits !

[Marc Chevalier]

From the Spring/Summer 1937 Sears "custom-made suits" catalogue:

 

[jamespowers]

Geez, those days are over for Sears suits. Now the poly stuff they call a suit is ridiculous.

 

[3PieceSuitGuy]

Please show us more

Hey Marc,

Show us more! I love looking at these old catalogues. The whole look is so good. I was definately born in the wrong suit era! The 3 piece suits these days are ok, the best are Italian, but every drawing/photo I see of a 30s to 40s suit is perfect. Almost every suit I see on TCM is perfect, great high waisted trousers, the vest is the right height and the jackets fit perfectly.

Please post more of the catalogue if you can.

Cheers

Peter

 

[MudInYerEye]

I have an old suit jacket with the Sears "Individually Tailored" label dated 1937. Aqua blue with pinstripes and a bi-swing "action" back. The quality is on par with most asuits of the period I own or have handled. It is fully-lined with rayon, however, not skeleton-lined.

 

[Matt Deckard]

All the details you pay extra for at the top custom tailors today and more.

That's awsome.

I nee d to take apart some modern jacket and see what mistakes the companies are making today.

The lapels, from Polo to Brook, to Sears all seam to curl forward nowadays... too much glue and cheap stitching.

We must bring quality back to the men's clothing industry!

 

[Marc Chevalier]

[My old suit jacket from Sears] is fully-lined with rayon, however, not skeleton-lined.

Check this out, MudInYerEye: Sears offered THREE types of lining for their suit jackets. See below:

And the result could be something like this:

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Bump! For the newer Loungers. This thread goes well with the other one about vintage suit construction. Easy to read the text, too.

 

[Jovan]

It says no vents, yet there appears to be something indicating short side vents in the diagram. Maybe I'm mistaken. It looks like a nice suit.

 

[Nonchalant]

Marc, I think these threads dealing with suit construction, pictures from Esquire, unusual fashions and what have you, well and truly deserve to be stickied or at least preserved in some way before they fall between the cracks again.

The information provided in so many of the threads you've started provides an invaluable resource to those of us who would like to learn more about vintage men's clothing.

I'd like to see something along the lines of a Marc Chevalier's Vintage Clothing Resource thread, with links to all of the best ones you've started.

 

[Jovan]

I concur. Your contributions to the museum have been invaluable.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Marc, I think these threads dealing with suit construction, pictures from Esquire, unusual fashions and what have you, well and truly deserve to be stickied or at least preserved in some way before they fall between the cracks again.

Thanks! I've suggested this before. The answer was that the threads/images would (or could) be placed here:http://www.thegoldenera.net/Suits.html

It's still a project waiting to happen.


.

 

[Fletch]

Vests: so far out they're due back in?

I was definately born in the wrong suit era! The 3 piece suits these days are ok, the best are Italian, but every drawing/photo I see of a 30s to 40s suit is perfect. Almost every suit I see on TCM is perfect, great high waisted trousers, the vest is the right height and the jackets fit perfectly.

Yeah...you'd think someone would at least do a decent 3B with a traditional 6B vest these days, but the few 3pcs available tend to be those super-high-cut, bib-bottomed Junior Pimp numbers, the occasional dandified lapeled article with a $1200 Ralph Lauren, or shoddy $99 dark blue things apparently marketed at people burying a penniless relative.

Vests probably took such a long time dying out that the style-conscious developed amnesia about them. Those ultra-dull '80s pinstriped polyblend lawyer uniforms are pretty much the last anyone saw of them in any numbers.

 

[Jovan]

I dunno. Both the double breasted and waistcoat appear to be coming back now.

 

[slicedbread]

I dunno. Both the double breasted and waistcoat appear to be coming back now.

Only in those who are "fashion conscious"...And still, it may just be a fad...

 

[Jovan]

The brands that are high quality like RLPL and such don't just appeal to fashion conscious men, and they're making three piece suits and double breasteds in spades. I'm also seeing it in a lot of department store brands.

 

[slicedbread]

The brands that are high quality like RLPL and such don't just appeal to fashion conscious men, and they're making three piece suits and double breasteds in spades. I'm also seeing it in a lot of department store brands.

RLPL appeals to your average joe? Regardless, I hope I'm just being cynical about the whole thing because db's and 3pcs (of decent quality) are definitely a good thing!

 

[Jovan]

Not your average joe, mind you, but the well-dressed man in general. Charlie Rose in particular favours their double breasteds, and he's always impeccably dressed IMHO. Not a mention a really good host.

 

[slicedbread]

Not your average joe, mind you, but the well-dressed man in general. Charlie Rose in particular favours their double breasteds, and he's always impeccably dressed IMHO. Not a mention a really good host.

Perhaps I should have said style conscious men...Of course, I do hope that a suit that costs in the thousands is both fashionable and stylish...Regardless, such a niche market is definitely not a come back

 

[Fletch]

The brands that are high quality like RLPL and such don't just appeal to fashion conscious men, and they're making three piece suits and double breasteds in spades. I'm also seeing it in a lot of department store brands.

Point me to some 3Bs with 6B pointed bottomed vests and I'll check 'em out!

 

[Jovan]

Hmm. Oddly RLPL don't have a three button with waistcoat, but there are two buttons that look pretty classic. Look for 'em on polo.com. Polo Ralph Lauren has a three button though.

Of course, you can always go bespoke and it's well worth it. Anywhere from someone like Indy's relatively low prices online (but no personal measuring and fittings) to full bespoke will suit your needs, and they can all find thicker, older style fabrics.