1930s Style

[WorkingClassHero]

Homeland Security.

 

[meister]

Originally Posted by dopey

This is one area where high end is worse. I make sure to always have two - the really fine ones are like cloth and easily lose their shape. They also wear hotter than lower end ones as the weave is so fine that the hat isn't really porous. The nice one I have is beautiful, but for both reasons, I only wear it for dressier occasions - never to work.The lower-end hats, say less than 500 WPSI are tougher, hold their shape better and are more comfortable since they have better air-flow. My daily wear is about 200 WPSI, which is plenty nice enough.

Good advice ...Montes are beautiful but fall out of shape and are hot from the tight weave.

 

[Film Noir Buff]

 

[denimdestroyedmylife]

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

Incidentally, I am wearing that very henley shirt---Engineered Garments F/W 06. The coveralls is a lookbook piece, I don't think that went into production. I might bring this photo to my tailor to see if he can make a reasonable facsimile in whipcord.

 

[Film Noir Buff]

Originally Posted by Mildly Consumptive

I think it's the sartorial inquisition.

 

[Film Noir Buff]

Originally Posted by tlmusic

I have not seen this picture before either. Thanks for posting it! What's going on? Is the guy being searched at customs? Why is the suitcase open?
I believe the original caption was: Customs Officer: "That's a very nice 18oz flannel suit, sir" Traveler: "Yes, thank you. I only hope that in 75 years they will have the same looking cloth in an 110z."

 

[Film Noir Buff]

Originally Posted by tlmusic

One thing I like about the Film Noir Buff posts is that they provoke discussion. Back in the 1980s when I was in college, most of my wardrobe, except underwear, consisted of "vintage clothes." Granted, (even back then) 1930's items were quite rare, but I wore many clothes from the late 40's to early 60's. Construction and materials of men's clothing remained pretty similar until the synthetic fabric boom of the 60's and 70's. The vintage clothes were a great way for a cash strapped college student to wear clothes of quality and style, for pennies (literally!). I remeber going into Salvation Army stores in Detroit and buying a rack of 1950's white shirts for 25 cents apiece. These were shirts with unfused collars and MOP buttons, many constructed with similar quality as a modern Charvet shirt. My favorite overcoat was a "Made in England" herringbone affair ($50), which I have yet to find another coat that could match it in terms of comfort, durablity and beauty. Oxxford or RLPL pales in comparison. One thing I remember most about the vintage clothes were how comfortable they were. Alas, by the 1990's it became more and more difficult to find vintage items as all the good ones were worn out, or had been bought by Ralph Lauren to rip apart and copy. Most of the old suits that have lasted in the the 21st century are of the very heavy variety, and therefore unbearable in a modern climate controlled building. But, I remember finding a white DB suit with a 1946 date inside (very Bogart). It was a lightweight fabric, feeling much like a modern 8oz suit, and one could easily wear it in hot weather. I gave it to the guitarist in my band and he wore it under hot stage lights in smoky bars, and he said it was fine for comfort. It sure made a striking appearance on a stage! Much of my more recent clothing purchases have been vain attempts to duplicate some of the great clothes I wore back then. This time around, the clothes will fit right, and they won't be used. But now, something even approaching the old level of quality comes at a very, very high price. So, (based on personal experience) I respectfully submit that it might not be so uncomfortable, or unstylish to wear authentic vintage clothes or quality copies of them.
A lot of the 1930s style is enjoying a revival, well the "classics" that is, other styles and patterns are getting tweaked and the cloth weaving is better for the most part. Some of the fabrics never changed, others are lighter in weight and have more luxury fibers in them. The rich, sumptuousness that the 1930s fashion magazines and movies promised us is returning in some respect and this time around more people can enjoy it.