Are Suits Getting Hot Again?

   



We have seen an uptake in vintage suit sales this year. I find this fascinating. I am a fan of suits, of course. Fine tailoring techniques make the stitcher/draper in me happy. And of course I am in favor of suit components worn as separates. Vintage suits are great for this. Far better than modern ones, as the parts can stand alone in a way most modern suit jackets and skirts just look

It's Summer Sale Time at Past Perfect Vintage, the Etsy Division!

 


It's summer, so it's time for the annual Summer Etsy Sale at Past Perfect Vintage. We have the entire shop - womenswear, menswear, accessories - everything- on sale at a whopping 50 % off. This is a one week only event, ending July 5. Then we will restore prices, or remove items from the shop. So now is the time!

Here's few items to tempt you - head on over to pastperfectvintage.etsy.com to

The Suits of September

It has finally(!) cooled off here after a record high in the 90s on the first day of autumn. I can look at vintage wool and think about wearing it at long, long last. This summer was good, but it was very hot and it went on a very long time. And I feel so much more season appropriate with my vintage inventory update posts now that the weather has cooled. So today it's Vintage Suits in September

Salute the Suits!

It's September. That means it is time to think abut wool suits. I don't care that it was 89 degrees today. It's time. Fashion Week is showing Spring lines. Is that not crazy? I haven't bought my fall and winter clothes yet. I've barely looked for them. The real world is a topsy turvy place. But as I only dip my toe in occasionally, I can handle it in short bursts.So let's review what we have in

A Bouquet of Davidow

I do the colors of Davidow suits. In a world where tweed generally connotates drab or subtle to the point of boredom, these tweeds are so wonderfully vibrant. Spring suits. Spring Coats. Remember those? All I see now are rain coats and trenchs.I wrote this brief blurb for the www.vintagefashionguild.org Label Resource:"Founded in the late 19th Century, the William H. Davidow and Sons company

The Main Man

The Main Man did suits. I am quite positive he would object strenuously to being called anything as pedestrian and slangy as The Main Man. Nonetheless, here we are. I have had this 1950s Mainbocher suit quite some time. It's a nubby silk with lots of handfinishing. The jacet has almost a cardigan effect with bias strips that form a placket , keyhole buttonholes and large buttons. The skirt has a

If Only It Fit Me #5

I am afraid this may be the endless series! Poking about the internet, looking at 1940s suits . I have no occasion to wear them, they don't hold up well to kneeling on the floor fitting dancers, doing yardwork, taking photos. But I do love fine tailoring. I want to wear one of these and look like Rosalind Russell. Alas, that option is no longer available. And then I found this one at Damn Good

If It Only Fit Me: #1

There is so much vintage clothing I would love to buy if it only fit.Part 1 of a long, long series.I am a believer in vintage wool suits. This of course from a woman who is allergic to wool ( one of the tragedies of my otherwise happy life) and who admittedly doessn't wear suits when working at the keyboard.But it is a tenet of my fashion beliefs that Suits are Great. Suits are Stylish. Suits are

The Appeal of Tailoring

After continuing introspection, I find one of the appealing things about tailored menswear is the numerous statements than can be made within the limited confines of acceptable men’s styles. Yes, yes, all suits have collars, lapels, and pockets. Trousers are pretty basic. And yet the range of effect and statement possible within the standard lines is amazing. From choice of fabric and fiber -

A Sharp Dressed Man

I have no idea why I like vintage menswear as much as I do. Maybe it‘s because I have done a little tailoring in my time and respect the workmanship. Maybe it‘s the wonderful period woolens that just don’t seem to be out there anymore. Maybe it’s the class of a sharp dressed man. And maybe that’s all the introspection I am up to today.Now I do have a special place in my heart for a brilliant