8 replies to this topic

[Sator]

The fancy waistcoat was once a symbol of masculine elegance and flamboyance. It was here that a man could exercise his imagination freely. Waistcoats were, at one time, quite an extravagant affair such as these examples from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London:





The Tailor and Cutter in 1953 reports here on an attempt to revive the fancy waistcoat of old:

[greger]

Not often we see shawl lapels on a regular coat.

They are unique.

[NJS]

The trouble is that this style has been taken up by the shoddy purveyors of Teddy Boy style "frock coats" - and thereby demeaned.

[Sator]

The Tailor and Cutter in the 1950s was full of talk about an Edwardian revivalist trend. They even mention the trend spreading to Denmark and Sweden. The West End tailors who wrote for the T&C seem scarcely aware of the "Teddy boys", and what I have seem of them seems like a bizarre and shoddy caricature, barely worthy of mention. It's all in the delivery.

[NJS]

I think that there was 'Bunny' Roger and his 'New Edwardian' style, modified for 'Steed' in the 1960s-1970s Avengers and then there were the Teddy Boy Louts; economically down-market loose imitators of the style. The 'Bunny' Roger style and the Teddy Boy style have been modified and brought to a pitch of acceptance for the tastes of footballers' wives, by Italian fashion designers, but I do agree - why should the true cognoscenti be intimidated?

[Sator]

The editors of the T&C make it clear that the West End trend towards a new Edwardian style was well underway by the early 1950s, resulting in a backlash against the drape cut styles that had been prevalent until then, for Whife starts to mount a defense of drape around about that time, while criticising the extremes of drape that he felt had given it a bad name in the 1940s. This trend clearly came out of the West End at that time.

[Sator]

These days we remember him more as "the Doctor" than the "postman", but he certainly belongs in the fancy waistcoat club:



From the T&C, June 9, 1950.

[NJS]

Sator - you have a wealth of fascinating material that I am sure is as enjoyable to see as it is instructive.

[le.gentleman]

In Germany they are called "Fantasiewesten". The last time they were kind of popular there was apparently in the 1950s. Charles, duc de Morny supposedly had about 300 waistcoats, many of them were quite flamboyant.