The '30s Style

[jwilliams]

While I was reading the main page at Dandyism.net, I found a website called the30sstyle. It's a Japanese site that has a lot of Esky/AA pics, pics of various '30s celebrity, and pics of gorgeously tailored suits based on the 1930's styles. Whether or not one is interested in those types of suits, I highly recommend that everyone take a look. I think everyone can find something of interest.

One particular suit that caught my attention is the single-breasted, dark brown Glenurqhart-check, three-piece-suit. (To get to the pictures, click on the Dressing link and scroll down to the "Dressing for Autumn and Winter" section.) I don't really like brown suits, but this (and the light brown suit) makes me wish I had both of them. Also, be sure to check out the herringbone shirt with the dark brown suit. The entire combo (shirt, tie, collar pin, pocket square) is beautiful and elegant.

However, at times while looking at those suits, I thought of Etutee's admonishments in his Esky posts that the styles that were fashionable in the '30s may not translate too well to today's fashions. I think this is particularly true of the wide lapels. I also think the gorges are a little too high, but that's probably just my preference and has nothing to do with the '30s style. So, what do you think? Are the lapels too wide? Gorges too high? Do these suits look too much like costumes, or would you proudly wear any of these suits today?

[pchong]

I will be in Tokyo and have arranged to meet with the website owner and the tailor who made those garments on Feb 18. I intend to take some pictures, and perhaps write a short article on them.

I think the SB coats, at least the true 3B ones has not been given enough space for the peak lapel to develop This effect is made especially pronounced when the width of the lapels are quite large. It gives a stunted look to the lapel. In a DB, the overlap - even with a high button, crooked coat gives it sufficient space to develop gracefully. Or on a 2B coat, it has the length.

I don't mind the wide lapels, though for my own coats, especially SB, I would have it a bit narrower. I quite like the high gorges.

Someone commented that the coats look too long, this is particularly apparent in the photos showing the open coat, exposing the vest, but I think the porportions are correct, and would imagine they are made to fit the wearer - who may have a longer torso than the perfect man. I will have the opportunity to photograph the suits being worn by the owner, rather than on a mannequin, and we should be able to see how it fits. If you take a look at the pictures of real persons wearing them found in post no2 under Special Feature, they don't look too long.

I think the DB coats are quite beautiful. The large lapels bother me less there, and the button stance, balance looks right. The 1930s style is certainly the peak of men's elegance, and perhaps we may learn a thing or two on proportion, balance and design.

If you have specific questions or requests, please let me know.

[pchong]

I just returned from Tokyo, and had a very interesting meeting with Mr. Yamazaki - the Webmaster of the site, as well as with Mr. Okisaka - the man who designed the suits.

Mr. Yamazaki was accompanied by his lovely wife who also acted as translator.
I took quite a few pictures during the two hours or so we discussed tailoring, suit design.

Mr Yamazaki wore a beautiful blue suit with multicolor chalk stripes, a portion of the cloth of which is shown in the thread on blue pinstripe suiting. This suit is now presented on his website under Dressing. It was single breasted, with large sweeping peak lapels, and was quite stunning. Mr. Okisaka wore the houndstooth double breasted suit also found in the site.

Mr. Okisaka is not a tailor nor a cutter, but a fashion designer who takes inspiration liberally from the 1930s. He has reached a stage of development in his design career that he is able to freely interprete the elements of the 1930s which suit his sense of style to incorporate into his clothes.

I will take some time to sort the pictures out, and will write a report on the meeting, but in the meantime, a silhoutte...of sorts:

[manicturncoat]

Thanks for the link, I really enjoyed the site. I was particularly fascinated by different styles of pants and the various fastenings and tabs and what seemed like the very high quality of the detailing.

[uppercase]

I tell you, I have seen some Japenese in the clothing business who are into classic men's clothing and you won't find a more stylish lot.

[pchong]

Here is a sepia toned photograph of Mr. Yamazaki. He is a full blown 1930s chappie, head to toe (except for Crockett & Jones Captoes he wore on Sat). His glasses were vintage looking as was his watch. The suit iss particularly beautiful.



And the creator of these suits, Mr. Okisaka. He was more flamboyant, and less bound by the 1930s style. His own personal style takes clues from the 1930s, but as mentioned, he is progressed to a stage where he is free to interprete as he pleases.

[manicturncoat]

pchong,

Very nice, they seem to have fully absorbed the 30's style, the attention to detail is extraordinary. You stated previously that Mr.Okisaka is not a tailor, but a designer, so who actually makes the suits?

[uppercase]

The Japanese have it going on! No doubt.

The only discordant note when I have observed similarly dressed Japanese gentlemen, is that they are a bit too perfectly put together.

They can be so elegant and beautifully attired that they appear unusual in their milieu.

I would almost like them to dress DOWN.

Is this called the dumbing down of dress; have I become a victim of mass dress culture??!!

[jwilliams]

pchong, great photos, especially the Tokyo nightline, and I look forward to your report on the meeting.

Because Mr. Yamazaki's wife acted as translator, do you know whether or not Mr. Yamazaki is able to respond to e-mails written in english? I would like to write him an e-mail praising his website, as well as asking him a couple of questions about the "Dressing" section.

The dressing section has disappeared from the sidebar. Although I have the address in my Favorites, I'm having a problem viewing two of the suits. All the photos of the dark brown, glen check three-piece and two photos of the pinstripe three-piece are no longer viewable. I'd like to ask him whether it's possible for him to put the dressing link back on the sidebar and whether it's possible for him to put the missing photos back on his site. But I don't know if I should attempt an e-mail because of the language difficulties.

Do you (or anyone else) have any thoughts on whether or not I should attempt to e-mail him?

[pchong]

Hi jwilliams,

Send him an email...I think, like many Japanese Yamazaki-san has learnt English in school, and are more comfortable with the written than spoken...often, I find that unless they use English on a daily basis for business, many of them are very shy, and would not speak it. Yamazaki-san can write emails, and I have exchanged some emailss with him with reasonably good success.

[Incroyable]

How beautiful.

[filangieri]

While the suits are indeed beautiful, I have the feeling that the Japanese are reaching too far in search of that "perfect" 30's look, and end up passing the line that separates "timeless classic" from "costume".

[miumoi]

...

[pchong]

Here are some more pictures of the Saturday afternoon at my hotel room at the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo. I would like to invite comments from our learned members to point out striking features to emulate or to avoid.

The Yamazaki 3B SB, 3 piece suit in multi-stripe
The shoulder


Note the heavily roped shoulder, high notch position and large lapels. Note also the handmade buttonaire hole. It is interesting that the Okisaka-san chose not to use pick stitching on the lapel.

Note also the lapel is cut such that the edge is straight, following closely one of the stripes on the material pattern. Okisaka-san explained to me that he made this so that the lapel looked more angular.



The shoulder is hand constructed...picture above showing the inside stitching.



Note the angular lapel, with the very high notch position Coupled with a button point which is at approximately midpoint, and pronounced and pinched waist makes the garment looks rather dramatic.



Level indicating the height of the trousers at the back. The trousers were held by braces, and typical high back, fish tailed.



The back of the coat had a slight fullness around the shoulder blades.



The cloth was a rather interesting vintage material from Thornton-Jones. Lining was apalca wool, which had a very dull finish, rather different from viscose.



Showing the dart construction. Okisaka-san took great pains to explain that the coat was constructed.



I am not sure if I understand him clearly. But apparently, unlike modern coats, where there is a side panel running all the way from the bottom of the armpit to the coat bottom. This side panel is attached to the rear panel, and the front panel. In his costruction such that the side panel is completely missing, but the front panel extends to meet the rear panel.

[Richard3]

Splendid pictures of a beautifully cut suit. Although I myself prefer a more relaxed and less showy style.

Reminds me of the old Charlie Chan movies!