Vintage cloth

[snapper]

Gentlemen,

I have a vintage suit 57 years old and would like to get a new pair of trousers made for it. Do any members please know of a outlet, selling museum, cloth vaults etc where I might be able to match up some cloth?

Many thanks,
Snapper

[Concordia]

And duplicate 57 years of dry-cleaning and fading in the sunshine? Good luck!

[snapper]

Thanks Concordia for your reply. I had realised the potential problems of the faded different shades of older cloth. I had hoped that as it is a dark colour and with a current dry clean of the coat I might get away with a slight mismatch. Especially as it is effectively a spare suit and will only be worn for work very infrequently

Regards,
Snapper

[Mark Seitelman]

I highly doubt that you can find a match.

A mismatch will look odd. I think that it is better to invest in a new suit rather than attempt to save this one.

[snapper]

Mark,

Thank you for your response.
Of course you are correct in saying a new suit would be a better option, but I already have several suits and I just like the idea and charm of continuing the life of such an old time classic. It is a dark blue chalk stripe suit but the trousers, although not worn out at all, are very high waisted which I find uncomfortable and are cut in a narrower style than those I bespeak.

You are right in saying a match is unlikely but I think it might be cloth from Fox Brothers ongoing 18 oz classic suiting range. If I can get them made no doubt the trousers will be a marginally diferent shade and if I stood still long enough for one to examine them closely that may well be discernable. But suits are a dynamic entity constantly on the move. So maybe the stripes will have a similar effect to those of zebras faced by preditory lions.

The worst that can happen would be such a stark mismatch that I subsequently had to get a new coat made in the new cloth and thereby ended up with another new suit.

Very best regards,
Snapper

[bond_and_beyond]

Mark,

Thank you for your response.
Of course you are correct in saying a new suit would be a better option, but I already have several suits and I just like the idea and charm of continuing the life of such an old time classic. It is a dark blue chalk stripe suit but the trousers, although not worn out at all, are very high waisted which I find uncomfortable and are cut in a narrower style than those I bespeak.

Couldn't you just have the trousers altered? It should be possible to reduce the rise and one would think such trousers have plenty of inlay to at least increase the leg width with an inch or more.

BB

[old henry]

Absolutely. Bond is right.

[old henry]

A tailor can reduce the rise. Possibly use the cloth to add to the crotch to let out the leg. It's cross grain but you'll not see it. Or get a similar cloth to add to the crotch. Save that suit.

[snapper]

BB and Old Henry,

Thank you both for your replies.

The trousers sit uncomfortably four inches above my natural waist and I will talk to my tailor about the possibility of altering the rise and infilling the fork to achieve a better fit.

I have my bespoke trousers made with the leg bottoms at two thirds the length of my shoe. This would be ten and one quarter inches. The bottoms are currently eight and three quarter inches and there is not enough material there to achieve another one and a half inches. However, if I could get the waist sorted I would live with the narrow legs.

Thank you again for your advise.

Regards,
Snapper