Another vintage tweed jacket & waistcoat score

[Tobus]

Here's my latest eBay find, thanks to my good friend Shaun Maxwell. I purchased it before Thanksgiving, and it took a ridiculously long time to get here from Scotland. It just came in a few days ago.

I don't see a label in it, and can't pin down when it was made, but it's got that nice vintage styling to it plus a few interesting details.

It's a lovely green tweed, gently flecked with brown. Typical Argyle style jacket with gauntlet cuffs, epaulets, scalloped flap pockets, and antler buttons all around. I'm very pleased with the fit! For just over $100 plus shipping, it's a great example of how eBay can be a great source for high-quality vintage traditional kilt jackets.



One thing that always fascinates me about these vintage jackets is the uniqueness of the details between them. I think modern jackets and waistcoats have tended to converge on a very generic pattern (much like automobiles), where the vintage examples show a lot of character from the tailors who made them. The waistcoat on this one, especially, has a very nice sporran cutaway as you can see below. I'm wearing it with a plain brown leather day sporran, but it would fit the shape of a MoD brass cantle perfectly. Also, the lower pockets have flaps stitched below the opening, not above it. As you can see, my watch chain goes into the pocket over the flap instead of under it. Strange, but very convenient.



Over the years, I've picked up a nice assortment of vintage tweed jackets from eBay. It's one of the few advantages of being a smaller guy with a 38" chest. Three of the six have matching waistcoats. Have I mentioned I love tweed?

[ShaunMaxwell]

Very nice and it fits perfectly too! I really like the details and cutaway on the waistcoat. Congratulations on a very nice combination!

SM

[McMurdo]

That is a great addition to the wardrobe well done I like those details as well very nice.

[hector]

Absolutely very beautiful. I am happy for you!

[Blaidd]

Very nice Tobus. In fact, I was watching that very set, being the same size as you. Regrettably, and to your benefit, I missed the end of the auction due to 'stuff'. Glad it went to a deserving, and appreciative competitor!

Enjoy my friend.

[Nomad]

That's a great find, could have been tailored for you it fits so well.

[StevieR]

From the pictures it seems to be exceptionally well cut. Maybe originally bespoke, especially considering the cut out of the waistcoat, which is a really nice touch? Well done indeed. If I had this in my wardrobe, I doubt I would be bothered about anything else for daywear.

[Tobus]

Very nice Tobus. In fact, I was watching that very set, being the same size as you. Regrettably, and to your benefit, I missed the end of the auction due to 'stuff'. Glad it went to a deserving, and appreciative competitor!

Enjoy my friend.

You know, when I bid on items like these, I always wonder if I'm bidding against fellow forum members. I've certainly lost out on my share of nice jackets when they just went higher than I could justify. This particular auction ended while I was at a live antiques auction with my wife (for her business). It's held in a warehouse in the middle of a cow pasture where cell service is sketchy at best. All I could do was set my max bid and hope for the best, knowing that someone always tries to snipe it at the last second. I was frantically hitting the refresh button and holding my phone up over my head like a madman to see if I got it or not. It did jump up dramatically right at the end, but somehow I landed on top of the dogpile.

From the pictures it seems to be exceptionally well cut. Maybe originally bespoke, especially considering the cut out of the waistcoat, which is a really nice touch? Well done indeed. If I had this in my wardrobe, I doubt I would be bothered about anything else for daywear.

I am wondering the same thing too: whether this was originally a bespoke set. Aside from not having any maker's label or fabric tags, I see a lot of hand-stitching in places where my other jackets used machine stitching. This jacket also feels heavier and thicker than the others, which feels like additional interfacing (or something?) between the tweed and the lining.

Beyond that, the bottom of the jacket has at least 2 inches of fabric turned under, giving it extra thickness. I wonder if this was done so that it could be adjusted out longer for the customer, or perhaps it was turned under and left that way after final fitting. Either way, it's thicker than my other jackets near the bottom.

Another interesting detail, to me, is in the cuffs. They are different than my other jackets with gauntlet cuffs. Those are stitched down more substantially, but have less thickness to them. They seem to be sort of an add-on, where this jacket seems more ...authentic? ...in the cuffs. These cuffs are very thick, lined, and only tacked in two places. The point of the cuff is actually a dramatic V-shaped split just past the tack stitch, as you can see below. Someone put a lot of effort into these cuffs.

[MNlad]

Another plus for a vintage jacket and waistcoat of this quality is that it appears to have true antler buttons; a rarity these days. It is those small details that place it a step above. Great find.

[Tobus]

Another plus for a vintage jacket and waistcoat of this quality is that it appears to have true antler buttons; a rarity these days. It is those small details that place it a step above. Great find.

That is one thing that turns me off about modern jackets. All my vintage tweeds have real antler buttons. I don't know when fake ones became the norm.

I have a bunch of antlers here that I've thought of making into buttons, but there's some work involved. They are white tail, Axis, and Fallow. Not Red Stag antlers, but surely they would make suitable replacements for those who want real antler.