1950s Brooks Brothers Sport Coat Advice

[Captain Cosmic]

Hi All, I am looking for advice.

I have a late 1950s Brooks Brothers Makers Heavy Tweed sport coat. It is in great condition and its quality is amazing. I love the heft and warmth but it does not fit exactly. Though it is a labeled "long" size, the label's actual size indication is purposely blacked out. The chest fits perfect, as does the jacket length but the shoulders are a bit wide (18 1/3", I normally wear 40-41 Long, 17.75-18") and the sleeves are really short at 24". There is 4" of material to let them out but there are hand stitched faux button holes sewn onto the sleeves (I have noticed these in 1950s/60s high end Brooks Brothers "Maker" labeled sport coats and suit jackets). Below is a photo from the original ebay sale and a photo of the sleeve buttons. I admit the faux sticking kinda just blends in.

I know late 1950s Brooks jackets had different shoulders compared to later, more spalla camicia than natural, See this Ivy Style Article article:

Ivy Style Article

Still, between the short sleeve that would loose the faux button hole detail if let out (and have to be ether removed or just left there to blend in) and the slightly too wide shoulders, I am thinking better to sell to someone who can fit it or spend to have it adjusted?

Any advice?

 

[paxonus]

The buttonhole stitching should come out without leaving any holes. I have had this done numerous times. As for the shoulders I am a 38 and have jackets with 18" shoulders that look fine. Get the sleeves fixed first and see how it looks.

 

[pwbower]

I think we need to embrace the wider shoulders (and other details) in our vintage styles. I say this because I've wrestled with similar conflicts with similar jackets. As a result, I've poured money into making big changes, only to regret it, because I've inadvertently modernized the piece. If boxy is the look, so be it. On my 70s tweed suits, a flare leg is fine. My 50s jackets are invariably wider/roomier up top. I don't wear "period" clothes, but I've come to accept the period details are what makes these things special.

As an analogy: I live in an old brownstone in Brooklyn. If I were to replace the cornice with a sleek modern copper design, take the original ironwork off the stoop, suddenly it's .... a rectangle brick house like any other.

That said, lengthen those sleeves! But beware that, in one case, removing the buttons (to move them) revealed (or I guess created) a hole beneath them, which I had to get rewoven. But that suit was worsted.

If you're in the NYC area, I can recommend The Tailoring Room for this sort of thing. And French American Reweaving for any clean-up. Good luck!

 

[Aloysius16]

Button stance on that coat is bizarrely high

 

[Captain Cosmic]

Button stance on that coat is bizarrely high

This was a hallmark of Brooks jackets in the 1950s:

The High Button Stance: Respected In Many Of The Best Schools

Being tall, I don't mind it, especially in a 3/2 roll.

 

[FlyingHorker]

For the jacket shoulder, no idea without pictures of how it looks on you.

 

[Captain Cosmic]

For the jacket shoulder, no idea without pictures of how it looks on you.

Sorry for the terrible photos. I mostly worried about my left shoulder and divots in the arm. It is probably hard to tell with such as heavy tweed material. were talking maybe 1/8-1/4" overhand on the that shoulder. I know, I shouldn't be so picky. You can also see how short the sleeves are even though the jacket is almost 32.5" long.

 

[FlyingHorker]

Sorry for the terrible photos. I mostly worried about my left shoulder and divots in the arm. It is probably hard to tell with such as heavy tweed material. were talking maybe 1/8-1/4" overhand on the that shoulder. I know, I shouldn't be so picky. You can also see how short the sleeves are even though the jacket is almost 32.5" long. View attachment 1705078
View attachment 1705079

Better than my potato ass photos I've posted before.

I think it looks fine on you. I don't personally see any divots?

Definitely short sleeve, but if there's 4" to let out, it should be fine.

I don't know anything about getting rid of faux buttonhole stitching, but the buttons can be reattached lower on the sleeve.

You can also post this in the tailor's thread here for more advice on the faux buttonhole stitches.

IMO, I wouldn't let a small detail like that ruin your enjoyment of the coat, because it fits relatively well.

 

[Aloysius16]

This was a hallmark of Brooks jackets in the 1950s:

The High Button Stance: Respected In Many Of The Best Schools

Being tall, I don't mind it, especially in a 3/2 roll.

Oh, interesting. Perhaps in the style of an English hacking jacket. I believe the hacking jackets were to be worn with two buttons fastened when dismounted from one’s horse, is that the same here? It looks slightly awkward with fronts hanging open like that.

 

[driving glove]

For what it is worth, I picked up a beautiful vintage black and white overcoat years ago and had the sleeves lengthened but got rid of it because the fabric had faded ever so slightly over the years but the interior sleeve fabric had not. The result was a subtle but noticeable demarcation between the old sleeve length and the additional cloth.
I could not “unsee it” so I purged the otherwise charming coat.

 

[comrade]

The fabric gives me goosebumps !!

 

[Captain Cosmic]

Oh, interesting. Perhaps in the style of an English hacking jacket. I believe the hacking jackets were to be worn with two buttons fastened when dismounted from one’s horse, is that the same here? It looks slightly awkward with fronts hanging open like that.

Definitely some English styling, as there is a tad bit of shoulder padding (though maybe I misunderstand shoulder vs upper chest padding) and an echo of Italian spalla camicia as well. Plus, I would describe the heavy tweed as "Thorn proof! As for the pictures of the lower half, the camera was low and looking up slightly, so the lower part is over emphasized. Plus, I am not standing straight (doh!). I guess a high button stance could cause the lower quarters to hang wide.

Check out this Blog featuring similar high stance mid century Brooks Brothers suits:

Suits for Two: The Vintage Brown 3PC Sack Suit from Brooks Brothers


I have two other similar 1950s Brooks Brothers "346" sport coats with similar high button stance (but just below the chest pocket), with one being a navy hopsack and the other a brown "straight" herringbone (the Hopsack is 40 long and the other 40 extra long).

 

[comrade]

My guess is that the jacket is actually from the late 50s or the 60s because of the narrow
lapel and button stance. This one I found online a few years ago is purportedly from the 50s
and is BB Custom ( bespoke). Its' lapels and button stance make it seem positively Neopolitan:

 

[Captain Cosmic]

The fabric gives es me goosebumps !!

It is surprisingly heavy yet soft ad not itchy. Though is is a barley pattern as opposed to a more traditional herringbone, it has amazing colors and subtle stripping, as you can see in this photo.

 

[comrade]

My guess is that the jacket is actually from the late 50s or the 60s because of the narrow
lapel and button stance