1930's Action Back Jackets on tall men

[AthanasiusKircher]

I have recently gotten into 1930's style. I am a tall guy, about 6' 4", and this makes it difficult to find pieces, both with repro and true vintage. Especially jackets. I have some questions about 1930's jacket fit that perhaps some of the vintage afficionados on this site might be equipped to answer.

I understand that in the 1930's, jackets were often cut quite short, but I have found that the short length of these jackets often looks totally disproportionate on me due to my height, and also long arms (26.5" sleeve), which extend past the hem of the jackets (i.e. jacket ends at my wrist). It doesn't seem like 30's/30's-style jackets longer than 30" from collar seam even exist.

These issues I've observed raise some questions:

1. I often see jackets about 30" long that actually do have sleeves long enough for me. Would this suggest that the arms/hands extending beyond the jacket hem is not an issue?
2. Does it seem to have been the case that taller men simply went ahead and wore these short jackets without as much attention to the length? I have tried to find some historical images and footage from films. Clark Gable was about 6'1", and his suit in "It Happened One Night" looks like it is indeed a bit longer to accommodate his height. But perhaps this was not always the case?

Suggestions and observations welcome!

 

[Hₑighthere]

The average human height has increased quite a bit since the 1930s, although how much depends on where you are: https://ourworldindata.org/human-height#regional-variation-in-height-changes So what you can find on the vintage market will reflect that.

I haven't tried them so I can't comment on quality, but these people may be able to make you a 30s-style jacket: https://www.cathcartlondon.com/collections/mtm

 

[KOz]

The average human height has increased quite a bit since the 1930s, although how much depends on where you are: https://ourworldindata.org/human-height#regional-variation-in-height-changes So what you can find on the vintage market will reflect that.

I haven't tried them so I can't comment on quality, but these people may be able to make you a 30s-style jacket: https://www.cathcartlondon.com/collections/mtm

It's only around 4-5 cm and I'm not sure it would explain why older jackets would've been styled shorter.

 

[AthanasiusKircher]

It's only around 4-5 cm and I'm not sure it would explain why older jackets would've been styled shorter.

Yes, I think you're right. The jackets were definitely styled shorter. Many extant photos (and also paintings: see N.C. Wyeth - "The Homecoming") show men wearing jackets that stop around the wrist. Although I think it is also the case that average height has increased, due to an increase in general health and nutrition.

 

[TheIronDandy]

I have recently gotten into 1930's style. I am a tall guy, about 6' 4", and this makes it difficult to find pieces, both with repro and true vintage. Especially jackets. I have some questions about 1930's jacket fit that perhaps some of the vintage afficionados on this site might be equipped to answer.

I understand that in the 1930's, jackets were often cut quite short, but I have found that the short length of these jackets often looks totally disproportionate on me due to my height, and also long arms (26.5" sleeve), which extend past the hem of the jackets (i.e. jacket ends at my wrist). It doesn't seem like 30's/30's-style jackets longer than 30" from collar seam even exist.

These issues I've observed raise some questions:

1. I often see jackets about 30" long that actually do have sleeves long enough for me. Would this suggest that the arms/hands extending beyond the jacket hem is not an issue?
2. Does it seem to have been the case that taller men simply went ahead and wore these short jackets without as much attention to the length? I have tried to find some historical images and footage from films. Clark Gable was about 6'1", and his suit in "It Happened One Night" looks like it is indeed a bit longer to accommodate his height. But perhaps this was not always the case?

Suggestions and observations welcome!

No expert on vintage, but contemporary observations indicate that taller/larger people will simply wear jackets much too small for them because "that's the style right now". So it's quite likely that tall people in the 30s, who couldn't afford to go bespoke, simply wore those quite short jackets since that's what was available.

As for Gable, and many other successful people, they could likely go bespoke, and get something that was acceptable within current style preferences, while still working well with their height.