okay - is this nuts???

[pgoat]

I have two suits I now hate thanks to the SF - they were ealry buys for me before I knew better. Both are DBs from the mid 90s. Both are dept. store brands. I would probably get only $5-10 bucks on ebay even though one is New, never worn and the other only worn a few times.

here's the question - I figure at those prices I would keep the pants, which fit well (The fabrics are somewhat rough and sporty and thus should work with a sport coat well), and just donate the jackets. But a crazy idea popped into my head - I've always been curious to rip open a jacket and see how they are put together.

Now I am curious to see if these can be modded to a wearable fit. I don't seriously expect to get them to look presentable, but thought it might be a fun project and give me insight the next time my tailor shakes his head when I ask for 'the impossible'

anyone else think this is worth doing? Or should I give them away and help out some poor starving comedian or sportscaster or nightclub bouncer out there?

 

[DocHolliday]

What do you dislike about the jackets? And can you elaborate on what you mean by "modded to a wearable fit"?

 

[Tomasso]

Originally Posted by pgoat

a crazy idea popped into my head


Mind you, Edison had some crazy ideas.

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by Tomasso

Mind you, Edison had some crazy ideas.

In his last few years, he supposedly consumed nothing but a pint of milk every three hours.

 

[j]

Originally Posted by pgoat

I have two suits I now hate thanks to the SF - they were ealry buys for me before I knew better. Both are DBs from the mid 90s. Both are dept. store brands. I would probably get only $5-10 bucks on ebay even though one is New, never worn and the other only worn a few times.

here's the question - I figure at those prices I would keep the pants, which fit well (The fabrics are somewhat rough and sporty and thus should work with a sport coat well), and just donate the jackets. But a crazy idea popped into my head - I've always been curious to rip open a jacket and see how they are put together.

Now I am curious to see if these can be modded to a wearable fit. I don't seriously expect to get them to look presentable, but thought it might be a fun project and give me insight the next time my tailor shakes his head when I ask for 'the impossible'

anyone else think this is worth doing? Or should I give them away and help out some poor starving comedian or sportscaster or nightclub bouncer out there?
Do it. You can learn a lot about your next suit from what you find inside your last.

 

[Jovan]

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

In his last few years, he supposedly consumed nothing but a pint of milk every three hours.
Can you say, "diarrhea ahoy"?

 

[Lucky Strike]

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

In his last few years, he supposedly consumed nothing but a pint of milk every three hours.
That is nuts. A suit post-mortem is perfectly normal.

 

[pgoat]

funny about edison.....ever read Robert Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"? interesting story of intellect gone wild....

Basically these suits had an exaggerated 'athletic' cut. They were designed to button only on the bottom button (indeed, there is only one button hole, unlike traditional DBs). The waist are very tapered, and there are no vents so they fit snugly around the hips. The shoulders, meanwhile, in addition to having leftover 80s padding, are excessively wide. I normally need about a 19.5" shoulder seam span - these are about 22".

I was curious to see how the shoulders were constructed - I wanted to take out the lining, and look at the shoulder pads, etc. I was even curious to try and cut down the pads and narrow the shoulders.

as for the buttons, both have a avery low button stance, so I wanted to try two experiments - one has 6 buttons, so I wanted to cut an upper buttonhole and move the button over to allow it to close on top (I usually leave the lower button open on my trad DBs); and two, I wanted to cut the second one down into a SB, as it has four buttons spaced very closely together.

Let me just say I have no illusions that these will come out looking good.....I merely was thnking this was a good opportunity to play doctor with no real consequences - the jackets are essentially unwearable as is anyway, and I won't get more than $20 tops for my trouble on ebay (assuming they'd sell at all).

I bought them, btw, when I had read in Flusser's clothes and the man about buttoning DBs on the lower button a la Duke of Windsor.....while I still adhere to much of AF's advice, that was a mistake for me......I was going for the Hollywood 1940s vibe but now realize the trad DB a la Maltese Falcon is what I really prefer

 

[Matt]

yeah do it, and post some pics of the innards for general interest up here

 

[pgoat]

I shall!