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Vent-less suits out of style now?

thefinedandy

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My vote is for a ventless jakcet. It gives such a slick look but beware of cheap suits with ventless jackets from second hands. It needs to be tailored to have a right effect.
 

FlyingMonkey

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FM you seem to be quite the arrogant guy, what with your facepalms and sarcasm. Now i would not presume to fight another guys battles for him, but I personally think that the guy is entitled to his opinion of non vented jackets as much as you are entitled to your opinion of them.

You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to insult other members. Please don't. I won't be drawn into it.

As for Saturdays, well, you are also entitled to your opinion, but once again - saying that anyone favouring ventless jackets knows '**** all' about style is simply crass - as someone who is usually pretty polite, surely you must realize this.
 
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jeff13007

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Well I guess its not 100% of the time, but I have never seen a good or even decent ventless jacket, let alone a DB ventless jacket. Most are fused and are just branded to sell.
Send me a pic of yours maybe I'll change my mind


Well considering 90 percent of jackets in general out there are "fused and just branded to sell" added onto the fact that the more popular models are double/single vent, its no surprise that you have never seen a good or even decent vent less jacket. But they do exist, another poster said he bought one recently from Brooks Brothers, and im pretty sure i saw one from the Brioni section of Bergdorfs the other day. And no i will not go snapping photos just to prove a point.
 

razl

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As a representative of the "never, ever, no-way ventless" crowd, but as someone who hears those who say "it can be done, but only if it's done right" - I issue a challenge: please post some real-world pics of a good looking ventless suit.

I look forward to being swayed, or at least having my contempt of them successfully challenged :)
 

jeff13007

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As a representative of the "never, ever, no-way ventless" crowd, but as someone who hears those who say "it can be done, but only if it's done right" - I issue a challenge: please post some real-world pics of a good looking ventless suit.
I look forward to being swayed, or at least having my contempt of them successfully challenged :)


You mean a recent ventless suit? Because if its just from whenever then alot of the old movies have them. North by Northwest comes to mind.
 

unbelragazzo

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As someone who doesn't have a vendetta against ventless jackets, I couldn't possibly care less whether you in particular like then or not. I am not a ventless jacket evangelist. My only point is that they are fully within the canon of classic menswear. Like bowties or Dbs, their popularity waxes and wanes like anything, but they have been worn for more than a hundred years, and are included as a classic style among the well known menswear writers that I am aware of. You don't need to worry about a jacket being "out of style" because it is ventless.
 

jeff13007

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As someone who doesn't have a vendetta against ventless jackets, I couldn't possibly care less whether you in particular like then or not. I am not a ventless jacket evangelist. My only point is that they are fully within the canon of classic menswear. Like bowties or Dbs, their popularity waxes and wanes like anything, but they have been worn for more than a hundred years, and are included as a classic style among the well known menswear writers that I am aware of. You don't need to worry about a jacket being "out of style" because it is ventless.


BUT ZARA AND H&M DONT MAKE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

cptjeff

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You mean a recent ventless suit? Because if its just from whenever then alot of the old movies have them. North by Northwest comes to mind.


Just about any classic film, really. Ventless was pretty standard among hollywood stars then, and they often wore their own clothing for films.

Anyway, here's a shot from North by Northwest where you can tell the jacket is ventless by how it wraps around his body in a way a vented jacket wouldn't.

north-by-northwest-1959-the-train-sequence-11.jpg


Same suit in a more normal position:

north-by-northwest.jpg


Not really styled to current SF tastes, but it was a 1959 film, and Cary Grant probably had it made a few years prior to that. Also, I'm digging that fabric.
 
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mhdena

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If I see a suit I happen to like and it has a single vent, it will become ventless in short order.

No vents, or 2 vents for me.

Single vents have always reminded me of Old Man suits and I started wearing suits over 50 years ago.
 

mhdena

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If I see a suit I happen to like and it has a single vent, it will become ventless in short order.

No vents, or 2 vents for me.

Single vents have always reminded me of Old Man suits and I started wearing suits over 50 years ago.
 

razl

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(I lost track of this thread but since it's been necro'd...)

I must say, Mr. Grant looks just fine in that suit. But I can't help but notice that the shots seem to hide the unvented aspect that we were discussing. Even CG, looking snazzy here, would resemble a human condom when photographed from the back.

All that said, it's fine it's within canon, I just can't bring myself around to appreciating it; unlike other items I don't care for personally but can appreciate on others. Regardless, the fault apparently lies with me.
 

Stiva

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Much shite and some truth has been spoken on this thread.

For dinner jackets, see Flusser:

"Both single-and double-breasted jackets are at their best either without vents or with moderate side vents."

In my view, always without vents.

For double-breasted suits (same source):

"With the exception of shawl-collared evening jackets, double-breasted jackets should always have peaked lapels. The notched lapels of recent vogue are an abomination and a boon only to manufacturers who produce them less expensively. Traditionally, each lapel took a buttonhole. (In Europe they have dropped the right buttonhole). Historically, the wearer took advantage of this arrangement to close up his jacket. Today, they are merely an aesthetic necessity, since without them the jacket appears unbalanced. For much the same reason, the double-breasted jacket should be double-vented, though a non- vented jacket is also proper."

I don't consider this holy writ, but it conforms to my experience. I have a ventless double-breasted in 11 oz Lesser with drape rather than waist suppression - made by an expat tailor trained in Saville Row from the early 1960s, and possibly too traditional. Even allowing for that, the suit would look sloppy with double vents. With European or Updated American silhouettes, double vents are probably preferable for double-breasted.

For single-breasted (same source):

"The single-vented jacket gives the wearer a boxy look in back by cutting him precisely in half, and when one puts one’s hands in the pockets, the jacket appears to split open down the middle, often exposing the belt, the shirt, and the buttocks.

"Those who were the best-dressed in the 1930s wore either the double-vented or the non-vented jacket. However, the double- vented jacket gives added shape to the garment by emphasizing the outside lines of the body. When the wearer is walking, you can see movement on the side, as the jacket corresponds to the movement of the leg. This fluidity helps create a more attractive silhouette. Moreover, the distance from the floor to the bottom of the jacket is lengthened by an observer’s eye moving smoothly up the length of the vent, thus giving the wearer the illusion of greater height. Beyond aesthetics, the double- vented jacket is a perfect example of form and function uniting. This is evident when you sit down or put your hands in your pockets: the flap comes up, which allows the jacket to avoid creasing and the buttocks to remain covered.

"The only time one might avoid the double-vented jacket is if a man is excessively wide hipped and broad in the rear. Here, the single-vented jacket can do more to camouflage breadth."

So, double-vented unless you have big hips and a fat arse.

Here endeth the lesson.
 

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