I recently purchased two identical vintage 1940s suits from one estate sale. The only difference in these two suits was the color…..one was pale blue and the other was gray. One can only assume that the original owner really admired the style of these smart looking suits and decided to purchase two for that very reason.
Here, I am listing the gray lightweight wool 2pc. suit. The jacket is beautifully tailored and has some lovely detailing including two pockets on each side of upper jacket. The pockets remind me of half of a heart. Only one little faux hankie is present in the right pocket and I’m inclined to believe that there was never another one in the other pocket as both the blue and the gray suit just have the one. The front of the suit jacket closes with five pretty mauvy pink moonglow plastic buttons. These buttons are really quite striking with the gray wool. The jacket is lined with a salmon pink rayon crepe material. There a metal snap just below the last button. The sleeves are long with a dainty turned up cuff at the wrist. The shoulders are padded and there even seems to be a bit of thin padding in the jacket just under the fitted waist in the hip area on each side. The straight skirt is unlined and has a kick pleat at the bottom. There is a metal zipper on the left side of the skirt and a small round gray button on the waistband.
This is a wonderful vintage suit from the 1940s that would be outstanding for someone who totally loves this era in fashion. It would also work well for anyone who is portraying a fashionable lady from the 40s!
Condition: Good
Unlike the blue suit (item #1249) that is almost identical to this suit, this gray suit has fewer moth holes in the wool material. There are three on the right side of the waistband. And, on the back of the skirt, there are four very small holes and one a little bit larger. Because of the slightly mottled nature of the wool material, the smaller holes are less noticeable and almost blend in with the surface of the material. The main issues with this suit are a number of areas on the wool material that have staining. As with the blue suit, this gray suit has also been professionally dry cleaned in hopes to alleviate some of the staining and I think it actually did make it look a little less noticeable. On the front of the skirt, there is a spot on the right side that appears as a darker small circle and several other areas of very light brown staining. These areas look like something might have spilled on the fabric many years ago and wasn’t cleaned at the time. Possibly coffee or tea…..difficult to tell after so much time has elapsed. There doesn’t seem to be any areas of stain on the back of the jacket. On the left cuff, there are some spots and on the very bottom of the left side of the jacket. The inner lining is in very good condition with only two very faint spots on the center of the back lining. On each sleeve there is a very faint bit of discoloration on the side of each sleeve most likely form age and storage. This is not extremely noticeable. The small pointed faux hanky which is removable was once bright white many decades ago when this swell suit was brand new. It now has darkened with age, but is still a sweet detail. And, I’m actually surprised that is has stayed in that pocket for all of these many years and not lost over time.
There is a Union Label sewn into an inner seam of the jacket that reads:
National Recovery Board, Coat and Suit Industry, 020510
On the reverse side of the Union Label: Consumer Protection Lab, MRG, Manufactured Under Fair Labor Standards
Size: None Present
This suit would by today’s standards be close to Size 6. Please refer to the Measurements given below to make sure that you get a proper fit.
Measurements
Taken with suit laid out flat, buttons fastened and zipper closed.
Jacket
Bust: 35”
Waist Area: 26 1/2”
Hip Area: 33 1/2”
Shoulder to Shoulder: 15”
Outer Sleeve: 23 1/2”
Inner Sleeve: 17”
Circumference of Sleeve Opening at Wrist: 9”
From Shoulder to Bottom of Jacket: 23”
SKIRT
Waist: 24”
From just under Waistband to Bottom Hemline: 28”
Circumference of Bottom Hemline: 44” ( With a small allowance for Kick Pleat)
This seller is a proud member of The Vintage Fashion Guild (VFG) and The Costume Society of America (CSA)
Please Note that I am no longer using PayPal to process credit card payments. Instead I will be able to process credit card payment for purchases through Square. When you make your purchase, I will send an invoice for your payment directly to you by way of Square. After your payment clears, your purchase will be promptly shipped.
