In praise of vintage suits

I have a wardrobe full of beautiful 30s, 40s and 50s dresses, exactly in my size, in all colours of the rainbow. I love them to bits. And even still, when I have an event to attend, I often think: "Oh shit, I have nothing to wear!" 

But then I remember. I have suits. 

For me, the ideal suit is a 1940s-1950s wool suit, with skillful tailoring, a powerful shoulder-line, and some fun little detail, like a visible row of hand-stitching or embroidery. Putting on a suit like that is the ultimate confidence-booster. It doesn't matter how your day, week or month has been; dress up in a suit and you'll feel like a sharp lady journalist who's just written the story of the decade. Or maybe that's just me. Anyway, you'll feel like you are In Control, or, to quote MERL, in your lane, flöurishing. 

I bought my first 40s suit in May of 2022. I got it from one of my favourite Finnish vintage sellers, VintagEija's, and when the parcel arrived, I screamed of joy. It is of the finest, softest, lightweight wool in a beautiful dove grey color. The covered buttons are flawless, and the label tells me it is by Charles F Berg, "a shop smart women prefer," which is a nice bonus. It has a couple of moth bites, but nothing that I can't hide with a corsage or a big brooch (which I love). Pictured is the first time I had the suit on, and since then, it has saved me from many an outfit crisis. It is such an easy outfit to throw on, and it always, ALWAYS looks smashing. From the very first time I tried it on, I was hooked on suits, and have bought a few more since. 

One can't go wrong with a classic black suit. This one has beautiful embroidery on the pockets, and every time I look at it I think it must have been VERY expensive when first purchased. All that work! Also, the proportions of the suit are a little unusual. This makes me think that it was originally made for a specific person. The unusual proportions are, actually, how I landed this suit in the first place; the size is a good VOLUP, but the proportions were just a bit too off for the previous owner, and I got the suit for what I consider to be quite a steal for a garment like this. 

I love to cheer up a fully black suit with some hot pink, teal blue or emerald green - something that really makes the outfit pop. The ostrich feather hat is one of my priced possessions, I just adore it. 

About half a year after buying my first black vintage suit, I went to a vintage fair and lo and behold, found another black suit. I try not to buy the same thing more than once, because, you know, you can only carry one blue corde bag at a time and so forth. But hear me out: THIS ONE IS WOOL BOUCLÉ. Yeah, as if I could have resisted. The suit came home with me that day, as did a 40s forest green suit jacket, one that I'm still trying to find a matching skirt for. This black suit fits me like a glove, an extremely well-fitted glove I tell you, and not to be dramatic but I feel like crying tears of joy every time I put it on. 

And finally: my most recent suit purchase is this late 40s-early 50s petrol blue suit. This one came with two skirts made from the same fabric, in slightly different sizes, and I always find it fascinating when that happens. I've also worn the skirt separately with a bunch of 40s style little jumpers, because the colour is just so delicious. 

What is your favourite garment to wear? What is your confidence-booster outfit?