Dapper Day is my version of Pitti Uomo; street style abounds!  People are able to go around Disneyland and dress up in style, whether its vintage, vintage inspired, or modern!  Since it is Spring, the guys and I decided to take our vintage style to the next level.  Most people make the misconception that vintage clothes are all made of thick wools and are only available in muted, boring colors.  However, the 1940’s were still stylin’ in hot weather! They had a variety of fabrics that were still breathable and and comfortable to wear and were especially light colored for spring and summer fashion!   Our outfits for Spring Dapper Day give you real evidence that vintage suit style is still creative, fun, and colorful!

Spencer – Late 1940’s 

Spencer is wearing his awesome beige late 1940’s suit for Dapper Day.  As you’ve probably noticed, light colors are essential for warm weather style and a light brown suit is definitely a great choice.  His suit is made of gaberdine, which is a twilled wool, and was a fabric staple of the late 1940s through the early 1950’s.  You can think of it like the vintage version of the chino suit!

With a light brown suit, I suggest going with a light colored shirt to match the weather.  Instead of the typical white shirt, Spencer went with a light blue late 1940’s shirt. Notice that it isn’t a spearpoint, since that style of shirt went out of style as men favored shorter (yet wider) collars.  To inject more color and more saturation into his outfit, he goes with a 40’s abstract design tie.  With a floppy puffed pocket square, he is the definition of a typical summer suit style in the 1940’s.

 

 

Late 1940/s Gaberdine Suit, 1950’s French Cuff Shirt, 1940’s spectator shoes

1940’s tie, late 1940’s Straw Fedora with Handpainted Band

Ethan – Mid 1940s

Blue suit in warm weather? How original.  Even though it isn’t groundbreaking, a blue suit in an ultra-light fresco wool is a great choice for a summer suit.   Blue goes with almost anything and really lets you create an outfit that can pop!  However, it isn’t just blue; if you look closely at it, you can see that it has a subtle striping!

In terms of material, this suit is king.  I can’t stress enough how light this suit is!  It is only-half lined with almost nothing besides the shell in the back.  In fact, full lining is a much more modern trend, appearing more frequently in the late 1950s and almost everywhere by the 1960s.  This lack of full-lining allows vintage garments to be cooler and much more breathable than modern suits.  Why search for minimally-lined suit in the mall (which almost doesn’t exist) when you can go vintage?

In terms of styling, I decided to go with my  1950s semi-sear point shirt in a light green.  You can definitely wear dress shirts in solid colors as long as its light; saturated and dark shirts make you look like you’re going to prom (which is something you definitely don’t want).  Utilizing a light shirt allows you to play with colors in a much more subtle way without drawing too much attention.  Your pop in the outfit should be your tie!

My last accessory is my tie choice.  I normally go with striped ties and minimal prints in my normal everyday style, but when I go vintage I have to go all out.  As you have probably seen in my guide, you will know that abstract design ties were a huge trend in the mid 1940s and stayed until the early 1950s.  Using these large patterned ties are a surefire way to place your outfits in the WWII period.  I think that they’re fun and a great way to stand out, especially when it starts flopping around when you swing dance!

 Early to mid 1940’s Summer suit, 1950’s Spearpoint Shirt, late 1940’s Brocade tie

Jeremiah – Early 1940s Inspired

Jeremiah is probably wearing the most conservative outfit out of all of us!  He also is the person who is incorporating modern pieces in his outfit and is going for a modern interpretation instead of straight vintage like Spencer and me . With modern chinos (one of the spring menswear staples) and sockless longwings, he is wearing a Palm Beach jacket, which was the warm weather fabric of the the 1930s-1940s.  Made of a secret blend, all of their pieces are completely unlined yet are structured enough to be worn cleanly.

In contrast to Spencer and I, Jeremiah plays a bit more with his shirt and tie choices. Since his jacket is a solid color, I suggested that he wear a patterned shirt and patterned tie.  Gingham wasn’t a typical pattern back in the day so for an “accurate” look, Jeremiah is wearing a striped shirt.  It was these types of shirts that dominated the the 1930s and early 1940s. 

It typically wasn’t a trend in the Golden Era to wear large “swing” abstract design ties with their striped shirts.  So for a more conservative look, Jeremiah went with a medium geometric print tie (which was common the 1930s and early 1940s).  I use this style in my modern outfits and is personally much more fun than going with a solid shirt and a bold tie.  Tighter patterns stretched across shirts and ties involves much more coordination!

 

Other Shots

Here’s some other fun shots that we took throughout the day!

I hope you enjoyed our outfits for this Spring Dapper Day! Honestly, it was honestly slightly chilly during the day (only reaching the mid 70s!) but it was a fun day regardless.  It’s not every day that you get to walk around Disneyland and be immersed in all types of style!  I literally can’t wait until the next one.

Keep an eye out for our street style coverage of the event!

Always a pleasure,

Street x Sprezza 

Ethan W.

Photography by Ethan W. and Spencer O.