Tradition of Non-Cookie-Cutter Kilt Jackets?

[GlassMan]

Well, the kilt jackets are tailored in an interesting way, as well as, the regular suits over there. A lot of ours arn't fitted at all; I think it's called bag style. They change the styles a lot, too. It does get maddening after a while.

Ahhh, the both famous and infamous Bag Style of suit coat here in the United States. Many people do not realize that this suit coat style was first introduced by Brooks Brothers. Both English and Continental style tradition suit coats have a slight taper to the middle that creates a very nice sillouette, however it doesn't suit the American middle.

Even in the early 20th century, the average American business man tended to carry a bit of extra baggage around the belly (as opposed to the Average American who worked hard for their wages and seldom if ever even owned a suit coat much less a substantial waistline). The Bag Coat (also known as a Sack Coat) was the antidote to this.

Through clever tricks of tailoring, Brooks Brothers created a coat that had the ability of making both large and small men look average! The sides descended straight down to hide bulging spare tires, while seams on the back still bent inward to give the false impression that the man still had a smaller waist than shoulders. In addition, the coat sported a single very deep vent in the back. Many continental coats have no vent, while many English coats have double vents. Large American behinds made the ventless design uncomfortable and splayed out the shallow double vent to the point where it actually accentuated the size of the behind by pulling apart and creating a triangle of trousers and shirts darting in between. A single extremely deep vent both allowed for expansion but since the vent was so deep no amount of spread could create a situation in which the vent sides truly pulled apart and exposed the clothing beneath.

Portly men took to this and, as the business class belly began to expand into even the working classes the sack coat became the dominant coat style in the United States. In fact, all extra-large suit coats descend from this basic design.

We may feel bad about our weight in the early 21st century, but it was a problem already apparent in the sedentary businessmen of the first half of the 20th century as well.