Last edited by Acton_Baby (2016-05-12 10:40:07)

I'll just add my "Whoa" to that Bradley. Nice.

Thanks guys; I definitely got lucky with that jacket. Oli - I'll definitely let you know if it doesn't fit.

I also just scored a vtg navy blue grenadine silk tie, 2.5" wide.

It looks like an old 1950's loopwheeled sweat and there are two labels - one reads "McCoy Sportswear" with the size tag (38) and the other "Arrow Head Brand - Genuine A&F Country".

Brad, I wouldn't worry about it too much, man. I have a couple of golden years Brooks madras sacks with some moth bitten collars and even a few snags and chews around the upper back shoulders. I wear the heck out of them anyway and don't even think about it- not just as knock-arounds either! The best you can do is patch it up at your tailors (bring it to somebody who actually makes suits though, you'll get a better job done on it) and have it stitched up inside. It won't be seamless and you'll know it's there but nobody will notice and I really think this kind of wear and tear becomes characteristic of these cotton madras jackets anyway; like old jeans. I know there's a master reweaver in L.A. that supposedly works magic and I have a gorgeous mid-century Fenn Fenstein bleeding madras sack with much worse problems on the upper back collar that I'm planning on bringing in sometime over the summer. Unfortunately they won't take any work by mail. I'll try to snap some pics of my mangled FF madras later this evening; it's in really rough shape!

If this were 60 years ago I'd tell you to get rid then go to Brooks to buy at least half a dozen new madras sacks. However in this day and age madras jackets from back in the day are pretty scarce and have to be taken in whatever condition they can be found in. Not ideal, but compared to the alternative (wearing normal kit) they're the best bet. And as Oli says, you can get it repaired to a certain extent. I don't know if invisible weaving works with cotton and it's not cheap, but even if that's not an option, a good tailor will be able to do something to help.

/\  you can't reweave cotton but those worn-through areas can be repaired by darning and stitching and if done well the mend won't be obtrusive, as Worried Man wrote ....

the repair can be made to almost look like a slub in the cloth ......

Nice, Oliver! You have a knack for finding the best stuff.