Museum Textile Services recently conserved an early 20th-century Brooks Brothers three-piece suit. It is a family heirloom of Edward Phillips-Jones, who continues to wear it on special occasions despite some thinning and small tears. Edward, a scholar and farmer in western Massachusetts, inherited the suit from his uncle Owen Jones, who was given it by Edward's great grandfather, James Morison Faulkner. Other than being a bit short in the leg, the suit fits Edward perfectly.
After conservation dry cleaning, we stabilized several holes on the jacket and pants with hand stitching and cotton fabric underlays. Conservator Morgan Carbone rewove thinning areas in the arms, legs, and seat with matching wool yarns. These repairs, along with light use and continued care, will assure that Mr. Phillips-Jones can pass his sack suit on to the next generation.
3 Comments
Will Taggart
7/16/2016 04:04:39 pm
Nice article, thanks for the info. Since the main distinguishing feature of the sack suit jacket is the cut of the back panels, would be very useful to include pictures of the backs of the jackets.
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maria brown
3/20/2018 07:44:20 am
Hi, I was wondering if you could email me to help me date a sack suit coat I found in a closet. I am really curious on the date!
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Camille
3/20/2018 07:55:20 am
Hi Maria, We were given the date of this suit when it came to us for conservation. I recommend looking through Brooks Brothers advertising from the early 20th century to help you pin point a time frame.
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