1952 French Bespoke Morning Coat by Bindinelli Paris – Black Wool Tailcoat – 1950s Formal Menswear
Description
A superb and increasingly difficult to find original French bespoke morning coat, made in Paris in 1952 by Bindinelli of 8 Rue Chauveau-Lagarde, Paris 8e.
This is a particularly lovely piece of post-war Parisian tailoring, retaining both the large woven Bindinelli house label at the neck and the original handwritten customer/order label concealed inside the coat.
The internal label appears to record the original client as Monsieur Caramello, together with what appears to be the date 27/2/52, dating the coat to February 1952.
Bindinelli was a traditional Parisian tailor rather than a mass-market clothing manufacturer. Contemporary writing from 1952 describes the house as continuing to work as a true tailor and creator, with an emphasis on careful execution and fine cloth. This coat is therefore a wonderful surviving example of exactly the type of tailoring being produced by the house at that time.
Cut in the classic formal morning-coat silhouette, the coat has a single button fastening, long sweeping cutaway fronts and tails, broad peaked lapels and a welted breast pocket.
The back is particularly handsome, with beautifully shaped tailoring through the waist, long seams creating the fitted silhouette, and a traditional two-button detail above the tails.
Internally, the quality of construction is wonderfully apparent. The body is lined in black whilst the sleeves retain their contrasting pale lining – a lovely glimpse into traditional mid-century tailoring construction.
An exceptional piece for the collector of historic menswear and French tailoring, and equally wonderful for period costume, formal wear, theatre or display.
The Bindinelli Story
This coat offers a wonderful glimpse into the world of post-war Parisian bespoke tailoring.
It was made by Bindinelli of 8 Rue Chauveau-Lagarde in Paris's 8th arrondissement and retains its original bespoke order label, apparently dated 27 February 1952.
Remarkably, less than three months after this coat was made, Bindinelli was specifically featured by the French newspaper Le Monde in an article entitled Sur commande…, published on 15 May 1952.
The article praised Bindinelli for resisting the increasing industrialisation of clothing manufacture, describing him instead as a true tailor: both a creator and a meticulous craftsman. It also noted his enthusiasm for beautiful lightweight wool and mohair cloths.
This surviving coat therefore comes from precisely the period in which Bindinelli's traditional approach to bespoke Parisian tailoring was being celebrated in the French national press.
“Bindinelli n'est pas près d'adopter les méthodes industrielles. Il reste un tailleur, c'est-à-dire un créateur et un minutieux exécutant.”
“Bindinelli is in no hurry to adopt industrial methods. He remains a tailor — that is to say, a creator and a meticulous craftsman.”
Features / Details
Original 1952 French bespoke tailoring
Maker: Bindinelli
8 Rue Chauveau-Lagarde, Paris 8e
Original woven Bindinelli neck label
Original bespoke customer/order label
Customer name reads Monsieur Caramello
Date reads 27/2/52
Black / charcoal wool cloth
Classic morning coat / tailcoat silhouette
Long cutaway front
Single button fastening
Broad peaked lapels
Welted breast pocket
Three-button cuffs
Sculpted and seamed back
Traditional twin-button detail to rear waist
Long tails
Black body lining
Contrasting pale sleeve lining
Beautiful example of traditional Parisian men's tailoring
Measurements
Please compare the measurements below with a similar garment that fits you well.
Chest (pit to pit): 36"
Shoulder to shoulder: 18"
Sleeve length: 19"
Waist: 34"
Overall length, back: 45"
Overall length, front: 41"
Measurements taken with the garment laid flat.
Condition
Very good vintage condition for a garment dating from 1952.
The outer wool presents extremely well and the coat retains its original buttons, linings and maker/customer labels. There is some age-related wear to the internal lining and naturally minor signs of use commensurate with a bespoke garment more than 70 years old.
Any notable imperfections will be photographed and form part of the description.
As with all vintage clothing, this piece has had a previous life and should not be expected to present as new.
