Vintage Billy Reid Tuxedo Jacket 44 R Black Merino Wool Italy William Reid 90s

Description

Vintage 90s Billy Reid (then known as William Reid) black tuxedo jacket in extra fine Merino wool/ matte satin lapel, size 44 Regular. From the closet of a NYC fashion industry executive who bought it new back in the day. 2 wallet pockets inside;
23.5" chest; 21.5" waist; 22.5" hip (no vent at back); 20" shoulder; 31.5" length; 16.5" sleeve inseam; 25.5" outer; 36-1/4" shirt sleeve
. This line went out of production in 2001 after 9/11 forced him to close, as many designers did, but now he dresses rock stars. Very clean, hardly any wear, no stains, rips, issues.
Very well tailored (in Italy) and of a luxurious wool that is tropical weight. The detailing is top-tier, and for his earliest collections he had suits made in Italy (read: super expensive) and used the best Italian suiting fabrics (extra fine Merino wool  at the time was incredibly exotic and incredibly expensive). . His early collections were sold in Barneys and Bergdorf, so that's a clue to the quality.
The styling is classic 90s, with a constructed Italian shoulder, and a tapered waist. The length from under the arm to the hemline side is classic, but not as short as what is shown these days. There are plus a ticket pocket lower on the hip; the lining fabric is an iridescent ruby red viscose taffeta.
I am a 42 Short and this is big on me in the shoulders; the waist is slimmer cut, so a 34" waist to 36" waist can work.
If you are a die-hard traditional dude with a 44 chest, 34" to 36" waist, and are between a regular and a long, this might be the perfect jacket. I don't have the matching trousers, but it is easy to match up a pair of tux pants in a similar weight, color, and texture. Or if you are doing a creative black tie you can match it up with a colorful trouser or a something unexpected.
It's also a great blazer with a single button for nights on the town; the jacket is a tux jacket, but reads as a black blazer--the satin lapel is very discreet and tone on tone, so it doesn't scream tuxedo. Just saying.
Billy Reid launched "William Reid" in 1998 and went on to win the CFDA Award in 2001. His line Billy Reid is well known and amazing. This jacket is a heritage piece, so if you want to own vintage Billy Reid jump on this.
Label:      William Reid
Size:         44 Reg
Fabric:    100% extra fine Merino wool (labeled)
Notes:      Single button; 3 buttons at sleeve; no vent; fully lined; matte satin lapel
Measurements:
with garment
laid flat
(with pertinent dimensions).
21-1/2" across the waist (this is best for a 36" max waist); it's a slimmer cut
22-1/2" across the hip
20" length from bottom of arm hole to hemline side
20" across the shoulder width, seam/seam (there is a shoulder pad)
33" length, measured from back of neckline to hemline rear; 31-3/4" from neck seam
16-1/2" sleeve inseam length
25-3/4" outer sleeve length
36-1/4" total sleeve length, including shoulder (from center of neckline down shoulder to edge of sleeve)
NOTE: I have a showroom in NYC (Ridgewood, Brooklyn, at the Jefferson Street stop on the L train where I can show Ebay items in person to buy. I have found that local NYC buyers want to try things on, so I have made it possible. Contact me to schedule an appt.
***  See my other listings for a variety of cool & unusual finds. I will always discount for multiple purchases, and combine shipping. I will refund any shipping overage charges through PayPal. There are discounts for multiple purchases—see banner on my shop page.
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Chip Cordelli, Brooklyn, NY
On vintage clothing sizing and alterations: If you have further questions about the measurements please ask; I provide much more measuring info than most Ebay sellers, and hope that these measurements can prevent returns or ill-fitting garments. I realize all bodies are different and that shopping online can be stressful in terms of trusting that your body will fit properly in garments, so if there is an issue I am happy to take a return. That said, please check your measurements with mine, and measure a dress, jacket, or coat that fits you properly and synch those with my measurements. Vintage garments and high end designer tailored pieces will almost always have a seam allowance that will accommodate alterations by a tailor. If you have a question about seam allowance on a particular vintage item I can provide. Most dresses have at least an inch on the side seams to take in or out, 1940s and 50s dresses usually have up to 2”.
A
bout me: I am a NYC-based photo/ video prop stylist, set designer, and  interior decorator for magazines like Real Simple, Instyle, Modern Luxury and others. I have lived in NYC for more than 30 years (since the late 80s) and have been in and around high fashion and luxury retail for decades. Through the years I found that sourcing items for specific events, photo shoots, and interior design projects was a valuable skill in a city that produces images, events, and interiors that influence how style is seen throughout the world. That said, I can say that  I am a stealth shopping/ sourcing powerhouse, and can locate an antique or a special prop for a photo shoot, movie set, or fashion shoot with my eyes closed, and relish in the idea of discovering gems in the rough, and shining them up to have new lives in new closets, homes, and photo shoot sets.
I started my career in New York City in the late 1980s dressing display windows at Henri Bendel and Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue in the glory days of true innovative story-telling windows in the days before the internet and Instagram. It was there that I learned the fine art of styling designer clothing & creating an aspirational & romantic mood with merchandise and propping that helps build a relationship with the clothes we wear, and the emotion that people have with properly presented merchandise. I had access to the finest luxury designer clothing like Claude Montana, Pauline Trigere, Coco, Mr Beene and others, and learned about expert seam construction, the feel and distinction of well crafted fabrics, the details that matter, and the high tech fabrics that were constantly being introduced that were/are constantly innovating the marketplace. It was also a time (the 80s) when the shift in the social food chain (read: society) began to change, a time when the Ladies Who Lunch began to be replaced by a new moneyed group of vulgarians who changed the way retail was conducted. Shopping was a sport not an event; it was about consumption but not mapping out the way clothes could be worn and the appropriacy of different looks, for day, for evening, for events.  I witnessed the last gasp of the days when shopping—even at the mid-level—was an event, a treat, and *madame* was served champagne in dressing rooms and the clothes were explained and the ways to wear them were explored. Now we shop from rounder racks in discount departments for the best prices on designer clothes that we buy for the label, not necessarily for the efficacy of utility in our lifestyles.
Being around such glamorous clothing it was hard to not learn about what separates quality clothing from fast fashion, and I bolstered my fashion history knowledge with constant learning about the names of yesteryear and the designers who were the innovators in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, and am always learning more, to learn how modern clothes spring forth from their predecessors. My grandmother Gladys Schuck ran the Cancer Association Thrift Shop in Westport, CT in the 1960s and as a child I helped sort boxes of donated clothing, and she would tell me stories about the designers—Claire McArdell, Anne Klein, Anne Fogarty—and the fabrics (“say Duchesse satin” she said), and I learned a great deal about vintage clothing from her; my mother, after raising her children, was an antique dealer and auction and estate sale maven, so I learned from her all the time. The torch was passed.
I started buying vintage clothing at flea markets & estate sales on my own, and have built an incredible collection, much of it coming up for sale here (along with consignments from my fashion industry and magazine industry cohorts). My mother also wore lots of Bonnie Cashin in the 1960s and 1970s so I was aware of the modern minimalists, and sought them out for her when I found them.
Since I’m shopping constantly, and love fancy estate sales and sample sales, I scour them regularly and with great skill; the result is an online shop that I consider a finely curated collection of vintage clothing, home accessories, & mid century odds and ends from high end homes in the New York City area.
I also take consignments from fashion stylists & fashion editors I know in NYC who have packed closets filled with designer garments they bought, received as gifts from designers, or used on photo shoots and are in perfect condition--all sold here & ready for new fashionistas to enjoy them.
I have proudly sold tons of clothing & props to film & television prop & wardrobe departments including most of the new Netflix shows shooting in NYC, M@dMen, Masters of Sex, The Mysteries of Laura, Boardwalk Empire, The Carrie Diaries. I also sell to designers looking for inspiration clothing to base new designs from, and have many garments not listed that I show privately.
I love finding stuff, and love helping source stuff, and just KNOW that I have tons more stuff than is listed here, so if you are in film or television production just ask for specifics and I will probably have something for you, or be able to understand what you are looking for without wasting your time. I have been in the biz and know how it works. That said, I am happy to serve film production wardrobe departments and set designers and set prop people, so contact me with any queries about specific items you are looking for. I am a good and reliable resource.
Cheers!
Follow me on InstaG: Chipper1963
Chip Cordelli, Brooklyn, NY
Check out my other listings. My shop is constantly evolving, and new items are added weekly.