Very few individuals are multi-generationally stylish. These are individuals who remain firmly on center stage over time and continue to maintain a stylistic influence across decades and continents.
Entertainer Noel Coward is one of those rare individuals who achieved this in the first half of the 20th century. I recently attended the Noel Coward exhibition in NYC this past summer and have included photos of some of the exhibits below.
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| Noel Coward dressing gown (bought from DeFree’s, New York) |
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| Coward’s dark brown polyester dinner jacket (made by Douglas Hayward) |
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| Shoulder line of Douglas Hayward dinner jacket |
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| Noel Coward (left, in DB suit) and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr |
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| Cole Lesley, Coward’s business manager, in morning dress |
I am shocked that Coward's brown DJ is polyester.
Initially I was surprised as well but am no longer. This is mainly because we are lacking the historical context in which Coward lived. During the time Coward's suit was made and worn, polyester was heralded as the new miracle fiber because it actually possesses some very good properties.
In fact, it would not be difficult to find vintage polyester suits in both RTW and bespoke versions. Polyester is probably not my first, second or even third choice for a suit but for a fellow like Coward I think he found it perfectly appropriate to wear a brown polyester dinner suit on a night out at the Sands in Vegas.