Dutch tunics

[kerryboo]

Having seen the knowledgable resonse to one of my Dutch conversion tunics I thought it might be of interest to post some more. Firstly I have a very strange, battledress length, conversion of a Dutch tunic. I have no idea of the reason for the conversion, but it has German type, hollow-backed, buttons, and the collar appears to be backed with German HBT. The lining is in a tropical-type cotton, totally devoid of markings. The collar is "open" with no sign of extra button-holes, so it must be assumed to be the original configuration?

[kerryboo]

From behind. This is a very trim jcket, but does not bear many of the characteristics of the full-length conversions. There must be a reason for its manufacture, but what?

[kerryboo]

The lining is in tropical coloured cotton.

[kerryboo]

And finally the collar construction. Does anybody know of a matching style of Dutch tunic or the reason for this peculiar conversion? I find it difficult to believe it was tailored to such a high degree for a post-war civilian use.

[phild]

this is a tough call. The cut looks civilian too me, but it is hard to say for sure. You will really have to see if there was ever any insignia applied and of course even if civilian converted it may show signs of previous insignia. The size looks very small like for a child or woman? Short jackets were very popular for both wartime period and the civilians for 20 years after the war. The bottons are a plus in favor of military use IF they were put on at the time of the conversion rather than after.....It is just really hard to say.

[Gaspare]

the tailoring, style, those lapels,,my opinion,,civilian,,postwar.....

[NickG]

Heavily modified post war conversion (civilian tailored with female shaped shoulders) which started life as a Dutch war time tunic, later used by the Wehrmacht with HBT reenforced collar (remnants still visible). There were many shortages in devistated post war Germany, so everything got recycled. It most likely had civilian buttons and German pebbled buttons were added (again) to give it the resemblance of a military garment (which it once was).

[Johnny R]

Jacket

This is a text book post War civilian piece. Waist coats were popular for females post-war into the 1950s. I do not think it is military.

[frank savage]

Sure! I agree with jhodgson.
The 'mirrored' front closure is a classical feature for female dress...
Female post war modificated tunis, by me!

Frank Savage

[kerryboo]

Thanks a;;, it is much as I suspected. An interesting piece, even though no longer "military", I have one or two more mainstream conversions, although, like most, still contentious! I will post shortly.

[Paul McKee]

I agree with the post-war civilian attribution...although every male garment I've seen "(uniform or otherwise) buttons in the same direction as this one.

Paul

[NickG]

I agree with the post-war civilian attribution...although every male garment I've seen "(uniform or otherwise) buttons in the same direction as this one.

Paul

True Paul, male closure for sure, as it started life as a "male" (military) garment, so still buttons that way... but other than that clearly a feminine cut! It was probably to complex to convert the buttons and button hole slits to female pattern...(reverse opening)
All that really mattered was salvaging and recycling garments in post war devistated Germany where everything was in short supply! Fashion and correctness was secondary!

[kerryboo]

Here is another conversion. This one has Russian, or other cyrillic, property stamps inside.

[kerryboo]

Side view showing Latvian(?) shield.

[kerryboo]

Breast eagle, collar tab and shoulder board. The tabs are handsewn with non-glowing light grey thread, the eagle also carefully hand-sewn with dark green, not through the lining.