Cricketer Suit

[thegovteach]

I have recently worked like mad and lost over 50 lbs. I have found a suit I bought in the 1980s at a men's shop in the back of my closet. ( The shop has been out of business for 10 years.)

It is a Cricketeer brand. Two button, single vent, navy pinstripe. I bought it when I was teaching economics.......other than needing a good cleaning and press, I see nothing wrong with it.

Can anyone tell me about this brand? And is there anything I need to watch for in a suit I have not worn in 20+ years?

 

[Andy]

A very popular suit, sport jacket and trouser brand that hit their peak in the 1970's>

Some info from another AskAndy thread:

https://askandyaboutclothes.com/community/showthread.php?45675-CRICKETEER-Suit-Quality

And one of their advertisements:

https://blog.modernmechanix.com/cricketeer/

 

[phyrpowr]

One of the standards for small town and college town men's shops. I'd just give it a close check for moth holes, loose or decaying threads, and if none, wear it.

 

[Youthful Repp-robate]

I wear a fair bit of Cricketeer stuff, all thrifted. My bulletproof beater blazer this summer is one of theirs. It's funny -- not considered all that nice back in the day, but much nicer than today's cheap OTR. I like the styling, too.

 

[Fading Fast]

When I first started working in the mid-1980s and had saved enough, I went to buy my first suit (as I think my navy blazer and rotating light / medium / dark grey dress pants had taken me as far as they could) and walked into what, only in retrospect, I realize now was a college-type of clothing store from the 1950s that was going out of business that week. I saw an add in a local paper for a buy one suit get one free and - after having done some homework on suits - knew that Cricketeer was a respectable brand and that the price had not been marked-up to be marked-down but was a legitimate sale. (I.e., not like the nonsense that goes on today at a few men's stores we all know.)

I bought a navy and a charcoal Cricketeer suit (the navy was a three piece) and while I'm sure I probably had the wrong size (I only learned later as I educated myself that I was a 40L not a 40) and modest shirts, ties and shoes that only matched in the sense that I took no chances (white or traditional blue OCBD shirts, black shoes and subdued rep or foulard ties), I loved those suits as they were my first experience dressing as a professional business person. My very distant memory is that as I learned more about suit quality, etc., Cricketeer was considered a respectable mid-level suit (no Brooks Brothers or Press), but not embarrassing at all.

What I regret is not that I ultimately donated the suits (as I wore them to death), but that I didn't even know I was in a store representing a tradition that was dying. My vaporous memory is that the store had old wood fixtures that looked like a scene out of Brideshead Revisited, old-men salespeople who were tired (and maybe upset that they were losing their jobs) and lots of neat looking clothes (shelves and shelves of sweaters, table after table of ties, and shirts in wood and glass cases behind counters). But I had a budget that allowed for one suit (two because of the sale) so that was my only purchase and, since it was closing, I never went back, but I bet there were some insane finds to be had...if I only had known (and had money).

Enjoy your Cricketeer suit - I enjoyed mine immensely.

 

[JB Owens]

I think I bought 10 or so Cricketeer suits between 1976 and 1982. It was when we wore a suit and tie into work every day, five days a week. I had a modest budget and had to choose between premium quality and variety. I chose variety.
My favorite was a brown polyester blend suit with yellow lining (believe it or not). I was young and still had a defined waist, and the Cricketer suits were shaped to fit. I always bought a 40 L, even though today, at 6'0" I don't wear long sizes.
I remember that suit like it was yesterday, except I don't recall what became of it. Made me feel confident and attractive, without being showy. What a wonderful time when men knew about grooming and dressing up.
I wish I had kept one, for sentimental reasons.
Cheers
JB