Suiting Types

I know ive touched on this before , but here is a more rounded view of suit types.

Bespoke Confusion
The word “bespoke” is misused far more often than not. To clear up some of the confusion, herewith the types of suit-making processes explained:

A ready-to-wear (aka RTW) suit is made from a standard pattern in a standard size and customized, if at all, by the buyer's tailor.

A made-to-measure (aka MTM) suit begins with a client’s basic measurements being taken. The material chosen by the customer is cut from a bolt of cloth using a standard pattern and then altered to reflect the customer’s measurements as the garment is made. Usually there are no fittings in the making of a made-to-measure garment. The finished product is delivered to the customer ready to go and not altered unless there is a problem with the fit.

A bespoke suit begins with an entire page of measurements (35 measurements is one number given). A specialist called a “cutter” uses these measurements to draft a pattern on a piece of heavy brown paper (sometimes the tailor is also a cutter). All of the customer's physical idiosyncrasies are reflected in the pattern. The finished pattern is cut out of the brown paper and then the shell material is cut from that. The material then goes to the tailor for assembly.
After the initial visit when measurements are taken and fabrics and options are chosen the customer returns for a minimum of three fittings as the suit evolves. At the first fitting the coat is only a shell held together with large basting stitches. By the second fitting the coat will likely have some padding in it. The lining will not appear in the coat until the third fitting. At each stage the tailor makes small adjustments, marking up the material with tailor's chalk and calling out notes to a colleague. These changes are noted on the customer’s pattern and often a new pattern is cut based on what the cutter and tailor learn during the fittings.
The suit is not delivered to (I should say "released to") the customer until the tailor is satisfied with it. Russell Smith, in his book Men’s Style; The Thinking Man’s Guide to Dress, says that “a good bespoke suit is as comfortable as pajamas.” This is because it fits you as perfectly as a garment can.

Loosely speaking, a made-to-measure suit fits twice as well as a properly altered ready-to-wear suit and is usually of better materials. There is no comparing either to a well done bespoke suit. A second-hand bespoke suit that has been properly altered for the new owner is the equivalent of a made-to-measure suit but of much higher quality materials.

It is important to note that there are excellent suits made of each of these types. So long as you are getting the suit that you are paying for you can be satisfied.

The rolling of the sleeves.

Spring 35'

I came across this interesting read which pictured a gentleman's attire in the 1935 spring season , on a daily basis this would be a mans full accessories chart of semi-formal day wear

1. yellow shirt with white starched collar. 

2. Tan mocha gloves. 
3. DB 6X2 black jacket. 
4. Shepherd checked trousers. 
5. grey hose with yellow clocks. 
6. black antelope cigarette case and silver license holder with automobile key. 
7. lavender pleated shirt with white starched collar. 
8. snake-wood cane with gold band. 
9. Malacca walking stick. 
10. a pair of black shoes with grey cloth button tops. 
11. blue clocked hose. 
12. blue pleated shirt with white starched collar. 
13. lavender hose with clocks. 
14. shepherd check bow tie. 
15. midnight blue homburg hat. 
16. black antelope bill fold and a white pearl stickpin. 
17. blue address book. 
18. blue enameled pencil and a black cigarette holder. 
19. SB grey waistcoat. 
20. yellow buckskin gloves. 

Style Sages: Alan Flusser

American Heritage

For those that dont know by now  -American heritage brands are being discovered by a new generation -Pendleton flannel shirts, Woolrich buffalo plaids, Filson field bags  etc etc. Read the full story here.

(rī)1 Whiskey Premium Rye Whiskey

Whiskey has been in heavy rotation lately. Today, Notcot introduced the newest premium grade whiskey to hit the shelves from Beam. “Bottled at 92 proof, (rī)1 features a light, slightly spicy flavor and a long, luxurious finish. Straight, the nose offers a gentle, peppery nod to its rye heritage. Cut with water, the scents of dried fruit and cinnamon push to the front, providing a rich palate experience.”

Bugatti Veyron “Chrome”

As if the Bugatti Veyron is not impressive enough, they introduced the ''chrome'' makeup of this supercar. You can be sure that everybody will turn around when this car passes by -and not to check out their reflection.

National Geographic Store

Retail Week: National Geographic opens on Regent Street, London from Retail Week on Vimeo.“Retail Week editor John Ryan visits the opening of the National Geographic store on London’s Regent Street and speaks to Worldwide Retail Store chief executive Pere Matamales about the unique concept.”

The Slipper

Slippers-which of course are bedroom footwear that may be worn in other parts of the house. There are different kinds for instance- Slip-on casuals, which were once considered house shoes by men who lived in castles.

Extending across several types is the Albert slipper, named after Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Queen Victoria's consort. A velvet slipper with a leather sole and quilted silk lining, it is worn about the house, particularly with black tie, as well as anywhere that smoking jackets are appropriate. Alberts are offered by all the major English shoemakers as well as a couple companies that specialize in them exclusively.

Lesser slippers tend to be of moccasin construction, where a single piece of the slipper's material simply extends under the foot. The pictured version is one half a dozen versions that were originally designed by Henri Bendell in the 1940's and are sold to this day as Belgian Shoes and, according to Alan Flusser in one of his older books, the leopard version is the one to get. 

Indoors ,that's the best way to treat soleless slippers. They'll give many years of service if they're worn on carpeting but a dozen blocks on city sidewalks will be the death of them.

Fall Socks : Argyle

One of fall's best socks are the argyle, the diamond pattern that was first seen when an anonymous Scotsman cut his tartan blanket on the bias to use as a foot covering. Argyles became popular with knicker-wearing golfers in the twentieth century and were brought to the U.S. by Brooks Brothers.

Today's argyles are a casual sock, not quite formal enough to wear with conservative suits but a perfectly appropriate bit of color year-round with odd jackets and sports clothing. My personal favorites are knit in both fine cotton and merino wool by Milan's (on order)Marcoliani . A man should choose the mid calf length for walking the golf course or other athletic activities where he won't be sitting down and inadvertantly displaying a bit of bare leg. Stick with the over the calf version the rest of the time.

Choose the usual seasonal colors for autumn. The cinnamon pair shown adds interest to khaki, corduroy and moleskin trousers. 

S-ASW

Bamford Watch Co x Rolex

Online product customizers have eaten endless hours of productivity from business since they came to prominence with the help of Nike ID and its endless array of silhouettes and products. Now Bamford & Sons through the Bamford Watch Company changes the playing field for the Rolex - a market once only accesible by those with relations and funds to work with the short list of specialty shops working on GMT, Daytonas, and Submariners.

The Bamford Watch Company Online Rolex Customizer allows for the individual to modify the Rolex Submariner (Daytona, GMT, and others by request) by color options (face, wheel, date, and more) and bracelet (black PVD - essential). But like the small specialty custom houses, the price is not cheap. Expect to drop as much as 12000$US for the full treatment. (aquire)

Paisley & Tweeds

The breast pocket on the left hand side of a mans jacket should always be filled with a pocket square. And when the textured, colorful look of tweed jacketing calls for a more sophisticated visual than can be provided by simple white linen, it's time for silk, particularly paisley silk like the one from Drake's Londonin the photo. 

The kidney-shaped paisley is one of the world's familiar patterns. It originated in Persia, but its western name is taken from the Scottish town of Paisley which became the best-known producer of the design in the early 19th century. That may be because the inhabitants of Paisley did the best job of complementing tweed-the standard outerwear of the area. They definitely are credited with printing five color patterns at a time when the competition made do with two.

Personally, I think that multi-colored paisley makes the best silk squares. The complex designs let a man look refined and easy going about his dress at the same time, with squares that have grounds that relate to nothing else that he's wearing and multi-colored patterns that may complement shirt, necktie, jacket or all three. 

The untucked neckscarf

HRH Prince Charles demonstrates how to utilize an untucked scarf to fill a jacket opening when there's no necktie. A length of cashmere keeps the chest warm and the centers the viewers eye on the wearers face.

Most readers will want to use this technique with an odd jacket rather than a Chitrali Cloak from the Pakistani tribal areas. Said cloak costs but £30 ($45), which is unusually good value for twelve yards of hand loomed lambs wool, however the low cost is no doubt related to the 340 mile trip from Islamabad thats required to reach the town where they are made. Fortunately the royal publicity means we can probably expect to find the garments in the J. Peterman catalog next season.

Still, for now tweed jackets are considerably simpler to obtain. Cashmere scarves may be found at the same sources.

Thomas Pink : White Shirt Bar

“Thomas Pink’s new initiative, the white shirt bar… opened this week in Manhattan. (Those expecting a dress-code-restricted boozery, sorry to disappoint.) With 20 perennial styles to choose from (black-tie to casual oxfords) as well as six seasonal additions, the bar features a shirt menu and dedicated staff to figure out which shirt belongs on which customer.” Those men seeking the proper cut in a white shirt may find refuge in with Thomas Pink. Good to know for a nice quality and good fit basic.

The worlds largest mall :Dubai

As reported in this morning's DNR, the first phase of the world's largest mall opened this week in,where else?—Dubai. Despite the global financial crisis, Emaar Malls Group, which developed the 5.6-million-square-foot shopping center, expects it to receive 30 million visitors in its first year. Here, a brief list of what's on offer to attract them:

- 1,200 stores, including Versace, Burberry, Roberto Cavalli, Galliano, Hermès, Givenchy, Cerruti, Missoni, Tom Ford, and Ermenegildo Zegna
- A 10-million-liter aquarium with 33,000 animals, at least 30 of which are, apparently,very aggressive
- A 76,000-square-foot indoor amusement park called SEGA Republic, subdivided into themes including the Speed Zone, Sports Zone, and Redemption Zone
- An Olympic-size skating rink, open year round
- 14,000 indoor parking spaces

Tattersall for the Hunt

A tattersall is a regularly spaced plaid, usually a 1/2" rectangle that's a little taller than it is wide, combining two dark colored lines on a light ground. The pattern was named after Tattersall's, a London horse market founded in 1766 where blankets with the design were in common use.

Two hundred and fifty years later, the tattersall waistcoat remains a standard part of a man's formal and informal hunt garb, when foxes are the prey of the day. So tattersall worn under a tweed hacking jacket can come in handy for men who are or who wish to appear as if they are on speaking terms with a horse - even if the horse in question is one of the police mounts that are ridden around New York's Central Park. For the horse ranks higher than the dog in the hierarchy of costly pets, and where there are horses, there are females who dote on them.

That makes a tattersall waistcoat useful for more than one kind of hunting.

Sperry Top Sider Chukka

New for fall....

great casual shoe for fall...

WS Foster : On tour

Shoemaker WS Foster is on tour in the United States last week and this one. The company is showing new made to order models that are worth a look. For one thing, they're only available at the Jermyn Street store or on tour, which means that the well shod Foster customer isn't likely to see himself coming and going any time soon. For another, this particular series of MTO shoes, made to Northampton's highest standards, is $757 a pair (£447) ex VAT and compares favorably to shoes retailing for $1,100.

Sarah Adlam and Emma Lakin are in New York tomorrow or Thursday and Friday in Washington.

New York: The Barclay, 111 East 48th Street Tel: 212 755 5900
Washington: The University Club, 1135 16th St. (NW) Tel: 202 862 8800

Filson Double Mackinaw Cruiser Coat

Looking for a recession friendly coat ?  -

The Filson Mackinaw Wool Coat is made from 24oz virgin wool that can absorb “up to 30% of its weight in water without becoming damp or clammy.” Who wouldn’t want a coat which keeps guard against elements like wind, rain, and snow? Get it for 335$US from Filson.

Comes in olive, grey,black and the oh so hip buffalo plaid.

GDC: Boots

A cool boot from GDC. Their Union Work Boot comes in black and brown leather, cool aztec like embroideries on the sidepanels, giving them a more cool casual look. Lightweight sole , very durable - would probably look better once you beat them up a little.