Notes from the Basement--Part 2: The Details of Power Dressing
Okay, so Part 2 is going to be split, because it's gotten quite a bit longer than I expected.
Now that you've made it, how do you dress like it? (Or if you're in a creative field, how you can just skip straight to the good stuff.) Here is the first two sections of part two:
2.1 Shirts: Bespoke is a value leader oddly enough.
2.2 Ties: Contrary to popular wishful thinking, still alive.
The following sections covering, Suits, Socks, Shoes, and Accessories will be forthcoming, most likely in subsequent posts, and possibly a consolidated resource list.
First a note on the term bespoke: no one truly agrees on the difference between bespoke, custom and made to measure (the old line Savile Row firms just lost a court bid to protect the term from the upstart riff raff moving into their turf). For the purposes of this discussion, when I refer to bespoke, it will be from one of the old line firms, OR a new firm that holds to the old line quality standards, including creating a custom pattern for you. Made To Measure (MTM) will refer to the clothing cut from a basic pattern to suit your measurements. Off The Rack (OTR), or Ready To Wear (RTW) will refer to the clothing that is already manufactured and is subsequently altered to roughly fit the buyer.
The problem with bespoke is that it is not a guarantee that it will be better for you than MTM, unless you are a hard to fit person--just a higher chance. And for MTM, for some makers it's either extremely expensive ($4500 and up, when you can expect to get bespoke at $3500), or not worth the price premium over their already excellent OTR, as in the case of Oxxford.
2.1 Shirts: Bespoke is a value leader, oddly enough.
The first item that you should upgrade from the Part 1 are your shirts. Dollar for dollar, shirts are the best value when it comes to both the sartorial impact, and the financial investment that accompanies the move from RTW to bespoke. In most cases, custom shirts are less expensive than top end department store/designer shirts, while offering better materials, construction, and fit.
With bespoke shirts, you typically must place a minimum order with the shirtmaker, usually 3 or 4. After your initial fitting, the first shirt is made, and then you review the results and make tweaks before the remaining shirts are constructed. Generally, you should launder the shirt 3 times to account for shrinkage first before suggesting changes. Once you arrive at a satisfactory fit, you will then be able to order shirts at your leisure from nothing more than a fabric swatch book until your body changes significantly.
The most important thing to keep in mind is this is not RTW, you will be building a relationship with the shirtmaker, so if you can't come to a good fit or just dont' get along with the tailor, try a different house. For example, Turnbull & Asser is a storied brand, but their shirts tend to be very blouse-y fit (lots of material around the body), and retail operation only has salespeople on the floor, no tailors.
Since this is custom shirtmaking, you will be presented with a huge array of fabrics to choose from. The tailors will be happy to offer suggestions to guide you through the process, and unlike salespeople of indeterminate background, the tailors know their stuff. Listen to them and work collaboratively, as they will be designing around you and not some random fit model. If they gently mention that a spread collar doesn't suit you, take that advice (that's polite speak for it makes you look fat.) Do your part to help them help you by describing your needs (what type of sartorial environment are you working in? or is this an evening/social shirt order). Once you get a feel for what works on you, then start expanding.
Some basics for your first visit: You don't want to jump into the fine fabrics like super 180s and above for your first shirts. Save those (expensive and wrinkle prone) fabrics and fancy patterns for your second order once you get the fit worked out with your initial order. Instead, stick with the Super 120s 2x2 or Super 140s 2x2, which give you a good durable shirt, while you work out the fit issues. (Thomas Mason Silverline fabrics are good starters, and there's also great options from Acorn). Know generally the situation, and if you want the most formal (and currently fashionable) french cuff, or some variant on a button cuff. For collars, instead of trying to memorize all the different types, just specify if you're primarily going to wear the shirt with or without a tie and work with your tailor as they will be designing it. And finally (if you're younger), specify if you plan on leaving the shirt untucked, otherwise the tails will be too long and you'll look like you're wearing a shirt-dress. The main thing to keep in mind when you're presented with a dizzying arrow of fabrics is that it's not an excuse to create the tackiest combination of patterns known to man. It's all about understatement.
The critical things to look for in a bespoke shirt:
The yoke (the strip of material across the shoulders) is two pieces, cut diagonally (bias)
Pattern matching (pet peeve of mine for "high end" department store shirts)
7ish buttons (mother of pearl) to ensure the shirt stays closed evenly
Removeable (plastic) collar stays
No gussets (although most Jermyn Street makers put this on) at the bottom of the shirt side seams (it hides sloppy sewing)
How is this a value leader?
Well simply put, shirts are at the core of your body and affects the look, fit, and feel of everything else. If you're not comfortable in the collar or cuff, or there is loose fabric pooled around your midsection, you'll transmit that. In addition, the price premium for bespoke shirts is so much less than that of suits or shoes. Consider that the typical department store top end shirts from D&G, Armani, Versace and so and so forth fall into the $300-$450 range, while a typical high quality bespoke shirt will be around $150-350 (barring exotic and exlusive fabrics), and be superior in every aspect from material and construction, and will of course, be patterned to fit you.
Notes:
On buttons: the double thickness buttons are compensation for inept laundry services that crush the shirt during the process. This thickness of button throws off the proportions of the shirt and add no intrinsic value to the shirt--you need to either find a better laundry service, or do it yourself.
On cloth: The higher the number, the finer the cloth, and the more delicate and wrinkle prone it is. There are various types of cloth for different climates/weather. For exampe, zendaline and voile are best for hot weather. The best cloth is from Italy and Switzerland, as it is better finished and consequently more durable.
On fit shirts: Of course you're probably wondering why the shirtmakers don't make a fit shirt in lesser materials to work out all the bugs, as the bespoke makers do for suits. Well the short answer is cost cutting. It used to be standard practice, but now only Alexander Kabbaz, and a few others worldwide continue this practice.
A sample of respected shirtmakers (by no means comprehensive):
New York
Alexander Kabbaz (he's relocated outside the city but still stops in weekly)
Geneva Custom Shirts
Paris Custom Shirts
Carl Goldberg (cego)
Notes on these American makers: Cego is respected, but more of a value oriented bespoke while Kabbaz is off in his own class (and price category). Geneva and Paris form the high end, falling in between Cego and Kabbaz.
Jermyn Street
Harvie and Hudson
Emma Willis
TM Lewin
New and Lingwood
Harvie and Hudson are the best value bar none among the Jermyn Street crowd, while Emma Willis has the edge in marketing, as she has ties to the menswear magazines.
Other
Lanvin
Charvet
WW Chan
Update: I forgot to mention that Jermyn Street and other tailors regularly make tours around major cities in the US , and adding yourself to their mailing list will be the most efficient way to keep track of their itineraries. I will most likely post when Harvie and Hudson come through.
2.2 Ties: Contrary to popular wishful thinking, still alive.
The pinnacle of tie making is a 7 fold silk tie, which literally refers to how many folds it takes to construct the tie. While I'm not going into the details of how ties are constructed except to say that an American 7 fold tie is literally 7 folds of silk, an Italian 7 fold tie is 6 folds and an interlining that resists wrinkling and either is fine. Here's a few details to look for in selecting a great tie.
The trick to ties is recognizing there are two ways to approach them. The first, I'll call the centerpiece approach, where the tie is the primary focus of the outfit. This type of tie is your typical Hermes patternered tie, which you may view at hermes.com. With the density of the pattern, this type of tie is best suited to a simple solid shirt, and a complementary pocket square (more on these later). The second approach is a holistic approach, where the tie is only one of 3 (4 if you're really really good) patterns that are found on the body; this approach is harder to construct, but if done correctly is far more interesting and sophisticated. It also can be far more disastrous.
Generally the idea with the holistic approach is to take 3 patterns of varying size and type and combine them in such as fashion such that they are related by color and complementary by pattern. Here is an example of pattern matching from Alan Flusser's website.
Things to note from this image: stripes work with other stripes as long as they are of significantly differing size. In this this case, the eye is allowed to rest on the tie, while the pocket square breaks from the vertical stripes, and provides the final pattern. Please note that the pocket square only relates to the tie and the shirt, and is not pattern matched: this is important.
For more information and illustrations, see Alan Flusser's book, Dressing the Man. While I disagree with some of his illustrations of incorrect 4 patterns, the book is a great resource.
The important thing to keep in mind for ties and the knots to use is that your tie must have a great dimple, and generally you want to use the classic 4 in hand, except when your collar dictates a wider knot.
Respected Tiemakers
Charvet, Kiton, Bulgari, Brioni, Sam Hober, Zegna, Robert Talbott, Hermes, RVR (Robert Valdes-Rodriguez) & Brooks Brothers. For Robert Talbott, they just brought in a new executive that is making all sorts of noise about expansion, which sometimes translates into "outsourcing to China", so buy now and hope that quality doesn't slide.
And that wraps it up for shirts and ties. The next post will cover suits, shoes and socks--or possibly be just suits depending on how long it gets.
Now that you've made it, how do you dress like it? (Or if you're in a creative field, how you can just skip straight to the good stuff.) Here is the first two sections of part two:
2.1 Shirts: Bespoke is a value leader oddly enough.
2.2 Ties: Contrary to popular wishful thinking, still alive.
The following sections covering, Suits, Socks, Shoes, and Accessories will be forthcoming, most likely in subsequent posts, and possibly a consolidated resource list.
First a note on the term bespoke: no one truly agrees on the difference between bespoke, custom and made to measure (the old line Savile Row firms just lost a court bid to protect the term from the upstart riff raff moving into their turf). For the purposes of this discussion, when I refer to bespoke, it will be from one of the old line firms, OR a new firm that holds to the old line quality standards, including creating a custom pattern for you. Made To Measure (MTM) will refer to the clothing cut from a basic pattern to suit your measurements. Off The Rack (OTR), or Ready To Wear (RTW) will refer to the clothing that is already manufactured and is subsequently altered to roughly fit the buyer.
The problem with bespoke is that it is not a guarantee that it will be better for you than MTM, unless you are a hard to fit person--just a higher chance. And for MTM, for some makers it's either extremely expensive ($4500 and up, when you can expect to get bespoke at $3500), or not worth the price premium over their already excellent OTR, as in the case of Oxxford.
2.1 Shirts: Bespoke is a value leader, oddly enough.
The first item that you should upgrade from the Part 1 are your shirts. Dollar for dollar, shirts are the best value when it comes to both the sartorial impact, and the financial investment that accompanies the move from RTW to bespoke. In most cases, custom shirts are less expensive than top end department store/designer shirts, while offering better materials, construction, and fit.
With bespoke shirts, you typically must place a minimum order with the shirtmaker, usually 3 or 4. After your initial fitting, the first shirt is made, and then you review the results and make tweaks before the remaining shirts are constructed. Generally, you should launder the shirt 3 times to account for shrinkage first before suggesting changes. Once you arrive at a satisfactory fit, you will then be able to order shirts at your leisure from nothing more than a fabric swatch book until your body changes significantly.
The most important thing to keep in mind is this is not RTW, you will be building a relationship with the shirtmaker, so if you can't come to a good fit or just dont' get along with the tailor, try a different house. For example, Turnbull & Asser is a storied brand, but their shirts tend to be very blouse-y fit (lots of material around the body), and retail operation only has salespeople on the floor, no tailors.
Since this is custom shirtmaking, you will be presented with a huge array of fabrics to choose from. The tailors will be happy to offer suggestions to guide you through the process, and unlike salespeople of indeterminate background, the tailors know their stuff. Listen to them and work collaboratively, as they will be designing around you and not some random fit model. If they gently mention that a spread collar doesn't suit you, take that advice (that's polite speak for it makes you look fat.) Do your part to help them help you by describing your needs (what type of sartorial environment are you working in? or is this an evening/social shirt order). Once you get a feel for what works on you, then start expanding.
Some basics for your first visit: You don't want to jump into the fine fabrics like super 180s and above for your first shirts. Save those (expensive and wrinkle prone) fabrics and fancy patterns for your second order once you get the fit worked out with your initial order. Instead, stick with the Super 120s 2x2 or Super 140s 2x2, which give you a good durable shirt, while you work out the fit issues. (Thomas Mason Silverline fabrics are good starters, and there's also great options from Acorn). Know generally the situation, and if you want the most formal (and currently fashionable) french cuff, or some variant on a button cuff. For collars, instead of trying to memorize all the different types, just specify if you're primarily going to wear the shirt with or without a tie and work with your tailor as they will be designing it. And finally (if you're younger), specify if you plan on leaving the shirt untucked, otherwise the tails will be too long and you'll look like you're wearing a shirt-dress. The main thing to keep in mind when you're presented with a dizzying arrow of fabrics is that it's not an excuse to create the tackiest combination of patterns known to man. It's all about understatement.
The critical things to look for in a bespoke shirt:
The yoke (the strip of material across the shoulders) is two pieces, cut diagonally (bias)
Pattern matching (pet peeve of mine for "high end" department store shirts)
7ish buttons (mother of pearl) to ensure the shirt stays closed evenly
Removeable (plastic) collar stays
No gussets (although most Jermyn Street makers put this on) at the bottom of the shirt side seams (it hides sloppy sewing)
How is this a value leader?
Well simply put, shirts are at the core of your body and affects the look, fit, and feel of everything else. If you're not comfortable in the collar or cuff, or there is loose fabric pooled around your midsection, you'll transmit that. In addition, the price premium for bespoke shirts is so much less than that of suits or shoes. Consider that the typical department store top end shirts from D&G, Armani, Versace and so and so forth fall into the $300-$450 range, while a typical high quality bespoke shirt will be around $150-350 (barring exotic and exlusive fabrics), and be superior in every aspect from material and construction, and will of course, be patterned to fit you.
Notes:
On buttons: the double thickness buttons are compensation for inept laundry services that crush the shirt during the process. This thickness of button throws off the proportions of the shirt and add no intrinsic value to the shirt--you need to either find a better laundry service, or do it yourself.
On cloth: The higher the number, the finer the cloth, and the more delicate and wrinkle prone it is. There are various types of cloth for different climates/weather. For exampe, zendaline and voile are best for hot weather. The best cloth is from Italy and Switzerland, as it is better finished and consequently more durable.
On fit shirts: Of course you're probably wondering why the shirtmakers don't make a fit shirt in lesser materials to work out all the bugs, as the bespoke makers do for suits. Well the short answer is cost cutting. It used to be standard practice, but now only Alexander Kabbaz, and a few others worldwide continue this practice.
A sample of respected shirtmakers (by no means comprehensive):
New York
Alexander Kabbaz (he's relocated outside the city but still stops in weekly)
Geneva Custom Shirts
Paris Custom Shirts
Carl Goldberg (cego)
Notes on these American makers: Cego is respected, but more of a value oriented bespoke while Kabbaz is off in his own class (and price category). Geneva and Paris form the high end, falling in between Cego and Kabbaz.
Jermyn Street
Harvie and Hudson
Emma Willis
TM Lewin
New and Lingwood
Harvie and Hudson are the best value bar none among the Jermyn Street crowd, while Emma Willis has the edge in marketing, as she has ties to the menswear magazines.
Other
Lanvin
Charvet
WW Chan
Update: I forgot to mention that Jermyn Street and other tailors regularly make tours around major cities in the US , and adding yourself to their mailing list will be the most efficient way to keep track of their itineraries. I will most likely post when Harvie and Hudson come through.
2.2 Ties: Contrary to popular wishful thinking, still alive.
The pinnacle of tie making is a 7 fold silk tie, which literally refers to how many folds it takes to construct the tie. While I'm not going into the details of how ties are constructed except to say that an American 7 fold tie is literally 7 folds of silk, an Italian 7 fold tie is 6 folds and an interlining that resists wrinkling and either is fine. Here's a few details to look for in selecting a great tie.
- A quick test to see if the tie was cut across (instead of on) the bias: pick it by the small end and see if it corkscrews in the air.
- A slip stitch, or a long thread, runs the entire length of the tie on the underside, which you can find if you go into the body of the tie.
- If it is lined, the (wool) interlining runs the entire length of the tie.
- The loop or keeper is securely stitched to the tie, and often the same material as the tie.
- The design is woven, not printed (although there are exceptions like Hermes (AIR-mez, yes there's a z sound at the end, didn't I just say there are exceptions?) that makes a quality screen printed tie.
The trick to ties is recognizing there are two ways to approach them. The first, I'll call the centerpiece approach, where the tie is the primary focus of the outfit. This type of tie is your typical Hermes patternered tie, which you may view at hermes.com. With the density of the pattern, this type of tie is best suited to a simple solid shirt, and a complementary pocket square (more on these later). The second approach is a holistic approach, where the tie is only one of 3 (4 if you're really really good) patterns that are found on the body; this approach is harder to construct, but if done correctly is far more interesting and sophisticated. It also can be far more disastrous.
Generally the idea with the holistic approach is to take 3 patterns of varying size and type and combine them in such as fashion such that they are related by color and complementary by pattern. Here is an example of pattern matching from Alan Flusser's website.
Things to note from this image: stripes work with other stripes as long as they are of significantly differing size. In this this case, the eye is allowed to rest on the tie, while the pocket square breaks from the vertical stripes, and provides the final pattern. Please note that the pocket square only relates to the tie and the shirt, and is not pattern matched: this is important.
For more information and illustrations, see Alan Flusser's book, Dressing the Man. While I disagree with some of his illustrations of incorrect 4 patterns, the book is a great resource.
The important thing to keep in mind for ties and the knots to use is that your tie must have a great dimple, and generally you want to use the classic 4 in hand, except when your collar dictates a wider knot.
Respected Tiemakers
Charvet, Kiton, Bulgari, Brioni, Sam Hober, Zegna, Robert Talbott, Hermes, RVR (Robert Valdes-Rodriguez) & Brooks Brothers. For Robert Talbott, they just brought in a new executive that is making all sorts of noise about expansion, which sometimes translates into "outsourcing to China", so buy now and hope that quality doesn't slide.
And that wraps it up for shirts and ties. The next post will cover suits, shoes and socks--or possibly be just suits depending on how long it gets.
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You're a god amongst men Rhyd.
While I'm certainly "not there yet" at least I won't make a complete mess of it when I get there  |
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Recent Blog Entries by rhyd
- Notes from the Basement--Part 3: Serious Casual(wear) (07/22/08)
- Section 2.6 Wardrobe Care/Maintenance (07/11/08)
- Notes from the Basement--Part 2.5 Shoes, shoes, and shoes (06/30/08)
- Notes from the Basement--Part 2.4 Socks: a Slippery Slope (06/28/08)
- Notes from the Basement--Part 2.3: Beyond Suitable Suits (06/25/08)
