BlackTieFoo: Shirt Studs and Other Fooish Contemplations

I endorse the bib front - looks better than a pleated one imo.

My tux has side vents. Not the traditional way I know, but much more practical.



Eustace Tilley said:

I endorse the bib front - looks better than a pleated one imo.

My tux has side vents. Not the traditional way I know, but much more practical.

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Also, I bet pleats are pain ********** to iron right. Is your jacket double- or single-breasted? I would have gotten vents had I gone with regular peak lapels, but felt like the smoking jacket origin of the shawl lapels demanded a ventless iteration.



mafoofan said:

As far as I can tell, C&J makes two patent leather oxfords: a captoe and a plaintoe. If I'm going to get patent shoes, I'm going to do it 100% right and get the plaintoes. But, to my eye, the C&J patent plaintoes are no more sleek or elegant than Alden's version on the Plaza last. I think I'd have to move significantly higher up the shoe food chain to get patent oxfords that look noticeably more refined.

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Good point. This was my train of thought. There really isn't anything worse than the C&J/Alden varieties and the next step up is a good amount more expensive. For me the C&J plain toe was the least offensive, but you can chose what works for you.

mafoofan said:

Is your jacket double- or single-breasted? I would have gotten vents had I gone with regular peak lapels, but felt like the smoking jacket origin of the shawl lapels demanded a ventless iteration.

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Just like yours - 4x2 shawl. The tailor didn't seem enthused, but made it with vents nonetheless. I'm happy I chose vents.

Are plain black wholecuts acceptable? I just think patent leather looks cheap, and pumps dont look masculine

Just out of interest, why are ventless jackets so vilified on SF, but a dinner jacket with vents seen as 'inelegant'?

Is it partly to do with dinner jackets being essentially timeless across decades, whereas ventless lounge suit and sports jackets put you right in the 1995 - 2005 decade?

I know the whole evening wear debate has been done to death but I do prefer a maricella shirt over pleats (or dreaded ruffles) - why the single cuffs? Is that not at odds with your louchey smoking jackety target?



Eustace Tilley said:

Just like yours - 4x2 shawl. The tailor didn't seem enthused, but made it with vents nonetheless. I'm happy I chose vents.

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Mine's 4x1, not that it makes a difference to the vent issue. My tailor firmly refused to do vents. They weren't too happy about the shawl lapels, either.

Slickman said:

Are plain black wholecuts acceptable? I just think patent leather looks cheap, and pumps dont look masculine

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I've heard wholecuts are not acceptable, but don't really understand why. Perhaps the lack of a stitched vamp makes them look to casual.



Thin White Duke said:

Just out of interest, why are ventless jackets so vilified on SF, but a dinner jacket with vents seen as 'inelegant'?
Is it partly to do with dinner jackets being essentially timeless across decades, whereas ventless lounge suit and sports jackets put you right in the 1995 - 2005 decade?
I know the whole evening wear debate has been done to death but I do prefer a maricella shirt over pleats (or dreaded ruffles) - why the single cuffs? Is that not at odds with your louchey smoking jackety target?

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It's a rules issue. The point you make about the fashionability of ventless lounge suits and odd jackets reflects the more fundamental fact that vents are strictly function-oriented features and therefore less suited to more formal contexts; such garments are are more likely to be unfashionable at any given time because they are anomolous in the grander scheme of things.

.



mafoofan said:

Why's that? Have I been known to prefer slickly-styled things? Hard to make sense of your attempted snipe.

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i didn't know you read my comments. i used the usual habit to write what ever i feel from my heart in a foo thread. so...

...no snipe, noob. i've been talking about your build.

you have your own way, which i heartly welcome. it's better than some streamlined opportunist.

though, you play your cards on a level you haven't reached, yet. might be subjective from my part, anyway.

i don't feel anything bad about your person, i just chuckle about your approach to things in life. no shortcuts available, at this point.



Slickman said:

I just think patent leather looks cheap, and pumps dont look masculine

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The problem that you fear is alleviated if you speak in a deep, man-like voice.

Wait, should the bib end above the waistband or dip down below it?



mafoofan said:

Wait, should the bib end above the waistband or dip down below it?

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The bosom on a bib should terminate above the waist of your pants. The small space in between and the bottom of the bosom is always covered by a closed DB jacket, or in a SB, by the vest or cummerbund. You'll have a tab on the shirt that should attach to the appropriate button on the pants to minimize the chance that the shirt will pull out.

Just wear your pants at the fitting, and I'm sure the guys at Geneva will get it all right.

Ugh. Anything but a cummerbund.

"Originally Posted by F. Corbera

Please do not get a four stud piqué front shirt. I'm surprised that you are getting marcella anyway. The point of marcella is to hold a lot of starch, and it seems a bit orthogonal to the soft, louche, smoking jacket-y, feel of your Ruby DB shawl...particularly since you argued Mr. Rubinacci into giving you a manica camicia on that dinner jacket . . ."


I agree compleatly - especially since, strictly speaking, traditonally, it is incorrect to wear a starched marcella shirt without the accompanying starched white waistcoat - the original set up, when the DJ was invented ( a very elegant set up, and the closest thing to White tie and Tails a man can wear!)

Yours being a DB, a waistcoat is of course out of the question so go pleated!