whnay.'s good taste thread - Page 536

Hate the white line; like the eye-catching/snagging/cutting:

You don't have to pad the neck, just more judiciously pad the shoulder.

If you mean to say that this kind of fold often looks better than a TV fold, then I'm with you on that one. (Although I prefer the fold a bit less expansive than in this picture.)

Brown Linen Suit-

1. Does it fall under the (small group of people on this thread) parameters of good taste?

If so what to pair with it?

a. Shirt
b. Tie
c. Square
d. Shoe


2. Should the buttons be changed to lighter color?

Here are some Richard Anderson coats

JP, I would pair that suit with casual summer ties, i.e. knits, linen, popelin, shantung... brown + patch pockets + linen = very casual (is it also unstructured?)

As for the shirts, light popelin, cotton linen... in light blue. The suit is so casual I wouldn't hesitate to wear it with cotton linen button downs.

PS and shoe recommendations I do not dare with.

 

Whether it is in good taste or not will depend on what you pair it with; I don't see anything wrong with it per se (I would like wider lapels though), but others may disagree.

 

Changing the buttons depends on what you like, but I like it better with the darker buttons...

Poorsod -- Thanks for the pictures. I think the first picture you posted is distorting it a bit though because the guy is seated, and as you can, it's not hugging his collar, and the lapels are also, sort of bowing outwards.

Here are two:

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show) /IMG]

I can see that my angle is a little sharper (or as sharp) and I can only speculate why that might be so. It might have been necessary because of my rounded/semi-hunched back, or it might not. I also wore a shirt with a very short collar to the fitting, and that might have affected the outcome. I have fairly prominent muscles just about the base of my neck (trapezius area). Many variables. But I don't know why -- never noticed it until Foo pointed it out. I'll try to remember to ask when I swing by.

Another Huntsman. A DB this time. Look at his left shoulder (your right).



Angus Cundey --
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Here's Simon's Poole, without that angled collar. You can see that the slope starts from higher, so there's no angle. Unlike on mine, as well as Richard Anderson and Pat Murphy's stuff where it's angled, as opposed to a slope like on Simon's.

I'll try get some pictures of my Poole coats to see if it's the same.

Is this better than the angled collar? I don't know. Looks a little too slopey for me. Like one could slide down those ramps. I think I'd appreciate it if it's slightly more built up on Simon's coat.


Edited by bboysdontcryy - 3/16/13 at 3:12pm

JP - no idea about good taste, but i like the suit, and think it would be great with casual shirts, light summer colors, and no tie. or casual cotton ties if you must.

This can be good or bad. You choose which.

Frankly, I don't think I see it as being as much of a problem as Foo does. The fact I never noticed it is telling, but I like to know why certain things are done, so I'll just strike a conversation with my tailor. On a more substantive note, I had my subsequent coats lengthened a fraction, plus made with slightly wider lapels, however.

The latter point was difficult. The cutter seemed to think that wide lapels would swallow my frame up, and he preferred more balance.

Good comparison of Foo's Neapolitan tailoring vs English tailoring below (I never specified anything on my blazer except to insist for a shorter length, swappable buttons, and smth professional). In retrospect, I think I cld have gone a little longer.
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Edited by bboysdontcryy - 3/17/13 at 12:17am

The shoulders on this are an abomination. The hand washing instructions in the background are spot on, however.

With respect to the first pic, is it just me or is there a strange bump on the right shoulder? Also, why is the right sleeve so wide?

Am aware that straight extended shoulders aren't exactly beloved by the forum since Manton wrote about the forum's preference for shoulders sans padding here. Though, like I said, I have nearly straight shoulders, so not much I can do about that.

I think that the shoulders in that first pic at the other thread looks good, however. Worked with that heavy cloth.

Straight extended shoulders with padding are more common (if not the norm) here, especially so in a convervative business setting. Here's Edward Fox playing the Duke of Windsor, and another English actor whose name eludes me.





I read that Luca Rubinacci spent a year training/working on the Row -- at Kilgour, I think -- to pick up certain skills, and he was mocked for his shoulder-type. He soon came to embrace the softer shoulder expression.

Simon wrote about it on his blog: 'Luca also told the story of when he first went to work in England, at the age of 18 at Kilgour French & Stanbury. Apparently when he entered the shop wearing his first Rubinacci suit he was bursting with pride, only to be deflated with friendly barbs from all the Kilgour staff, pointing and laughing at the shoulders, the chest, the pockets.'

The strong r/s the Row has with the military, and England's culture and society necessarily informed the expression of suit styles and methods of production. For instance, with the advent of the Industrial Revolution,the English have always been keen to find more efficient methods of doing the same stuff, and handwork is done insofar as it is keeping with tradition and is necessary. I think the Italians adopt a slightly different approach to it. I was also told that in order for the British military to look more orderly and imposing etc so as to score a psychological victory on the battlefront, this led to the creation of a more shaped garment.

Discussion with my SR tailor, and general observation:
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
With regards to the strange bump on Foo's right shoulder, and his sleeve width you pointed out -- beats me.
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Edited by bboysdontcryy - 3/17/13 at 6:07am

Thanks for digging this up. excellent.

Well everyone in here is.

Great info. bboysdontcryy. Thank you. BYW, I am American and I prefer an English shoulder. I think it offers a much cleaner look while the typical soft shoulder looks a bit uninspired. However, soft shoulders seem more casual, FWIW.