From The Annals Of AngloMania

rnoldh, I think what Will was probably referring to was A&S's default position of not cutting working buttonholes if not specifically asked. I once had a beautiful A&S jacket from the 1950s (moth casualty, rip) and, iirc, it too had working buttonholes. I think the austere and most respected SR tradition has long been to have two working buttons on a jacket (sportcoat or suit); to have them all work has historically been seen as a bit gauche--not that that hasn't regularly been done by all the major makers. A&S was probably staking out the contrarian position with its no working buttonhole policy. Part of the rationale of the no more than two working buttons approach has been that fewer working buttons makes it easier to shorten the sleeve without taking it up at the shoulder. So, as you see, there has been an expectation that these clothes would pass from one generation to the next. I've been doing my best to keep that tradition alive.

An addendum to the rustic tweeds.

Here's another three-button Huntsman. I can easily go an entire year without seeing any second-hand bespoke Huntsman, but this is my second in a month. When it rains and all. Once again, this tweed simply shines, managing to incorporate both glamour and rusticity in a single effortless shrug. The name and date have rather unhelpfully been clipped out (no respect for the curatorial arts!):



This close-up of the breast pocket gives a good sense of the depth of the tweed. Olive and slate blue flecks mingle with the grey herringbone and scarlet windowpane:



The lining, as usual, is a perfect counterpoint. Can't you just see the whole history of England here?



Three buttons on the sleeve:



Switching decades and several generations, this is the oldest jacket I own--a lovely large-pattern tweed from Meyer & Mortimer in 1936. I've even worn this a couple of times and felt no sense of costume. Note how the jacket is fashioned to button low on the bottom button. Nobody seems to do this anymore:



The curved patch breast pocket is beautiful, but so artfully done it almost disappears entirely:



Bellows pocket with button. Another (at this point) recherche touch:



The construction on this jacket is phenomenal. I really doubt anybody working today could match this:





The wonderful old label, wearing its years with dignity:





I found this jacket just last friday, tailored in London by Luciano Campigotto. But don't let the name fool you. This is an exceedingly English confection. The inside label is a bit faded, though I can still make out an address in Lancashire Court off New Bond Street. A google search turns up a current address also in Mayfair in the Burlington Arcade. The cut of the jacket is interesting, something like an oh-so-slightly softened Huntsman--little padding at the shoulders, but with a definitely structured chest piece from which the rest of the jacket cascades. The late Donaldson, Williams & Ward employed a similar cut as a house style. If anybody's looking for a sleeper London tailor Campigotto might be worth checking out:



The choice of cloth here is fantastic. The incorporation of the Prussian/cornflower blue surely rescues the jacket from run-of-the-mill gun check mediocrity:



Hand-sewn circular reinforcement at the pockets:



Very nicely done buttonholes:





This shot of the back gives perhaps the best sense of the pattern and overall effect:



All of the Italian heritage is packed into the label:

Once again, bravo. Absolutely wonderful picture essays.

Originally Posted by whnay.

Click to expand...

Once again, bravo. Absolutely wonderful picture essays.

+1,0000000. Keep 'em coming!

The Meyer and Mortimer is superb. The Huntsman cloth is not my favorite, but a good pickup nonetheless.

Originally Posted by iammatt

Click to expand...

The Meyer and Mortimer is superb.

+1. And holding up amazingly well for a garment made decades ago.

Originally Posted by iammatt

Click to expand...

The Huntsman cloth is not my favorite, but a good pickup nonetheless.

I agree. I was actually hoping (and haven't yet given up hope) that the jacket was part of a suit. So far no pants though. It's okay as a jacket, but pants in that same cloth would make for a really top-rate country suit. And we obviously need more of those roaming the streets.

I have a real soft spot for the M&M. I can see from some of the close-ups that it's due for a gentle cleaning. Funny how pictures can do that; same thing happens with my house sometimes.

The pattern matching and sleeve head finish of L. Campigotto's entry is absolutely magnificent.

that M&M is one of the most outstanding vintage scores i've ever seen, both in terms of age and aesthetically. i think i'd be far too intimidated to wear it--that jacket is probably wiser than i am.

Originally Posted by kcc

Click to expand...

The pattern matching and sleeve head finish of L. Campigotto's entry is absolutely magnificent.

I agree. I can already tell this one is going to get a lot of use from me. If I were in the market for a tailor I'd surely look Campigotto up. Everything about this jacket is completely confident and self-assured. The way the stripes disappear into the darts without disruption is awe-inspiring. The construction and finish are completely on par with anything from Savile Row. The cut is extremely comfortable and flattering. I doubt Campigotto is incredibly cheap, but he's got to be cheaper than the big names.

A couple more tweeds and then I'm going to switch gears a bit. Man can, of course, live by tweed alone, but that would likely preclude other worthy delicacies.

Here's one from Norton & Sons dated February, 1968. This is a really classic mid sixties cut. True three-button with short side vents--the sort of thing many SR tailors kept making at least through the early 1970s, though time eventually catches up:



I love the narrow lapels:



The buttonhole is charmingly modest and true to the scale of the jacket:



The pattern, however, is surprisingly intricate. A wolf in sheeps clothing:




This Henry Poole jacket is one of the ones that started it all, part of the original treasure trove bespoke find back in 1996. It comes from the same Poole's customer whose charitable giving also brought me the one-button birdseye suit I posted earlier. Sadly it was ravaged by moths when I put it away for a couple of years after my oldest was born:



To my eye the cloth is simply stupendous and very nearly perfect--an incredibly refined shetland with (I suspect) a heavy shot of alpaca. The alpaca brings lightness, density and silkiness to the mix. Fit for the laird indeed:



A better shot of the texture:



I love these buttons:

Wow...
I looked for a smilie w/ it's jaw dropping and couldn't find one. It would be appropriate here though.

Shame about the fate of that beautiful Huntsman. But thanks for sharing all these pics. I certainly don't object to more tweeds.

This is one of the best threads I've ever come across on SF. Wow, absolutely breathtaking stuff.

I forgot how great this thread is. It really is a must read for anyone interesting in tailoring and the history and art of men's clothes. Updates?