Ask A Question, Get An Answer... - Post All Quick Questions Here (Classic menswear)



Essential said:

So I have a tie that's about 2.75 inches at its widest point. Should I get a suit with a 2.75 inch lapel thing?

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Seeing as how the suit is the bigger, and much more expensive purchase, I would be setting the reference point the other way around.



Essential said:

So I have a tie that's about 2.75 inches at its widest point. Should I get a suit with a 2.75 inch lapel thing?

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As facet pointed out, that's rather backwards. It's akin to buying dress shoes in order to match a pair of socks.

Anyway, a 2.75" tie doesn't require a suit with 2.75" lapels. Yes, in general narrow lapels go with narrow ties, and wide lapels with wide ties, but the match certainly doesn't have to be precise to the fraction of an inch.
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Michael

Well the suit I'm getting is MTM so I'm trying to figure out the best size lapel. What would be a good lapel size with a 2.75 tie then? I'm thinking 2.5 - 3?

I advise against going with a lapel width less than 3 inches, unless you only plan to wear it for a couple of years. This skinny tie/lapel cycle has about run its course.

Yeah, I'm only planning to use it for about the next four years until I finish college. I really like that slim look; would that mean go with something along the lines of 2.5? I would like a delicate balance between 2.5 and 3 and settle at 2.75 (if this is possible and feasible?).



Essential said:

What would be a good lapel size with a 2.75 tie then?

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Not to steer this conversation off track, but is this your only tie? Are you wedded to the idea of only buying 2.75" width neckties over the next several years?

You don't necessarily need 200 ties (not that there's anything wrong with that), but having a reasonable variety, in a selection of widths, can be a very good thing. What's in fashion does change, and often it changes more rapidly than you'd expect. Plus, even if you don't care much about which tie width is "in" this season, some types of ties just work better in narrower widths, and others in somewhat wider widths. (For example, while I generally prefer tie widths of around 3.5 - 3.75", my silk knit ties average about an inch narrower than that.)
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Michael

I have a skinny tie too but I rather dress semi-conservative. This is why I'm a bit averse to wider ties as well.

And as I said before, I'm just going to college. I don't feel like it's necessary for me to expand my tie collection since I'll be wearing my suit a dozen times at most. After that, I'll be ready for grad school and buy some nicer suits, as well as some nicer ties in varying widths.

I'll probably ask the tailor making my suit because tailor knows best I guess.



Essential said:

I have a skinny tie too but I rather dress semi-conservative. This is why I'm a bit averse to wider ties as well.

And as I said before, I'm just going to college. I don't feel like it's necessary for me to expand my tie collection since I'll be wearing my suit a dozen times at most. After that, I'll be ready for grad school and buy some nicer suits, as well as some nicer ties in varying widths.

I'll probably ask the tailor making my suit because tailor knows best I guess.

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You should still own more than one tie. Go to a thrift store, spend $10, get 5 more ties. If you're judicious, you can get some pretty damn nice ones. I have ties that retail for $150 that I paid $1 for.

And seriously, tie width and lapel width don't have to match exactly. You're way over-thinking this. Get a classic, moderate lapel, and just about any tie will work.



Essential said:

I have a skinny tie too but I rather dress semi-conservative. This is why I'm a bit averse to wider ties as well.

And as I said before, I'm just going to college. I don't feel like it's necessary for me to expand my tie collection since I'll be wearing my suit a dozen times at most. After that, I'll be ready for grad school and buy some nicer suits, as well as some nicer ties in varying widths.

I'll probably ask the tailor making my suit because tailor knows best I guess.

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It depends on your build too - if you're broad shouldered or work out a lot and have a broad chest, skinny lapels look even skinnier, as you'll have acres of "empty" cloth across your chest. If you're lean and skinny yourself, skinny lapels will look like normal ones. So yes, consult your tailor on that one, but definitely don't let the tail wag the dog by building your suit around the one tie you happen to own - worst case scenario you get to buy yourself a new tie as well as a new suit.

Question for those of you who buy bespoke: do you ever commission a jacket and then decide later (weeks? months?) to order matching pants? I know this can't be done for all fabrics, but if it works, do you do this?

^^ Didn't Butler do this recently with his awesome tweed 3 piece, or did I make that up?
A tailor once suggested I commission a jacket to match a pair of odd trousers he'd just made for me. I'm sure you know the argument against - that different batches of the same cloth might not quite match in colour. But I guess IRL with many cloths it would be perfectly fine, or if you can double check with the mill that it's the same batch there's no problem at all (I imagine this may have been the case with Butler).

Who makes the shoes for Gieves & Hawkes Savile Row? I´d expect at least a low-end English maker (Barker, Loake et al.) from the company but I really don´t have a clue. Any estimate as to what these are worth?

question here: what are some guidelines on button stance? it seems like lower button stance = more old fashioned looking while higher button stance seems more modern. i am 30 y/o and would like a more modern cut... how high should i get my button stance for a 2 button jacket?

IMHO, button stance is more connected to body type then to fashion as I see it. As a 182cm and 56kg fellow, I find that a lower button stance (and fever buttons, along with broader lapels), creates broader fields that balances out my skinniness and makes me look somewhat less like a concentration camp-inmate.
If you look at fairly recent cotton blazers by RL (and the copies that are showing up at H&M and the like this season), you´ll see ones that are essentially buttoned at the wearers bellybutton.

So no, I would not say that a low button stance is automatically old fashioned, but it's more about body type.I imagine a low-buttoned jacket buttoned right over a protruding belly and thus drawing attention to it, can looks less flattering.

For more average people I'd imagine either works, tough I personaly shy away from high-buttoned jackets out of both habit and esthetics as well as body type. It tends to look pretty up-tight and less approachable to me, esp. with the rather close fit that I favor.



Gosroth said:

Who makes the shoes for Gieves & Hawkes Savile Row? I´d expect at least a low-end English maker (Barker, Loake et al.) from the company but I really don´t have a clue. Any estimate as to what these are worth?

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Crockett & Jones.