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

[Churchill W]

Will shell cordovan shoes stretch at all or not?
say I buy a pair of penny loafers and it's tight around the mid foot. Heal and toe box feel comfortable but they feel moderately tight with respect to the width across the penny-retaining strap.
Some salespeople say that shell is like iron and will never stretch. Others say if you're patient they will break-in to feel like a pair of slippers.

In my experience they will stretch a little, but not as much as other leathers.

 

[nzahir]

Anyone own any BB Button Down Collar Shirts?

Just got one today in a Regent fit and the collar is very odd, not sure how to describe it, but the collar doesn't go out as much as I thought, it seems to end up more in the center of my body than the sides

Not sure if I did a good job of explaining or I need to post a photo later

 

[BPL Esq]

Anyone own any BB Button Down Collar Shirts?

Just got one today in a Regent fit and the collar is very odd, not sure how to describe it, but the collar doesn't go out as much as I thought, it seems to end up more in the center of my body than the sides

Not sure if I did a good job of explaining or I need to post a photo later

I have a bunch of them in that same fit but am not sure what you mean. Do you mean the collar doesn't flare out away from your neck much as you'd like? With a button down collar, I think the idea is to get a nice roll in the collar but not for the collar to flare substantially away from your neck.

 

[Encathol Epistemia]

I recently watched Casque D'or, which is a French film that was made in 1952 and is set in La Belle Époque, thus some time between 1880 and 1914. In it, several of the men wear some kind of wide cloth waist covering. Does anybody know what it is and if it had a particular function?

Below are a few pictures of Serge Reggiani as Georges Manda, the film's protagonist, that show the waist covering that intrigued me:

(The waist covering obscures this, but I found it striking just how high the waist on his trousers was, as suggested by the visibility of the loops on the suspenders in this image)

(This is the closest, clearest image showing the waist covering that I could find readily. Unrelated: It stands out to me that the man on the right has buttoned on the third button of his three-button jacket)

(I might only have included this picture because I love the hat that the man on the left is wearing, not that there's anything wrong with the bowler that the man on the right is wearing. It also illustrates that four-button jackets are quite common among the male cast in the film.)

The analogue that came to my mind was, unimaginatively, a cummerbund, but all of the characters who wear it are working class and in informal settings. (There are a few scenes of men in black tie, replete with silk plush top hats, but I didn't notice what they wore around their waists) I don't know how accurate the clothes in this film were; I would like to assume that they portrayed the era correctly, especially given some of distinctive details, but I am ignorant of the sartorial history of the milieu.

 

[LookOutSpices]

Dark brown suede oxfords: okay to wear with a navy suit? I'm an attorney, for oxfords I also have burgundy and black calf, would use with a navy suit potentially (for court, client meetings, depos, etc.), along with dress trousers and sport coats for more regular work wear once we return to the office.

Thinking of this Carmina model:

OXFORD SHOES 80386 RAIN

BROWN SUEDE OXFORD SHOES...

www.carminashoemaker.com

 

[BPL Esq]

Dark brown suede oxfords: okay to wear with a navy suit? I'm an attorney, for oxfords I also have burgundy and black calf, would use with a navy suit potentially (for court, client meetings, depos, etc.), along with dress trousers and sport coats for more regular work wear once we return to the office.

Thinking of this Carmina model:

OXFORD SHOES 80386 RAIN

BROWN SUEDE OXFORD SHOES...

www.carminashoemaker.com

Fellow attorney here. I think of suede as inherently much more casual than calf. Although probably OK for client meetings and most depositions (which tend to be relatively more laid-back in my experience), I would hesitate to ever wear suede in court for the same reason I wouldn't wear tweed or a knit tie.

 

[dirtbag-delux]

I have a cheep dark blue ebay jacket. An old wool Stafford. Three buttons, no vents: as Italian as you can get at JC Penny's. I like it -- it fits great. Probably a suit orphan. I bought some light horn buttons to replace the existing blue/black ones and I will wear it as a sport coat.

I have changed buttons before by sewing through the sleeve lining.... Any advice on how to do it right?

 

[BPL Esq]

I have a cheep dark blue ebay jacket. An old wool Stafford. Three buttons, no vents: as Italian as you can get at JC Penny's. I like it -- it fits great. Probably a suit orphan. I bought some light horn buttons to replace the existing blue/black ones and I will wear it as a sport coat.

I have changed buttons before by sewing through the sleeve lining.... Any advice on how to do it right?

Unfortunately, I don't have advice on this, but I have a related question for the group.

I just picked up a medium blue sportcoat on ebay. It's a subtle plaid with flap pockets. I got a good deal on it, despite it being nearly new, because a couple of the dark MOP buttons are broken and must be replaced. I think this calls for simply replacing all the buttons, but correct me if you think that's misguided. Any recommendations as far as color, material, and where to get them would be much appreciated. Happy to provide a picture of the jacket if that will help.

Edit: adding picture to make it easier.

 

[BespokeBrooklyn]

You can waterproof suede with inexpensive sprays that work very well against “plain” water. But slushy melted snow, or any water that has oil, ice melter, or some other type of chemical in it will badly ruin suede.

Oh, here's another:

I saw a Seinfeld the other day where Jerry's new suede jacket was destroyed by snow. I've never owned suede anything before, but was hoping to get some suede shoes - is it true that even a modest amount of moisture will make them spotty? If not, where does the idea come from that it will?

 

[BespokeBrooklyn]

I am an attorney and often wear my dark brown suede oxfords with navy suits. I find that they also look good with tan suits in the summertime.

Dark brown suede oxfords: okay to wear with a navy suit? I'm an attorney, for oxfords I also have burgundy and black calf, would use with a navy suit potentially (for court, client meetings, depos, etc.), along with dress trousers and sport coats for more regular work wear once we return to the office.

Thinking of this Carmina model:

OXFORD SHOES 80386 RAIN

BROWN SUEDE OXFORD SHOES...

www.carminashoemaker.com

 

[breakaway01]

Unfortunately, I don't have advice on this, but I have a related question for the group.

I just picked up a medium blue sportcoat on ebay. It's a subtle plaid with flap pockets. I got a good deal on it, despite it being nearly new, because a couple of the dark MOP buttons are broken and must be replaced. I think this calls for simply replacing all the buttons, but correct me if you think that's misguided. Any recommendations as far as color, material, and where to get them would be much appreciated. Happy to provide a picture of the jacket if that will help.

Edit: adding picture to make it easier.

I have purchased smoked MOP buttons from YW Button https://www.ywbutton.com/
They are legit and prices are fair.

For that jacket I would go with smoked MOP if you want to stay with the original look or else brown horn.

Thin MOP buttons are easily cracked by the heavy steam presses at dry cleaners. Talk to them about pressing by hand (if they know how to do this).

 

[BPL Esq]

I have purchased smoked MOP buttons from YW Button https://www.ywbutton.com/
They are legit and prices are fair.

For that jacket I would go with smoked MOP if you want to stay with the original look or else brown horn.

Thin MOP buttons are easily cracked by the heavy steam presses at dry cleaners. Talk to them about pressing by hand (if they know how to do this).

Thanks very much, and will do. That makes sense. I was curious what the hell someone did to break several of the buttons so quickly.

YW has the following that look interesting:

Brown horn

Smoked MOP

Royal blue pearl (seems closest to originals)

Medium blue pearl

I'll give it some thought when I have the jacket in hand, but opinions are welcome on these.

 

[BespokeBrooklyn]

For years, I’ve had a Brooks Brothers Golden Fleece blazer that I loved and used to wear year-round. It had a 3/2 roll and flap pockets. This past winter, I bought an unlined/padded, patch pocketed navy jacket in a wool-cotton blend, so that I had something lighter weight to wear in the summer, and also to have something less “nice” that I could wear while traveling; since traveling seems to take a higher toll on my clothing than anything else. Shortly thereafter, moths damaged my Brooks Brothers jacket — there is a hole on the right quarter, just above the hem, and a smaller, barely noticeable hole on the left sleeve, on the opposite side from the buttons.

Even if my good jacket is salvageable, I probably can’t think of it as my “good” blazer anymore. Do you think that a patch pocketed, unlined/unpadded navy blazer would pass muster in dressier contexts; or would it obviously look out of place in the winter or with dressier sport coat level clothing like gray slacks and a black knit tie? And, because things continue to trend towards the casual end of the spectrum, if I do decide to replace my all-season blazer, should I look for another traditional, flap pocketed blazer, or should I just look for a patch pocketed piece in wool? Would it be less redundant to buy a slightly different style navy jacket, like one with a pattern or in a lighter shade of blue?

 

[hpreston]

First things first, I would invest in decent repair to your BB blazer, then the rest of your concerns are moot.

If you choose not to do that, then....

1. "Do you think that a patch pocketed, unlined/unpadded navy blazer would pass muster in dressier contexts?"
   1. Without seeing it, I think it might look out of place in dressier settings (not quite right right with grey trousers, YMMV)
   2. As you stated, things are leaning more casual, so it could likely work in most but not all settings.
2. If you choose to replace, I recommend solid navy with patch pockets in a nicer wool with some texture (hopsack, mockleno etc), again, as you sated, things lean more casual. A navy wool sport coat will serve you well.

 

[BespokeBrooklyn]

Could some of you weigh in on the fit of these sport coats? They fit well in the shoulders and are an appropriate length, but I worry that there is too much room between my shirt collar and the jacket collar. It lays well in the back of the neck, but there is more room on the sides than on the other jackets I own — almost as if my neck isn’t large enough for the hole. What do you guys think?

I apologize for the photos. I do not have selfie-friendly mirrors!