"Best Of" no expense spared outfit . . .

[jfrater]

Hi guys,

it has been ages since I posted here! Anyway - after a rather long period of casual clothes wearing I have a need for a formal wardrobe again (this time considerably smaller though).

I wish to make a "best of" outfit as my starting point. So can I please get opinions on the following as things stand today. The main thing to note that is money is no object for this outfit but it is must be available for purchase remotely - so that excludes fittings at Liverano, etc.

Who makes the best:

Black Oxfords in Alligator skin (additionally: captoe or no with alligator?)
RTW Suit (is this still the likes of Kiton in this class?)
Ties - these will be the things that most change - with the rest of the outfit getting more constant use
Shirts - is this Inglese or has someone else arrived to displace them?

Country of origin is not important. This is not for business use. I want an outfit fit for a gentleman of leisure who needs to be dressed as formally as possible outside of black or white tie (or morning attire).

I have an excellent tailor who will alter everything as needed.

 

[dieworkwear]

I think you may be going about this the wrong way. The "best" is going to be about whatever looks good on you. There isn't a one suit, one shirt, and one pair of shoes that suits everyone. You have to try different things and find what works best for your taste and body type.

Don't get black alligator oxfords though. That will look tacky.

 

[mintchox]

Agree with above.

Also, by "formal wardrobe" do you mean you are looking at suits generally (both formal and casual) or are you looking for a formal suit specifically? And have you considered having your tailor make the suits instead of just altering them?

 

[IJReilly]

I feel that there are so many trunk show options at this point that getting tailoring as rtw is not the best option if someone has unlimited funds. But really, quality of make is less important than stylistic considerations. For ties, there are many makers with a similar level of quality.

I dont think I hade ever seen alligator oxfords. I think that should really be reserved for a pair of decadent loafers.

 

[standaloneprotein]

I’m curious about this post, but I have to agree with every point made by dieworkwear. Funny thing, my favourite pair of shoes and pants (the ones that fit me the best) are not the ones I spent the most.

Regarding the alligator shoes, Skoaktie has a number of shoes you might like, check the “gatoraides”. Half calf, half exotic.

https://www.skoaktiebolaget.com/collections/oxfords

 

[classicalthunde]

I agree w/ @dieworkwear , whats best to you is a tough call for someone to make. Also, whats 'best' overall is tough to wrangle as well (do we mean best construction, best design, best fit, best materials, best 'status' indicator...I don't think there are too many that can objectively do all of those)

I would take a look at the SF Suit Hierarchy List for a lot (although not definitive) info on suit quality.

In my own opinion, if money were no object I would do the following:

Black Captoe Oxfords - Edward Green or Crockett and Jones

Suits - If bespoke was an option and I wanted to be super formal I'd do something from Savile Row, if it must be RTW and it can be a bit more relaxed I'd consider one of the offerings from The Armoury. But I doubt you can go wrong with Oxxford, Brioni, Isaia, or Kiton for that matter, depending on what exactly you're looking for

Ties: I've heard a lot of Sam Hober recommendations on SF, but have yet to try them myself. I do like the Kent Wang ties as well, but they do not have nearly the same selection as Hober

Shirts: I havent really figured out what the high quality RTW shirts are (personally i wear the mainline Brooks Brothers shirts), but have heard good things about Budds in England and MyTailor

 

[dieworkwear]

I agree w/ @dieworkwear , whats best to you is a tough call for someone to make. Also, whats 'best' overall is tough to wrangle as well (do we mean best construction, best design, best fit, best materials...I don't think there are too many that can objectively do all of those)

IMO, people often focus too much on quality and not enough on aesthetics. Quality should manifest itself in some way in terms of how the garment looks on you. The suit hierarchy list on this board is little more than a price ranking.

I've seen so many guys wear Kiton because they're super rich and money is no object. So they go into their local fancy department store, ask for "the best," and walk out with Kiton. But the suit doesn't fit them well, it's in an ugly fabric, or it doesn't really look good as they've put an outfit together. Guys who know what they're doing in Suitsupply will often look better, and then you wonder what was the point of that person spending all that money.

If you go to a good tailor, then you at least get the benefit of having a garment that technically fits you well. So there won't be a collar gap, puckering, etc. Still, the style may not suit or flatter you, or you may have chosen a bad fabric, or maybe you're wearing the clothes in a bad way. Fit is just one aspect of how a nice outfit comes together.

If money is really no object, and you don't want to go through the nuances of figuring out all the little details, you could just go into a Tom Ford store. They usually have stuff in every major city, or at least you can order it online. Some of their suits fit like armored plates, so it defines your silhouette for you.

 

[classicalthunde]

IMO, people often focus too much on quality and not enough on aesthetics. Quality should manifest itself in some way in terms of how the garment looks on you. The suit hierarchy list on this board is little more than a price ranking.

I've seen so many guys wear Kiton because they're super rich and money is no object. So they go into their local fancy department store, ask for "the best," and walk out with Kiton. But the suit doesn't fit them well, it's in an ugly fabric, or it doesn't really look good as they've put an outfit together. Guys who know what they're doing in Suitsupply will often look better, and then you wonder what was the point of that person spending all that money.

If you go to a good tailor, then you at least get the benefit of having a garment that technically fits you well. So there won't be a collar gap, puckering, etc. Still, the style may not suit or flatter you, or you may have chosen a bad fabric, or maybe you're wearing the clothes in a bad way. Fit is just one aspect of how a nice outfit comes together.

If money is really no object, and you don't want to go through the nuances of figuring out all the little details, you could just go into a Tom Ford store. They usually have stuff in every major city, or at least you can order it online. Some of their suits fit like armored plates, so it defines your silhouette for you.


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Its a bit off topic, but I'm curious if you know of a resource that gives a bit of direction on what sorts of styles/aesthetics work well with particular body types, etc. I've heard people say that hacking pockets are good for larger people cause it "makes them look smaller" or similar things...is there any sort of general consensus on these types of things (structured vs. drape vs. unstructured, 1, 2, or 3r2 buttons, standard or soft shoulders, etc)

 

[dieworkwear]

Its a bit off topic, but I'm curious if you know of a resource that gives a bit of direction on what sorts of styles/aesthetics work well with particular body types, etc. I've heard people say that hacking pockets are good for larger people cause it "makes them look smaller" or similar things...is there any sort of general consensus on these types of things (structured vs. drape vs. unstructured, 1, 2, or 3r2 buttons, standard or soft shoulders, etc)

I'm not really much of a believer in those rules, tbh. I just think you have to slowly train your eye for what looks good on you.

Sometime guys say that men with sloped shoulders should wear more padding, but the point of tailoring isn't always to achieve some Vitruvian Man figure. Sometimes it's meant to make you look cool, relaxed, and approachable, at which point a softer shoulder may be better. There's really no substitute for just trying things on and developing your sense of taste.