CM combinations and silhouettes constructive improvement thread

[ValidusLA]

I almost never button my top shirt button, and here that shows a bit poorly.

Do you mean the button under your tie? Why? Just don't like the feeling?

 

[Polo Collar]

Boring outfit

 

[breakaway01]

Lest I offer feedback without throwing my own out there.

I’ve noticed I tend to wear some fairly bland combinations and fall into a comfort zone where I wear the same handful of ties, shirts are 90% white twill or ice blue poplin and my shoes are pretty much dark brown or black with an odd oxblood pair or two mixed in.

Branching out, matching patterns and colors just turns into a deal where I doubt the combinations and end up changing into something “safe”

The other piece I struggle with (at least mentally) is my torso and arms are a bit longer proportionally than my legs and have forward hips so trying to balance jacket length with the rules without further feeling like I’m shrinking my legs is a challenge I try to navigate.

I’m not sure I’ve found a solution for what type of tailoring works best for me and those mental hurdles but have settled into feeling very comfortable in Neapolitan stuff and think it looks ok on me but also probably don’t know enough to be sure.

View attachment 1782771
Other issues I see - While the gorge here essentially sits on my collar bone and roughly bisects my shirt points, I think I’ll try a lower gorge in the future. Maybe a couple cm or so. May also lower the button stance slightly.

Looking forward to any takes on livening up combinations in an approachable way or if there are other tweaks to the silhouette I may have overlooked but may work better for my body.

Looks really good to me too. The silhouette of the suit works for me. Maybe a slightly wider trouser leg would balance your upper body a bit better but I'm not sure about that TBH as that could just be an effect of the camera angle/perspective. I am not sure I'd touch the jacket buttoning point; it looks right on to me. As a stylistic point I am not a huge fan of patch pockets on suits but most people would never notice. You could add a little more color or a larger pattern in the tie if you want something less sober but that tie works with the suit.

 

[breakaway01]

I can't find anything I'd change, @Jmr928, except maybe ditch the candles. Are they purely decorative, or do you keep them in case of a blackout?

If you want to branch out, I think the next move would be to try light blue or light gray checks or stripes, although, they may be part of that last 10% you have.

Here's one from today:
View attachment 1782797
My main gripe is the gorge could be lower, maybe an .5-1 inch?
I almost never button my top shirt button, and here that shows a bit poorly.
(It's a light blue graph check, which I find very versatile.)
Don't remember the tie being that long, but it looks at least an inch too long.

Nice jacket, looks relaxed. I haven't really ventured much into large scale patterns like this. My only comment is that I think there is a little bit of a disconnect between the more casual upper half and the more formal-looking trousers, at least from this photo. Maybe something like a whipcord or a cavalry twill.

 

[bicycleradical]

Here's one from today:

My main gripe is the gorge could be lower, maybe an .5-1 inch?
I almost never button my top shirt button, and here that shows a bit poorly.
(It's a light blue graph check, which I find very versatile.)
Don't remember the tie being that long, but it looks at least an inch too long.

I think this looks fantastic. The silhouette is great. At most, I'd shorten the jacket a little to make the top and bottom halves more even.

Lest I offer feedback without throwing my own out there.

The tie is a little long however I think the outfit looks good. It's a nice tonal palette. Can you post a photo of the jacket buttoned so we can see how it drapes across your chest?

 

[emptym]

Do you mean the button under your tie? Why? Just don't like the feeling?

Yeah, in part, with the other part being laziness. Also, I commute by bike and sometimes forget to tighten up when I get there. I took this pic after coming home. I'd already taken off my tie. But then I quickly put it back on to snap a pic for this thread (which may explain its extra length).

View attachment 1782834

Boring outfit

You might try a wider lapel and slightly higher rise, but it's a comfy, relaxed, coherent look imo. Anything about it that bugs you?

Nice jacket, looks relaxed. I haven't really ventured much into large scale patterns like this. My only comment is that I think there is a little bit of a disconnect between the more casual upper half and the more formal-looking trousers, at least from this photo. Maybe something like a whipcord or a cavalry twill.

Thanks. Took me a while to try large scale patterns too, but now I love them. @edmorel and @itsstillmatt led the way. Good thought on the pants. The jacket is a pretty lightweight blend, and I generally wear it with cotton pants, but I tried it with these 10 oz frescos and thought it worked pretty well. The fresco does "fall like iron" as they say.

I think this looks fantastic. The silhouette is great. At most, I'd shorten the jacket a little to make the top and bottom halves more even.

Thanks. It does look long in that pic. Might be caused by the angle and distance it was taken at. Here's one from further away of a jacket made on the same pattern, except that the gorge has been lowered 1cm. Wondering if it should be lowered another:

In this pic, the button point looks a little high. The one thing I wish about the Apple watch is that it was slimmer.

 

[ValidusLA]

Thanks. It does look long in that pic. Might be caused by the angle and distance it was taken at. Here's one from further away of a jacket made on the same pattern, except that the gorge has been lowered:

I wouldn't shorten the jackets, I think they look good to me.

Yeah, in part, with the other part being laziness. Also, I commute by bike and sometimes forget to tighten up when I get there. I took this pic after coming home. I'd already taken off my tie. But then I quickly put it back on to snap a pic for this thread, (which may explain its extra length).

What is this....bike commute you speak of? This does not translate to Los Angeleno.....

 

[ValidusLA]

Also - re: fitness trackers. Apple watch seems huge. I wear a Fitbit Charge on the thinnest band I can find, and it still bothers me.
Do you guys wear apple watches for fitness tracking, or just as a watch replacement? They seem very starkly at odds with tailoring.

 

[bicycleradical]

Yeah, in part, with the other part being laziness. Also, I commute by bike and sometimes forget to tighten up when I get there. I took this pic after coming home. I'd already taken off my tie. But then I quickly put it back on to snap a pic for this thread, (which may explain its extra length).

You might try a wider lapel and slightly higher rise, but it's comfy, relaxed, coherent look imo. Anything about it that bugs you?

Thanks. Took me a while to try large scale patterns too, but now I love them. @edmorel and @itsstillmatt led the way. Good thought on the pants. The jacket is a pretty lightweight blend, and I generally wear it with cotton pants, but I tried it with these 10 oz frescos and thought it worked pretty well. The fresco does "fall like iron" as they say.

Thanks. It does look long in that pic. Might be caused by the angle and distance it was taken at. Here's one from further away of a jacket made on the same pattern, except that the gorge has been lowered 1cm. Wondering if it should be lowered another:
View attachment 1782872
In this pic, the button point looks a little high. The one thing I wish about the Apple watch is that it was slimmer.

That photo is a better perspective. The jacket length is fine, imo. The button point seems fine to me. It gives a nice triangle in the middle, leading to your face.

 

[R.O. Thornhill]

Also - re: fitness trackers. Apple watch seems huge. I wear a Fitbit Charge on the thinnest band I can find, and it still bothers me.
Do you guys wear apple watches for fitness tracking, or just as a watch replacement? They seem very starkly at odds with tailoring.

I wear a Whoop 4.0 strap for fitness/sleep tracking. The good thing is that it can sit quite far up your right forearm - so it never interferes with the shirt cuff, and I still wear a normal (slim) mechanical watch

 

[too_poor_for_this]

Also - re: fitness trackers. Apple watch seems huge. I wear a Fitbit Charge on the thinnest band I can find, and it still bothers me.
Do you guys wear apple watches for fitness tracking, or just as a watch replacement? They seem very starkly at odds with tailoring.

For fitness tracking purposes, there are some alternatives like Withings or the Fossil Hybrid for a "looks like a normal watch, but still tracks your stuff" option; the plus side is weeks before having to charge -- the downside is no ability to send a text(?), etc if you're into doing that on your wrist.

I mostly use the Inspire HR series for fitness tracking because I have no need for the fancy features and i have baby ~6" wrists as it is -_-.

 

[ValidusLA]

I wear a Whoop 4.0 strap for fitness/sleep tracking. The good thing is that it can sit quite far up your right forearm - so it never interferes with the shirt cuff, and I still wear a normal (slim) mechanical watch

This thing looks nice. Is this a monthly subscription though? Does it connect to MFP?

For fitness tracking purposes, there are some alternatives like Withings or the Fossil Hybrid for a "looks like a normal watch, but still tracks your stuff" option; the plus side is weeks before having to charge -- the downside is no ability to send a text(?), etc if you're into doing that on your wrist.

I mostly use the Inspire HR series for fitness tracking because I have no need for the fancy features and i have baby ~6" wrists as it is -_-.

Ya I don't care about features. I don't even interact with the screen. Just want fitness tracking.

I wear a real watch daily.

 

[R.O. Thornhill]

This thing looks nice. Is this a monthly subscription though? Does it connect to MFP?

Yes there is a monthly subscription. The level of insights I get is pretty outstanding - continuous heart rate tracking, resting heart rate assessment, HRV, respiratory rate, sleep quantity and quality, cardiovascular strain, recovery, skin temp, blood oxygen. It is very helpful to manage my workout intensity and monitor recovery.

It connects to your phone, as well as to all major fitness platforms (eg Strava). I use it as a heart rate monitor when on Zwift or ski touring (connecting it to my Suunto watch)

 

[emptym]

I mainly wear my Apple watch to work, where we need a phone or watch to open pretty much any door. I would forget my phone at home sometimes and, fairly often, I would leave my phone in my office. The watch is more "me-proof."

 

[breakaway01]

View attachment 1782834

Boring outfit

I like that the outfit is very congruent in a relaxed Ivy way. Brass buttons, button-down collar, rumpled chinos that aren't too slim. Looks comfortable.