Corduroy suits

[matadorpoeta]

every year i tell myself i'm going to get a brown corduroy suit. it just seems like something i'd wear a lot if i had one. have you guys seen any you like? this isn't a material i'm willing to spend a lot of money on, but i'm curious to know what's out there. btw, i believe last year they were selling them at banana republic, but there was something i didn't like about them, so i passed.

 

[mr. magoo]

I have three corduroy suits actually: brown from Burberry, red from Paul Smith and a salmon pink three-piece number that Timothy Everest did for Dormeuil when he was their creative director.  Naturally, I wear the red and pink ones sparingly, but wear the brown one constantly in the winter and late fall.  I find it to be wonderfully versatile and extremely comfortable -- and I'm not even crazy about the cut of that  particular suit.  It dresses up and down and distinguishes itself from everything around it.  It's one of those pieces that can get compliments from ladies (because it's sharp and different) and men (because it's casual and not pretentious).  The unfortunate part is that the fabric stretches and wears quickly, but that you probably know.

I really like the cut of the Paul Smith one.  I don't know who the maker is, but it's from Belgium.  It has enough construction to it to keep it from looking like a potato sack and yet still be comfortable.  Can't say I've really looked as to what's coming in in this year's autumn collections to know who is making a good one.  In the past few years I've seen decent looking cord suits from Helmut Lang, Etro and APC (who's moved into only doing street clothes like sweatsuits).   Cordings of Piccadilly is supposed to do a nice one, but that doesn't do Americans much good.  

Just keep your eyes open and if I run across a sharp looking one, I'll drop a line.

 

[matadorpoeta]

yes mr. magoo, please keep me informed. i remember seeing that dormeuil had a burgundy one last year (on their website?) in a high stance 2-button model. i liked it, but i've really got my heart set on a brown one. i may have to wait a few weeks to find one in a store. thanks for the reply.

 

[Stu]

Magoo: A pink, 3-piece corduroy suit? Wow. I can't even begin to imagine being able to pull that one off. I salute you, you are a much more daring man than I.

 

[mr. magoo]

Magoo: A pink, 3-piece corduroy suit?  Wow. I can't even begin to imagine being able to pull that one off.  I salute you, you are a much more daring man than I.

Or stupid. It's something that can only be worn occasionally, as you can appreciate. The Dormeuil store in NYC seemed to have a fairly conservative clientele. I suspect that I was one of the few people who expressed wide-eyed admiration for that one-of-a-kind suit and its companion in what I'd call a light canary yellow (fortunately, that color looked awful on me). They sweetened the deal by throwing in a pair of made-to-measure Edward Green shoes and plied me with Scotch.

That same season they made a one-of-a-kind silver sharkskin suit that was in the New York Times Magazine. They hoped I'd buy that one as well, but my days as a glam rock star were long over...

 

[Stu]

They threw in Edward Green's and scotch? Say, that suit sounds kind of sharp afterall VBG.