HOF: What Are You Wearing Right Now - Part III

[NOBD]



That one was for you guys.

I did matchy-matchy for you today...

 

[kischi]

 

[DerekS]



a tom ford suit is not worth getting your balls chopped off...

im not 100% sure on that yet.

 

[DerekS]



details? these specs are great.

 

[Parker]

Was there ever an "Ideal Suit Fit" thread? It could be a good primer - or refresher - especially if it included plenty of photos to illustrate proper fit and explantations of the terms which often get misused. Flusser has a pretty good verbal description of fit, but the illustrations are way to simple to be helpful. And Manton's book an even better description, but no illustrations. (hint, hint)

p.s. I am typing in my underwear, so take above suggestion with grain of salt.

 

[XKxRome0ox]



im not 100% sure on that yet.

well make sure you have a kid or two (if you want any)
before pulling the stunt then

 

[Bounder]



I'm not sure I understand your point. I'll agree that altered RTW will fall short of great bespoke, but most bespoke falls short of great bespoke. So what are we to do?

One of the forums' great disservices to the bespoke trade is the oft-implied suggestion that "going bespoke" is the guarded gateway to the next echelon of style. This lumps the great tailors with the terrible ones, and, as an unfortunate side effect, generates endless threads seeking critiques of ill-fitting $500 suits. At its best, good tailoring will give you an attractive expression of that tailor's style, well adapted to your physique.

I +1 this. Moreover, it does not go far enough.

The implication here is that Vox, Manton & Co. are mannequins being dressed by their tailors and then propped up in store windows for WAYWRN shots. But tailoring, especially bespoke tailoring is -- or ought to be -- far more of a two-way street. Bespoke customers like Vox interact with their tailors, not only on fabric and features but on fit as well. The sad fact of the matter is that if I went to Vox's tailor, I would get a good-looking, well-fitting suit, but it wouldn't be, quite, as good-looking or as well-fitting as Vox's.

So it is not just a matter of good bespoke vs. bad bespoke, it is also a matter of knowledgeable bespoke client vs. clueless bespoke client. And this, of course, says nothing about what you do with your bespoke suit after you get it, which was the point of one of my earlier posts.

So "going bespoke" is not, as you put it, "the guarded gateway to the next echelon of style." Rather, it is just another tool that a talented artist like Vox or Manton can use. Doc, for example, who also does very nice work, doesn't do bespoke at all.

 

[jj-moody]

My point is - different people spend different amounts of money on different things. if i had unlimited funds; i would still not commission a 7k suit, however i'll buy my mom a 500k house. So if your yardstick for measuring sartorial nirvana is money, then i will never reach it (and here is the key - at least for me) ... which is fine. However, the lack of a desire to make those financial choices does not indicate a lack of knowledge. Yes - we are both drawn to the board due to an interest in clothes, but our checkered flag is at different points of the speedway ... actually some people keep moving their checkered flags every chance they get... lol.


This would be true; except some of the "in-the-know" guys have displayed copious amounts of intellectual dishonesty in my limited time on this board. You (not speaking directly to you) can't expect your feedback to be taken seriously if you dwell in selective analysis/criticism, blatant tomfoolery and show poor class.

You do not need unlimited funds to become vain and self-indulgent, just a little bit of money can do that to you. Also, it depends on your circle. If you are swimming with folks who often spend large sums of money on their wardrobes then you might be inclined to do so as well. I mean if your colleague is jumping into puddles with his greens would you still be showing off your aldens? Context is important. Also, build is important, if you can pull of RTW reasonably well there is a limited payoff to going bespoke. I am of slight build and most brands are just too big for me.

About the intellectual dishonesty, I think you are quite right. There are many relatively minor details that pack a big punch in terms of status, and it has little to do with fit or extremely good taste--they are status markers. It does not take a lot of knowledge or good taste to know that you want a lapel with some belly or you want working buttonholes and so forth if you want to set yourself apart from most of the RTW wearers. On this board the dishonesty also applies to criticisms that are exaggerated and overly harsh, and oddly enough, without suggestions on how to improve. Spoo's suit and Manton's suit when put side by side are not different worlds apart, especially if Spoo's suit was RTW. Manton's suit is of course clearly better in terms of fit, but is it that much better that you can call manton a sophisticated man of impeccable taste? No, actually the differences in fit are not big enough to justify labeling one a stylistic babe and the other an expert. And it is a valid point to question whether the differences are big enough to warrant the assumable higher cost of manton's suit. The thing that many people won't tell you is that they do bespoke simply because it is a step above, in the grand scheme of things, RTW. I read a thread by mafoofan, whose bespokes do nothing for him, where he talks about the craftsmanship of an ambrosi trouser. He said that the little details, even though they have a negligible impact on the aesthetic, make his trousers a 'work of art'. You can never expect full honesty from someone that deluded in the greatness of his trouser maker. Trousers will never be works of art. And then he wore those pleated ambrosi trousers with some kind of school sweater and said it was completely acceptable because ambrosi trousers really work with work out gear in a park. The role of status in being well dressed was clearly shown in this thread.

^ I wsh Victor's coats were a bit longer. Though I believe I am in the minority here.

Do you also wish Victor's arms were a bit longer so he could take you in for a suckling of the teat? I think the length is fine, but I am mostly just kidding.

Really? After giving very specific examples of your preferences these last few days, you say that typifying your preferences in a suit that you commission for yourself won't reflect your expressions?

I'm not trying to pick you apart, but your statement just seems crazy. Perhaps I was misunderstood: a picture of what your preferences would give a better of idea of what you are expressing in words. There's the argument that it reflects who you are on the inside, but that's not what I'm getting at.

Basically, post a picture of what you feel is ideal. It doesn't have to be of yourself.

I'll look for a photo. When I have something made, my tailor passes me a bunch of swatches and I choose from that selection. I further limit my selection based on work. My shirts are all light colored, blues and pinks mostly. I have subtle striping in some of them, the whites usually have some delicate texture. I like polka dots on my ties every now and then. I do not like diagonally striped ties, although one that a poster ist55 (something like that) has is actually quite nice (a diagonally striped tie with a deep purple in it). I work with a very limited set of colors and textures. The whole process seems to me very uncreative. My favorite suits are in fact grays...solid gray, gray with pin stripes, I have a gray with chalk stripes (although I rarely wear that one)...I have many tweed sport coats. And I only have two pairs of black shoes, everything is brown.

 

[jj-moody]

******* DIG this. fall is the best time to whip out an ascot. well done!

That ascot is very nice. The entire ensemble I can't tell. That's one thing I wish I tried more often, ascots...for strolls in the park, of course.

 

[ShayaEXQT]

Quote:

sucks doesnt it? I visited the TF room at niemans...fell in love with EVERYTHING. the salesman showed me the newest piece they got in...a gorgeous peak lapel navy blazer with brass buttons. fir me like a glove....but the wife wouldnt approve the $3500 price. Ill give it to the salesman though...he called me a week later and tried to get me to put it on a niemans card and explain it to the wife later. ALMOST had me convinced. but I wouldve been murdered.

ask if you could put it on HIS neimans card..

 

[Gdot]



The shoes we are working on. I'm thinking the neck/shoulder problem is the ripples in the back are kind of pushing up the material in the front too...

I immediately noticed when he tried on the jacket that the upper back was too tight and pulling... salesman assured me could be fixed... limited options (OTR, non-average build, low budget, limited time and no inspection of the refit). Just hoping it is fixable.

Kevin, I'm wondering if the collar doesn't need to be lowered. It's hard to say without being able to actually see exactly where his shoulders are hitting the outside edge of the coat. But to me it appears the ripples are not being caused by too tight in the shoulders - but rather by the collar being too high. (This adjustments pertains to the 'slope' of ones shoulders from outside edge to neck.) Frankly, any good alterations tailor should have picked up on this - but I assume since the budget was limited so is the tailor? As for the wrinkles of the sleeve (caused by pitch) they are certainly not right - but I'm not sure I'd have him invest the $$ to have it adjusted, as it seems to be outside of his scope of need/understanding right now. The angle of the jacket sleeve at the cuff is pretty whacky too - and that could be adjusted simply. Hope this is helpful. -G

 

[kischi]



details? these specs are great.

Braun Classics

 

[Despos]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

This is what my friend wore today, but I'm responsible for it, as I picked it out. I would appreciate feedback. The things I've noticed are the upper back is still pulling/too tight--multiple horizonal ripples (it was worse before alterations but still is not right) and the sleeve length/angle seems slightly off. Overall I'm giving myself an A-... agree?

get that boy some new shoes NOW.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming

 

[Bounder]



I'll look for a photo. When I have something made, my tailor passes me a bunch of swatches and I choose from that selection. I further limit my selection based on work. My shirts are all light colored, blues and pinks mostly. I have subtle striping in some of them, the whites usually have some delicate texture. I like polka dots on my ties every now and then. I do not like diagonally striped ties, although one that a poster ist55 (something like that) has is actually quite nice (a diagonally striped tie with a deep purple in it). I work with a very limited set of colors and textures. The whole process seems to me very uncreative. My favorite suits are in fact grays...solid gray, gray with pin stripes, I have a gray with chalk stripes (although I rarely wear that one)...I have many tweed sport coats. And I only have two pairs of black shoes, everything is brown.

Do you like it, teh hopsack?

 

[Gdot]



a tom ford suit is not worth getting your balls chopped off...

Well.....she ain't gonna do that......she wants those little babies someday and she needs those balls to get them........

She will however.......ban you to the 'self service' aisle for a while..........if you can live with that............CALL HER BLUFF!!!!!