Jantzen suits

[chocoball]

As promised, some pics of my recent acquisitions from Jantzen..... First up is a dinner jacket.....I'm not a very good photographer, but you can kind of see the details....I also have matching pants but I didn't take any pictures.....black, super 150's, single button, peak lapels, double vents (for my big ass), lightweight interlining for a soft chest, pink silk inner-lining, waisted Neapolitean profile (hour glass shape through the body and a relatively high waist to give a more flattering profile -- ok, I'm a chunky guy) and low shoulders:

Next up is a two-and-a-half button single breasted suit (can't do up the top button, it's hidden in the roll of the lapel), also super 150's, dark navy with greyish-white chalk stripe, with a lapel notch placed high on the chest, slanted pockets...... rest of the details are similar to the dinner jacket......waisted Neapolitan profile, soft chest and low shoulders:

As I said, Ricky does some good work, but you just have to be patient, because he's super busy (which is a good thing for him.&#33

. Ok, now Ricky knows who Chocoball is.....

 

[Alias]

Impressive. But of course, for us to really enjoy how your suit looks, you'll have to take pictures of yourself wearing them. I'm not enough of a man to get hot pink jacket linings.

 

[brescd01]

Can you tell us how much these cost? Also, how many fittings and how long did he need to construct them? And what was the brand of the fabric he used? How did you select those designs? And why did you select a pink lining?

 

[rws]

I did once consider having an opera cloak made with a crimson lining, but pink and pink-and-lilac linings haven't a place in my sartorial aesthetics. How did you come to choose them, chocoball?

Will you wear your single-breasted dinner coat with cummerbund or waistcoat? Did Jantzen make either for you?

 

[chocoball]

Why hot pink?.?.?. Haha..... Well, I can't settle on one colour of silk lining as my personal standard and Ricky has a lot of colours to choose from.....I have some weird-looking tartan and paisley silks. Actually, I quite like the pink tartan and may settle on that. Of course, that means buying a whole roll of the stuff (so I don't run out in the near future) which could be quite expensive. I'll have to ask him about that. My jackets take 3-4 fittings to complete.....I'm a regular customer, so Ricky has a good idea of what I want and my size. I won't embarass him and reveal his prices.

The fabric for these two suits is from Toni Tommi, a super 150's with good hand feel, quite soft and lightweight and has a bit of a sheer, shiny look to it. I also have some suits in a super 130's (I think) Vitale Barbaris Canonis high twist, which has a kind of gauzy look and feel to it. I like that for regular going-to-work and daytime wear. You can get more expensive fabrics, but why bother? These two brands feel good, look great and are good enough for my needs. The weather in Hong Kong is also very hot and humid.....suits have a tendency to get soiled easily and not to last very long, so these are easier on the bank account. As for the designs, Ricky does a lot of window shopping and we look through Vogue Uomo, Japanese menswear magazines (like Men's Ex, Gainer, etc) etc, etc..... Then it was a lot of trial and error and Ricky's experimentation with his (growing) clientele, with each suit (and shirt) getting a bit better than the one before. Jantzen has come a long way in the last 4-5 years..

 

[chocoball]

Sartorial aesthetics? I know several older British gents at work who have their suits made on Savile Row.....and they have hot red and other quite eye-catching silk linings too, as their personal standards. No one can see them when I'm in a meeting or walking down the street.....so I consider the funny linings as a personal eccentricity that gives me (and my wife) a smile.

No waistcoat for the dinner suit, the narrow-waisted cut of my coats doesn't allow for it......I wear a black satin cummerbund and bow tie (a real one, not a pre-tied) from Dunhill.

 

[MPS]

Chocoball,

Those are very individual linings. I've often seen completed suits hanging up at Jantzen's, and I have been impressed by their construction: however, I haven't yet purchased any suits there. I was going to go to W.W. Chan this Christmas, but I might be tempted to go to Jantzen instead.

 

[naturlaut]

Those prick stitchings are a little too 'obvious' for my taste, especially when they are so clearly machine done. However, I think the dinner jacket looks fabulous --- I like the button stance and the proportion of the jacket (though why hacking pocket for dinner jacket?). I assume you will close all your sleeve buttons when you are actually wearing your dinner coat?

Knowing Jantzen, it must be a great price/value purchase.

 

[chocoball]

Ricky says the bead stitchings on the lapel are done by hand. It's only because of this particular fabric/colour that it's so obvious and looks regular.....up close it's not so regular at all and quite unnoticeable on some of my other coats.

Sorry, what is a hacking pocket?

 

[chocoball]

How come no one's commented on my avatar???

 

[shoefan]

What's with the "Made in Italy" tag? Is that from the material?

Love the linings.

 

[dorian]

Yes, I actually returned to mourning once I noticed your avatar; such a shame they were retired.

 

[Alias]

A hacking pocket is a pocket that's angled instead of straight, like yours are judging from the pictures. How come no one's commented on MY avatar?

 

[Thracozaag]

A hacking pocket is a pocket that's angled instead of straight, like yours are judging from the pictures. How come no one's commented on MY avatar?

Because it's...just...kinda creepy. koji

 

[Mike C.]

How come no one's commented on MY avatar?

Ok... it's annoying. At first I thought it was that dancing baby thing.