Ongoing Bespoke Projects

[kid1002]

Tried on this jacket of someone's at a sartoria yesterday. Beautiful navy blue and great stripe width IMO, but the cloth quality was questionable.

I had heard good things about this Explorer bunch from Standeven, so I was surprised to see the cloth puckering this apparently after a few wear from its owner.

Apparently this particular cloth from the bunch can react badly to drastic changes between hot-and-cold, thus not being friendly to ironing and pressing when making the garment. Not sure if you guys can see it, but in reality it was almost seersucker-like.

 

[Bromley]

Second fitting, after some small adjustments. Tiny problem in the back, but great everywhere else.
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Those vents are super high. Your input, or your tailor's default style?

 

[Crispyj]

Those vents are super high. Your input, or your tailor's default style?

Default style. Learned from the tailor Henry Stewart. Helps keep the back clean when hands are in pockets.

 

[stuffedsuperdud]

Second fitting, after some small adjustments. Tiny problem in the back, but great everywhere else.
View attachment 1445492 View attachment 1445493 View attachment 1445491 View attachment 1445494

Oh snap Frank's got you dialed in. The high vents are wild. I would never have agreed to such a thing before but now that I see it, this is pure sex; all of mine seem too small now. What's the fabric again?

 

[Crispyj]

Oh snap Frank's got you dialed in. The high vents are wild. I would never have agreed to such a thing before but now that I see it, this is pure sex; all of mine seem too small now. What's the fabric again?

Fox Air Walnut

Now I can't wear jackets with vents that are less than 12 inches ?

 

[The Chai]

Fox Air Walnut

Now I can't wear jackets with vents that are less than 12 inches ?

And I thought my 10” vents were long...

 

[FlyingHorker]

Finally got the Magee tweed samples in for my belted Balmacaan.

Initially I was leaning towards the lightest herringbone swatch, but I do find the dark green/navy very striking in person with so much colour variation.

The salt and pepper donegal swatch is one I'm heavily leaning towards though.

 

[TheShetlandSweater]

Finally got the Magee tweed samples in for my belted Balmacaan.

Initially I was leaning towards the lightest herringbone swatch, but I do find the dark green/navy very striking in person with so much colour variation.

The salt and pepper donegal swatch is one I'm heavily leaning towards though.

1. Unless you are more slenderly built, I'd consider staying away from the belted balmacaan if I were you. If you aren't slenderly built, it might look good in the front, but it will likely look not so great in profile or from the back. I also think a good non-belted balmacaan looks better regardless of build. Unfortunately, the style is hard to get right. I have a belted and a non-belted balmacaan (and a balmacaan raincoat, but that is arguably different) and I much prefer the non-belted one. If you do go with the belted version, make sure the belt is very long. You can get a more expressive knot this way.

2. I think large scale herringbones and donegals work well for balmacaans and overcoats in general. I really like the herringbone in the middle on the bottom. I think I would like the donegal a bit more if it were a bit bigger in scale.

3. I think with balmacaans it is really important to get a very heavy cloth and one with a little stiffness and volume to it. Part of the attraction with a balmacaan is that you have all this unstructured fabric hanging from your shoulders a chest. The fabric can ripple in a really relaxed looking way (especially if you have your hands in your pockets), but you don't want those ripples to be too small (more like cordovan and less like calfskin if that makes sense). A heavier and stiffer fabric will produce better ripples. I think you can also get a slightly better A-ish-line with a heavier and stiffer fabric.

Here are some pictures of good balmacaans.

Kenji Kaga Balmacaan 1
Kenji Kaga Balmacaan 2
PS Cordings Balmacaan

Here is one that I think is less good. I think the design elements are less ideal--the collar in particular--but I also think the fabric hangs in a less ideal way (even though it is slightly heavier than the Cordings one above).

PS Balmacaan

 

[FlyingHorker]

1. Unless you are more slenderly built, I'd consider staying away from the belted balmacaan if I were you. If you aren't slenderly built, it might look good in the front, but it will likely look not so great in profile or from the back. I also think a good non-belted balmacaan looks better regardless of build. Unfortunately, the style is hard to get right. I have a belted and a non-belted balmacaan (and a balmacaan raincoat, but that is arguably different) and I much prefer the non-belted one. If you do go with the belted version, make sure the belt is very long. You can get a more expressive knot this way.

2. I think large scale herringbones and donegals work well for balmacaans and overcoats in general. I really like the herringbone in the middle on the bottom. I think I would like the donegal a bit more if it were a bit bigger in scale.

3. I think with balmacaans it is really important to get a very heavy cloth and one with a little stiffness and volume to it. Part of the attraction with a balmacaan is that you have all this unstructured fabric hanging from your shoulders a chest. The fabric can ripple in a really relaxed looking way (especially if you have your hands in your pockets), but you don't want those ripples to be too small (more like cordovan and less like calfskin if that makes sense). A heavier and stiffer fabric will produce better ripples. I think you can also get a slightly better A-ish-line with a heavier and stiffer fabric.

Here are some pictures of good balmacaans.

Kenji Kaga Balmacaan 1
Kenji Kaga Balmacaan 2
PS Cordings Balmacaan

Here is one that I think is less good. I think the design elements are less ideal--the collar in particular--but I also think the fabric hangs in a less ideal way (even though it is slightly heavier than the Cordings one above).

PS Balmacaan

1-Yeah I'm fairly thin I'd say. Will keep long belt in mind. I may not even use the belt as a "waist tightening" tool and go for a relatively less roomy fit. I just like the aesthetic of a belt and it divides the body nicely.

2-The herringbone you pointed out is the one that is really catching my eye.

3-Most of these cloths are in the 20-22oz range. I wanted something super heavyweight, but realized I run fairly hot, despite our cold winters. I also bought 1m of melton wool to line the upper back for wind resistance. Others mentioned it may make the coat "catch" on fabrics, so I was thinking of making it a removable liner with buttons.

I'm actually 100% avoiding A-line silhouette, I've never liked it.

I want a more straight silhouette and an overall fit like this

As for design details, I was thinking of copying this coat

 

[TheShetlandSweater]

1-Yeah I'm fairly thin I'd say. Will keep long belt in mind. I may not even use the belt as a "waist tightening" tool and go for a relatively less roomy fit. I just like the aesthetic of a belt and it divides the body nicely.

2-The herringbone you pointed out is the one that is really catching my eye.

3-Most of these cloths are in the 20-22oz range. I wanted something super heavyweight, but realized I run fairly hot, despite our cold winters. I also bought 1m of melton wool to line the upper back for wind resistance. Others mentioned it may make the coat "catch" on fabrics, so I was thinking of making it a removable liner with buttons.

I'm actually 100% avoiding A-line silhouette, I've never liked it.

I want a more straight silhouette and an overall fit like this

As for design details, I was thinking of copying this coat

I like the cloth and overall fit on the DDL one. The cloths hangs really nicely and looks sufficiently slouchy and cozy. I am not as keen on the lapel-like collar or on the patch pockets.

With regards to the whole belted thing, I find that the belt can emphasize the posterior in an unflattering way and that the silhouette can end up looking rather feminine overall (though some might not mind this), so if you have a larger posterior, just keep that in mind.

One of my balmacaans is lined in cotton: it is technically reversible, though the cotton in the sleeves is impractical. I think it helps the cloth hang in a more appealing way without adding too much warmth. Might be something worth considering.

 

[FlyingHorker]

I like the cloth and overall fit on the DDL one. The cloths hangs really nicely and looks sufficiently slouchy and cozy. I am not as keen on the lapel-like collar or on the patch pockets.

With regards to the whole belted thing, I find that the belt can emphasize the posterior in an unflattering way and that the silhouette can end up looking rather feminine overall (though some might not mind this), so if you have a larger posterior, just keep that in mind.

One of my balmacaans is lined in cotton: it is technically reversible, though the cotton in the sleeves is impractical. I think it helps the cloth hang in a more appealing way without adding too much warmth. Might be something worth considering.

I was doing some research and apparently that cloth was beefy as hell at 30+oz, so I doubt my cloth would hang nearly as nice.

Oof, I've a giant bum for my frame. Ah well, I'll deal with it, even if it emphasizes it.

My tailor initially mentioned lining the coat with cotton, so that's 2 votes for that option.

Edit: Oh yeah, not going with patch pockets or lapel collar on the DDL coat, I just like the silhouette and shape.

 

[dieworkwear]

Personally not a fan of single-breasted topcoats buttoned up. To me, it just looks like you're wrapped in a bolt of cloth. I think this is especially true for a very straight silhouette.

 

[TheShetlandSweater]

I was doing some research and apparently that cloth was beefy as hell at 30+oz, so I doubt my cloth would hang nearly as nice.

Oof, I've a giant bum for my frame. Ah well, I'll deal with it, even if it emphasizes it.

My tailor initially mentioned lining the coat with cotton, so that's 2 votes for that option.

Edit: Oh yeah, not going with patch pockets or lapel collar on the DDL coat, I just like the silhouette and shape.

PS Belted Posterior

 

[FlyingHorker]

PS Belted Posterior

Good enough for me. The cheeky look on Simon's face made it even better.

Personally not a fan of single-breasted topcoats buttoned up. To me, it just looks like you're wrapped in a bolt of cloth. I think this is especially true for a very straight silhouette.

Basically a big reason why I'm also going for the belt, to bisect the body in half and add some visual interest.

I can always wear the coat open with no belt, but having the belt as an option is great.

Also why I'm not going with a fly front either.

 

[FlyingHorker]

This John Lewis Bal is the closest to what I'm envisioning, just much longer and maybe a bit looser