Roped shoulders

[Stu]

I'm getting ready to commission my next Chan suit. I'm going to do a tan cotton summer suit, ticket pocket, rear vents and flat front pants.

I wrote Mr Wong to ask about building the shoulders out more. I have full round cheeks, and in my other Chan suit, the shoulders are not so strong and pronounced. As a result, it makes my head look out of proportion. I've posted about this before. Anyway, I asked Mr Wong if they could do Brioni-style shoulders, and he emailed me this image, below, of roped shoulders and wondered if that would work for me. I need stronger shoulders, a la Brioni or Canali, to counteract my big fat head.

I don't think this roped style shoulder is what i'm looking for, is it?

 

[whoopee]

That picture of a Kilgour jacket in progress shows a roped, straight shoulder. It's hard to say whether or not there is any extension, which you may want (like Cary Grant).

I've found that Chan can make a good roped shoulder, but sometimes it is not so nice. Something to do with the cloths, I think, and the type of wadding used.

 

[Roger]

Some wise forumer said recently, on another thread, that he felt that almost no one looks good with roped shoulders. I thought about that comment and concluded that he was right.

 

[luk-cha]

i like roped shoulder to be fair i think if you have a slim fitted jkt esp at the waist then if creats a nice shape sort of an "X" it all depends on the rest of the jkt's styling i think

 

[whoopee]

Originally Posted by Roger

Some wise forumer said recently, on another thread, that he felt that almost no one looks good with roped shoulders. I thought about that comment and concluded that he was right.

iammatt said that, and it squares with his aesthetic preferences. But I think more than a few men can look good in a really well made roped shoulder. It should be reasonalbe - ie not like a ladies' jacket's poofy sleeve caps - and paired with a fairly structured shoulder. It can work on a semi-natural shoulder if the wearer already has strong and square shoulders. The one in the Kilgour photo is lovely.

 

[LabelKing]

Roping look very nice with a pagoda shoulder.

 

[whoopee]

A pagoda shoulder without a bit of roping or that little roll that some Neapolitan jackets have does not look correct. Hard to do well, though, on a real person, as opposed to a mannequin. Men who have big shoulders will look comical with pitching, but with the right body the effect can be impressive.

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by whoopee

A pagoda shoulder without a bit of roping or that little roll that some Neapolitan jackets have does not look correct. Hard to do well, though, on a real person, as opposed to a mannequin.
It helps to have a slim silhouette.

A built-shoulder also requires that waist suppression, which in its extreme forms, only works on slim types.

 

[Manton]

Stu, it sounds like you want extension, not necessarily roping. Ask them to build out your point to point (say) 1/4" on each side, depending on how broad your shoulders already are. I assume, since you referenced Brioni, that you don't want that excess to droop, so make that clear to them. They should know how to make it hold up with a little padding and horsehair. Roping is, compared to extension, much more trivial and purely aesthetic. It will not address the proportion issues that you raise.

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

roping + pagoda + waist suppression is really nice, although almost too feminine.

!luc

 

[grimslade]

Originally Posted by Luc-Emmanuel

roping + pagoda + waist suppression is really nice, although almost too feminine.

!luc


She's stunning, but it's hard to tell if there's any roping there...