SPIER & MACKAY - Official Affiliate Thread

[Proleet]

I don't really get the fascination some of you guys have with super long overcoats. They're not very flattering to my eye. Makes you look short and stocky. The polo coats looks more balanced and wearable. Particularly that camel ulster coat is going to be overly dramatic and attention-grabbing, imo. Just needs a fedora for the full-on 40's noir detective cosplay.

most guys asking for that are very tall…having each overcoat appear as almost a car coat isn’t great…

 

[wilcthree]

whynothaveboth.jpg

I like coats above the knee and below the knee.

I had a coat that reached to my lower calf. It ended up touching the ground when sitting and my car's nasty sideskirt in winter too often.

I had it shortened to upper calf, and this hit the perfect middleground for me.

The main appeal is it has the dramatic swish due to the longer length, and more warmth for your lower legs. IMO it looked more balanced and complete as an overcoat. I do love my polo coat, but not a fan of its length.

I admit I feel more cool when wearing a longer coat.

Wish there was a way to both love and laugh at this post. I like both silhouettes. I don't know what to do about that. I'm in the camp of wearing both.

 

[Imperatores]

whynothaveboth.jpg

I like coats above the knee and below the knee.

I had a coat that reached to my lower calf. It ended up touching the ground when sitting and my car's nasty sideskirt in winter too often.

I had it shortened to upper calf, and this hit the perfect middleground for me.

The main appeal is it has the dramatic swish due to the longer length, and more warmth for your lower legs. IMO it looked more balanced and complete as an overcoat. I do love my polo coat, but not a fan of its length.

I admit I feel more cool when wearing a longer coat.

Sure, that's fair. I'll acknowledge that the dramatic swish effect can look cool on occasion, but very few guys are capable of pulling that off. I suspect that the vast majority of guys buying these coats are just going to look like they're awkwardly wearing their grandfather's coat. We should keep in mind that simply wearing any kind of double breasted overcoat already makes you stand out these days. These extra long ones could easily cross over into dorky costume territory.

most guys asking for that are very tall…having each overcoat reWembley almost a car coat isn’t great…

It would be different if you're a super tall guy just wanting a "normal" length coat for you, but that's not really the impression I get from most of the guys asking for them. They seem to want coats that fall below the knee, preferably mid-calf. That's very long no matter how tall you are.

 

[FlyingHorker]

Wish there was a way to both love and laugh at this post. I like both silhouettes. I don't know what to do about that. I'm in the camp of wearing both.

..and I'm glad S&M now offers both! It could be that the ulster requires tweaking in terms of shortening the length, but we'll find out as more people get them.

Sure, that's fair. I'll acknowledge that the dramatic swish effect can look cool on occasion, but very few guys are capable of pulling that off. I suspect that the vast majority of guys buying these coats are just going to look like they're awkwardly wearing their grandfather's coat. We should keep in mind that simply wearing any kind of double breasted overcoat already makes you stand out these days. These extra long ones could easily cross over into dorky costume territory.

It would be different if you're a super tall guy just wanting a "normal" length coat for you, but that's not really the impression I get from most of the guys asking for them. They seem to want coats that fall below the knee, preferably mid-calf. That's very long no matter how tall you are.

To play devil's advocate, most people disliked Balmacaans a couple years ago on here, myself included.

From my POV, now I'd say that a good majority of people liked the Bals from last season. A single breasted, belted coat that reaches just below the knees(I think).

I think people are just not used to seeing these kind of silhouettes and will come around to it.

As mentioned to Wil though, I do admit that the new ulster may require some length tweaking in terms of possibly shortening the length. We'll find out as more people get the coat.

I will also admit these coats are definitely flashy and full of drama, and that's exactly the appeal. It's not for everyone.

 

[7_rocket]

I don't really get the fascination some of you guys have with super long overcoats. They're not very flattering to my eye. Makes you look short and stocky. The polo coats looks more balanced and wearable. Particularly that camel ulster coat is going to be overly dramatic and attention-grabbing, imo. Just needs a fedora for the full-on 40's noir detective cosplay.

I agree. Unless you're over 6 feet tall, it could make you look even shorter. But you know styleforum.net is #menswear .

Shrugs.

 

[FlyingHorker]

I agree. Unless you're over 6 feet tall, it could make you look even shorter. But you know styleforum.net is #menswear .

Shrugs.

Is this actually a thing, or people being too self-conscious?

I'm average height at 5'9ish and I've never noticed people looking shorter with particular silhouettes and lengths.

I've only noticed people's legs or torsos looking longer in proportion to the rest of their body.

 

[7_rocket]

Is this actually a thing, or people being too self-conscious?

I'm average height at 5'9ish and I've never noticed people looking shorter with particular silhouettes and lengths.

I've only noticed people's legs or torsos looking longer in proportion to the rest of their body.

I'm about 5'9 and anything beyond the knees looks silly. I have the polo coat and I think it's a great length. But as long as you like the length that's all that matters.

Not sure if self conscious is the right term. You can wear whatever you like. Doesn't mean it will look good. But at the end of the day. If you're happy then that's all that matters.

 

[Imperatores]

..and I'm glad S&M now offers both! It could be that the ulster requires tweaking in terms of shortening the length, but we'll find out as more people get them.

To play devil's advocate, most people disliked Balmacaans a couple years ago on here, myself included.

From my POV, now I'd say that a good majority of people liked the Bals from last season. A single breasted, belted coat that reaches just below the knees(I think).

I think people are just not used to seeing these kind of silhouettes and will come around to it.

As mentioned to Wil though, I do admit that the new ulster may require some length tweaking in terms of possibly shortening the length. We'll find out as more people get the coat.

I will also admit these coats are definitely flashy and full of drama, and that's exactly the appeal. It's not for everyone.

Hey, I still dislike the Balmacaans

I can respect the desire to bring back certain silhouettes regardless of how the general public may perceive them for the time being. I have a very hard time imagining long coats ever truly coming back, but there's certainly no harm in S&M now giving you the option to try. It's not for me, though.

Is this actually a thing, or people being too self-conscious?

I'm average height at 5'9ish and I've never noticed people looking shorter with particular silhouettes and lengths.

I've only noticed people's legs or torsos looking longer in proportion to the rest of their body.

I think it's a real thing. At first glance I thought @MidwestWanderer was like 5'8, until I saw his listed height. The coat dramatically shortens him. The effect is probably a lot less noticeable in person, though. I notice the same effect with sport coats that are either far too long or short. There are certain proportional sweet spots to my eye.

 

[FlyingHorker]

I'm about 5'9 and anything beyond the knees looks silly. I have the polo coat and I think it's a great length. But as long as you like the length that's all that matters.

Not sure if self conscious is the right term. You can wear whatever you like. Doesn't mean it will look good. But at the end of the day. If you're happy then that's all that matters.

Truth to the bolded, I can appreciate earnest critiques and not just post in an echo chamber. I'm definitely biased towards long coats.

Hey, I still dislike the Balmacaans

I can respect the desire to bring back certain silhouettes regardless of how the general public may perceive them for the time being. I have a very hard time imagining long coats ever truly coming back, but there's certainly no harm in S&M now giving you the option to try. It's not for me, though.


I think it's a real thing. At first glance I thought @MidwestWanderer was like 5'8, until I saw his listed height. The coat dramatically shortens him. The effect is probably a lot less noticeable in person, though. I notice the same effect with sport coats that are either far too long or short. There are certain proportional sweet spots to my eye.

To me they looked like a tweed potato sack. Now I'm totally ok with looking like a sack of tweed.

Long coats are definitely not coming back, and I can see the lack of appeal as well. As mentioned in my other post, a coat dragging along your car's dirty sideskirt and the bottom of the ground in restaurants is not fun and gets in the way too.

I agree on there being proportional sweet spots. Looking at Midwest's coat again, it could probably lose 2-4 inches and still be well below the knee. I can't clearly see the pockets, so I'm not sure how it would effect the balance of a coat. The coat I had shortened to upper calf was a Bal with slash pockets, so balance wasn't an issue.

 

[Brennenman]

Truth to the bolded, I can appreciate earnest critiques and not just post in an echo chamber. I'm definitely biased towards long coats.

To me they looked like a tweed potato sack. Now I'm totally ok with looking like a sack of tweed.

Long coats are definitely not coming back, and I can see the lack of appeal as well. As mentioned in my other post, a coat dragging along your car's dirty sideskirt and the bottom of the ground in restaurants is not fun and gets in the way too.

I agree on there being proportional sweet spots. Looking at Midwest's coat again, it could probably lose 2-4 inches and still be well below the knee. I can't clearly see the pockets, so I'm not sure how it would effect the balance of a coat. The coat I had shortened to upper calf was a Bal with slash pockets, so balance wasn't an issue.

What do you mean by long coats? At the knee or below the knee?

 

[masernaut]

I don't really get the fascination some of you guys have with super long overcoats. They're not very flattering to my eye. Makes you look short and stocky. The polo coats looks more balanced and wearable. Particularly that camel ulster coat is going to be overly dramatic and attention-grabbing, imo. Just needs a fedora for the full-on 40's noir detective cosplay.

It's not a fascination. There's a function to it. Long overcoats offer better protection in the winter. Trench coats for example, work best when going past the knees because then your pants don't get wet in the rain.

The reason the guy who posted his ulster coat looks weird is because: really bad picture angle, shot from top to bottom angle; dark AF lighting; baggy pants with work-type looking boots; oversized coat.

Look at any number of classic pictures from decades ago of men wearing long overcoats and they look fantastic. Anything can look good on anyone with the right tailoring.

 

[nzahir]

Got some of the dress shirts today from the sale....sadly too tight

I am a 14.5 but their slim fit is a bit too tight on me

I usually go 14.5 contemporary fit in other brands and dart it, but sadly no 14.5 contemporary at S&M yet

If I was to do a 15 slim, could I do anything about a collar that is too large or not really?

If anyone is interested in any (Pink full spread, navy spread, white italian collar, and white chambray casual shirt) please reach out or I will have to return/exchange if possible

 

[DonRaphael]

VBC MTO SC. Overcoat season is indeed upon us.

Spoiler: Details

 

[emiratiAL]

For any Balmacaan devotees out there I've had confirmation from S&M that there will be no Balmacaan offerings this Autumn / Winter unfortunately.

Regarding the coat discussion: someone said it earlier, but I like the idea that everyone has a proportional sweet spot, which is effectively an extension of finding a fit that suits and flatters you.

My personal opinion is that the more dramatic the style, then the less the margin for error is, otherwise as someone else pointed out earlier it wreaks of film-noir cosplay.

Fitting needs to be perfect, materiality / colour / fit etc. of accompanying clothes need to be sympathetic to the coat and compliment it without overwhelming the overall look. The confidence (and physical frame) to pull it off is probably the key criteria! Perhaps I'm overthinking this, but a lot of elements have to come together for the coat to work.

Personally I love the camel ulster coat and it was one of the new pieces that caught my eye, but it errs a little too far to the dramatic for me. Everything about it is that little bit oversized IMO, particularly the collar. The regular double breasted overcoat is my personal sweet spot.

 

[Hudson]

VBC MTO SC
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Spoiler: Details

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What is that fabric?