The Official-ish DC Thread

[OldTown]

Seems odd to have peak foliage this week when it's like high 70's and low 80's. Doesn't seem like fall yet.

 

[Kangnamstyles]

Seems odd to have peak foliage this week when it's like high 70's and low 80's. Doesn't seem like fall yet.

Depends where you are and the altitude.

nova and dc will get peak closer to Halloween. I’m saving meadowlark gardens for this weekend and the arboretum the week after.

 

[Soppiantare]

I take all my clothing that needs to be tailored to Christopher Kim. He's very good and less expensive than Field, but definitely not cheap. He's much more conveniently located (near Farragut North metro) and turns around work more quickly, which is why I moved my business to him from Field.

As @Ambulance Chaser just mentioned Christopher Kim is excellent. I've used Geoffrey Lewis for over 10 years and they are simply outstanding. 15th & H downtown.

Home

Custom Suits & Bespoke Tailoring

geoffreylewisltd.com

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll give both of these places a call tomorrow

 

[Joffrey]

Just arranged for a visit to Hemrajani next week. Will focus on fall/winter weight casual shirts and maybe some linens for summer. Any suggestions for colors? I'm pretty well covered with blues and reds for fall/winter. A green check is on my agenda but other suggestions would be welcome.

 

[OldTown]

Just arranged for a visit to Hemrajani next week. Will focus on fall/winter weight casual shirts and maybe some linens for summer. Any suggestions for colors? I'm pretty well covered with blues and reds for fall/winter. A green check is on my agenda but other suggestions would be welcome.

Brown

 

[plyonsla]

Front looks decent overall from a fit perspective. The chest is bowing out some which probably implies that the jacket is a bit tight. Back is not good at all. Looks much too tight. Perhaps letting out the jacket in the waist will make it better. Sleeves don't look great. In general, tailoring should fit cleanly. You shouldn't see major ripples.

If I were you, I would try to get the back cleaned up to make it wearable. I don't see anything from a style or fit perspective to make me think highly of the makers of this suit. I wouldn't go back to them if I were you.

Thank you for your feedback. I’m a newbie with learning what to look for in a quality suit. What are some of the flaws you see in this one? I think the shoulder looks cheaply constructed—has no padding at all and attachment to sleeve has no roll, sleeve button placement is way too high, buttonholes are machine sewn. Its a VBC Super 110s fabric, so material is decent.

 

[TheShetlandSweater]

Thank you for your feedback. I’m a newbie with learning what to look for in a quality suit. What are some of the flaws you see in this one? I think the shoulder looks cheaply constructed—has no padding at all and attachment to sleeve has no roll, sleeve button placement is way too high, buttonholes are machine sewn. Its a VBC Super 110s fabric, so material is decent.

Suits can fit a number of different ways. A lot of things are stylistic. For example: how much shoulder padding there is, how high up the notch in the lapel is, how high up the buttoning point is, how long the jacket is, etc. You don't have complete freedom with these things, but there is a range of possibilities that can look good.

In general, though, regardless of the style you want things to fit cleanly--you shouldn't see ripples and the jacket should be comfortable and reasonably roomy throughout. Look at all the ripples on the back of your jacket and one the sleeves, especially the back of the sleeves. This is indicative of a poor fit. I think this video gives a good overview of just how roomy good, flattering tailoring can be. I think many people think things should be overly tight, but this isn't the case. Tighter clothes are rarely more flattering.

With regards to some other things you mention:

-Machine sewn buttonholes are fine. I don't really worry about such things. Hand sewn is nice for the craftsmanship, but I don't think it makes much of an aesthetic difference.

-Many shoulders aren't padded. This is a stylistic thing.

-I don't know what you mean when you say the sleeve has no roll.

I can't really summarize what all makes a suit nice in a short post. You can read plenty about such things on websites like Permanent Style; Die, Workwear; and Put This On. A lot is about training your eye. If you're in DC, try on some jackets at Mashburn, Paul Stuart, WM Fox, etc. to get a feel for how different styles and fits look on you. Try on jackets in a few sizes. Read Permanent Style and see how different tailoring styles differ from each other. Mark Cho of the Armoury has had some good videos recently on these things. I also find that many of these points are clearer in video than in photos. The Armoury's Instagram account is also a good resource for seeing how things can and should fit. Several more points.

-With jackets, I think the two most common problems are jackets that are too tight and jackets that are too short. I talked about tightness above. With regards to length, the jacket should cover your butt.

-I tend not to pay much attention to fine handwork. It doesn't do much for me. I like to focus on things that are more aesthetically noticeable. Perhaps your preferences aren't the same as mine, but I think you should focus on those aspects of clothing that bring you joy.

-I think some people get obsessive with fit. Perhaps I am just an easy fit, but I find that plenty of RTW works well enough for me. I am sure a bespoke tailor could do better, but I find RTW can be good enough. I particularly like the Armoury's model 3 (and model 6 for suits) and Orazio Luciano. They fit me well and I like the style of these jackets, even though they are a bit different from each other. (At a cheaper price point, many people on this forum like Spier and MacKay's Neopolitan fit. I have no experience with their stuff, but it does look very nice for the price.)

-I think fabric is underrated. Nice fabric can be very satisfying. By nice, I don't necessarily mean fine, luxurious, or expensive, just aesthetically appealing and tactile. My favorite jacket is a grey herringbone Harris Tweed in a 16-17oz weight. It is nothing complicated or out there, but it has a nice heft to it and a nice appearance that I find satisfying. (I think heavier fabrics also work well with Neapolitan tailoring.) You want the fabric to speak to you.

-Pay attention to style. Fit matters a lot, but so does style. For example, I would never wear a structured British jacket. Such jackets can look wonderful, but (1) I don't think they are particularly flattering on me, (2) they are much too formal for my lifestyle, and (3) they don't accord well with my personality.

-In general, these are the main things I pay attention to. (1) Does the jacket fit sufficiently well? (2) Is the jacket flattering to my body? (3) Do I like the style of the jacket (e.g. the softness of the shoulders, the lapel width, etc.)? (4) Do I like the cloth? (5) Does the jacket fit in with the rest of my wardrobe? (6) Is the construction sufficiently good?

I could keep going on, but hopefully you find this helpful as a jumping off point.

 

[jonathanS]

My firm's dress attire is basically business casual for everyday wear. But everyone keeps a few suit outfits in their office to throw on if meeting with a client or going to court. I got two pairs of trousers for each of these two suits so my plan was to wear the trousers in rotation everyday with a white or blue shirt. That way, I can throw a tie on and corresponding suit jacket in my office and I'm good to go.

I'm caught between getting a Zegna or Canali suit or going true bespoke. I likely will fit a RTW suit pretty well (with tailoring) because I fit OTR stuff fairly well generally. But getting an incredible bespoke suit from Chris Despos in Chicago or a NYC option sounds great as well. I'm guessing the main difference is price--Zegna or Canali seem to be around $2k and up whereas true bespoke runs $4k and up.

Here are some pictures of me wearing my Brimble & Clark suit. Interested in any views on the fit.
[/QUOTE]
Can you get a refund?

 

[smittycl]

Just arranged for a visit to Hemrajani next week. Will focus on fall/winter weight casual shirts and maybe some linens for summer. Any suggestions for colors? I'm pretty well covered with blues and reds for fall/winter. A green check is on my agenda but other suggestions would be welcome.

For winter: plaid cotton/cashmere blends are excellent. Great layer or slightly thick enough to be an over shirt when it’s not too cold. A good thick wool glen plaid shirt is a staple as well. I’ll miss being able to get those at Brooks.

For summer: I picked up several of the Japanese linen shirts from Drake’s this last summer and loved them. Yellow, orange, and pink. All bright but not neon highlighter-bright. The colors worked great for the summer.

 

[plyonsla]

Here are some pictures of me wearing my Brimble & Clark suit. Interested in any views on the fit.

Can you get a refund?
[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately no. I could possibly get alterations done free of charge.

 

[plyonsla]

Suits can fit a number of different ways. A lot of things are stylistic. For example: how much shoulder padding there is, how high up the notch in the lapel is, how high up the buttoning point is, how long the jacket is, etc. You don't have complete freedom with these things, but there is a range of possibilities that can look good.

In general, though, regardless of the style you want things to fit cleanly--you shouldn't see ripples and the jacket should be comfortable and reasonably roomy throughout. Look at all the ripples on the back of your jacket and one the sleeves, especially the back of the sleeves. This is indicative of a poor fit. I think this video gives a good overview of just how roomy good, flattering tailoring can be. I think many people think things should be overly tight, but this isn't the case. Tighter clothes are rarely more flattering.

With regards to some other things you mention:

-Machine sewn buttonholes are fine. I don't really worry about such things. Hand sewn is nice for the craftsmanship, but I don't think it makes much of an aesthetic difference.

-Many shoulders aren't padded. This is a stylistic thing.

-I don't know what you mean when you say the sleeve has no roll.

I can't really summarize what all makes a suit nice in a short post. You can read plenty about such things on websites like Permanent Style; Die, Workwear; and Put This On. A lot is about training your eye. If you're in DC, try on some jackets at Mashburn, Paul Stuart, WM Fox, etc. to get a feel for how different styles and fits look on you. Try on jackets in a few sizes. Read Permanent Style and see how different tailoring styles differ from each other. Mark Cho of the Armoury has had some good videos recently on these things. I also find that many of these points are clearer in video than in photos. The Armoury's Instagram account is also a good resource for seeing how things can and should fit. Several more points.

-With jackets, I think the two most common problems are jackets that are too tight and jackets that are too short. I talked about tightness above. With regards to length, the jacket should cover your butt.

-I tend not to pay much attention to fine handwork. It doesn't do much for me. I like to focus on things that are more aesthetically noticeable. Perhaps your preferences aren't the same as mine, but I think you should focus on those aspects of clothing that bring you joy.

-I think some people get obsessive with fit. Perhaps I am just an easy fit, but I find that plenty of RTW works well enough for me. I am sure a bespoke tailor could do better, but I find RTW can be good enough. I particularly like the Armoury's model 3 (and model 6 for suits) and Orazio Luciano. They fit me well and I like the style of these jackets, even though they are a bit different from each other. (At a cheaper price point, many people on this forum like Spier and MacKay's Neopolitan fit. I have no experience with their stuff, but it does look very nice for the price.)

-I think fabric is underrated. Nice fabric can be very satisfying. By nice, I don't necessarily mean fine, luxurious, or expensive, just aesthetically appealing and tactile. My favorite jacket is a grey herringbone Harris Tweed in a 16-17oz weight. It is nothing complicated or out there, but it has a nice heft to it and a nice appearance that I find satisfying. (I think heavier fabrics also work well with Neapolitan tailoring.) You want the fabric to speak to you.

-Pay attention to style. Fit matters a lot, but so does style. For example, I would never wear a structured British jacket. Such jackets can look wonderful, but (1) I don't think they are particularly flattering on me, (2) they are much too formal for my lifestyle, and (3) they don't accord well with my personality.

-In general, these are the main things I pay attention to. (1) Does the jacket fit sufficiently well? (2) Is the jacket flattering to my body? (3) Do I like the style of the jacket (e.g. the softness of the shoulders, the lapel width, etc.)? (4) Do I like the cloth? (5) Does the jacket fit in with the rest of my wardrobe? (6) Is the construction sufficiently good?

I could keep going on, but hopefully you find this helpful as a jumping off point.

Thank you so much for such thorough feedback. I’m a big fan of the Gentleman’s Gazzette and will check out your other recommendations.

 

[smittycl]

Thank you so much for such thorough feedback. I’m a big fan of the Gentleman’s Gazzette and will check out your other recommendations.

You've mentioned Canali and Zegna few times. Why not visit the Canali store at City Center or Nordstrom/Nieman Marcus? Try on a few different sizes and see what works for you. they likely all stock the same few models from Canali. Would give you a baseline.

 

[lordsuperb]

Can you get a refund?

Unfortunately no. I could possibly get alterations done free of charge.
[/QUOTE]

The suit looks fine from the front. Maybe wear the jacket unbuttoned and the pulling in the back should be cleaned up.

 

[TheSuitBurnsBetter]

On the advice of many on this thread, I picked up my first knit tie, this green silk Polo from Ebay. Wasn't willing to commit too much money to something I wasn't sure I'd like (cost $30 pre-owned) but I think I love it?
Jacket is the trusty Ezra Paul hopsack, shirt is eHab Canclini check, trousers are Kiton cotton/cashmere.

 

[hpreston]

On the advice of many on this thread, I picked up my first knit tie, this green silk Polo from Ebay. Wasn't willing to commit too much money to something I wasn't sure I'd like (cost $30 pre-owned) but I think I love it?
Jacket is the trusty Ezra Paul hopsack, shirt is eHab Canclini check, trousers are Kiton cotton/cashmere.
View attachment 1481480

Looks great! My Navy knit tie is one of my most worn ties. Your green is a great color.

They are also great for travel (not that anyone is going on any business trips any time soon) but they work (at least for me) for most business occasions, and can take some beating while being packed.