whnay.'s good taste thread

[RDiaz]

Alright...about to really n00b up this thread....but...what exactly are city accessories?

Well, they're what you could call "formal". As per Vox's guide to coherent combinations: shirts are white, plain light blue or blue and white stripes; neckties are solid grenadines or other textured woven silks, wedding tie patterns in silk, silk prints with discreet non-repeating figurative patterns, or diagonally striped ties (unless you're British) without too much of a sheen; hanks are fine white linen. This doesn't mean you have to stick 100% to that stuff with a city suit, but it works best.

It all would work with a flannel suit if you don't rusticate it too much (i.e. patch pockets). If you decide to get flap pockets instead, then the suit could maybe work with both city and country accesories. Don't take it as a hard set of rules, but rather as a fairly safe way of doing things right.

 

[timotune]

I would disagree. For me pp on a suit do not necessarily take away its "professinalism"

 

[in stitches]



Getting a gray suit in non-worsted wool made. Are patch pockets on a suit in good taste, or should they be reserved for odd jackets only?

Also, Stitchy, that fit is very slimming. If I could thumb you I'd thumb you good for that picture (unfortunately, I've thumbed too many people today).

i think they can be fine. look around the forum for examples, mainly PG, so you have an idea of what looks good.


and thanks!

 

[Claghorn]

i think they can be fine. look around the forum for examples, mainly PG, so you have an idea of what looks good.

I see them a lot on SC's but rarely on suits. Victor has a ton (actually the reason I'm thinking about it).

Looked up PG...found a few threads but no pictures...mostly very weird arguments about Foo or Vox or some such...which is confusing because I was trying to find out about PG. Also something about mystery tailors. I came to the conclusion that SF was a very strange place in 2008-2009.

I'll look around for more examples.

TT, while that jacket does look less formal because of the PP, it also looks awesome (and like it would work in most business contexts).

 

[timotune]

check the archive on his blog, back from 2011.

mostexerent.tumblr.com/archive

 

[edmorel]

Patch pockets should be only in the realm of sportcoats or very country-ish fabrics on suits. Patch pockets on worsted is a no-no and I would stay away from 3 patch and just do 2 patch. Patch pockets are inherently more casual than flap/welt and 3 patch on a suit should be for very casual suits only. You'll see talk of a "blazersuit" if you search and its basically Manton's invention of a 3 patch navy suit in a fresco fabric so as to have the jacket available to wear as a sportcoat but I am of the belief that it would look better with a chest welt pocket rather than a patch.

 

[sugarbutch]

Certainly can't go wrong with Ed's advice above, but Wongolini was rocking the hell out of those three-patch suits.

 

[Claghorn]

I think I was thinking of a 2 patch. The chest pocket would just be normal with the side pockets being patches. Though that might be weird as most (if not all) the jackets I've seen are 3 patch.

 

[RDiaz]

Is PG's suit above really worsted? It looks like cotton to me, patch pockets would be OK on that and it's casually accesorized as well...
Claghorn, there's nothing wrong with 3 patch pockets on a flannel suit, but remember that no matter if it has 2 or 3 of them, that feature will turn the suit into a casual suit, and you should pair it with casual stuff as well.

 

[timotune]



Is PG's suit above really worsted? It looks like cotton to me, patch pockets would be OK on that and it's casually accesorized as well...

Looks worsted too me. And I fully understand your point: It is not a really "conservative" suit. I really like this style, though. From the pics I have seen to date, Clag does not work in a super-conservative environment, so he could pull of the the 3 pp suit + the jacket can be worn as a seperate with different pants (or pents, if you have time & nerves).

 

[RDiaz]

Yeah, I wasn't saying a casual suit is wrong for him; just that he should accesorize it accordingly, just like PG does. It would look great with his wool ties

I would, however, not wear a gray flannel suit coat as an odd jacket, even if it has patch pockets; specially if it's worsted flannel. Blue would be a different story.

 

[timotune]



Yeah, I wasn't saying a casual suit is wrong for him; just that he should accesorize it accordingly, just like PG does. It would look great with his wool ties

I would, however, not wear a gray flannel suit coat as an odd jacket, even if it has patch pockets; specially if it's worsted flannel. Blue would be a different story.

100% agree

 

[forex]



Patch pockets should be only in the realm of sportcoats or very country-ish fabrics on suits. Patch pockets on worsted is a no-no and I would stay away from 3 patch and just do 2 patch. Patch pockets are inherently more casual than flap/welt and 3 patch on a suit should be for very casual suits only. You'll see talk of a "blazersuit" if you search and its basically Manton's invention of a 3 patch navy suit in a fresco fabric so as to have the jacket available to wear as a sportcoat but I am of the belief that it would look better with a chest welt pocket rather than a patch.

But you did have a few 3 patch pocket sport coats made up in very loud patterns from what I can remember

 

[edmorel]



But you did have a few 3 patch pocket sport coats made up in very loud patterns from what I can remember

I thin I have about 4 that way, I'd probably redo 2 of them to 2 patch if I could and going foward, any odd jackets I get will be 2 patch.

One of the things that I hope people get out of all this talk we do here is that nothing is really absolute. I think the best purpose/use of this forum is twofold, to read all the talk of "rules" and whats right/wrong so that you have an understanding of why a tux with patch pockets is wrong and secondly, to see pics of various outfits/cuts etc to get ideas of what may or may not work for you. At the end of the day, given each person's circumstances and needs, they should wear both what they like and what works for them. There is nothing inherently wrong with wearing a 3 patch windowpane worsted suit as long as you have the flair and understand that its inappropriate to wear it to the job interview at IBM/funeral etc.

 

[poorsod]

For gray flannel, I prefer 3 piece SB or 2 piece DB with flap pockets. I think the gray flannel suit is best as a blank canvas to which you have many options so accessorize.