Australian Members

How do you separate silhouette from fit?

I coudn't agree more about silhouette. I have been wearing suits for about a billion years and it is only in the last year or so that I realised why some coats just look BAD on me.

I have a shortish neck and roundish face. If I wear a coat with structured, fairly square shoulders it makes a ball and stick silhouette. Why could I not have worked this out earlier?

Anyway, enough of this. Silhouette is number one.

Originally Posted by __PG__

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How do you separate silhouette from fit?
Silhouette is bigger picture, what most people see from a (small) distance or what you would see in a shop window reflection. Silhouette is related to if pants are slim, or stacked /too long, or jacket waisted or too long. Fit is obviously a bit related but more micro and obvious up close and to those that are in the know or care or iGentish. Silhouette could be ok but fit might be a bit wide in shoulders, or even a touch long in sleeves or pants or jacket or a bit tight or loose over chest. Silhouette is partly the whole gestalt - how you+clothes look overall. Takes in head, hair, skin colour, height, gait, stance, body shape,environment, age, time of day, season, audience - in short everything iGentry ignores. edit: oh and silhouette trumps fit - fit trumps no 3 and so on

Originally Posted by 3ff3z8e

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Would appreciate any input for my first venture to the world of tailor made suits. Cheers peeps...
You've had good advice from the other posters. Don't blow big bucks on a single suit. Buy quality OTR on sale and have it altered as needed. You'll wear a single good suit to hell pretty quickly. Get two or three good-enoughs and enjoy the variety. In the meantime you'll get a better idea of what y ou really want. To explain silhouette -- it's really only a fancy word for shape. Take suit (a) unpadded shoulders, no darts in the front, not shaped close to the waist. Now suit (b) with strong shoulders and severely waisted. Two very different shapes. Two different silhouettes. OK, highly exaggerated and simplified but you get the idea. It's about finding an outline that flatters your body form. Now do not go and buy a Politix suit.

The way ABC radio's reporting it Rudd's a goner.

Your ASCII art didn't work!

Re : Politix... I tried on a few jackets in about August last year. My wife rolled her eyes and said forget it. After a crash course in suits (where I tried on basically every jacket in every suit shop in Melbourne) I went back to Politix and tried on one of their suits... in large or extra large?!?! ...

..the horror.... the horror

In any case..thanks to the wife. I have learnt much in the past year...and no I can buy suits 'solo'

At first I was the learner now I am the master....

PG,

you've sinned. You've confessed. You feel better.

You listened to the missus and it did you no harm.

Next time you might not be so lucky. Leave her at home when you shop.

Originally Posted by __PG__

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Your ASCII art didn't work!
Yeah poor guy trying to follow it thinking its him who is wrong

Originally Posted by __PG__

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Re : My wife rolled her eyes and said forget it. In any case..thanks to the wife. I have learnt much in the past year...and no I can buy suits 'solo'
wife is technically refered to in australian vernacular as "the handbrake" As in "I was looking at a pair of brown double monks and reaching for the plastic fantastic when the handbrake walked into the shoe shop and put the kibosh on that little caper"

Originally Posted by fxh

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My hierarchy is:

1. Silhouette matters most
   
2. Fit next
   
3. Colour
   
4. Quality of material
   
5. Tailoring quality
   
6. Individual touches - ticket pocket, cuffs, etc

Originally Posted by __PG__

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How do you separate silhouette from fit?

I think that the two are quite closely associated with each other.

However, the silhouette of a suit also has to do with the cut, as well as how well it fits you - an RL Black Label suit will have a bolder silhouette than a Borrelli suit, for example (wider, more padded shoulders with lower waist and so on) but both will be slim-fitting with quite high armholes and slim sleeves and trousers.

I agree with the posters who have suggested waiting a while to get a made-to-measure or bespoke suit. Before you get something like that done, you really need to know what you like, particularly if you are getting a proper, bespoke suit. A good bespoke experience involves teamwork between the client and the tailor - the tailor should feel free to give opinions or guidance to the client, but the client first needs to be able to tell the tailor what they want the tailor to do - do they want a slim-fitting suit? Do they want lightly-padded shoulders, or a more substantial shoulder? Do they want double-vents, a single vent or no vent? Do they want lots of waist suppression or do they want a more generous cut? Three buttons, two or one? Lapels rolling to the second button? Flat front trousers with a higher rise?

All of the above options involve personal preferences and until you have tried on a variety of suits and developed your own style, I would argue that having something made for you is probably going to be a waste of money. As others have said, you'd be far better off going to a few different stores, trying things on, buy a few suits, have them tailored to fit, wear them, find out what you like or dislike about them, and then think about having things made for you.

Originally Posted by __PG__

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I ordered my Loake Aldwych from Herring shoes on Monday. I'll let you know when they get here.

What sort of shoe trees did Pediwear throw in?

You have good taste Did you get the black or dark brown?

They look like this:

Originally Posted by Tarlee

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The way ABC radio's reporting it Rudd's a goner.

yeah. 1st female PM.

I got the Aldwych in black. It's my first pair of 'proper shoes' since I was 14 and dad bought me a pair of leather-soled brogue wingtip derbys for high school. I think they cost about $150 back in 1989!!

Re : the missus. She's my biggest fan and her own worst enemy. For years she tried to get me to 'dress smart' . I was happy to dress like a teenager. My idea of 'dressing up' was throwing on the cargos and trainers and going clubbing.

She'd bring me nice shirts from her work (i.e. Austen Brothers in luxury twill) and I'd sneer at her .. "What are you trying to do.... you want me to look like a merchant banker?"

Anyway..over the past 12 months I've had a renaissance and I've completely turned around. I've bought four Italian made fully canvased suits in seven months (three new, one 2nd hand). My wife was initially very happy and ecstatic...but now she's worried that I'm spending too much money on nice clothes and that I'm now out of control.

The lesson is : Be careful what you wish for!

Originally Posted by 3ff3z8e

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I'm also wondering if anyone has anything to say about rembrandt' MTM service. I was talking to the guys in Mid-city and they mentioned that the suits are made in NZ, and are also throwing in an extra pant for about $1200 to $1500.
I don't know about lately but not all that many years ago Rembrandt had the best range sportcoats around it oz - at almost any price point - and they were always reasonable price. I was speaking to the guy at http://www.ohenrymenswear.com.au/ and he does Rembrant MTM for around those same prices. Even though he specialises in big guys he will do it for all sizes. He knew his stuff and has been in the game for a long time and has a lot of experience. I'm sure he had Dormieul and Holland and Sherry books - although they might be a bit dearer than $1500. Its a 3 week turnaround i think. I'm always a bit bemused about two pairs of pants. I've never worn out a pair of pants in my life - they have always either gone out of fashion or fit after years - obviously some people are harder on their trousers than I am.

Originally Posted by __PG__

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Anyway..over the past 12 months I've had a renaissance and I've completely turned around. I've bought four Italian made fully canvased suits in seven months (three new, one 2nd hand). My wife was initially very happy and ecstatic...but now she's worried that I'm spending too much money on nice clothes and that I'm now out of control. The lesson is : Be careful what you wish for!
Oh dear Thats a new suit every 6 weeks. Like a convert to catholicism - worse than us born to it Still you can always lie and say to her you are using an online self help group for addicts - almost true. But before you can be cured you have to reach rock bottom and admit you are powerless! and you've a few more suits and shoes to go yet to reach hard core hopeless.

Originally Posted by fxh

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Oh dear

Thats a new suit every 6 weeks.

Like a convert to catholicism - worse than us born to it

Still you can always lie and say to her you are using an online self help group for addicts - almost true.

But before you can be cured you have to reach rock bottom and admit you are powerless! and you've a few more suits and shoes to go yet to reach hard core hopeless.

It sounds like he's moved from suits to shoes... oh dear