In response to a couple of requests from readers, here is that photograph from the Asprey workrooms in colour.
Navy cashmere jacket from Solito. Dark-brown horn buttons that I bought myself from Weldon’s (Italians rarely have matte horn). One-button cuff – a rather old traditional style in Naples for sports jackets.
Denim shirt by Satriano Cinque. We’ve lengthened the collar slightly on my button-downs from Luca at Satriano, so that they both curve nicely around the jacket collar when unfastened, and around a tie when fastened. The Thomas Mason denim has pin dots, and is from a range designed to fade with washing. It’s not quite stone wash, but it’s a start.
Fresco trousers are my old Gieves & Hawkes ones cut by Kathryn Sargent when she was there. Still the perfect formal summer trouser. And sunglasses from Cutler & Gross.
That denim shirt looks fantastic. Is the colour accurate though? The lighting is making the jacket look green, rather than navy.
It’s a mid- to dark-blue, certainly no green tints. Most shirtmakers have the Thomas Mason bunches so have a look sometime
Hi Simon:
Very nice denim shirt!!
Have you worn Drake’s shirts before? I have try their shirts, it seems very good quality and fit. Their MTO is all finished in England.
Regards
Andy
Presuming you mean recent shirts, then yes it’s the Cleeve factory they recently acquired and have worked in some new designs for. The quality is good and the designs (more importantly for RTW) are great, with a slightly longer roll on the buttondowns and some lovely denim-look linens, among other things.
Simon
Nice outfit particularly the shirt. Can I ask two questions? Do you tend to favour button down shirts for casual wear? I hate to wear normal corners and especially spread collars without a tie.
Point two, I am heading back into the job market after several years and am confused about what to wear for an interview. I feel happiest in a traditional cut, dark navy two piece, plain shirt (white or blue) and a silk tie (I prefer Hermes to Drakes but it could be either) plus my trusty Lobbs polished to an inch of their lives and of course a linen hankie in the top pocket. I have attended interviews recently for senior management roles in industry (and not the arts but metal bending sort of stuff) where I was the only person in a tie in the room – and had one where I was the only person in a suit in the room. Have I missed some sort of boat?
Hey,
I usually prefer button-downs, yes. However, the difference is really the cut and lining of the collar. English spread collars tend to lie flat when undone, where Italians (with a thin, fused lining) will often curl around the collar like a b-down. It does take some trial and error with bespoke to get it perfect though.
On the interviews, dress varies hugely by industry, so it’s hard to judge. But from what you say, I would lose the pocket square (sad, but required – you don’t want your dress to stand out more than you) and if there’s a chance no one will be wearing a suit, lose the tie as well….
No pocket square to an interview – it looks like you’re trying too hard. May I suggest you wear a navy knitted silk tie and blue shirt? I find that combo works in any context…
I could have sworn your jacket was green Simon – lovely cut and cloth though.
Jacket definitely looks green.
And what’s wrong with a pocket square to an interview? I think trying too hard/showing poor taste would be arriving with a MATCHING tie and pocket square.
Poor taste, and trying too hard, for each
Sorry, just realised you said jacket not shirt. Jacket is navy, yes, it’s just the colour cast of the image
Addendum:
Simon, is that a new Solito jacket that you are yet to do a write up on?
Yep, Zegna cashmere, well spotted. Fuller post coming
Hi Simon
Regarding the sunglasses, are they the Cutler and Gross/Sunspel offering in a smoky grey colour ?
Looking forward to the post on the new Solito jacket.
It’s model 1008 in cinnamon brown: http://www.cutlerandgross.com/shop/Sunglasses/
Hello again Simon,
Are you commissioning more jackets than full suits these days?
Regarding interview attire, I agree with you that it varies for the type of job one is applying for. But there are other complications. I live in a ‘tech heavy’ area, meaning that t-shirt and jeans is fine 365 days of the year. Thus, when wearing a suit, you are always looked at as if you are auditioning for ‘Mad Men’ or something. I interviewed at a start-up and the CEO greeted me in Diesel jeans, cowboy boots, and a button down. I think he felt he looked stylish, compared to the rest of the staff. I was wearing a Huntsman suit and Purple Label Keaton spread, Kiton cashmere tie, Rubinacci pocket square. Did I feel overdressed? Slightly.
Hi Jerrell, yes certainly more jackets. Or suits that can be split up (cottons, linens etc)
I like the one button cuff. It’s exactly like the suit Vittorio De Sica wears in the opening scene of “It Started in Naples”, which is a great movie if you like the “traditional style in Naples for sports jackets”. (The suit he wears in the cafe scene is even more beautiful.)
Dear Simon,
I have a question about the expected life of dress pants. I have 4-5 pairs of black dress pants that I rotate and wear to work regularly (from purple label and Armani down to department store branded trousers, such as Nieman Marcus). I have them tailored by a good Russian seamstress. I hang them immediately (from the bottom with clip hangers so they fall full length) after removal. I typically go 3-5 days between wearing any one pair of pants.
My wife believes I am doing something wrong to make my pants wear out “too quickly”. I was having great trouble at one point from the mesh on my Aeron chair tearing up all of my pants, but I placed a pad on the seat about five years ago and that has stopped that issue.
The latest pair started getting quite thin in the crotch and eventually tore, but I have worn them at least 200 times. I am happy with that amount of use, but my wife has suggested that my expectations should be higher.
What do you think and do you have any thoughts on maximizing the life of dress pants.
Thank you.
Hey,
200 isn’t bad, but I’d imagine a lot of it has to do with the pants being made of too thin or fine a material. Generally, retailers have all pushed thinner and finer wools over the past 30 years because it is something extra to try and sell. But heavier wools will wear better and hang better. You can also wear much heavier fabrics on the legs than on the body, as there is less heat production
Simon and all those that posted regarding what to wear at an interview
I can’t do it! I would like to think I can but I can’t. Not wearing a tie to work – and not in these techie type areas where I understand anything goes – just wouldn’t work for me. I would feel uncomfortable and so not present as well. I think I am too old (58) to change my ways and while cut and colour I can see changing I just don’t want to look like a 12 year old after school. I have never seen a suit/shirt no tie combo that I thought wouldn’t look better with a nice bit of printed silk under the top button. I remember you wrote about pocket squares and how they could take over from ties in some instance – so would no tie with a dramatic hankie in the top pocket be OK? Gosh this was a lot easier 20 years ago!
Good idea for an article Simon, how to dress for an interview.
There is really only one rule for an interview: the interviewer should not notice your clothes. It is about being appropriate, and little else (a good rule for weddings too – it is not about you, it is about the bride. Dress with consideration and propriety). At an interview you should appear professional and suited to the possible job.
Sorry, and yes generally a pocket hank can be some kind of substitute for a tie, but I would advise against it in an interview. Too few people wear them consistently in a professional environment
I hope I don’t come across as patronising, but I see nothing wrong with a man in his 50s dressing smartly for an interview with a tie and subtle pocket square (key word is subtle of course, small overflow, preferably white).
Worse would be to take a “mutton dressed as lamb” approach (again, forgive me for using a shorthand expression) and try to dress like them in cowboy boots and some band t shirt. They know your age and experience, why try to ‘hide’ it or be something you’re not?
I think even if they feel you are “overdressed” for the interview, surely all reasonable men will understand that you are dressing to impress on the day and forgive you for erring on the side of caution, sticking to what has always been interview protocol in Britan (suit and tie).
Until you work in a place, you are never going to be 100% certain WHAT the dress code truly is, so better to err on the side of caution and dress your best. Then, when you get the job, you email HR or your new boss and ask what is standard dress code and then adapt your style to it.
Good luck!
Love the denim shirt and looking forward to seeing how it ages.
As for interview attire, if it’s in the tech industry, you could always go for the “California tuxedo” and pair a navy blue cotton blazer with tan chinos. Not the most imaginative outfit but, provided both elements fit well, you can still look polished without appearing stuffy (which, lamentably, is how you risk being perceived if you turn up to a casual office in a full suit and tie.) A knit silk tie or a wool blend pocket square can add a touch of style and a great pair of brogues or monk straps (or loafers if you’re American) will finish the look off.