Given how much readers have liked the posts recently looking at Armoury trousers, and then the Bryceland’s range, I thought a post going through the Armoury’s tailoring would be interesting.
If anything this is more needed than the trousers piece. First because there are even more options to choose from - once you take in the different models under each brand, and without even going into bespoke.
And second because the range is just really good. I can’t think of another shop that has this variety of ready-made and made-to-order tailoring, all made at a high quality and in styles I would wear.
If I wasn’t so deep into bespoke I would have tried a piece by now - and I’d certainly try the made-to-measure from Ring Jacket if I happened to be there at the same time as a trunk show.
There are four brands, which I’ll cover in descending order of the size of the range.
The biggest is the Ring Jacket tailoring, all made exclusively for The Armoury in their cuts and cloths. (And so different from Ring Jacket you might find elsewhere.)
These go by model numbers: 3, 6, 1, 7 and 11. The letters A or B after each one refer to the trouser style, when it’s a suit rather than a jacket.
The first jacket a customer will likely be put in is the model 3 (above). This is in some ways the Armoury default style, and also the one that appeals to the greatest range of customers.
It is a very softly structured jacket, with only a lightweight chest canvas that extends into the shoulder, instead of padding. But it also has a slightly extended shoulder, a little drape in the chest, and a little wadding in the sleevehead.
Those last three things stop it looking too casual and Neapolitan, and suitable for a business suit as much as a casual jacket. There are some Liverano influences in there, as you’d expect, particularly the straight lapel and shoulder line.
Personally, I think it’s a great, subtle style. It’s soft yet smart, and flattering in the lapel and shoulder. I wouldn’t wear it with chinos or jeans, but it’s a versatile choice for any other kind of tailoring.
The jacket I’m wearing is a size 40, in a covert cloth from this past Autumn/Winter collection. It even fits pretty well, aside from some correction for my sloping shoulders and arm length.
The guy that’s less likely to want the model 3 is someone that wants a sharper, more structured jacket. Or someone bigger in the body, where perhaps the softness of the 3 won’t be so flattering.
This leads onto model 1 (above), which has padding rather than canvas in the shoulder and is slightly cleaner in the sleevehead too.
The difference is small - indeed the model 1 has become increasingly like the 3 over time. But this is still more likely to appeal to the guy wanting a straighter business suit or blazer.
These Armoury jackets are available RTW, by the way, and made to order. With the latter you can pick cloth and change things like the body length, sleeve length, and waist.
But made-to-measure requires a Ring Jacket trunk show, which take place in both New York and Hong Kong stores.
Model 6 (above) is the double-breasted version of model 3, so everything is the same except for the lapels, buttons etc.
The lapels I really like. They’re wide, with a very slight belly. The peak isn’t too high or too low.
The only thing I don’t particularly like is the pick stitching along the edge of the lapel, which is rather too prominent for me. It seems to cheapens it slightly.
Model 7 (above) is a travel-jacket or shirt-jacket version of model 3.
So again, same style details but here with no canvas in the body, and an unlined sleeve. Very lightweight and comfortable.
Finally, model 11 (you guessed it, above) is the latest creation, a more casual jacket modelled with some Ivy League styling.
So while the body shape is similar to the other jackets, the lapel is smaller and shorter and it rolls higher on the body.
The hip pockets have buttoned flaps and a bellows style, while the breast pocket has a tiny, very subtle point at the bottom. Which might be my favourite style detail of the whole range.
The Ivy influence is clearest in the machined seam around the lapels, where Italian-styled models have that hand stitching (or imitation of hand stitching).
The model 11 is probably least my personal style, but I was interested how much I like it, given it’s the kind of proportions (particularly the lapel) I would never pick for bespoke.
The Ring Jacket suits start at $1600 by the way, and the jackets $1200. Pretty good value for the quality of the work: all the handwork you’d expect in a high-end ready-made suit, like a hand-attached collar, lining etc.
The next level up in terms of handwork and price is Orazio Luciano (above). Ready-made there starts at $2800 for a suit, with made-to-measure at $3200.
This is a Neapolitan cut and style. Not too tight or short, but with the curved ‘barchetta’ breast pocket, curved and open fronts, and hand-swelled edges.
The extra handwork is largely decorative: hand-sewn buttonholes, hand-attached buttons, hand-attached lining. It is a nice make though - I like the fact the inbreast pocket uses the facing material rather than the lining even if is a separate piece.
The shoulder is very natural, not too narrow, and I have to say this tan corduroy is great, even though it’s rather pale. (There’s one left on the website, size 52.)
Liverano is next, which is a style most readers will be familiar with.
If anything though, I’d say the style of the RTW (above) is more extreme than the bespoke I’ve had. The gorge is lower, the lapel is short and convex, and the buttoning point is low.
That effect that a Liverano cut can have, of a strong upper torso without the use of padding, is even more in evidence here.
Given the price ($3800 for a suit) I’d be more likely to go for the model 3 if I was picking ready-to-wear.
You can see a good range of the current season's Armoury tailoring in their new lookbook, here.
Photography: Elliot Hammer
