When the shoemaker Seiji McCarthy came to New York recently to take part in our pop-up, he brought with him a recent commission from Tailor Caid, the Japanese bespoke tailor run by Yuhei Yamamoto.
Yamamoto is a big enthusiast for mid-century American style, and from what I’ve seen produces a beautiful bespoke product. I’ve seen lovely tailoring he’s made for Mark Cho of The Armoury (where he conducts trunk shows) and several others.
The style has never been quite for me, mostly because of the higher fastening of the jackets and the straighter cut. Were I around in that period in the US, I imagine I’d have been an early adopter of the alternative: the new darted jackets and ‘continental’ look.
However, the jacket Seiji had had made really appealed to me, and I thought it was worth sharing on PS. Its heavier weight and more casual style also made it more of a coat substitute than a tailored jacket, which goes to a recent theme of mine as regards tailoring.
The jacket is a rugged, heavier version of a style Yamamoto calls his Newport jacket.
It’s double-breasted, with four buttons (4x2) and patch pockets. The two hip pockets are flapped, it has two vents, brass buttons and features his characteristic (very Ivy) edge stitching.
Seiji requested it to be made in a heavy-duty 550g (19oz) melton wool, and Yamamoto widened the lapels (more forties style) to better match Seiji’s preferred wide-legged trousers. It’s the kind of special make-up Yamamoto loves doing.
I think it really suited Seiji and how he dresses, which is Ivy-influenced but rarely formal. Here he’s wearing the Bryceland’s sweatshirt and Bryceland’s Army chinos in jelt denim, a PS watch cap and his own cordovan loafers.
It also functioned very well for him and what he does. Seiji doesn’t wear a jacket indoors much, but then he spends a lot of his time on his knees measuring feet, or doing manual labour on some combination of leather and wood. Tailoring rarely makes sense.
(Side point: this also makes him one of those people that has the most annoyingly and achingly well-faded workwear. It’s almost enough to make me want to take up a craft. If I wasn’t awful at it.)
But when did put the jacket on, Seiji looked great - dressed up and stylish. This was always outside of course, but could also be inside, when meeting a customer for the first time perhaps.
Seiji says: “I remember when I showed it to Ethan [Newton] he said: ‘Congratulations, you’ve had something made bespoke that doesn’t look like bespoke!’ But for me it’s perfect, it’s exactly what I needed and couldn’t find anywhere else.”
I think there will be quite a few PS readers who will identify with not wearing a jacket indoors all the time, but who would like the option and also like something that can become outwear (perhaps with the addition of a hat and scarf). This could be something unusual and naval, like Seiji’s jacket, but it could also be simply a heavier tailored jacket.
That’s how I’ve enjoyed wearing my double-breasted jacket from Assisi (above) over the winter. Its weight and size meant I could use it as outerwear with a sweater underneath, a scarf and a hat. But I could also wear it on its own as a jacket too.
When I travelled to Korea recently, it was a great piece to take because it could do double duty - a coat alternative on a mild day, but also a normal jacket on a cold one.
In the outfit above I’m wearing it with a grey Finest Crewneck and a large cashmere shawl from Begg - the combination of knit, DB tweed and big scarf around the neck was easily warm enough that day.
But below I’m wearing it with just a pink oxford shirt and black jeans, and had a raincoat with me over the top, so the tweed was functioning more as a jacket.
It’s funny Seiji mentioned Ethan, because the success of that tweed from Assisi has also prompted me to commission a navy blazer from them, partly inspired by Ethan’s jacket from tailor Anglofilo (below).
Ethan has frequently worn it when travelling to London, and it seems to have that same versatility (his is made from camelhair). Stylistically it also sits somewhere between a normal jacket and Seiji’s design, given it has the brass buttons and edge stitching.
I’m a little unsure about brass buttons myself, having had them on my bespoke pea coat and later removed them. So I’ve gone for normal horn buttons to start with but could always add them later.
(I actually have some lovely buttons that Gieves & Hawkes made for me for this travel blazer project with my college’s crest on them. They’ve been looking for a home since.)
What would I advise for a PS reader looking to commission something similar? It’s early days for me too, but it feels like the key is something in a jacket length but a heavier weight - perhaps between 15 and 20oz.
It helps if it’s double-breasted, for the casual style and for the warmth. My Solito jacket here is just as heavy, but misses something in being single breasted.
And I’d stay with a fairly classic colour, but use a material with a bit more texture. Tweed and melton certainly fall into that category, but so can camelhair or even cashmere if they have a bit more of that texture.
Let me know if you find yourself wearing any jacket of yours performing a similar function.
Details on any of the other clothes upon request. Just shout. Equally for all Tailor Caid details including prices. [email protected]. Apologies for the lack of a shot of Seiji's jacket closed. If I ever get one I'll add it!
