By Manish Puri.
There’s an aversion to hyperbole here at Permanent Style. So, when I say that, having visited Bangkok earlier this year, I think The Decorum might just be the most exciting menswear retail hub in the world right now, it’s not a statement made lightly.
Just take a look at the list of brands their customers have been able to directly engage with over the past several months: Edward Green, Husband’s Paris, Bode, Bryceland’s, Minezo, Assisi, J. Mueser and Permanent Style, to name a few.
Given the success of their trunk show programme, it’s easy to view The Decorum as solely a marketplace for other brands, and overlook their in-house label, The Decorum Continuum - which is now in its second season of collaborating with Yasuto Kamoshita (below). That oversight, while understandable, would be a shame.
In London this week, The Decorum will be presenting and selling their Kamoshita Spring/Summer collection at a trunk show hosted by Trunk Clothiers in London (3rd - 5th July).
The choice of venue feels like a homecoming of sorts, given Trunk was one of the few places in the UK where you could buy the Camoshita United Arrows brand before it ceased wholesale distribution in Europe.
As Mats Klingberg of Trunk told me, “It’s refreshing and lovely to have [Kamoshita’s clothing] back in the shop.” On The Decorum he added, “I’ve been going to Bangkok for many years, and tourists don’t often get to appreciate the amazing retail scene, so it’ll be nice for our customers to see a different side of the city”.
Having tried some of the Kamoshita collection in Thailand myself, I thought it would be helpful to offer my take on the pieces for our London readers, ahead of The Decorum’s trunk show. For anyone that can’t attend in person, you can buy these items online. The prices shown in the article are for the trunk show, which may differ slightly from those online.
The collection is surprisingly broad with over 40 pieces including zip jackets, terry polos, Hawaiian shirts, popovers, boat neck t-shirts and scarves. However, for this article, I’ve focused on the more tailored items. Although across the collection, there is a consistent emphasis on soft, tactile cloth in a mix of muted and classic colours.
I’ve found most items to be true-to-size, which in my case is medium/size 50. Understandably, the clothes are aimed at the Asian market, which means the biggest sizes top out at XL and 52. I’ve spoken to Guy at Decorum and they’re planning on expanding the size range over time, using feedback from events such as this trunk show to guide them - so do let them know if you’d like to see something in a bigger size.
There’s always a healthy level of reader discussion whenever we post about jacket-alternatives. Given that appetite, the first piece I’d highlight is the Stand Collar Jacket (£400) - an Asian-inspired style I’ve been increasingly drawn to since my trip to Thailand.
It’s a clean look that offers the suggestion of a popped collar without looking too vampiric. And, while I think the more common point collar chore coat is more versatile, this is a lovely alternative.
The jacket is made from a 50% linen and 50% ramie blend which gives it a dry, subtly gauze-like finish which softens with wear.
The fit of the medium is absolutely perfect on me…almost too perfect. To the extent that it could be confused for a shirt - nothing that sizing up for extra slouch won’t resolve, of course.
That said, I think wearing it as if it were a shirt - almost fully buttoned - is also a nice way to style it, as you can see on Guy in the white jacket (above).
Readers looking for something a little less minimalist might want to try the Mandarin overshirt (£440), which is the same fit as the Stand jacket but made from check-patterned cloth and finished with a Chinese frog closure.
The Retro 50s Shacket (£400, above) will be of particular interest to those readers who (like me) coveted the vintage ‘Ricky’ jacket worn by Simon at Pitti two summers ago. As mentioned in his article, these types of jackets are often reproduced, and there was even an aborted attempt to create a PS model - we just couldn’t find the right cloth.
So, you’ll be happy to hear that I think The Decorum version is the closest (and best) one I’ve seen since. The colour (lavender) is good, slightly more silvery than Simon’s - which I think makes it less Cali-summer-day and more Cali-summer-night.
The cloth is fascinating; it has a silkiness and lustre to it that you’d associate with rayon, but it’s actually a linen-cotton blend woven into a dense satin and finished with a thin resin to enhance the softness. It’s a terrific choice, and feels cooler to wear than rayon.
The Shacket is described as cropped, and the size 50 has a back length of 68cm. While that’s not long, it’s also not short by vintage standards. By comparison, Simon’s ‘Ricky’ jacket is 61cm, and the similarly proportioned Adret Jack bomber is 64cm.
The Shacket’s extra length isn’t an issue per se, but it’s worth knowing in case you were expecting it to finish at the hips. The Shacket is also one of the few items in the Decorum collection where I think I could possibly size down to a 48, which would shorten it by an inch (or 2.5cm).
The only detail I’m not entirely sold on is the elasticated hem, which doesn’t have quite enough tension to cinch the jacket into the waist when buttoned up.
Again, this isn’t an issue necessarily, but without the functional benefit of the elastic my preference would have been for a cleaner finish to the hem.
That reservation aside, it’s a lovely jacket for smartening up a casual look. For readers unsure about the colour, have a look at my article on wearing pink. If you remain unconvinced, it’s also available in a less bold steely mid-grey or navy.
That blend of grey and blue is also a feature of my favourite item in the collection - the double breasted jacket (£820) in a 4 x 1 configuration.
Once again, the cloth is a lightweight Japanese linen-cotton mix, with a soft matte finish that’s fooled more than one person into thinking it was Art du Lin whenever I’ve worn it.
It’s impossible to try these garments without imagining how Kamoshita-san might wear them, and here (even though it’s not my natural instinct) I think the soft construction of the DB and the low button point works really well with a t-shirt - knitted or otherwise. In the photo above, the cobalt blue jacket is worn with a white/grey boat neck Breton tee (£120).
However, the mix of blue and grey in the dark grey colourway is so striking and chic that I think the jacket also works really well in a formal setting.
At the recent summer Pitti, I was invited to a party with that most dreaded of dress codes: black-tie creative. I took a punt and paired this jacket with the black trousers from my La Bowtique MTM suit, and (as you can clearly see on my face above) was delighted with the resulting combination.
The size 50 is a superb fit for me. The only alteration I’ve made (or, more accurately, begged my ever-patient girlfriend to make) was to shorten the sleeves by 6cm - which didn’t prove too difficult as the jacket comes without any buttonholes, so you can adjust the length from the cuff and then add buttons and holes as preferred.
I liked the DB so much that I wanted to get the matching trousers in the classic cut (£270, above), which seems quite typical of the style Kamoshita-san usually wears: mid-rise, straight through the hips and then a slight taper to the calf.
The size 50 fit me just fine, and will probably be great for a lot of readers, but they were a touch too slim for my current tastes.
In days gone by, hellbent on the need to have the full suit, I would have bought them regardless, felt a bit uncomfortable whenever I wore them, and then berated myself for knowing better. The fact that I tried them and decided they weren’t for me is growth, ladies and gentlemen.
However, before you’re overwhelmed with sympathy for my shattered dreams, I should add that I also tried the wide trousers (£280) and loved them. There are some nice colour options available (including the seersucker, above), and I got a pair in navy.
Made from the same 50% linen and 50% ramie blend as the stand jacket, they’re exactly the sort of trousers I’d suggest to a reader when they ask: How can I wear navy trousers?
The fit of the size 50 was perfect, with (crucially for me) enough room in the fork to make them very comfortable. The only alteration I’ve had to make was to finish the hem, which (to give you an indication of width) has a leg opening of 24.5cm compared to the classic’s 21cm.
I’ve worn my navy trousers casually with a T-shirt, with minimal discomfort in the sweltering Florentine heat. And, I’ve also paired them with the dark grey DB jacket (above) to create a tonal look that I think epitomises what modern tailoring, and this collection, is all about: relaxed, easy and elegant.
Manish is @the_daily_mirror on Instagram
The Decorum trunk show will be held on Thursday, 3rd July - Saturday, 5th July at Trunk Clothiers, 8 Chiltern Street, London W1U 7PU.
Photo on stairs courtesy of Su Shan Leong. Photo below courtesy of Chase Winfrey.
