Henry Poole double-breasted suit: Style Breakdown

Posted on by Simon Crompton
 

A nice thing about our Finest Tailors series is that, as we add more tailors to it, each becomes a reference for the next, making comparisons easier.

This Henry Poole suit, then, makes an interesting comparison to the Richard Anderson tuxedo we featured first.

Both are traditional Savile Row tailors, both are known for relatively straight, structured styles, and yet there are significant differences in the details.

[For background on the Finest Tailors series, and an explanation of some technical points used, see the introduction here.]


House: Henry Poole

Address: 15 Savile Row, London

Site: henrypoole.com

Cutter: Craig Featherstone

Price (at time of writing): £4810 (incl VAT; same as suit starting price)

 

Craig Featherstone cut me this double-breasted suit in 2011. We ran a nine-part series on the process, in fact, including coverage of the measuring, fitting, trouser making and coatmaking.

The cloth is a 10oz wool by Fox Brothers, woven exclusively for Henry Poole as its ‘Seafield check’ – referencing the first estate to adopt the pattern we now usually refer to as a glen check, and for whom Poole historically made for. It is distinctive for its fine burgundy overcheck.

I’ve been very pleased with the suit over the years, although the relative dandiness of the check, and the double-breasted style, have limited its use. A single-breasted would have been easier to combine with conservative accessories, and wear to the office.


I’m also still not sure on the four-button style.

I had seen it on a friend and thought it was a nice, subtle alternative to the normal 6×2 (six buttons, two of them fastening). And it was cut exactly the same as a 6×2, just with the top two buttons removed – so I could add those two buttons whenever I wanted.

Somehow over the years, however, I have remained slightly unsure of it and also not added those buttons.

It doesn’t help that I’m also still not quite sure on the grey horn they are made of.

This was intended to make it easier to wear the suit with both black shoes and brown, but they lack the texture of the brown horn I love so much.

Considering the suit afresh now, I might swap the grey for a nice variegated mid-brown horn, and then re-assess the top two buttons.


In terms of style, the suit is made in a very similar way to that Richard Anderson tux. But the cut gives it considerably more shape.

So there is a light shoulder pad (by English standards), a standard three-part canvas, and a little drape in the chest.

The shoulder of the Poole suit is cut rather wider, however: 6⅞  inches from the back neck, rather than 6.

This extended shoulder runs slightly beyond the natural end of my shoulder, and is accentuated by the use of a sleevehead roll to give a slightly roped effect at the top of the sleeve.

There is also more shape to the waist of the jacket – something particularly evident in the side-on view, below. You can see here how the jacket follows the shape of my lower back, curving inwards before running out over the seat.

The hips are also cut a little fuller, and the vents higher (10½ inches).

All this increases the effect of the ‘X’ shape that we talked about last time – the top and the bottom of that X are wider, and the middle narrower.


The position of the buttoning point also makes a difference. Although it is the same height here (20 inches) as the tuxedo, the jacket is a touch shorter (32 inches rather than 32¼), which means relatively, the buttoning is lower.

The bottom of the ‘X’ is shorter, making the top seem bigger.  

Of course, given this is a double-breasted jacket rather than a single, we cannot compare the opening of the quarters. And the longer, diagonal lapel of a double-breasted jacket adds visually to the effect.

But the rest of the cut – the most significant points – can be directly compared, and the flattering nature of those larger shoulders and close waist is clear.


The DB lapels, by the way, are pretty modest. They are 3⅞ inches wide, and seem narrower given the breadth of the shoulders.

They have a little belly at the bottom, but otherwise run up pretty straight to the shoulder. (A little belly is much more common on double-breasted lapels than single.)

It would be interesting to see the effect that wider, Italian or Milanese-style lapels would have on a cut like this.

(You can see a comparison of those DB styles in a previous post, here.)


The sleeve is pretty standard, tailored subtly and finishing in an 11⅜-inch cuff.

The jacket is made with a side body (a panel down the side of the jacket), unlike the tux but more standard for Savile Row.

Interestingly, the work inside is perhaps the least of the Row suits in this series.

In the original posts I noted that the collar was padded by machine, and the lining is machined to the facing of the jacket inside, where others do it by hand.

This is also one of the few suits with the in-breast pockets cut straight into the lining, rather than being supported by cloth running around them (shown below). Although a small point, this does mean they’re not quite as strong in the long term.


In the images, by the way, I think I have hiked up the trousers a little too far to try and show their lines. In reality they drop a little lower, just sitting on top of the shoes.

The accessories here are from the Anderson & Sheppard Haberdashery, and the shoes from Edward Green. I should have mentioned previously that they are sponsoring this series and therefore are providing these pieces throughout.

The Edward Green shoes are Berkeleys in black calf.

Next up will be Anderson & Sheppard. And there the proportions get wider again.


Style breakdown

  • Shoulder width: 6⅞  inches
  • Shoulder padding: Moderate
  • Sleevehead: Slight roping, pre-made sleevehead roll
  • Sleeve: Moderate, standard cuff
  • Lapel: 3⅞  inches (double breasted), slight belly but pretty straight
  • Gorge height: 3½  inches
  • Drape: Small
  • Outbreast pocket height: 10 inches (shoulder seam to bottom of pocket welt)
  • Buttoning point: Low, 20 inches from neck point
  • Waist suppression: Slim
  • Quarters: No opening (double breasted)
  • Length: 32 inches
  • Back seam: Suppressed
  • Vent height: 10 ½ inches
  • Trouser width at knee: 20½ inches
  • Trouser width at cuff: 17 inches

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

Video: How to wear a pocket handkerchief

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Video: How to wear a pocket handkerchief

Wednesday, June 6th 2018Tags:
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This was a nice opportunity to do a practical video, and express a forthright opinion.

Videos on folding pocket squares and handkerchiefs are normally so terrible. Guys in black suits using fiddly folds to wear yellow-satin hanks.

Hopefully this offers some balance. Stuff it, but do so methodically.

Thank you to everyone at Budd Shirtmakers for hosting us.

I am wearing:

  • Cashmere jacket from Richard James
  • Button-down shirt from Luca Avitabile
  • Cashmere vest from N.Peal
  • Handkerchiefs from Budd Shirtmakers

Eduardo de Simone (Edesim) – The factory and the future of MTM

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Eduardo de Simone (Edesim) – The factory and the future of MTM

Monday, June 4th 2018Tags:
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I always enjoy visiting factories, and seeing Eduardo de Simone’s tailoring factory last month outside Naples was no exception.

Indeed, it is right next to the first such tailoring factory I visited - Kiton back in 2011.

Such factories do start to blend into each other a little, however, and perhaps the most interesting thing was Eduardo’s fervent views on luxury made-to-measure as the future of tailoring. (He is pictured below.)

The Edesim factory (a compression of Eduardo de Simone - also Eduardo’s grandfather’s name) is unusual in having a small bespoke operation inside the factory (below).

This is not big business though. Eduardo describes it as the flower in his buttonhole, by which he means nice decoration, but nothing more.

He knows - given that he makes RTW, MTM and bespoke, the first two retail and wholesale - how little money there is in bespoke tailoring.

The hours involved, the travel required (certainly today), the risk of things going wrong, the lack of good design, the small number of people that will ever really appreciate the craft, and the lack of scalability. All these things make bespoke a difficult business.

Eduardo started his little sartoria just as a way to make bespoke suits for the bosses of the companies he made RTW for. 

For him the future is a merger between the bespoke and RTW: a suit with handwork that approaches bespoke (hand padding, hand-inserted armholes, hand finishing) with an MTM level of fit.

That removes the need for fittings, travel costs, and remaking the whole suit a couple of times. Still a great product, but at a much lower price.

Of course, MTM can fit very well.

The problem with MTM is usually the variation in quality. You could be fitted by a 22-year-old sales assistant with no experience, knowledge, or familiarity with the factory, or by a master pattern-maker who designed the whole system himself. The difference is huge.

High-level MTM is something Eduardo wants to do more under his own brand, and with the big and small brands the factory works for.

(Out of respect to him and the various brands, I won’t mention any here. It’s also not as important as people often assume - being made at a particular factory does not necessarily mean a certain level of quality.)

I do empathise with Eduardo’s view.

Personally I will always prefer bespoke, both for the level of fit and of make. But I completely understand why someone on a lower budget or lack of access to tailors would choose high-end MTM. And doesn't have that option at the moment. 

Eduardo’s history is also a reflection of the ups and downs of RTW and bespoke.

His great-grandfather was a tailor, who started his own house in 1896 near Caserta (black-and-white photo above). After a while he moved closer to Naples and expanded into a RTW workshop.

This got bigger and bigger over the years, passing to Eduardo’s father (the snapshot above), who made Edesim into a brand name.

The factory employed over 250 people by the time it hit financial problems in 2000 and had to close.

“Once you get to that size, you spend all your time chasing volume and margin,” remembers Eduardo. “It’s a horrible business - you always feels on the brink of going under with one bad order.”

Eduardo started up again in 2006 - with two seamstresses, his brother Marco and the Edesim name.

His aim is to make at the highest level of RTW, and as a result probably not get too big. He works for four big brands and a handful of smaller ones.

The Edesim line is no more than 5% of the business, and bespoke even less.

The quality of the RTW is good, with great pattern matching and finishing (eg Milanese buttonhole, above).

There is also a little cross-fertilisation between RTW and bespoke, with things like washed cotton jackets (below, usually not possible bespoke) being made in the factory on bespoke patterns.

But with Eduardo most of the influence goes the other way - with bespoke techniques being tried in the RTW, and perhaps leading to that high-level MTM that he thinks is the future.

I decided to try the bespoke service, rather than MTM, and will report on that later.

We managed a first fitting the next day in Naples, and will do a second in Florence, so hopefully the finished article won’t take too long.

It was striking talking to Eduardo again - at the fitting - how few people have his awareness of both bespoke and RTW fashion.

Most tailors know nothing about fashion, about trends in style or in business, while many brands don’t have a tailor’s knowledge of cloth.

It was a conversation about vintage cloth that led to me picking a W Bill cashmere in brown herringbone for my jacket - the bolt of which was sitting on the shelves, and I kept stroking compulsively.

Cashmere won't be a daily workhorse of a jacket, unlike some of the small-run tweeds we looked at, but it will feel lovely.  

-

Thank you, Eduardo, for your hospitality and impassioned conversation.   

 

 

Video: In conversation with Lorenzo

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Video: In conversation with Lorenzo

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Friday, June 1st 2018Tags:
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As promised a while back, here is some video coverage of the talk Lorenzo Cifonelli and I gave at Attire House in Hong Kong last month.

We cover a pretty broad range of topics, from how annoyed Lorenzo looks when he's doing fittings, to the various parameters you could rate a suit on.

I hope some good info comes through the waffle.

I am wearing my Dalcuore brown Crispaire suit, with a white D'Avino shirt, Rubinacci handkerchief and Hermes tie. Lorenzo is, of course, wearing Cifonelli

Introducing: The PS Shorts

Posted on by Simon Crompton

 

Today our long-awaited shorts (by me, anyway) go on sale. They are available in two styles: a clean, smart navy and a casual, garment-washed green.

Although some PS projects have been more involved, this has probably been the longest to completion, beginning three years ago when I finally found a pair of shorts I liked, while travelling in Italy.

 

 

In my view, most brands try to put too much style into the cut of their shorts.

They are either surprisingly tapered, which is rarely flattering and often uncomfortable, or they’re big and wide, a traditional cut but again not one which suits many men.

It’s hard enough to find shorts that fit, without resorting to styles that cling to big thighs or drown skinny ones.

The PS short is a nice halfway point. A relatively straight cut, tapering slightly from the waist and ending in 4cm turn-ups.

 

 

It’s details like those turn-ups – rather than the cut – that give the shorts their character.

Both styles have two reverse pleats and the turn-ups (or cuffs), while the navy has side adjusters, horn buttons and an extended waistband.

The turn-ups I like because they give a little width and strength to the leg, without trying to do that through the cut. They are also a nice sartorial detail, like the pleats.

 

 

I usually don’t wear pleats, but these are shallow, adding only a touch of fullness (helpful with a large seat, like mine) without making the top half bulky.

I’ve tried the shorts on a few friends, and it’s interesting how the pleats help fit a greater range of body shapes – something particularly helpful when buying online.

 

 

The two styles are made in the same mid-weight cotton, but the green is garment washed to give it a more casual look.

I find this means they can span a wide range of formalities, from a shirt and loafers to a T-shirt and trainers.

They’re shown above with a grey Friday Polo and canvas trainers, but also (at top, in Naples) with a denim button-down shirt and linen blouson. 

 

 

I wouldn’t wear either with a jacket, but the navy in particular can be pretty smart.

Above it is shown with a linen button-down shirt from D’Avino, a Luca Faloni cable-knit cashmere sweater and Edward Green tobacco-suede loafers. 

It might seem odd to show knitwear with shorts, but this is often what British summers are like – even on warm days, it can be cold in the morning and in the evening (as it has been the past two bank-holiday weekends).

I also find the navy works really well with knitwear-like polos, such as the Aspesi I featured recently.

I would usually wear the green style with a belt – certainly if the shirt or T-shirt were tucked in. I haven’t shown them here with a belt just so readers can see the design uninterrupted.

 

 

As well as the different style elements on the outside, the navy and green are finished differently inside.

The navy has a shirt-fabric apron around the inside of the waistband, as on tailored trousers, while the green has a self finish and interior pocket.

 

 

Both have a coin section inside the right-hand pocket and one rear pocket on the right, fastened with a button.

The shorts were made by Italian factory Rota, who readers will probably be familiar with and make for several other high-end brands.

The make is a good level for ready-to-wear, with great hardware, linings, buttons, and finishing. A machine make, but with a high level of precision.

 

 

The shorts are available in four sizes: small, medium, large and extra-large, equivalent to Italian sizes 46, 48, 50 and 52.

Do also remember that we offer free returns if the fit doesn’t work. Contact [email protected] to arrange a return or exchange.

 

 

Full measurements are below. As with other pieces, we recommend comparing these to something you already own to get the best idea of fit. I wear medium (48).

Size 46 48 50 52
Waist (circumference, cm) 81 85 89 94
Bottom (same) 52.5 54 55 56
Outside leg (without waistband) 48.5 49 49.5 50
Inside leg 25.5 25.5  25.5  25.5
Front rise 23 23.5 24 24.5
Back rise 36.7 37.7 38.7 39.7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In terms of alterations:

  • Both shorts can be taken in considerably at the waist, by 5cm (2 inches) at the most. It helps here that there is only one rear pocket, as large alterations won’t push two pockets oddly together. On the green shorts, such a reduction in the waist would also require the rear two belt loops to be taken off, and reduced to one, over the back seam.
  • The navy can also be taken out in the waist, by at least 3cm (1.25 inches) as there is considerable inlay there and running down the leg. However, the green cannot be taken out as this would leave lines around the old seam (as they are garment dyed and washed).
  • Both shorts can be shortened in length, at least by 5cm (2 inches). The bottom of the leg is obviously smaller than the thigh, but there isn’t much taper at the bottom. At the worst, the leg might need to be narrowed slightly as well. The green pair, however, would require the turn-up to be cut off and machined on higher up, as again there are fade lines at the top and bottom of the turn-up.
  • The navy short can be lengthened, by at least 2cm (0.75 inches) by either reducing the size of the turn-up or changing the way the turn-up is made (currently it is folded over, making three layers of material. The folded layer can be reduced.)

Other details:

  • The shorts are 100% cotton
  • They should be washed cool, at 30 degrees, and hung to dry before ironing.
  • Shipping is from the UK
  • Price (£175) does not not include VAT, as most PS customers live outside the EU. Taxes are added at checkout.
  • Available on the PS shop site here

 

 

I’m so excited to have these shorts on offer, given how much I love them and get out of them.

Do let me know if I’ve forgotten anything, or you have any questions.

Thanks

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

 

 

The Guide to Linen

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Linen has long been a favourite for tailoring intended for hot weather.

Its prime appeal is it’s cool to the touch (a lot more than wool, and a little more than cotton) because the fibre is a good conductor. Metal feels cool for the same reason.

Linen also tends to be quite breathable – but that’s down to the weave.

Because linen is a strong, relatively thick fibre it can be made in an open and therefore more breathable weave structure.

That’s also usually a plain weave, for the same reason. Plain weaves don’t have to be woven as densely as twills, for example, and are therefore more breathable.

 

 

The main reason people dislike linen is, of course, the wrinkling. This is because linen has no natural stretch (unlike wool).

The wrinkling does make linen less formal, but in an age when few men have to wear a smart suit to work, it can be a nice alternative for tailoring.

A navy linen jacket with a polo shirt underneath might be an effective way to dress up without looking too corporate.  

 

 

For some, a wrinkled linen suit also has a certain relaxed, dégagé elegance.

This might be because linen is a relatively long-staple fibre (certainly compared to cotton) and therefore continues to move and drape well, even when wrinkled.

That also makes it less likely to become misshapen (eg bag at the knees).

You could argue that after 4 or 5 wears, a linen suit will look better than some wools. Both will be wrinkled, but linen will wear it better.

 

 

If the wrinkled look is a big turn-off, a good alternative is to wear just a linen jacket, or just trousers.

A hopsack jacket is be a nice partner to linen trousers, and high-twist wool trousers (e.g. above) a partner to a linen jacket.

However it should be noted that, in general, wearing a linen jacket and trousers in different colours should be avoided. The similarity of texture looks odd.

Better, if you want the coolness of linen in both, is to have a jacket in a wool/silk/linen mix – a standard offering from Italian mills in jacketing bunches.

 

 

Pure linens tend to be one of two weights: either 10-13oz from Irish mills (e.g. above), or 8/9oz from European ones (e.g. the other tobacco suit, shown at top).

This is because historically Irish mills have spun their yarn a bit coarser (1/25 or 1/10Nm) than Italian mills (1/25 to 1/40). They also use a closer setting during weaving, making it denser.

Irish 12/13oz linen feels heavier and looks sharper. Although it will wrinkle, the wrinkles are larger and fewer (something you can see above, again). The 8/9oz linens feel a lot lighter, but tend to wrinkle consistently all over.

I tend to prefer Irish linens, certainly in a suit; and if I want a lighter weight jacket, I go for a wool/silk/linen mix.

Irish linens, by the way, sometimes have a sanforised finish, which makes a little stiff and shiny. This often washes out when the suit is cleaned.

 

 

Among linen’s other properties are that is highly absorbent, but moisture evaporates quickly (another plus for hot weather, and a similarity with wool); and that its smoothness means it doesn’t attract lint and so needs little brushing (unlike wool).  

Linen is also very strong, and deals well with abrasion (so won’t wear down at the elbows, for example). Signs of wear tend to come where the cloth is folded and the fibres crack, such as on the top of the collar.

Perhaps most importantly, linen fibres have natural imperfections along their length that show up as ‘slubs’ in the cloth.

It is this organic, irregular look that often makes people most passionate about it. The same people that like hairy tweeds in the winter tend to like the natural, slubby look of linen in the summer.

 

 

Linen will probably never quite escape its associations with red-faced colonials or the man from Del Monte. But there are a lot of ways to wear linen other than as a full, cream suit.

Natural colours such as tobacco, olive and dark green are often good, particularly in a tailored trouser in the summer. And off-white or biscuit (above) are nice alternatives to cream.

Navy can work well, but usually not as a formal suit – not as a replacement for worsted wool to the office.

Linen can be dyed pretty much any colour though, and according to the mills the trend at the moment is for plain, bright colours and pastels.

Personally, I’d suggest starting with some olive or biscuit-coloured trousers, and then moving up to a tobacco suit.

Wear it three or four times, and then revel in the wrinkles.

 

 

Photography: All Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man except: top suit image, Luke Carby; bright blue jacket, Drake’s; checked and yellow cloths, Rubinacci.

Richard Anderson tuxedo: Style breakdown

Posted on by Simon Crompton

This is the first in a series of articles looking back at suits I have had made by the world’s major tailors, and examining their style through a consistent set of parameters and images.
For background and context, see the introduction here.


House: Richard Anderson

Address: 13 Savile Row, London

Site: www.richardandersonltd.com

Cutter: Richard Anderson

Price (at time of writing): £7860 (incl VAT)

Suit starting price: £5904 (incl VAT)

 

Richard Anderson cut me this three-piece, peak-lapel tuxedo in 2014. I really enjoyed talking with Richard, and particularly Brian [Lishak] about the style aspects of the tux.

Although Richard’s output is always expanding, the atmosphere at 13 Savile Row remains cosy, with everything under Richard’s watchful eye.

It is more similar in some ways to the Italian houses that are organised around a single master cutter, than to the other houses on the Row.

For my tux I opted for a mohair/wool cloth, tempted by the sharpness of the mohair, and in black rather than the now more fashionable midnight blue.

I don’t regret the black, and the mohair has remained crisp, but in retrospect I think I might have enjoyed a pure wool more. Mohair doesn’t have the same drape or age as nicely.  


Richard, of course, was at Huntsman for a long time, at the end as head cutter, and his style is similar to their classic cut.

Compared to other English tailors, the style is perhaps best described as understated: straight up-and-down, without any exaggerated lines or sharp cutaways.

The shoulder, for example, is relatively narrow, finishing before the outer edge of the deltoid muscle.

The lapel is relatively narrow for a peak, at 3½ inches, and that peak fairly small. The gorge sits almost 5 inches from the shoulder seam, which average for Savile Row, but low by the standards of many contemporary suits.

The quarters (below the waist button) are quite closed, and the hips cut neat.

So Richard’s style is quite modest in that where another tailor might use some combination of extended shoulders, wide lapel and open quarters to create more of an ‘X’ shape across the body, he does not.

[For an illustration of the different parts of the jacket, and their tailoring terms, see the introduction to this series here.]


The jacket’s shoulder has a moderate-sized pad (for an English tailor) and finishes quite naturally at the sleevehead, running smoothly into the sleeve and down the arm.

Some tailors would try to create an impression of width here by using sleevehead roll (padding and often canvas) to lift up the top of the sleeve.

The jacket is quite long (one of the longest I have, at 32¼ inches) which is consistent with the Huntsman style.

The buttoning point is quite low on the body, but normal in proportion to that length.


Interestingly, the jacket has a little drape in the chest, although nothing approaching the tailors known for such drape, such as Anderson & Sheppard.

The lapel is cut quite straight, with a little ‘round’ towards the top. (Generally, ‘belly’ is used to refer to a fuller shape at the bottom of the lapel, ‘round’ to shape at the top.)

Both these things could be used to give an impression of fullness or roundness to the chest.


Elsewhere, not too much shape has been put through the back of the jacket.

I have quite a hollow lower back, and tailors vary as to how far they want to highlight it. Richard kept it relatively hidden, with the back seam quite straight.

The sleeve width is pretty standard, though the cuff is relatively narrow (11 inches). And the vent is a touch shorter than average (10 inches).


In terms of make, the buttonholes are slim and neat – fairly standard for good West End suits – and the grosgrain facing (on the lapels) has been put on by hand.

The work inside is also good and standard for the Row. Lining attached to the facings by hand, side seams in the lining by hand, centre seam by machine.

In the chest there will be a layer of body canvas running the length of the body, a layer of horsehair just at the top, and then domette over the top of that.


Jackets generally have two darts or cuts on either side at the front, to help create shape through the waist.

Which of those they are, however, and which one (or neither) extends below the pocket to the bottom edge, varies considerably between tailors.

Richard’s jacket has a front cut that runs all the way to the bottom (above – the line running through the pocket), and a dart behind it that runs from the armhole to the pocket.

This is a little unusual for Savile Row tailors, who are more likely to have a dart or cut at the front that ends at the pocket, and a cut behind that that runs all the way to the bottom edge (creating a ‘side body’ between that cut and the side seam).


As mentioned in the introduction to this series, I won’t comment on the style of the waistcoat (as there are hardly any to compare it to among my suits) and only mention the measurements of the trousers in the list below.

Overall, I’ve been pleased with how my tux has worn.

The only question mark for me is whether a more dramatic style might be more suited to evening wear.

That is very much a matter of taste, however, and others might see this modest, understated style as perfect for something that – at heart – is meant to be elegant and simple: an accompaniment to any female companion, rather than a rival for attention.


Style breakdown

  • Shoulder width: 6 inches
  • Shoulder padding: Moderate
  • Sleevehead: Natural, no sleevehead roll
  • Sleeve: Moderate, narrow cuff
  • Lapel: 3½ inches, straight
  • Gorge height: 4¾  inches
  • Drape: Small
  • Outbreast pocket height: 10 inches (shoulder seam to bottom of pocket welt)
  • Buttoning point: Low, 20 inches from neck point
  • Waist suppression: Moderate
  • Quarters: Relatively closed, straight
  • Length: 32¼ inches
  • Back seam: Quite straight
  • Vent height: 10 inches
  • Trouser width at knee: 19½ inches
  • Trouser width at cuff: 16½  inches


Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

Worn elsewhere:

  • Grosgrain bow tie and linen pocket square: Anderson & Sheppard
  • Black toe-cap oxford shoes: ‘Chelsea’ from Edward Green
  • Bespoke white silk shirt: D’Avino

The Tailor Styles series

Posted on by Simon Crompton
 


The reviews of bespoke suits I’ve written over the years haven’t always been the same.

Some included more on the experience (particularly when it was bad); some focused on the fit; others were more about style or make. Their length and depth also varied.

In order to produce a consistent, in-depth reference source, therefore, over the next few months I will be looking again at every suit I have had made by a major tailor.

Each will be re-photographed, in a studio with the same light, postures and angles.

I will comment on my experience, particularly in wearing it since I first received it, and the quality.

But the main focus will be the style: how the house cuts vary between each tailor and between each of the regional traditions. It is the aspect most readers ask about, and probably the one I have covered least in the past.


This first post will be used as an introduction and reference for the rest of the series. So here are some basic points on the methodology.

First, although some measurements will be taken and stated, there won’t be dozens of them. This is partly so that the pieces don’t become too numerical, and partly because measurements can sometimes be misleading.

For example, the shoulder width on a jacket depends both on how far that shoulder extends over the top of the arm, and on how far the collar is cut up on the neck. It varies at both ends. A smaller shoulder measurement doesn’t necessarily mean a narrower shoulder on the suit.

Second, while these posts will contain more style detail than anything covered in Permanent Style before, it is impossible to include everything.

We will select the points based on how important they are to the aesthetics and functionality of the suit, and on how much they vary between tailors.

So while we might mention a technical detail such as whether the jacket has a side body or not, we won’t go a level below that and start counting stitches per inch. It would be never ending.


Thirdly, the focus will be on the style of the jackets, rather than trousers or waistcoats.

Trouser measurements will be mentioned, but the jacket is where most of the variation between tailors lies. And in general trouser shape and waistcoat style are more at the discretion of the customer than shoulder width, for example.

Lastly, we will cover the tailors in regional batches – English, French, Neapolitan etc – in order to highlight the smaller differences between houses in each country, and avoid being blinded by the larger ones.


Fortunately, most of the time when I’ve commissioned suits over the past 10 years, I have gone for the house style.

Originally this was because I wanted to learn about the different houses, and was interested in their respective cuts.

But as the years went on, it was also because I knew Permanent Style readers would like to see the house styles. It was about the blog, not just about me.

So the pieces we show will be pretty representative. Each piece will also be discussed with the tailor, to check this is the case.

Some variations between the suits are inevitable. For example, there are one or two where I only have a double-breasted jacket, not a single.

But it will still be possible to compare most points, such as the shoulder padding and width, the sleevehead, the sleeve, the breast pocket, darts and so on.


Above is a diagram that sets out some basic tailoring terms to be referenced in the pieces. It seems sensible to include it here, rather than repeat it in every article.

A: Sleevehead
B: Gorge
C: Outbreast pocket
D: Buttoning point
E: Skirt (the line, and amount of width, through the hips)
F: Opening of the quarters

And then below are some explanations of the measurements themselves and where they’re taken from. Any questions, please shout.

 

 

A – Shoulder width

The length of the shoulder seam from where it meets the collar to where it meets the top of the sleeve (the sleevehead).

B – Shoulder padding

How thick the padding of the shoulder is, and in some cases what it is made from.

C – Sleevehead

The top of the sleeve. Whether it has any ‘roping’ in it to raise it up, or it runs smoothly from the shoulder into the arm.

D – Sleeve

How wide the sleeve is, and whether it narrows towards the bottom (the cuff).

E – Lapel

The horizontal width of the lapel at its widest point (the lapel point on a notch lapel, the peak on a peak lapel).

F – Gorge height

The distance from the point of the lapel to the shoulder seam.

G – Drape

How much extra space, and therefore cloth, is kept in the chest and back.

H – Outbreast pocket height

The distance from the bottom of the chest pocket’s welt to the shoulder seam.

I – Buttoning point

The fastened button on the jacket. Its distance from the shoulder seam.

J – Waist suppression

How closely the jacket is cut into the waist of the wearer, at the sides.

K – Back seam

The line of the seam down the back of the jacket. How close it is cut into the waist of the wearer.

L – Quarters

The front of the jacket below the waist button. How open they are, how curved the opening is, and where it starts.

M – Length

The length of the back seam of the jacket.

N – Vent height

Vents are the cuts in the bottom of the back of the jacket. How high they are.

O – Trouser circumference at knee

The distance right around the trouser (not its width) at the knee.

P – Trouser circumference at cuff

The distance right around the trouser (not its width) at the bottom.

The Media Symposium – please RSVP

Posted on by Simon Crompton

The Media Symposium – please RSVP

Wednesday, May 23rd 2018
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Hopsack and linen trousers – in humid Hong Kong

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Hopsack and linen trousers – in humid Hong Kong

Monday, May 21st 2018Tags:
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It was really lovely being back in Hong Kong last week, after a few years away.

The talk we Lorenzo Cifonelli and I did at Attire House worked well - more a conversation than an interview, with Lorenzo asking me questions about other tailors, and the audience chipping in with style questions.

It was nice to see new places like Prologue, and to catch up with the likes of Alan, Mark and Kenji. We see each other at Pitti of course, and occasionally in London, but it’s never quite the same as going out to dinner in someone’s hometown.

And I had a little time with Arnold, now working at Attire House, to shoot some pictures on the first morning.

This is a very relaxed outfit for a hot, humid day.

Hopsack jacket, with lining only across the top of the back - double-breasted and made by Elia Caliendo from Naples.

This remains one of my most versatile pieces, and pretty much always comes on hot weather trips. It’s smart enough to be worn with a shirt and tie, high-twist wool trousers and oxfords. Or, as here, with a denim shirt, no tie, and slip-ons.

Trousers in a khaki-coloured 11oz Irish linen - made by Whitcomb & Shaftesbury.

Even though it’s heavier, I would always have trousers in the slightly heavier Irish linen. And the khaki colour feels a little more casual than most linens, almost a vintage US Army colour.

An old denim shirt from Al Bazar, which isn’t fitted enough in the waist, or long enough really, but has been worn so much over the years that I love the way it’s falling apart at the collar and cuffs.

The collar also seems, somehow, to stay perfectly upright without a tie, alone among all the RTW spread collars I’ve ever tried.

And on the feet, that hot-weather staple, Sagans from Baudoin & Lange. I now have dark-brown, oak-brown and the bark-grey I picked for the collection.

Sagans aren’t quite suited to walking around all day, given their relative lack of support, but that’s outweighed by the coolness and comfort. And I spend so much time sitting down anyway.

The wallet is from Serge Amoruso - a beautiful green alligator with orange calf lining. I didn’t like the contrast in leathers at first, but am growing to love it. The green has also started to get a nice little patina around the edges.

Photos by Arnold Wong (xRxxxx, @arnold.wkt, xrxxxx.tumblr.com)

How great things age: Levi’s bespoke jeans

Posted on by Simon Crompton

 

Several readers asked how my bespoke jeans, made by Levi’s in London, have aged in the four years I’ve had them.

To answer, I decided to do a shoot at the new Levi’s bespoke workshop on Great Marlborough Street, showing in detail the ageing of the two pairs.

 

 

When Levi’s introduced its service – known as Lot No.1 – in 2014, I had a first pair made in Japanese Kaihara 14.25oz denim (above).

These were high waisted and quite tapered in the leg.

A few months later I added a second pair, this time in Cone Mills 13.5oz denim – below.

I had found the leg of the first pair a little too slim, and widened them slightly (18cm at the bottom, rather than 17.5cm). These were a mid-rise.

 

 

Over the past four years, as I’ve worn the denims in different temperatures, I’ve never really noticed much of a difference between the two weights.

But their colours are certainly different.

As with many Japanese denims, the Kaihara ones were a slightly deeper shade of indigo, and this has become much more noticeable as they have been washed and worn.

(Each pair has been washed five or six times in those four years, with around six months of initial wear before they were washed – helping create those personal whiskers and creases.)

 

 

Above you can see the Japanese pair as they are today, laid on top of the original raw denim.

The blue has certainly come through strongly on the back of the knees, the seat and the cuffs, but there are also parts that remain a deep indigo (as ever, click on the image to enlarge).

A honeycomb pattern is clearly visible across the back of the knees, but it is not that pronounced.

 

 

The US Cone Mills pair, on the other hand, is noticeably bluer and the fading has been more extreme.

These have probably been worn more than the high-waisted pair, but nowhere near enough to account for the difference in fading.

 

 

However, these too are laid on top of the denim they were made in, and you can see that there was very little difference in the original raw denim.

This is hopefully useful for anyone looking to commission jeans in either – so much of the appeal of denim is how it fades over time, and this gives a rough idea of what they will look like.

But I’d also say it’s worth heeding the advice of Lizzie (Radcliffe, above) and the rest of her team at Lot No.1.

They’ve made a lot of these now (the 1000th pair was last weekend!) and they’ve seen how all the denims wear and fade.

 

 

Those two flat-lay pictures weren’t really direct comparisons of course, as the Kaihara showed the backs of legs, and the Cone Mills the front.

Below are some more direct ones. First, the top half, where you can see a lot of whiskering on both pairs, but far more on the Cone Mills.

Perhaps most noticeable is the way the rivets have faded the fly on the Cone Mills pair.

 

 

In terms of style, by the way, I’ve found that the Kaihara are slightly smarter by virtue of the their darker colour, and the higher rise means they leave less of a shirting gap when worn with a jacket.

The bluer denim of the Cone Mills is more casual, but is also nicer with navy, such as a navy crewneck sweater, worn above.

Below is another comparison, this time of the honeycombing on the back of the knees.

 

 

I had the belt loops taken off my jeans, by the way, soon after having them made.

I don’t need to wear a belt to keep them up of course – you rarely do with jeans, and particularly not with these.

I also generally prefer the look of jeans without a belt, and rarely wear one.

So it seemed silly to have the loops, and perhaps a subtle, idiosyncratic style point to go without.

I’m sure some denim heads would say this ruins the style of the classic five-pocket jean, but I like it and have never regretted the choice.

 

 

I’ve also found over the years that the high-rise cut fits me very well at the back, but is a little too high in the front.

Readers will know that I generally need a slight slope from back to front to be comfortable with a high-rise design, and my next pair (a canvas-like flecked cream) will be cut that way.

Lizzie didn’t have that much flexibility at the start of Lot No.1 to experiment with different designs or cuts, but that has slowly changed.

A straight cut across the top was very much the Levi’s house style, but it is now possible to vary some of these small points.

 

 

The range of materials available has also increased substantially over the years.

There are organic cottons now, a range of weights of denim from 8oz to 22oz, and a natural-indigo dyed cotton is coming soon.

Lizzie is fond of a ‘space weft’ denim that has a multicoloured back to the cloth, which comes through as the jeans fade.

That might be too much for me, but I am a fan of the canvas and chino-cottons, with my cream one a very natural-looking new addition. (Bottom, with a choice of rivets.)

 

 

The Lot No.1 team (recently increased to four) is now based on the first floor of a new Levi’s building on Great Marlborough Street, just next to Liberty’s.

It’s a really lovely space, with floor-to-ceiling windows and all the work being done on-site, next to the customer patterns and fitting rooms.

The previous area in the basement of the Oxford Street store was nice, but always a bit of an add-on to the main shop.

This is definitely a dedicated Lot No.1 area, as the sign on the wall proudly proclaims.

 

 

The bespoke service recently launched in the Champs Elysées Levi’s store in Paris, by the way, to add to London, New York (Meatpacking District) and San Francisco (Market Street).

I can’t speak personally for the other locations, but based on how good my experience has been in London, I’d say they’re definitely worth checking out.

The wait time for finished jeans in London is now around 14 weeks (including one fitting) and the price is the same as four years ago – £500, with every subsequent pair in the same style £450.

The only difference today is there are more expensive denims available, which increase the price.

 

 

In the pictures I am wearing a bespoke shirt by Luca Avitabile in our PS Oxford fabric, which as I said in that post, I think is the perfect companion to denim.

There are a couple of dozen lengths of that left (we made a lot!) on the shop site.

The desert boots (above) are Shanklins from Edward Green. There are socks hiding in there, just below the top of the boots.

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

 

The guide to business shirt fabrics

Posted on by Simon Crompton
 
[This is part of a series that aims to produce a comprehensive guide to shirt fabrics, from the simplest points to the most technical. So far we have introduced the basics of selecting shirt fabric, and gone into depth on weaves and designs. Here, we lay out the best choices for one category – the business shirt]

 

Even with increasingly dressed-down work environments, most bespoke shirts are made for professional, business use.

They need to look smart therefore: crisp and sharp, and smooth without being shiny.

They will generally be in muted tones of white, blue and (occasionally) pink. Any pattern will be small and discreet.

Given they are intended for frequent use, the fabric also needs to be hard wearing. Something that can be worn once or twice a week for months without fraying, and perhaps even treated to reduce ironing.

So which fabrics meet all these criteria?


Weave structure

The default weave for a business shirt is usually poplin (above). It’s crisp and smart, and similar plain weaves like Zephir are very lightweight and breathable.

A twill will wrinkle less, however. It’s heavier than poplin, but if creasing is an issue, then it might be preferable.

Oxford fabrics are popular in the US, but in general are less professional. At the very least, the oxford should be smooth and fine – or a smarter variation on the oxford, such as pinpoint.

The least suitable fabrics are those with the most texture, such as linen or brushed cotton.


Fineness

As with suits, there is a tendency for certain, flashier businessmen to pick very fine shirt fabrics. They are rarer, more expensive, and something to talk about.

But while fabrics with such high yarn counts (140 to 300+) feel silky and nice against the skin, they do tend to crease faster.

A more normal shirting, say 2/100, will still look good, wrinkle less, and last longer. Certain English shirt makers used to refer to 100-count as the gold standard for shirts: a solid, safe investment.

If you want something a touch silkier, perhaps opt for 2/120; if a touch more hard-wearing, 2/80. It depends on the priorities.

And of course a twill in either will wrinkle less than poplin.

(The ‘2′ in 2/80, by the way, refers to the yarn being two fold or two ply, and is pretty standard on quality shirts.)


Colours and patterns

While plain-white and plain-blue shirts will always be most popular for business, how much colour and pattern is appropriate will be down to the particular office.

Plains and hairline stripes will be largely anonymous. Bolder patterns, such as a butcher’s stripe, introduce a little more character, as do colours like pink and yellow.

Checks are generally more casual than stripes. But again, depending on the office, a pink gingham check (above) might be perfectly acceptable.

As with oxford cloths in the US, it’s also worth remembering that part of this is cultural.

The British have a particular tradition for bold shirts, originating from the limitations of being only able to wear a club or regimental tie, and therefore experimenting with the fabric underneath. Even today, a pink shirt tends to be more acceptable in the UK than in the US.


Treatments

As mentioned, fabrics with lower yarn counts, and in weaves like twill, will always be harder wearing and easier to iron.

Beyond these options, shirts can also be treated with particular finishes.

Some ‘non-iron’ shirts are simply mixes of cotton and polyester. These should generally be avoided, as they tend to feel harder, are not as breathable, and hang onto odours.

Good treatments will coat a fabric, stopping the fibres absorbing water when they’re being washed (Thomas Mason’s ‘Journey’ is a good example).

This keeps the shirt fairly sleek, with some twills being OK with no ironing at all, and poplins requiring just a quick press.

The only downsides are that the fabric can feel a little dry (though that is greatly reduced in newer versions) and the treatment will eventually wash out. This tends to only be after 40 washes at a minimum, however.

Hong Kong: A sartorial shopping guide

Posted on by Simon Crompton
 
Hong Kong has long been a centre for international commerce, driven by its location as a port and later by its strategic importance to the British Empire.

When it was handed back to China in 1997, the city retained its vibrancy and international flavour, due to that heritage and to the success of its financial markets.

But the shopping was pretty limited. Chinese from the mainland came for tax-free western goods, leading to a plethora of designer brands and watch shops. There was little with its own identity, particularly in menswear.

I visited Hong Kong regularly between 2005 and 2009, and it was hard to find much of interest, beyond the 48-hour tailors that advertised their services on the streets of Kowloon.

That all changed in 2010, when The Armoury opened. A small store on an upper floor of the Pedder Building, it brought fine European tailoring and craft brands from around the world to the local market for the first time.

The Armoury’s curation and styling gave it an influence not just in Hong Kong, but around the world – and today has inspired shops as far abroad as Toronto and Tokyo.

Hong Kong has blossomed since. There are now half a dozen stores catering to enthusiasts of classic menswear, and nearly all within a couple of blocks of each other.

When I was in Hong Kong last week, I was struck once again by the concentration of men with the money and the professional justification for good tailoring.

It has spurred all these stores, and leads to an atmosphere where everyone bumps into their customers in the coffee shop, and trends spread like wildfire.

Local artisans have also responded, albeit slowly. Tailors like WW Chan are adapting to tastes for softer tailoring, and customers of bespoke are working with local tailors to update their output.

It all makes for a heady mix that justifies a trip to Hong Kong, even if most of the brands are actually from Europe, the US or Japan.

 


1 The Armoury

TheArmoury.com

307 Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, Central

and B47 Landmark Central, 15 Queen’s Road Central

The Armoury offers a closely curated range of classic menswear. Although many of the brands have since become well known, they were often launched by Mark, Alan and the team, and the selection remains a very personal one. They range from factories like Frank Clegg in Fall River, Massachusetts to bespoke artisans like Ortus in Tokyo, Japan.

The smaller Armoury store at 12 Pedder Street is the cosiest, and tends to host the trunk shows by visiting bespoke tailors, shoemakers and other artisans. If you’re interested in bespoke, it’s worth visiting here first, as you’ll get an inside line on artisans and the details on other specialty pieces in-store.

If you’re new to The Armoury, however, and perhaps many of the brands it carries, then start in the larger store in the lower ground floor of Landmark Central, just across the street.

 


2 Attire House

attire-house.com

4/F, Duke Wellington House, 14-24 Wellington St, Central

When Attire House opened in Hong Kong its most obvious point of difference was the lifestyle additions: a cocktail bar (run by Japan’s Bar High Five) and a barbershop (from Korean company Herr) alongside its menswear.

They also quickly had some of the biggest names in bespoke menswear doing their trunk shows at the store, including Anderson & Sheppard from London, Cifonelli from Paris, and Solito from Naples.

In 2018 the House moved to a new location a block away, abandoning the bar (always a little separate, on the floor above) but adding a cigar lounge. The feel is now cosier, and there is room for the stock such as shoes from Cleverley and ties from E.Marinella.

 


3 Bryceland’s Co

www.brycelandsco.com

7/F, Luk Yu Building, 24-26 Stanley Street, Central

Ethan Newton’s take on menswear is an interesting one, combining as it does a dedication to fine tailoring with a deep love of American workwear. The result is suits in heavier, hardier cloths, made by tailors such as Dalcuore in Naples but often to Ethan’s designs and specifications; and in parallel, jeans that replicate vintage Levi’s alongside denim shirts cut to be worn with those suits.

Ethan remains in charge of the first Bryceland’s store in Tokyo, while business partner Kenji Cheung runs Hong Kong. The atmosphere here is slightly different, with a clubby feel that comes from being on an upper floor and offering a lovely bar and private area.

The stock in Hong Kong is similar though, with shoes from Saint Crispin’s, silver jewellery from Red Rabbit and ties from Sevenfold. The tailoring is made-to-measure, by Dalcuore in Naples (again to a Bryceland’s block) and trousers by WW Chan locally in Hong Kong.

Among the most interesting things are the pieces designed by Ethan and Kenji themselves, such as the high-waisted boxer shorts with adjustment buttons on the back, and the popular Sawtooth denim shirts.

 

4 WW Chan

wwchan.com

Unit B, 8/F, Entertainment Building, 30 Queen’s Road Central, Central

Hong Kong is famous for its tailors – but largely the wrong sort. Shops and hawkers will offer a bespoke suit in 48 hours, and at very low prices. But the results are usually poor, with often a lot of handwork but square cuts and poor fit. It’s usually best to stick to more established names, and accept the standard bespoke process of multiple fittings over a period of weeks.

One of the best in the city is WW Chan, which has been in Hong Kong since 1952. It descends from the original ‘Red Gang’ of tailors that began in Shanghai, but has refined and updated its styles over the years, unlike many such traditional houses.

Today it is certainly the progressive among the large tailors in Hong Kong, with softer Italian-style shoulders on offer, sometimes with just double-layered canvas in the shoulder rather than padding. Helpfully for international readers, WW Chan also regularly travels to the US, Australia and Europe.

 

5 Ascot Chang

www.ascotchang.com

Four Hong Kong locations including:

Shop 2031, Podium Level 2 of IFC Mall, 1 Harbour View Street, Central, Hong Kong

and MW6, Peninsula Hotel, Salisbury Road

As with suits, so with shirts. Any cheap tailor in Hong Kong will offer to chuck in a few shirts to sweeten the deal, but there are very few quality bespoke makers around.

Ascot Chang is one of them. The founder also began in Shanghai, before setting up in Hong Kong in 1949. Today there are stores in the US, China and the Philippines, largely run by Chang’s apprentices and offering bespoke shirts whose measurements have to be communicated to HQ through a complex note-taking system. There are also trunk shows in Japan, Europe and the Middle East.

In Hong Kong, the oldest store is in the Peninsula Hotel on the Kowloon side of the city, but there is also a branch in the Landmark Prince’s Building, close to everyone else. It is a retailer for Isaia and Brioni tailoring as well as its own shirts.

 

6 Drop 93

Drop93.com

B01, 6th Floor, Cheung Lung Industrial Building, 10 Cheung Yee Street, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon

Drop 93 is a retail concept launched by The Armoury, aiming to find new homes for clothing no longer worn by its customers, or spare pieces made by other brands.

Most activity is online, where there is a big range of tailoring, shoes and accessories – and sometimes in multiple sizes. But there is also a showroom outside the centre of Hong Kong in Lai Chi Kok, where anyone interested in pieces on the site can go to try them on in person.

 


7 Prologue

www.prologuehk.com

3 Shin Hing Street, Central

Prologue is the most recent independent, classically minded menswear store to set up in Hong Kong. It has focused on some more unusual visiting artisans, such as Japanese shoemaker Bolero, and on its own line of tailoring.

The tailoring was how two of the founders, Chris and Jerry, got started. Although customers of Orazio Luciano, Liverano and others, they lacked the funds to buy western bespoke regularly, and in particular to recommend to their friends.

After many attempts, they finally found a mainland Chinese tailor that could produce a similar product, and worked to create a style that combined their favourite elements of Florentine, Neapolitan and Japanese work.

Although early days, they are creating a tailoring offering that has much of the appeal of Italian masters visiting Hong Kong, and at a fraction of the price – suits start at £850. 

The third founder, Maslow, previously ran his own shoe store and focuses on the shoe selection at the shop, which includes Spanish maker Yanko.

 

8 Tassels

www.tassels.com.hk

Shop B64-65, The Landmark, Central

and 6th Floor, SOGO Causeway Bay Store, 555 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay

A classic men’s shoe store, Tassels is a good local option for well-known brands. It stocks English brands such as Crockett & Jones, Edward Green and Cheaney, Italians Bontoni and Rivolta, and Alden from the US.

It holds regular trunk shows with made-to-order offerings, and has two branches in Hong Kong, in the Central and Causeway Bay areas, as well as one in Beijing.

 

9 Take5

www.take5jeans.com

1/F 17 Cameron Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Take 5 is a mecca for denim in Hong Kong, stocking a huge range of Japanese brands. Although not easy to find, and not necessarily sartorial in style, it is worth a trip purely for the wall-of-denim display.

Alongside names such as Iron Heart, Momotaro and The Flat Head, there are several collaborations Take5 has done with different makers, and a range of leather jackets.

 

10 AntiQlockwise

@AntiQlockwise

3 St. Francis Yard, Wan Chai

The market for vintage menswear in Hong Kong is nowhere near as developed as Tokyo, but is growing. A recent addition is this shop run by Quinton (below) and Jan, the former a watch dealer and the latter an employee at The Armoury. A small but lovely store, it is usually open at the weekends but is officially only available by appointment.

There is a good range of vintage watches, particularly Rolex, of Southwestern jewellery from the US, and a smattering of clothing including shorts and leather jackets.  

Vintage gold cuff

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Vintage gold cuff

Friday, May 11th 2018Tags:
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My view on jewellery has always been that it should be something special, certainly emotionally and probably financially too.

Men wear so little of it, and it is such a statement to do so, that it should be precious. Not a cheap leather bracelet, in other words.

My first such piece was made bespoke by Diana Maynard last year - a brass cuff with Art Deco-inspired details that we designed between us (below).

I always assumed my next would be bespoke too, but I found this vintage gold-plated cuff (above) while browsing Grays Antiques Market last month, and fell in love with it.

I think solid cuffs have a robustness that is welcome in men's jewellery, but it’s then hard to add fineness and decorative detail without being too effeminate.

This new piece does that well, I think, with just the ram’s heads at either end and plain gold in between.

I’ve looked through vintage pieces from the era for a few years, and most have precious stones for the eyes or elsewhere, which I think is too much.

Unlike that brass cuff, this piece will be for special occasions only. I only put it on with this outfit to photograph - most of the time it will be more dressed up.

(Although I do find it looks nice under heavier jackets, and chunky knitwear.)

Where the brass was beaten and used materials that will age and tarnish, this gold piece will be kept polished. Everyday versus special days.

I wore it, for example, at our event for Sartoria Ciardi a couple of months ago.

Being vintage (late Victorian) but not rare, the cuff was also good value for the metal and fineness of the work (£300).

I'm sure, as with all jewellery, this won't be to many readers' taste. But I like how this approach is slowly evolving.

Grays is often a good place to pop into, by the way. Being a collection of around 200 dealers, it is always good value for money compared to other places in Mayfair. And they have everything from jewellery to pottery, luggage to bookends.

www.graysantiques.com

Other items in the photography covered in this post.

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

Introducing: PS Oxford fabric

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Introducing: PS Oxford fabric

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Wednesday, May 9th 2018Tags:
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I’ve always found that an oxford shirt fills a very specific gap in my wardrobe.

Smart enough for almost any sports jacket - from cashmere to corduroy - it is also the perfect partner for jeans.

It might bridge formal and casual perhaps better than any other shirting. Chambrays are usually more refined - and while I love denim shirts, I wouldn’t wear them with jeans.

The problem is, oxfords are hard to get bespoke.

Most bunches offered to bespoke customers only have smooth, fine oxfords, aimed at a business customer to wear with a worsted suit or jacket.

Although these have an oxford weave, the fibre and yarn are such that they have none of the nubby, robust texture of a traditional oxford.

So I decided to work with Italian mill Canclini to make one.

The things that set apart a traditional oxford fabric, such as those originally used by Brooks Brothers, are generally a heavier weight, a thicker yarn, and a subtle variation in the blue and white yarns that leads to a varied, natural appearance.

The weight of good cotton is what makes the shirt so comfortable, soften with age, and feel lived-in and personal.

The thicker yarn makes it more casual - much more suited to denim and flannel than to worsted.

And the varied texture gives it a similar appeal to slubby linen or tweeds.

That last point is perhaps what is most obviously missing in modern, dressy oxfords (but you do get in indigo-dyed linens, for example).

The nubby texture comes from using a short-staple cotton. The short fibres mean the yarn naturally varies in width along its length, and as it weaves in and out, this variation creates the characteristic texture.

So where a dress shirt might use something like a two-ply 100-count yarn, the weft of our oxford fabric is single-ply 10-count. Still a lovely feeling cotton, but nowhere near as fine.

In the warp we have done something slightly different.

Here a traditional oxford would normally use another, thick single-ply yarn. But instead, we have used two fine yarns (both of them two-ply 90-count).

Having two in the warp means it has a similar thickness to the weft, but their higher thread count gives the fabric a nicer feeling overall.

The final cloth still has that traditional texture, but avoids some of the downsides of short-staple cotton, such as pilling.

Ready-to-wear shirts generally come much closer to traditional oxfords than those you can get for bespoke.

But even then, they mostly use two-ply yarns in both warp and weft. One of the nicest I’ve seen, for example, is from Mercer & Sons in the US, which uses two-ply for both.

The combination of single-ply in the weft and finer two-ply in the warp seems, from the examples I’ve seen with Canclini, to give the best combination of authentic texture and performance. 

The shirt I am wearing in these images has been worn and washed 12 times.

During that time it has got softer and nicer, and at this point already feels like an old friend.

Part of the attraction of a traditional oxford is of course how it ages, and I look forward to it only getting better over the years.

The shirt has also perfectly filled that gap in my wardrobe - the perfect thing to wear with jeans and a sports jacket (or, as above, a suede cardigan).

I already have a second in the works.

I am really proud to offer this oxford fabric to readers - woven by Canclini and exclusive to Permanent Style.  

As I know there will be a lot of interest among readers in having it for bespoke, initially we are only offering cut lengths and not shirts.

I wanted to give everyone as much chance as possible to get the fabric, and we will produce some shirts later in the year.

As with Everyday Denim, the fabric is pre-cut into 2m lengths, which should be enough for most guys (roughly, anyone 6’3’’ and under).

It is being shipped from England (we’re trying to make the buying experience consistent) so if anyone wants to send it to Luca Avitabile or another shirtmaker, they will need to put them as the delivery address - and let them know it’s coming.

It is only available in the classic sky blue, and costs £55 (plus VAT). Do feel free to buy more than one length, but we’ll put on a cap of five per person, to try and give everyone a chance.

Technical details:

  • Yarn: 1/10 x 2/90
  • Composition: 100% cotton
  • Weight: 250g/metre [dress fabrics might be around 200g/m]
  • Cut length: 2m x 1.5m
  • Fabric is pre-washed and should not shrink

Available now on the shop site, here. As per usual, click on the images to enlarge.

Also shown in the photos:

 

  • Bespoke Levi's jeans
  • Elia Caliendo bespoke jacket in Permanent Style Tweed
  • Connolly suede cardigan

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man. Taken from an upcoming piece on my bespoke Levi's, shot in their lovely new atelier. Thank you Lizzie and the whole Levi's team.

Point collars – at Budd

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Point collars – at Budd

Monday, May 7th 2018Tags:
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My shirt collars over the years have generally been one of two styles: spread or button-down.

Both can work with or without a tie (and have been tweaked consistently to make that easier) but I generally prefer the spread with a tie, the button-down without.

That’s been the norm for around 15 years (a fairly long fashion cycle) but recently seeing friends with longer, more pointed collars has made me reconsider the style.

This is generally how fashion works: those friends will have seen it somewhere else too, and over time the influence will spread through physical encounters and on social media, until it becomes mainstream.

Now, arguably a pointed collar suits me more than a spread. My face is fairly long and thin, and a longer collar would balance it out.

But while everyone should be aware of what suits their face (or body), I think this should only be one factor in deciding what to wear.

You might also just like a style, or have certain associations with it, and that’s fine too. I like the extra room that a spread collar gives to the tie knot, for example.

Just be aware of all factors - including physique and skin type - when you make a choice.

I’ve always been aware of my relatively long face and neck, and as a result have tended to have my spread collars long, and my collar relatively high.

Nonetheless, when I was in Budd Shirts recently filming a video, the sight of a particularly nice pointy collar spurred me to have one on a bespoke shirt with them.

The first fitting on that shirt is what you can see here. It was cut by James Macauslan, one of Budd’s three cutters in Budd’s jewel-box of a shop.

The other cutters are Darren Tiernan, who featured in our Symposium in January and is just celebrating 30 years in the industry (with an anniversary fabric), and the famous John Butcher, who has been at Budd for over 50, and even longer in the industry.

Darren cut me a linen overshirt a couple of years ago, but James (below) started with a new pattern for this shirt.

It will be a formal, double-cuffed shirt with a covered placket (the panel down the front that covers the buttons) and unfused cuffs and collar.

It’s been a long time since I had an English shirt like this. The last was a dress shirt with Sean O’Flynn, and years ago I had several shirts with David Gale at Turnbull & Asser back when I was first starting out on bespoke.

More recently all my shirts have been from Italians: Simone Abbarchi, Luca Avitabile or D’Avino (details comparing those three here).

It will be interesting having a different style and formality of shirt, which I might wear with more structured English suits as well.

One interesting point in the fitting was the thinness of the yoke (the panel of fabric running between the shoulders).

Budd shirts tend to have a thin yoke, particularly on bespoke. It makes it easier for the cutter to play with the fit in the shoulders and the upper back.

But ready-to-wear tends to have a thicker yoke, going further down the back, as it is gives a cleaner fit on most men buying off-the-rack.

As regards the shirt design, I have a vague idea of finding a special button for the collar, so that it could be sufficient decoration on its own, and the whole shirt work done up without a tie.

(Normal ‘air tie’ looks always feel very unfinished to me, though I’m aware it’s not supposed to look clean.)

This may be a terrible idea, but it’s nice to try an experiment now and again - even if it just reinforces your existing style. And the button can easily be swapped back to a normal one.

The problem at the moment is finding a decorative button, as most are too big or too cheap looking.

James and I had a pleasant wander around Soho looking in trimmings shops, but without success. And the Button Queen has unfortunately closed (though the stock is still available online.)

More images of that, and reflections on the point collar, soon.

In the image above, I am also wearing:

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

Travel jacket, knitwear and serge trousers

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Travel jacket, knitwear and serge trousers

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Friday, May 4th 2018Tags:
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Last Friday was annoyingly cold, and damp.  

Combinations of subdued, rich colours always give me the most pleasure - but it felt particularly appropriate on a day like this.

The textures of the three pieces also went well together: the fuzzy surface of a serge trouser, fluffy cashmere knitwear, and a matte cotton-twill jacket.

The trousers are those featured last week in my recent commissions from Whitcomb & Shaftesbury. Their texture is a result of the cloth's weight and short-haired woollen yarn (despite not being milled, like flannel).

The knitwear is a lightweight polo-collar cashmere/silk model from the Anderson & Sheppard Haberdashery, which is soft and lightweight. (But could be a little slimmer in the body - I wear a small).

And the Travel Jacket, also from the Haberdashery, is a heavy cotton that is smoother than the other two, and a nice foil to them with its muted grey/brown colour.

 

When I posted about the trousers, readers asked what I would wear them with, given I don’t usually wear navy trousers with sports jackets.

This A&S jacket is a great example - something well made but not tailored, which could have been worn with chinos but is dressed up considerably by having these on the bottom half.

It’s a point I’ve made before, but bears repeating: a well-cut formal trouser is a really effective way to dress up an otherwise casual outfit.

I wish more guys that don’t have to wear tailoring to the office would consider something like this, or flannel, with a casual jacket on top.

It works equally well for tailored linen trousers in the summer.

The jacket, by the way, really needs to be tried on and worn for a few minutes to be appreciated.

The heavy drill-cotton is wonderfully reassuring and comfortable - as only cotton can be. It feels like it moulds to the body.

It’s not quite as practical in the rain as a wool or waterproof, but it should also wear in nicely.

The main reason I’ve hung back from getting one of these A&S travel jackets is the price. At £1750, they’re surprisingly expensive.

They’re made in Italy, in a great cotton and with matte horn buttons - but the biggest reason for the cost is the huge number of bells and whistles.

I think there are 15 pockets on the whole thing, but I may have missed one.

On the left hip alone there is an external patch pocket, with internal card pockets, a plunge pocket behind that, a zipped card pocket on the inside, another buttoned large pocket in the lining, and a space for keys on a strap behind that card pocket. You can see the last three in the image above.

It's insane. Yet the total effect is not bulky - unless you fill them all with stuff.

I’d highly recommend it, and there are other colours as well as some in corduroy, but you may have to fall in love with it to justify the price.

Elsewhere in the outfit are:

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

Our Spring/Summer Top 10, 2018

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Our Spring/Summer Top 10, 2018

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Wednesday, May 2nd 2018Tags:
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Last week a friend in the industry asked me what aspect of writing Permanent Style I like the most. It is always, easily, discovering a new tailor, cloth or product that is different and inspiring.

That journey from discovering something new, to seeing it in person, to wearing it and then writing about it, is exhilarating - and something I think every engaged consumer can identify with.  

Which is why this feature is such a pleasure to write.

All the pieces in this second instalment of our annual Spring/Summer feature are new, and most of them I have bought and worn myself.

Hopefully the enthusiasm comes across, as well as some practical advice that you wouldn’t necessarily get from the brands' websites.

I should say that last year’s Summer Top 10 is here - and as with much of classic menswear, most of the pieces are still available.

We have moved it to May and labelled it Spring/Summer because last time too many of the things were low on stock by June. Given the topsy-turvy world of fashion, some of these have been in shops since February.

I'll also add that as with everything on Permanent Style, there is nothing commercial about this list. No one can pay to appear, or to influence it in any way, unlike the majority of other magazines and sites. I also purposefully exclude our own collaborations.

 

 

1 Edward Green ‘Shanklin’ desert boot

£740

My first pick is the Shanklin from Edward Green, an unlined desert boot on their 202 last. I bought a pair (in mushroom suede) at the tail end of last summer and wore them constantly - and they’re now available again.  

The suede of the Shanklin is soft and makes the boot very comfortable, yet it is still quite dressy: although the 202 is fairly round, it’s still slim compared to most desert boots. That means it works with tailored trousers, or a cotton suit.

The colour I have, mushroom suede, is great with denim and casual trousers, but mocha (brown, above) would have been more versatile. I would have gone with that if I didn’t already have my Saint Crispin’s boots.   

I know it feels very English to have a boot as your first recommendation for summer (though the Shanklins are rather comfortable in the heat...), so I’ll add that the Castaner ‘Pablo’ is also my favourite espadrille.

It has a really light rubber sole that stops the rope underneath wearing down, while also retaining some of that crunchy espadrille feeling. Too many brands use a thicker, harder sole that removes any point in having the coiled rope underneath.

2 Eidos sashiko short

£195

Good-fitting shorts are hard to find (a gap I hope ours will fill when they come out in a month or so). But equally rare is a short that has some personality to it, without going super-bright or covered in lobsters.

These Eidos ‘Morgan’ model shorts do that nicely, with the indigo dyeing and sashiko stitching combining to make a subtle but distinctive design.

Note that they are a heavy cotton, however, and feel substantial on. That’s not something that necessarily comes across online.

Other shorts I have tried and like are these from Ralph Lauren - side adjustors, pleats, and a sugary blue that would work well with white or navy - and Luca Faloni’s new cotton/linen shorts.

The latter are a little too long for me (just below the knee) and I find the drawstring inside a little fiddly, but that does make the waistband clean, the material is great and the single, brown-horn button makes a nice focus point.

3 Aspesi fully fashioned polo shirt

£140

I mentioned these polo shirts in my piece on travelling to India recently, and have since bought the pink to add to the green.

Pink won’t be an easy colour against pale skin, but it looks great with lots of colours, so building up a tan will be worth it.

The polo is relatively slim in cut, and looks dressier by virtue of being fully fashioned. (That basically means it’s made like a sweater, rather than ‘cut and sew’ like a regular polo shirt.)

It needs to be washed cold and on a delicate cycle as a result - which can be a pain - but looks much smarter than a regular polo.

4 Todd Snyder indigo T-shirt

£80

I wouldn’t normally buy from a brand like Todd Snyder, but designer brands are often a good source of slim-fitting T-shirts.

I’ve also wanted an indigo-dyed T-shirt for a while (shamelessly copying one that Jamie has) to wear very much as outerwear, rather than underwear as most of my T-shirts are. The breast pocket on this model is also small and subtler than most.

On the subject of T-shirts, I’ve been wearing a Hamilton & Hare tubular-knit T-shirt recently under knitwear, and have found it the most comfortable I’ve ever had.

The tubular knit means there are no side seams, and the resulting stretchiness also means I find it stays tucked in better than pretty much any other shirt. It's underwear rather than outerwear for me, but others will wear it as both.

5 Anglo-Italian cotton safari jacket

£420

Jake and Alex are doing many nice little things up in Marylebone, but perhaps one of the most unusual in sartorial terms is their cotton safari jacket.

Where most brands are producing safari jackets that mimic tailoring in their details and sharp lines, Anglo-Italian have done the opposite. Their safari jacket is lightweight and sloppy, and garment-dyed to make it look much-loved and worn-in.

It’s more suited to jeans and a polo than a dress shirt, but it makes a refreshing change to all the other models out there. (The Anglo-Italian smock is similar, just with fewer, more workwear-like details.)

6 Drake’s linen D-43 jacket

£495

This was probably a bit of a no-brainer for Drake’s - take their successful version of a waxed field jacket and make it in linen for the summer. The result, though, is even better than I expected.

Again, like the Anglo-Italian example, it’s different to the standard linen field jacket/overshirt, as its length, epaulettes and slanted pockets give it a more rugged, motorcycle feel. Also very helpful it comes in navy as well as green.

Elsewhere at Drake’s I would recommend the ready-made linen trousers, but I notice I did that last year in this feature. That recommendation stands, however, and there are new colours (tan, brown, olive, navy).

7 Hemingsworth swimming shorts

£185

Swimming shorts made with tailoring details seem rather familiar now - ever since Orlebar Brown first raised the game.

These, however, from English brand Hemingsworth and stocked at Trunk, take things a step further.

There are no less than three mother-of-pearl buttons fastening the waist band at the front, one on a small front pocket, and another on the back. That waistband is delicately pointed, and the material itself feels lovely (yet apparently dries quickly).

The only thing I’d change in the design is the side tabs, which pull on elastic at the back, rather than cynching the waistband. This is the same as Daks adjustors, and it does make for a cleaner look - but I found it didn’t keep the short tightened.

8 Connolly jersey scarf

£150

This is a small thing, among all the other big, bright and bold pieces in Connolly’s Spring/Summer collection, but I really like the merino neckerchiefs.

This is chiefly because the merino is woven as a jersey, which gives them great stretch and greater comfort at the neck. Also comes in navy.

I also love Connolly's Sea Bag, which is now in a new mushroom-coloured nubuck. It’s capacious, yet just small enough to look like a day bag rather than a weekender. And the leather feels amazing. 

9 Doek canvas trainers

£145

My trainer of the summer so far, having worn them around India for two weeks on a recent trip.

As mentioned then, the design is understated yet unusual, with a double layer of rubber around the toe. The hard-wearing canvas is a natural, flecked cream (or an indigo-dyed blue that fades nicely). They have no form of external logo or branding. And they’re very comfortable despite just having a cork inner sole.

For shorts and a polo shirt, or dressing down something smarter like linen trousers.

10 Begg & Co travel blanket

£445

We’ll end with something that could equally appear in an Autumn piece, just as we began with the desert boots.

I often pack a lightweight blanket when I travel, and indeed when I’m just out for the day around town on a warm day. It’s great to put around the shoulders inside, or when the evening gets cool.

A reader actually commented the other day that he found it hard to know what to wear when the weather changes so much during the day - as it often does in Britain during the Spring. My answers would be layering, and a lightweight shawl or blanket.

I recently bought this Begg & Co one - navy with a single stripe of blue. I’ve had another in a biscuity colour that I bought at their factory shop years ago, and while it was lovely, I didn’t find it that versatile. Navy should solve that.

Roll on Summer.

 

Suit Style 8: Trouser measurements, style and proportions

Posted on by Simon Crompton
 

One of the reasons jacket fits and styles are so hard to describe is they cannot easily be put into numbers.

Trousers, by comparison, are pretty straightforward.

From the shoe up, there is: circumference at the trouser opening or bottom, at the knee, and then at the fork or thigh.

There might be subtle variations in between these (particularly from iron work), but in general you can draw a straight line from one to the other, and describe the line of the leg.

Above the fork there is the circumference at the seat (bum) and then the waist. These are more a case of comfort and fit rather than style.

And above the waist there is the height of the trouser – usually described as the rise, from the fork to the top of the waistband.

In this post – in response to reader requests – I’ll set out what I usually choose in terms of those first three measurements (bottom, knee, thigh), in order to describe the style of the trousers. Rise can be left for another day.

I checked four types of trouser I have and have covered on the site, in preparation for this post:

Interestingly, although these go from very formal trousers to very casual, there wasn’t much variation except in the denim.

The average was the Whitcomb & Shaftesbury trouser (above), which measured:

  • Bottom: 19cm (7.5 inch, diameter)
  • Knee: 24cm
  • Thigh: 32cm

Cerrato (shown top) was also 19cm at the bottom, but a little narrower at the knee and thigh, by half a centimetre each time.

So Marco clearly cuts a little closer to the thigh, going in a little more sharply under the seat before running down through the leg.

Interestingly, it is this part of the cut, at the thigh, that I think often determines whether a trouser looks old-fashioned or old-mannish. You can have a wide-legged, swinging Oxford bag, but if it is cut relatively close here, it avoids the old comfort-oriented look.  

Of course, the further you go up the leg, the less room there is for style, and the more is constrained by your actual legs and by comfort.

The bottom of the trouser could be narrowed by 2cm and still fit OK; but if the thigh was 2cm narrower, it would be very restrictive when you sat down.

(The Pommella trousers, shown above, are perhaps the narrowest I have in this respect.)

My Incotex chinos (above) were actually slightly wider at the bottom, at 19.5cm, which is not what I was expecting. But they had less taper than the others, with the knee measurement at 23.5cm.

My Levi’s (below) were the only ones that were substantially narrower. The bottom here was 17.5cm, and the knee 21cm.

A narrower leg can be better suited to casual trousers like jeans, where elegance and straight, clean lines are less of a priority.

And narrower trousers do tend to look slightly younger – an association that is of course highly relative, dependent on social context, and changes over time; but still cannot be ignored.

That said, today I would have my jeans slightly wider; a new pair are being cut with an opening of 18 cm.

All this will hopefully be useful to those many readers that asked about what to say when their tailor asks about such things.

But it must be remembered that these measurements are also relative to the customer.

We’ve already noted how little room there is for variation in the thigh, but even at the bottom of the trouser, the opening needs to be in proportion.

A man with a very big waist (mine measures 33 inches, or 84cm) will look silly if his trouser tapers aggressively to a 16cm opening. He will need a slightly wider leg.

And a taller man can arguably also get away with more taper, as there is more leg in which to do it.

Shoe size is also often used as a reference for how wide the leg opening should be.

Personally I think this is over-emphasised, as the correlation between shoe size and height or weight is not that strong, and those two things are more important.

There are other variables, of course, such as the rise of the trouser, where a man tends to carry his weight, and so on. These together make it impossible to create a calculation that spits out an optimum leg line.

Tailors often have rules to go by – such as the knee being two inches bigger than the bottom – but these are rough guides and are expected to change at the first fitting, when both tailor and customer look at how they like the overall shape. 

I would encourage readers to do that too, and only use my measurements as a single reference point, entirely dependent on my physical measurements. 

I am, since you ask, just over 6 foot tall (183cm), measure 33 inches around the waist, and hover around 12 stone (76kg).

A bit personal, but I’ll allow it.

 

The next Symposium: Menswear and modern media

Posted on by Simon Crompton

The next Symposium: Menswear and modern media

Saturday, April 28th 2018
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In this instalment we're going to be debating how fashion media is changing, and how it's affecting brands and customers.

Should be really interesting - and lively! Great speakers to be announced. 

There will also be an exhibition of tailors in a variety of cuts and styles, each showing off a piece in Fox cloth. 

Thursday this time, the 14th. If you're going to be at Pitti, stick it in the diary. 

Thanks.

Friday Polos back in stock – with new Olive

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Friday Polos back in stock – with new Olive

Thursday, April 26th 2018Tags:
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The much-loved Friday Polos, which I design and produce with shirtmaker Luca Avitabile in Naples, are back in stock. Thank you to everyone that has been waiting so patiently.

As per usual, we have produced them in four colours. However, as I know they have been going for a while and many readers have several already, we have concentrated on more unusual ones.

So we have:

- reproduced the brown Friday Polo, which was a relative newcomer to the selection

- done a run of white, which hasn’t been available for a year and readers have consistently asked for

- kept navy, as it is always the most popular

- and added a new colour: olive

The olive, pictured here, is a subtler and more muted cousin of the original green.

It is perhaps a more sophisticated colour, which I find works nicely with mid-blue denim or cream chinos, and under navy, tan or brown jackets.

In these images I am wearing it with my brown Harris-tweed jacket from Elia Caliendo, and Levi’s bespoke jeans. The pocket square is cream cashmere from Anderson & Sheppard.

Recently, I’ve found a few readers have enquired about Friday Polos and not been aware of the handwork that goes into them, in the workshop in Naples.

I think this is important to emphasise, because it’s something that separates them from most other models out there, and makes them considerably more expensive to produce.  

There are five points of handwork, with the most important being the functional one - inserting the sleeve into the armhole by hand.

Doing this enables the maker to get greater fullness into the top of the sleevehead, yet have a relatively small armhole.

It enables greater movement (just as it does in bespoke tailoring) and makes it easier to wear under tailoring, which of course was the aim of the project in the first place.

You can see the handwork on the outside in the prick stitches around the armhole (above). And more obviously on the inside.

The other points of handwork are aesthetic. Nice to see and know about, but without any effect on how the polo wears.

Those are: hand-sewn buttonholes, hand-attached buttons, hand-finished placket and hand-sewn gusset.

If anyone isn't familiar with the Friday Polo, below is a quick summary.

Sizing information is available on the polo page of the shop site too.

  • The project was launched with Neapolitan bespoke shirtmaker Luca Avitabile, who has been making my shirts for a few years.
  • The idea was to make the perfect polo shirt to wear under tailoring, using the best materials and where possible the same make as Luca’s bespoke shirts.
  • Everything is hand cut, with five points of handwork.
  • We use a mid-weight Caccioppoli pique-cotton fabric, good for three months of the year (in England), which is more substantial and luxurious than most piques.
  • Stand collar, like a shirt, to help it sit under tailored jackets
  • Long tail and front, as it is designed to be worn tucked in
  • Mother of pearl buttons
  • Slots in the collar for shirt-stays
  • Sold at below normal retail price. With a standard retail mark-up these would be closer to £250. Prices quoted ex-VAT, as most customers are outside the EU
  • Four sizes: Small, Medium, Large and Extra-large (see table below for dimensions)
  • Shirts will not shrink when washed, but should expand slightly in the waist. Do wash cool and line dry
  • Shipping by courier, from the UK
  • Available from the shop page here. Details on returns and exchanges here

All images: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

Sartoria Melina – first London trunkshow, and talk

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Sartoria Melina – first London trunkshow, and talk

Tuesday, April 24th 2018Tags:
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After a long wait, Neapolitan bespoke leather experts Sartoria Melina are finally coming to London - on May 16th and 17th. 

They will be at Mark's Club, and as with Sartoria Ciardi last month, we will hold a small event for them on the Wednesday night.

Anyone that comes along will be able to meet Jolanda and Carmela, see examples of their work, and then listen as we conduct a short interview. 

Last time a few readers said they would have liked to send in questions for the interviewees to answer. So if you have any such questions for Melina, do please add them to the comments of this post and I will be sure to ask them. 

Melina's work is so unusual, with nothing comparable in London, that I'm sure they will be popular. Please do email me to get a place for the talk on the Wednesday night ([email protected]) and Jolanda for an appointment on the Thursday ([email protected]).

I've been wearing my brown nubuck Melina jacket regularly since the weather warmed up, and it's the perfect piece for me in many ways: luxurious yet subtle (given the texture of the nubuck) and a beautiful piece of craft. 

Look forward to seeing everyone there. 

Simon

Read all about Sartoria Melina and their workshop here. Read my review of a finished jacket here. 

Photography: Workshop, Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man; Finished jacket, James Munro 

100 Hands shirts: Made in Amritsar, India

Posted on by Simon Crompton

100 Hands shirts: Made in Amritsar, India

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Monday, April 23rd 2018Tags:
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100 Hands makes perhaps the finest shirts in the world.

They certainly have as much handwork as any shirt I've seen, executed with greater fineness and consistency.

But the most significant thing for many people will be that they are made in India.

In this first article on the company, therefore, I wanted to address that point directly - what assumptions are made about Indian production, and what truth, if any, there is in them.

I did that by going to India to visit the factory myself.

100 Hands is run by a couple, Akshat and Varvara.

They live in the Netherlands, where the company is headquartered, but the factory is in Amritsar, India, where it is managed by Akshat's brother.

Their family business is cotton spinning. For six generations the family has had spinning operations in India, although most of the business today is trading yarn rather than spinning it.

There was always a shirtmaking operation in Amritsar, but it was very small. It was Akshat and Varvara (with previous careers in IT and finance) who wanted to try and turn this into a separate business.

It started slowly, in parallel with their full-time jobs. I had a shirt made by Akshat four years ago (via Chittleborough & Morgan), before the company really existed.

Today, 100 Hands employs 140 people, has moved out of Amritsar to the countryside nearby, and is in the process of adding a second floor to its factory. (That's the countryside above - me on the left, Varvara on the right.)

The workforce is about 60% male, 40% female, and is relatively young. (Most of the people working the sewing machines are men - which is an interesting contrast to Europe.)

There are several very experienced pattern cutters, machinists and embroiderers, but also a large contingent of trainees - often training in parallel with education.

This brings up one of the first concerns westerners have about Indian production: child labour.

Interestingly, the legal working age in India is 18 - by law no one is allowed to work full time until then.

It's also 18 in the UK, but has only been so since 2015. (With various grey areas in between, such as limits on hours per week, internships and so on.)

Younger people can work part-time while in education (again, just as in the UK - I had a paper round at 14) which is why there are a few people in the 100 Hands factory aged 16-18.

Child labour is really about the youngest age anyone is allowed to work at all. In the UK this limit is 13 (except actors and models, with various restrictions) and in India it is 14. 

There's nothing even approaching that at 100 Hands, although it is certainly still an issue in other parts of the country.

Another concern is how the workers are paid and generally treated.

I find this interesting, because actually this is far better than any British factory I've been to.

Everyone is paid considerably above the average wage. They all have pensions and everyone, including their families, is given medical insurance. Some also have local accommodation.

By contrast, workers in most British factories (I've been to around 30) are paid on a par with working at the local supermarket. And while many are nice places to work, few come with any ancillary benefits.

The only factories in Europe that come close are the big Italian brands like Kiton, Tod's or Zegna, which were founded on more communal principles and often supply good food, training and childcare.

Of course, these assumptions are made about Indian production because most brands go there in order to make things cheaply. (I actually had three requests along those lines when I posted pictures of the 100 Hands factory on Instagram.)

But 100 Hands shirts are not made cheaply. It takes specialist skill and about a year of intense training to do some of the hand stitching. Some of the pressing and quality checking is also twice as rigorous as other shirt factories I've visited.

(Bear in mind, too, that much of the world's best and finest embroidery comes from in India.)

It may be cheaper in absolute terms to make shirts here, but the quality produced and time required are greater than almost anything made in Europe. The margins are also similar - a 100 Hands shirt would cost considerably more if it was made in Italy or Portugal.

I entirely understand people that would rather buy from local, European manufacturers.

But there's also nothing wrong with supporting developing communities. 'Buy local' and 'Fairtrade' are similar sides of the debate in food production.

I personally feel very connected to the 100 Hands factory, having visited, seen how well it is run, and been welcomed so kindly by everyone there. It felt like a calm oasis in the middle of the burning Punjabi fields.

And my personal view, as I've always said, is that for people interested in the best, quality should always be the first concern. Location and heritage come some way after.

I'll go into more detail on how that quality is achieved at 100 Hands, as well as their range of offerings, in a separate piece.

For details on my clothing, see Friday's post here.

Holiday snaps 2018: Eidos, Aspesi, Doek, Drake’s

Posted on by Simon Crompton

 

Travelling to India on holiday this Easter gave me a reason to get the hot-weather clothing out early. It was unseasonably hot even for there, with the temperature pushing 40 degrees.

We took the opportunity to visit the 100 Hands factory in Amritsar, and that’s where I’m pictured above. (Full report coming on Monday.)

Cream trousers from Eidos in a slubby cotton/linen felt smart enough there for what was a working appointment – but also casual enough to wear on other occasions during the trip, such as dinner in the evening.

 

 

Here they’re worn with a nice Aspesi fully-fashioned polo shirt. Trunk has them at the moment, and they’ll feature in our regular Summer Top 10 piece in a week or two.

Nice slimmish fit, and the refined feel of a knit rather than normal cut-and-sew polo.

Over the top is my Drake’s linen overshirt, which did such good service last year.

As ever, I like the fact it has just the two, breast pockets and none on the waist.

 

 

Perhaps my favourite new purchase, however, was the canvas shoes above, by Japanese brand Doek (also stocked at Trunk).

I’ve wanted a cream canvas shoe like this for a while – something that will get battered like Chuck Taylors, and therefore look casual and much-loved. But ideally better made and unbranded.

These are perfect, with nice vintage touches like the overlapping layers of rubber at the toe.

 

 

The only downside of the vintage style is in the insole, which is a single layer of cork rather than the normal cotton over foam.

This provides less support and feels uncomfortable at first, but after a few wears I no longer noticed – and did a lot of walking in them. I also found that they were more comfortable than other canvas shoes without socks.

They got dirty quickly, as you’d expect, but were easy to wash with a sponge and soap and I’m told can be (delicately) machine washed.

 

 

The other polo shirt I took, naturally, was one of our short-sleeved Friday Polos. (New batch coming in a month or so.)

This navy one has worn in nicely, with some subtle fading around the collar and placket.

The shorts I’m wearing are also a collaboration, the last prototype (hopefully) of a model that first made appearance last year in Naples, and should be ready in a month or so.

 

 

So many shorts – to my eyes – are one extreme or the other. Very narrow or very wide; very short or very long.

These are a balance: straight, and finishing just above the knee. Sartorial touches are left to the small pleats and turn-ups.

There will be this washed green with belt loops, and a smarter navy with side adjustors.

The sunglasses don’t change: Starsky model from E&B Meyrowitz.

 

 

The other footwear I loved was one I bought out there: traditional Punjabi juttis, pictured above.

I posted a picture of these on Instagram and joked that they were hand-sewn and hand-patinated.

They are of course – just very roughly. A single thick, coarse thread binds the sole to the two overlapping pieces of the upper.

This is not very neat, refined, or strong, and of course is only one line of thread where bespoke shoes have two. But otherwise it’s similar. From the leather, it’s also clear that the dye has been painted on (cf. Saint Crispin’s).

There is no real comparison to make between them and bespoke dress shoes, but I make the point merely that any process can be done roughly – it’s execution that matters.

 

 

Juttis are made without a left or right, and are very stiff to start with; but over the holiday they became increasingly comfortable. They’re now a slightly eccentric slipper for home.

It’s a beautiful, warm day in London today and feels like summer is just around the corner.

I’m looking forward to getting my cotton knitwear, Sagans, and linen trousers out of the wardrobe to join these pieces that travelled.

Here’s hoping it’s sunny where you are.

 

Filling the gaps: Six pairs of odd trousers

Posted on by Simon Crompton

Filling the gaps: Six pairs of odd trousers

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Wednesday, April 18th 2018Tags:
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If shirts are the items in a man’s wardrobe where he wants most predictability and consistency, then trousers are undoubtedly second.

In that spirit, over the past year I have regularly commissioned odd trousers (‘odd’ as in separate, so not part of a suit) from Whitcomb & Shaftesbury, in their Classic Bespoke programme.

I have used them for several reasons:

  • One, I liked the subtle style of the trouser than John cut for me, and so there is no fiddling around to do there (precise measurements in an upcoming post)
  • Two, they are good value at £444 (ex-VAT) for Row-quality make, though partly made in India
  • And three - more subtly but I would argue rather importantly - the service has been very consistent. We did one fitting with each pair, but barely had to bother, the results were so good each time

Here are the six pairs I had made, plus why I chose them, where they fitted into the wardrobe, and what I’ve thought of them since commissioning.

Design-wise, they were all: flat-fronted, with a mid-rise, slanted hip pockets, one rear (buttoned) pocket, and 5cm turn-ups.

 

1 Heavy grey wool

Holland & Sherry

27oz wool

986034, Overcoating bunch

This is the same cloth I had cream trousers made out of in 2016, and that used to be part of the H&S Pardessus bunch, until it was discontinued. Fortunately, a few colours are still available in the ‘Overcoatings’ bunch.

I would never have commissioned these had I not already tried the cream, given how heavy the cloth is. But the cream didn’t feel heavy, merely warm, which is lovely through the colder months. And it held a lovely shape.

The grey has been exactly the same, although the mid-grey colour makes them much more versatile. I've also found that, although they aren't milled like flannel, they have enough texture to make them just as able to bridge formal and informal combinations.

They were featured in this duffle coat shoot.

 

2 Khaki-green linen

Huddersfield Fine Worsteds

11oz linen

9255, Cotton and Linen bunch

Those grey-wool trousers were made at the tail end of the winter last year, and as a result didn’t get a lot of wear until the next winter.

I did rather better with the timing of this second pair, made in linen just before the start of summer 2017.

Although I can see the appeal of a lightweight linen for a jacket or suit (such as my tobacco-coloured Langa), I would always pick a heavier, Irish linen for trousers.

This is usually around 11oz, as here, and I find this weight (as with my Dege suit) holds its shape for longer and rumples more than creases.

I already had dark-green, cream and stone-coloured linen trousers, but had only found the last to be versatile across a range of odd jackets.

So I hoped this khaki-green would fill a gap there - and it did. It's great with navy and brown, and even dark green given how pale the colour is.

It has also proved to be particularly nice with a range of brown shoes, from dark chocolate all the way through to tan.

 

3 Green winter cotton

Ariston

350g (12/13oz) cotton twill

C056-4, Linen e Cotoni bunch

I’ve long been a fan of green trousers in the sartorial wardrobe - because they can be very versatile, and because they don’t come up much in discussions of greys and tans.

I had found my khaki-coloured trousers from Cerrato very useful, and so decided to try something greener, here from Ariston.

They have been good, although not quite as nice as the previous pair. I think if I had the choice over again, I would go for that heavier cotton (15oz rather than 12/13).

A key risk of such cotton trousers is that they can look a little ‘old-manish’ and I think the heavier cotton is better in that regard.

I also used this pair of Whitcomb trousers to try some of the extra detailing they can offer through the India workshop - here some brown cotton piping on the pockets.

I’m not sure it worked. I don’t mind the colour - it doesn’t look flash, unlike say a yellow buttonhole - but it’s not as sophisticated as the brown-suede details you often find on Italian knitwear, which is what I had in mind.

 

4 Heavy Fox cotton

Fox Brothers

22oz cotton twill

These trousers came out of a conversation with Douglas at Fox Brothers about the heavy cotton they used to produce for the British Army, for puttees among other things.

This khaki cotton was a close cousin of that, and in some ways is similar to the vintage ecru cloth that they re-wove recently - a tough, steep twill with an indulgent amount of raw material in every yard. Unfortunately it is currently sold out. 

I wore this pair regularly through the winter. The thickness of the cotton and the strong colour gives them a casual, military flavour which meant they were particularly good with leather jackets, such as my Chapal flight jacket.

I would suggest a paler tan or beige for a dressier cotton trouser, however.

I’ve found the colour to be slightly limiting as to jackets it can go with, often requiring something equally dark and strong on top.

As with the grey Holland & Sherry trousers, these had buttoned or Daks-style side adjustors rather than buckles, as buckles can struggle to function with heavier cloths.

In picking buttons for those side adjustors, I found I liked horn on paler colours (as with this pair), and mother-of-pearl on darker ones.

 

5 Blue-tinged green flannel

Loro Piana

11oz wool/cashmere

640055, Winter Flannel bunch

In the same vein as the green cottons above, these were an attempt to expand my range of green trousers for winter.

My other pair, in a Holland & Sherry flannel and made by Elia Caliendo, had been worn very frequently. I wanted something similar but perhaps a little darker - closer to charcoal, and smarter as a result.

These, in a Loro Piana cloth, have done well in that regard, although the colour is slightly odd. It has a slightly blue cast and I find it’s not great with jackets that have much colour in them (eg my Richard James herringbone) but fine with pale greys (such as my Steven Hitchcock).

I would also not normally pick trousers with cashmere in the mix - I missed that on the description. Ideally I’d also have something heavier than 11oz, but there are rarely many green flannels to choose from.

 

6 Vintage Fox navy serge

Fox Brothers

25oz wool twill

This is a vintage piece of cloth I bought from Fox Brothers (anyone interested in vintage Fox will need to come to our next pop-up shop, presuming Fox are there).

It's a pity that it - like the heavy cotton - is no longer available, because it’s a wonderful wool twill that makes up with a great drape and sharp crease.

I don't normally wear or recommend navy odd-trousers, as I don’t think they work well with odd jackets. They too easily look like one half of a suit, where grey usually doesn't.

But these will be largely worn with knitwear, under a casual jacket such as my M-65 field jacket. 

 

Pictured at top and above, by the way, is Sian at Whitcomb & Shaftesbury, who was hired last year to help out John McCabe on the cutting. She cut the latter half of these trouser orders, and has done so extremely well.

Pictured below is Bob Bigg, the coatmaker who helped set up the India workshop where Whitcomb & Shaftesbury has these pieces made.

Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man

In the top image with navy trousers, I am also wearing: Edward Green Top-Drawer boots, and Anderson & Sheppard charcoal cashmere polo-collar knitwear.