Die, Workwear!

Mr. Porter and Brooks Brothers Sales

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 01:57:00 -0700

Mr. Porter just made their second seasonal price drop. Select items are now discounted by up to 70%. Stock is pretty limited at this point, but there are some Drake’s ties at $45, a leather jacket by Faconnable at $425, and a suede A1 blouson by Ami at $427. Photos of the Ami jacket look a bit distorted and overly orange. I think Nitty Gritty has better images.

Brooks Brothers is also holding a 50% off sale this week. Their shell cordovan cap toe boots - which are some of my favorite shoes - have only been discounted by 25%, unfortunately, not 50%, but this is the lowest they ever go. And though they’re not cheap, they go incredibly well with jeans, corduroys, and heavy woolen trousers. I wear them with leather jackets and waxed cotton Barbours in the colder months of the year.

Saddleback Leather on Quality

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:17:00 -0700

Saddleback Leather recently produced a series of short videos explaining how their bags are made. For as much talk as there’s been on a “return to quality,” marketing pitches (and the blogs that recycle them) are usually quite superficial. It’s nice then to have the owner of a company explain why they choose certain materials over others, and what to look out for when buying similar products.

There are nine videos in all, but I’ve included just three here that I like. The first, above, explains the difference between full grain, top grain, “genuine,” and bonded leather. The other two are about threads and sewing techniques.

Of course, there’s some stuff that seems to have been left out – such as a discussion of corrected grain leather – but given that each video is long enough as it is, Dave does a great job of explaining the qualities behind his bags.

Edoya

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 09:27:00 -0700

StyleForum member Nutcracker recently posted some beautiful photos of his visit to Edoya, Japan’s premier maker of handmade brushes. Founded in 1718 during the country’s Edo period, and named by the eighth shogun Yoshimune, Edoya started as a paintbrush manufacturer. As the Japanese lifestyle became more Westernized after the Meiji Restoration, however, the company began producing other varieties, not least of which included clothing brushes and shoes brushes designed to care for Western style clothes.

The shop itself looks very charming. Bundles of bristles are hung from the ceiling, and every corner of the shop seems to be occupied with a brush of some kind. Kitchen brushes, toothbrushes, and back scratchers are neatly displayed under some framed Japanese prints. On a glass display case, spread out for our photographer, there’s a range of shoe brushes you didn’t even know existed. Horse mane hair is used for dusting off shoes; regular horsehair and pig bristle for raising a shine; and goat hair for final polishing. There’s also a suede brush made from metal fibers so densely packed that the brush head feels almost solid when you run your finger over it.

In the past, these brushes were only bought and used by professionals, but as people became more interested in high-quality clothing and footwear, Edoya has started selling directly to consumers as well. The brushes are considerably more expensive that what you’d find elsewhere (roughly $30-50 in Japan, and double that outside of the country), but they’re uniquely made. High-quality hairs are sourced from different parts of in the world and each brush is produced by hand. For example, boar hair from Chongqing, China is used for clothing brushes because it has just the right stiffness and flexibility for removing lint and dirt. The hairs are bundled and implanted by hand into each hole of the wooden body using a “two-level fixing” technique. This allows for longer, soft bristles to come in contact with your clothes, while shorter, harder bristles surround the base of those hairs in order to give them support and ensure they don’t bend too easily.

At the moment, the only US stockist I know of is LeatherSoul. They sell the horsehair brush (Uma) for $85, the pig hair brush (Buta) for $85, and the bronze suede brush for $65. The horsehair brush has bristles that are slightly stiffer than what you’d typically find elsewhere, and the pig hair is stiffer still. Truth be told, if I were limited to just one brush, it would be horse mane, as it’s soft enough to really raise a shine. Edoya sells one, but I don’t believe they do mail orders. The Uma is nice to use in combination with a softer horse mane brush (which you can find today in almost any cobbler’s shop), but I don’t know if I’d use it alone. The bronze suede brush, however, is the true gem. Although a cheaper suede brush does just as good of a job, Edoya’s brush feels a bit nicer in the hand. An appreciated thing when you’re doing something as mundane as cleaning shoes.

(Photos by me, Nutcracker, and LeatherSoul)

There's Always a Catch

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 09:00:00 -0700

Most of the world’s production of high-end footwear takes place in Western countries and Japan, but just outside the city of Buenos Aires in Hurlingham is a small workshop that’s said to be best producer of professional grade polo boots. Casa Fagliano, as this Argentinean company is known, is a family owned business that started in 1892. The Faglianos were originally from the Cuneo province of Italy, and when settled down in Hurlingham, Argentina, they worked as cobblers. At first, they repaired country boots for local rural workers, but after a few years, they learned how to make country boots and riding boots themselves. Some of these boots were made for the polo players at Hurlingham Club, which is located just one block away from the workshop.

Though I’ve never visited myself, reports of the workshop describe it as uniquely old-fashioned. There are apparently no electrical machines in here; everything is made only using hand tools and hand- and foot-propelled sewing machines. The family says that the Durkopp machine they use, for example, dates back to the late 1800s and early 1900s, and it allows for better control over sewing. Plus, in the quantities they produce, they don’t need the efficiency of modern sewing machinery.

So, if we can say that such simple tools count for hand-production, then Casa Fagliano’s shoes can be said to be handmade. Rodolfo, the oldest surviving member of the family, handcuts each piece of leather after his son Eduardo traces a client’s feet and takes their measurements. His other son Germán then stitches the pieces together, and uncle Hector producers the soles. Eduardo then finishes the boot with the aforementioned Durkopp machine, and the finished boots are at last hand polished and buffed. The whole process takes about forty labor hours.

Prices are more or less on par with bespoke shoes from other reputable houses. Each pair of riding boots costs between $2,000 to $5,000, and it takes about six to eight months to deliver after the initial meeting. The wait list is about a year.

All very exciting and good to read about, but I’m not in the market for polo boots. I did, however, find out that the company makes more casual styles, such as the chukkas, Chelsea boots, and monk straps you see at the very end of this post. I called them last week to enquire, and found that the shop is at capacity at the moment, so bespoke for these models is not an option. They do have some ready-to-wear boots though, which are available for $400-500, depending on the model. Sounds great to me, I said, so long as they make the boots, not another company. They confirmed that they do.

Unfortunately, if things should not work out, returning the shoes is not so easy. You apparently have to bring them to Argentina and mail them within the country, or hand deliver them back to Casa Fagliano. At the moment, there’s a restriction on all clothing entering the country and they’ve had problems with boots getting stuck (and then lost) in customs. So, effectively, for $400-500 you can buy some excellently made shoes with some more than impressive provenance, but they are not returnable.

There’s always a catch.

(Photos via Hodinkee’s Flickr and Casa Fagliano’s Facebook. You can read more about Casa Fagliano in these two stories at Hodinkee)

Mr. Porter Sale Starts

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 23:14:00 -0700

Mr. Porter’s seasonal sale just started. Just in time for this coming summer, there are long sleeved polo shirts by Zanone, swim trunks by Orlebar Brown, and seasonal accessories by everyone’s favorite maker, Drake’s. For more year-round wear, check out the outerwear options by Belstaff and Aspesi.

There’s also a Kelty x Beams backpack that I thought looked pretty good, as well as a semi-affordable leather jacket by Faconnable (“semi” being the keyword since leather jackets are always quite pricey).

You can browse the sale here.

Three American-Made Mocs

Thu, 30 May 2013 09:01:02 -0700

The landscape of high-quality American footwear is so much richer than what it often receives credit for. There are the two big operations that everyone knows of – Alden and Allen Edmonds – but also a number of makers of utility footwear: Red Wing, White’s Boots, Chippewa, Danner, Russell Moccasin, and Weinbrenner. For everyday styles, there’s Quoddy, Rancourt, and Eastland’s new “Made in Maine” line, as well as a couple of small firms, such as Town View Leather and Arrow Moccasin. The difference between these companies and those in England and Italy, of course, is that the American ones seem to focus on - and excel at - casual footwear.

I recently bought some casual shoes from Oak Street Bootmakers. A relatively young company based in Chicago, Oak Street Bootmakers was started by George Vlagos, who worked for some time in his father’s shoe repair shop. Today, he designs shoes in Chicago, sources leather from Horween, and then sends the materials to New York for manufacturing. I picked up three styles for myself, and they’ll be worn with jeans and chinos this summer and fall. In the order was a pair of camp mocs, blucher mocs, and a nicely designed chukka made with a genuine handsewn moccasin construction (see a theme?).

The main difference between these and a lower-end line is in the leather. Granted, cheaper leathers don’t look as bad on moccasins as they do on dress shoes. For example, a really beat-up pair of LL Bean camp mocs or ranger mocs can still hold a certain charm, if worn well. But if you can afford the premium, nothing beats the quality of Horween’s Chromexcel. It has a beautiful depth and richness in its color, and because of the amount of oils in it, it feels exceptionally soft and supple. The difference between these and other lines is much like the difference between a suit made from a high-end wool - one with a soft, rich handle - and a similarly made suit, but built from a cheap, lifeless fabric.

George tells me he’s working on some new designs. Their latest model is called the Trench Boot, which yesterday just came out in two spring/ summer styles (a chukka and what they call an oxford). Those are part of their new Goodyear welted line, whereas everything else is made with a genuine handsewn construction (ie moccasin construction), like these three you see here.

Barney's Seasonal Sale Starts

Tue, 28 May 2013 02:51:00 -0700

Barney’s New York has been doing pre-sales on their first round of seasonal markdowns for almost a week now, but the sale just officially opened up today on their website. That means some of the more premium items are now available at 40% off. I myself picked up these John Lobb City II oxfords to wear with suits, Nigel Cabourn mountaineering boots to wear with jeans, and a Nanamica Cruiser jacket for casual rainy days. A bunch of Drake’s ties and pocket squares are also on sale for $69 and $39 respectively, including the raw silk grenadine I wrote about two weeks ago (though in a skinnier width than what’s available at Mr. Porter).

Chinos Cut with a Higher Rise

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:08:05 -0700

Many of my favorite menswear writers, such as Bernhard Roetzel and Bruce Boyer, have said they commission bespoke trousers, but purchase their chinos ready-to-wear. I, for some reason, can’t seem to find the right ones. I’ve been looking for a pair with a higher rise, as I like to have my waistbands sit cleanly above my hipbones. I find this gives a more sophisticated and masculine look, and yields better proportions between the torso and legs.

I’ve found good higher-waisted trousers at Ralph Lauren. They make a cut called the Preston, which I buy and taper to an 8” leg opening. Only the made-in-Italy version is any good, however. The downside is that they rarely make them as chinos, and when they’re available, they’re something around $350 and $450. That’s a lot to pay for ready-to-wear.

So I’ve been thinking about commissioning some to be made. The starting cost for a pair of bespoke trousers from a good, reputable tailor is about $600, but I’ve heard of men having existing trousers copied by local alterations tailors for about $150 to $200. I imagine the price could be lower if you sourced something from Hong Kong. That’s not too terrible of a price considering that good pants nowadays are start around $150.

Above is a picture of Guido Wongolini, from the much-celebrated MostExerent blog. Here we see him in a white shirt (I believe from Ascot Chang) and a pair trousers from his bespoke Solaro suit. From afar, they kind of look like chinos. In fact, very similar to the ones I’m hoping to have made: chinos cut with a higher rise.

(Photo credit: MostExerent)

How Difficult Can It Be?

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:01:00 -0700

So last year, I adopted a pet - a young, six year-old tuxedo cat with the personality of a Labrador. She follows me around the house, doesn’t like to be alone, and routinely insists on being petted and played with. Whatever reputation cats have for being independent and aloof, this one has none of it. I find her very charming.

The only downside to having her around is that she sheds. Not a lot, but enough to require a bit more cleaning. The most annoying aspect of this chore is cleaning off the shoe bags that sit on my bedroom floor. They seem to act like cat hair magnets, and even a good vacuuming won’t clean them off entirely. Thus, I’ve been thinking about getting some new bags – ones that won’t hold on to cat hair more dearly than my cat herself seems to. One design I really like is by John Lobb of Saint James’s, London (the original one, not the one owned by Hermes), which I learned about through this article by my friend Réginald-Jérôme de Mans.

As Réginald-Jérôme writes, a typical shoe bag is made with two rectangular pieces of soft, brushed cotton, sewn together on three sides, and then made open on one so that shoes can be put in. A pair of cotton or leather drawstrings is then used to close.

John Lobb’s, however, makes the remarkable looking pairs you see here. They’re apparently made from a soft, fleecy material and decorated with a thick braided trim. Instead of having just one end open, the entire top opens up, so that you can more easily insert and remove your shoes. The bag itself is wedge shaped, so it sits more naturally over your shoes, and the zipper pull is finished with a matching tassel. The whole thing looks a bit over-the-top, truthfully, but I really like them.

The problem, of course, is that I imagine this fleecy material will still attract cat hair. And nothing would ruin the feeling of elegance more than having to sit and vacuum these bags every week, just so they don’t look like still, half-balding animals. Plus, there’s a John Lobb logo on the side, and it feels a bit silly having bags made for bespoke shoes when I don’t own any myself (John Lobbs’ or not).

So I’m thinking of getting something similar made, but with an easier-to-clean material. A heavy cotton drill maybe? Muslin? I don’t know, but would welcome any suggestions. I imagine you could supply a seamstress with some basic materials and get something made for not too much money. How difficult can this be? Cut a few pieces of cloth in a wedge shape, sew them together, put in a zipper, and attach the trimmings.

Or maybe I’m naïve, and like with my imitation Turms box, getting something to look this nice is harder than it seems.

Vintage Ghurkas

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:05:00 -0700

I was knocking around on Ghurka’s website over the weekend and saw that they had an impressive collection of vintage bags. All stuff from the early years, when Marley Hodgson was still running the company.

For those unfamiliar, Ghurka is an American bag company that started in the 1970s after a Connecticut man named Marley Hodgson attended an antiques auction. Hodgson had a particular fondness for history and leather goods, and on that day, he had his eyes set on some campaign gear made for Ghurka regimental officers stationed in India during the early-1900s. He lost the auction, unfortunately, but later came upon a bigger prize: an idea to start a line of American-made bags inspired by those Ghurka designs.

The original stuff was all very tough and beautiful. They had a kind of old, foreign correspondent feel, were suitably casual for an American lifestyle, and were exceptionally well made. Hodgson liked to describe his customers as people with a “quiet confidence and adventurous spirit,” and you can kind of see that sensibility run through his work. Perhaps more importantly, his bags all aged beautifully, as you can see here.

In 2004, however, Hodgson sold his company and then went off to create Smith Fork Ranch. Whereas Ghurka under his tenure always manufactured everything in Connecticut and New York, the new owners shifted part of the production to Spain, Italy, and China (though some of it was retained here). Truth be told, I found many of their products during this period to be a bit underwhelming, especially for the price. It seemed without Marley Hodgson’s leadership, Ghurka was just becoming another luxury-end fashion brand.

In 2011, however, the company was sold again - this time to Brightwork Brand Holdings. The company’s new CEO has made it a goal to bring Ghurka’s overseas production back home to the US. I’ve been told that this will take time, as there’s a shortage of skilled labor here (I assume in the quantities Ghurka needs). However, since the acquisition, 100% of their business bags are now made in Connecticut, and 50% of the travel goods are made in either Connecticut or New York. The balance is then split up between Italy, Spain, Latin America, and China.

I actually don’t think having production done in China is necessarily a bad thing, as I don’t believe you can easily reduce a product’s quality down to its country of origin. I’ve seen some remarkable Chinese-made luxury goods in Beijing, and I’m sure good bags can be made there. The issue of shifting production to China, at least for me, is always whether or not it signals the company’s flagging commitment to quality. With the new owners’ efforts to bring production back to the US, however, who knows - maybe this means a return to the glory days. It might be worth stopping by one of their stores to take a look.

Either way, the vintage pieces on their site look amazing. They have such a casual and romantic sensibility about them, and I imagine they’d look great with a Barbour jacket, Shetland sweater, and pair of chinos. Kind of reminds me of something I need to look for on eBay.

Raw Silk Explained

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:17:00 -0700

It’s still a bit chilly in San Francisco, but in anticipation of summer, I went ahead and picked up a raw silk grenadine by Drake’s last week. Michael Hill and his design team seem to be getting more adventurous these days, but I still think they achieve great success. This new design, for example, has a bit more texture than their regular raw silks – adding the slubbiness of raw silk to the textured weave of grenadine. This makes it look something like a summer version of boucle, which I really like.

Alexander, that reader who kindly introduced me to the New York cloth merchant, explained to me last year that raw silk is simply silk that has not been chemically processed. You see, every silkworm extrudes two filaments when making its cocoon, and these fibers typically undergo a chemical processing to strip them of their bonding sericin. As a result of having their sericin left on, raw silk lacks the full luster and richness associated with the kinds of processed silk used for neckties. There also tends to be an unevenness in the yarns, as the two strands of filament are left bonded together, rather than being stripped and separated, which would yield an ultra-fine filament yarn that can be densely woven.

Note, this doesn’t mean that raw silk is necessarily organic, however, which is how it’s commonly advertised on some websites. Raw silk can still undergo several types of processing and finishing that are bad for the environment, and still be left “raw.”

There’s a second type of material known as Tussah (seen above), which salespeople often mistakenly call raw silk. Tussah silk is cultivated by allowing silk worms to live on a wild diet rather than exclusively on mulberry leaves. It tends to have a slightly slubby quality similar to Dupioni, which is what leads it to being misidentified as raw silk. At Drake’s you can easily tell which is a Tussah silk tie by examining the weave - their Tussahs feel a bit delicate and are looser woven, whereas their raw silks are much denser.

Dupioni or duoppioni silk, on the other hand, is when two silk worms are left next to each other to create a strange double cocoon. Dupioni silk is almost always left raw in an effort to keep the multiple strands together and maintain their irregular yarn properties. I haven’t seen that many neckties made from Dupioni, but I’ve handled a couple vintage summer suits made from such material. They’re impossible to find nowadays new and off-the-rack, and are rarely available even through bespoke tailors, but A Suitable Wardrobe found a source for Dupioni through Jodek International (don’t expect prices to be cheap). You can see Dupioni’s qualities here, if you look very closely.

Anyway, that’s raw silk, in the best way it’s ever been explained to me. Drake’s new variety of raw silk grenadines at the moment can be found through Mr. Porter, Barney’s, and Drake’s website itself. They may or may not go on sale. I was afraid this one wouldn’t, which is why I bought early. Barney’s been having remarkably good sales at their Warehouse site, however, and things at the moment are discounted up to 75% off. That puts their remaining Drake’s ties at less than $50. The chances of a raw silk grenadine making it this far in a sale is slim, but that’s the game with discounts.

Special thanks to Alexander, as always, for taking the time to write to me.

(Pictured below: Drake’s raw silk grenadine up close, two photos of a striped raw silk tie by Drake’s, and an upcoming dotted raw silk grenadine by Panta)

Brooks Brothers' Friends and Family Sale

Tue, 07 May 2013 09:10:00 -0700

Brooks Brothers’ Friends and Family sale started today. Discounts of 25% can be had with the checkout code FNFBB6.

Some of my favorite items include these shell cordovan boots, chukkas in pebble grain calf and suede, and SWIMS galoshes. I actually own a pair of the shell boots and they’ve been a favorite in my closet for years. You can see them here in that post I wrote about Aspesi’s Loden coat. They can be successfully paired with everything from jeans to heavy woolen flannel trousers, so long as what you’re wearing carries a generally rustic or rugged sensibility.

I also own this waxed cotton coat, but in black, and this brown suede jacket. The waxed cotton coat is great if something like Belstaff’s Roadmaster is too expensive for you, and I promise the brown suede jacket looks better in real life than it does online. Blame it on Brooks’ bad styling.

Personally, I picked up this Filson 256 briefcase in its newest colorway, navy. It simply looked too good to pass up.

Oxford and Chambray

Thu, 02 May 2013 09:01:00 -0700

There are two types of shirting I’m particularly fond of: oxfords and chambrays. Both prove that plain blue shirts don’t have to just be plain blue. They can be considerably more charming if they have a bit of texture and subtle variation in color. Today, I have good news about both cloths.

The first comes courtesy of a reader named Alexander, who kindly emailed me a few weeks ago to tell me about a New York cloth merchant who carries an oxford shirting that he thought I might like. Indeed, I do. The weave is more apparent than the oxfords you might see at Brooks Brothers, and the yarns have a starker contrast. Whatever qualities you find charming abut a traditional oxford, this has the same, but more so. The cloth actually reminds me a lot of Mercer & Sons’ shirting, which I wrote about a few weeks ago. Best of all, it sells for between $5 and $8 a yard, depending on how much you buy.

Alexander suggested that the merchant’s oxford be pre-shrunk before being actually made into a shirt. With higher-end fabrics, such as those from Alumno, this is rarely necessary since the mill will finish the fabric with water and detergent (thus, effectively preshrinking the fabric for you). But at $5-8 a yard, one can hardly complain, especially since a good tailor can usually pre-shrink your fabric at no extra charge.

NY merchant’s oxford swatch set against a Mercer & Sons OCBD

NY merchant’s oxford swatch set against a Brooks Brothers OCBD

Mercer & Sons’ oxford cloth, up close

The second bit of news concerns Simonnot Godard’s chambray, a particularly beautiful French shirting that over the years has captured the attention of some bespoke tailoring enthusiasts. Most people think of chambray as a rough, denim-like, workwear fabric, but in fact it can be finely woven into something quite dressy. At least dressy enough that it can be easily worn with a casual sport coat and tie.

Recently, the beloved fabric has undergone some controversy. First, Carl Goldberg at CEGO Custom Shirtmakers claimed that it was just some cheapo poly-blend, an accusation that many people found so unfathomable that it went largely ignored. Then Matthew at Tweed in the City conducted a burn test that seemed to confirm Carl’s claim. Finally, just yesterday, Torsten at Grunwald had a conversation with Simonnot Godard themselves, and verified that indeed all of their chambrays are woven with 20% polyester. You can read his story on his blog.

As a response, Torsten will no longer carry Simonnot Godard’s chambray, and has discounted his remaining stock to rock bottom prices. Instead of ~$100 for two meters, it’s now a remarkably low ~$35.

I admit, the idea that people have been unwittingly buying polyester is a bit funny, but I’m not sure it makes any difference in how I feel about the cloth. I still think it’s quite beautiful. It’s like end-on-end, but the color has a bit more variation and depth. On certain editions, there’s also a very subtle, nubby texture. If there’s a pure cotton shirt that can achieve the same effect, I’ve never seen it.

In any case, I bought fifteen meters of oxford and twelve meters of chambray yesterday. Both will be made into two weeks’ worth of solid blue shirts – one set woven with enough texture to get me into certain eating clubs, and another set woven with enough polyester to get me into certain nightclubs.

And that’s my good news.

NY merchant’s more casual chambray set against a Simonnot Godard chambray

Voxsartoria’s Simonnot Godard chambray shirts

Close up shot of one of Simonnot Godard’s chambrays, via Tweed in the City

The Largest Mill in Italy

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:13:10 -0700

The rather talented Gianluca Migliarotti - who many know as the director behind O’Mast - recently completed a short film on the largest mill Italy: Vitale Barberis Canonico. The family who owns the mill has been producing cloth since at least 1663, from which there are documents reporting the delivery of a “sala grisa” (grey wool) to the Duke of Savoy by Ajmo Barbero. Today, they make cloth for merchants such as Holland & Sherry, Smiths, Wain Shiell, and Dormeuil.

The trailer for this film was released about five months ago, but this is the full 15-minute feature. As to be expected from Gianluca, it’s shot beautifully. You can see it here on Vimeo or watch the embedded version below. Enjoy.

Ralph Lauren's Spring Private Sale

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:10:59 -0700

Ralph Lauren’s private sale just started for this season. By private sale, I assume they mean it’s private to anyone who can click on a hyperlink, as the sale is pretty much public to anyone with a computer (you do have to click on their special URL, however). As silly as the name is, the sale is pretty good. Discounts are up to 40% off with an extra 15% if you shop before May 1st.

My favorite items include Ralph Lauren’s Singleton loafers and Sanderson wingtips, both of which are discounted to about $300 at checkout. There are also colorful summer shirts for $60, and my favorite ready-to-wear trousers, Ralph Lauren’s Preston model, in a solid brown and houndstooth linen at $260. The Preston is a genuine classic cut with a high rise. I taper mine to about an 8” opening, and have yet to find better pair of ready-to-wear pants (just make sure you’re choosing from the made in Italy line, as Preston is just the cut, and the Asian made Prestons aren’t terribly worth buying).

There’s also a yellow fireman’s slicker, similar to the one I’m selling on eBay. It’s admittedly a silly jacket, but I love the design. It reminds me of a particularly great photo of Ralph Lauren himself. In it, he’s wearing a yellow fireman’s jacket, navy crewneck sweater, and a blue chambray shirt. I assume below is maybe a light blue pair of jeans. It’s a charming look that can bring a smile to one’s face on a dreary day.

Linkson Jack and Glenroyal

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:35:00 -0700

As some readers may know, Linkson Jack recently asked me to be a style advisor at his store’s new “private shopping” service. The service allows customers to pay a monthly subscription fee, which gets deposited into their Linkson Jack accounts as store credit. It’s a way, in Linkson’s words, “to make it affordable for men, whatever their financial position, to own really nice, bigger ticket items that they would not ordinarily buy.” Being a subscriber also means getting access to exclusive goods, special sales (beyond what he puts public, such as these $80 E.G. Cappelli ties), and style advice from either Simon Crompton or me.

I admit I find my being a style advisor there a bit strange, if only because I know a good number of people who are infinitely more qualified. On the other hand, I think I know more about style than I did ten years ago, when I first got interested in tailored clothing, so perhaps if you’re just starting out, I can help you flesh out some thoughts or tell you what the general orthodoxy is on things.

For the sake of transparency, I should note that I earn a 10% commission on any products I recommend to subscribers. The partnership I have there is quite natural, however, as I genuinely rank Linkson Jack as one of my favorite online shops. In fact, Linkson was recently so kind as to let me take an advance on a Glenroyal briefcase that I’ve been eyeing for months.

Glenroyal is a 35 year old Scottish company located in the village town of Kilmaurs, which thus far is famous for three things: its crossroad buildings, medieval jailhouse, and 200 years of leatherworking history. It’s here in this Scottish countryside that Glenroyal continues Kilmaurs’ tradition by producing leather goods with qualities rarely seen today. My briefcase, for example, is made from bridle leather (also known as harness or saddlery leather), which is a vegetable tanned cowhide that has been finished with fats, waxes, and tallow. Bridle leather gets its name from what it was originally created for: bridle straps used to connect to a horse’s reins. The material is prized for its functionality, beauty, and strength. Since it was originally meant to be worn by a horse, it has to be flexible enough to be manipulated, well finished enough to not rub (so the back has to be nearly as good as the front), and strong enough to hold since failure can be potentially life threatening. All of those qualities make bridle leather an excellent, if expensive, material for lots of other things, including briefcases made by companies such as Swaine Adeney Brigg and Glenroyal.

Glenroyal produces their bridle leather goods in a number of colors, including black, navy, dark brown, and London tan. I choose tan because I thought it would age nicely and take on a better patina over time. I also thought it would show off bridle leather’s natural white bloom. These blooms occur because good bridle is deeply impregnated with oils, fats, and waxes to keep it strong and supple. The white deposits you see are from the tallows surfacing. This is quite normal, and is a sign of the degree that the leather has been penetrated with fats and waxes (lesser bridle leathers can have a finish sprayed on at the end of its process). If you want, you can brush off the white blooms with a soft cloth and buff things back to a beautiful shine. However, I rather like the subtle white streaks that develop. I think they add character.

The briefcase is not cheap, and I imagine I’ll be working it off for the next couple of months (Linkson does carry many more affordable Glenroyal goods, however). On the upside, it looks fantastic with a suit or sport coat, and I now reserve my Lotuff and Clegg bag for more casual use. I can’t imagine using any other bag but this now when wearing a coat and tie.

(Photos via Linkson Jack, OnlyBrown, and Rakuten)

A V-Shaped Brogue

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:22:00 -0700

As much as I enjoy classic brogues, I only own two pairs of wingtips: Edward Green’s Inverness, made from a lightly antiqued chestnut calf, and Ralph Lauren’s Marlows, made from a dark brown shell cordovan. The first is only wearable with lightweight clothes in the spring and summer months, while the second is better with heavier, country clothes in the fall and winter. I own none in dark brown calf, which, being a more versatile color and material, would allow me to have at least two wingtip options throughout the year.

So I’ve been wanting to get a new pair, but feel a bit ambivalent about most models. My eyes are more drawn towards the elegant, curved “v-shape” designs from Saint Crispin’s, Edward Green, and Vass.

Like with all of Saint Crispin’s shoes, their modified longwing brogue doesn’t have a name, but a number. Here, it’s simply called the 105. Along with the 315, the 105 was one of the company’s first models. It came out in 1996, four years after the company’s founding, and was designed by Saint Crispin’s original proprietor, Michael Rollig. Michael has gone on to do Zonkey Boot, but the shoe he designed for Saint Crispin’s seventeen years ago continues to be one of the company’s best sellers.

Edward Green’s version is called the Brummell (after the famous Regency dandy, of course). It came out in 2010 as a way to mark the company’s 120^th anniversary. The diamond shaped medallion you see is drawn from Edward Green’s 1930s archive. A uniquely shaped punch for a uniquely designed shoe. I don’t see the model listed in Edward Green’s latest catalog, but I imagine it should be available for special orders. The biggest upside to Edward Green is that I think they have one of the best looking dark brown calfs on the market.

Finally, there’s Vass’ Old English II. Theirs perhaps looks less sleek, but this could be an advantage depending on what else one plans to wear. It also comes in at half the price of the other options, which is attractive.

I’m undecided at the moment on which model I like best, but will have to choose soon. I’d like to have a pair of dark brown, calf leather, v-shaped brogues.

(Photos via Ethan Newton, Leffot, and StyleForum)

A Visit From Steed

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:25:00 -0700

Savile Row’s Steed Bespoke Tailors made their first visit to San Francisco over the weekend, and just left this morning to go to Nashville, Tennessee. I met with them yesterday, and it would have been rather joyous if it weren’t for the tragedy in Boston. Edwin DeBoise, the firm’s co-founder and cutter, told me that when they visit Boston, they stay at a hotel just near the bombings. It’s really still quite disturbing to see the photos and news stories steadily streaming out.

Still, after some talk about Boston yesterday, I went ahead and ordered my first set of garments. Included was a deep, rich navy suit to made from a 15oz hopsack by Smith’s. I didn’t get a photo of the cloth, but the weave is quite visible. Visible enough that I should be able to wear the suit jacket alone as a sport coat. I also asked for my London Lounge Shetland houndstooth to be made up into a sport coat, for some fawn flannel to be turned into odd trousers, and for a brown herringbone tweed to be made with a poacher’s pocket (this, I think, will be my reading jacket).

I had a difficult time choosing the right brown herringbone, however, and in the end, never settled on one. I paid for the full order, but Edwin and Matthew kindly said I could decide on the herringbone in the next few weeks. I’m leaning towards the middle cloth you see in the first photo above, third from the top, which seems to have a enough definition in between the lines, and the right pitch of brown to wear with a variety of trouser colors. The others seemed too flat or muddy in comparison, but we’ll see.

There were also some beautiful, spongy tweeds that gave me ideas for future commissions, as well a very handsome range of linens and flannels from the London Lounge books. The linens look like they’d make for great summer suits, and the brown plaid flannel pictured below seems like it would be ideal for a three piece.

There was an amusing moment when Edwin was measuring me. He’d wrap the tailor’s tape around a few times and dictate the measurements to his son, who sat behind us taking notes. At the end of it, he poked around my shoulders and noted, “low right shoulder, high left.” Then he took a step back, looked down, and in a voice much quieter than what he was using earlier, said “prominent seat.”

His son then whispered, “Quite prominent calves too, yea?”

“Yea,” Edwin nodded.

I’m sure they were speaking in more hushed tones to be polite, but I thought it was quite amusing. What Asian man could be offended by the remark he has a prominent seat? I would advertise in felt letters across the back of my fawn flannel trousers if I could.

Anyway, Edwin tells me that their visit to San Francisco was quite a success. Two days fully booked with appointments, so they’ll be back four times a year. I imagine they’ll also add San Francisco to their permanent travel schedule (or so I hope). I’m already looking forward to when they return in June.

The Italian Cover Up

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:00:00 -0700

April being the month when traveling tailors visit, that means meeting foreign men in hotel rooms, undressing and dressing, and sometimes taking pictures. My first meeting was with Napoli Su Misura, who was in downtown San Francisco over the weekend, seeing clients at the Orchard Hotel. They brought with them the four garments from my latest order: a cigar linen suit made from W. Bill fabric, a brown gun club faux tweed made from Hardy’s Worsted Alsport, a blue Fresco sport coat, and a pair of grey Minnis flannel odd trousers.

During the fitting, I asked Dino if he could extend the shoulder line a bit on each of my three jackets. I’m unfortunately very skinny and have unusually narrow shoulders. With a jacket that shows and tells all, I think it reveals my rather unmasculine figure. So to hide some of it, I thought I’d ask for the shoulders to be broadened a bit, past where my natural shoulders end.

The dilemma with asking for this on a softly tailored coat is that without any support at the sleevehead, the extra fabric will just collapse and “flop” over. So instead of going fully soft, Napoli Su Misura will put a bit of wadding at the sleevehead to give support. Wadding differs from padding in that padding is a full shoulder pad, sometimes quite thick, whereas wadding is a semi-circular, thinly padded material that covers just the end of the shoulder. According to Dino, this should allow me to get a slightly broader line while still maintaining a soft, Neapolitan look.

We’ll see how the experiment turns out, but in my (non-technically trained) mind, I can’t see why one can’t have all the things we love about Italian tailoring – the soft construction and casual, relaxed look – while putting in some things to help hide our deficiencies. Liverano, for example, makes a softly constructed jacket with an extended shoulder line, and StyleForum member iammmat has the same modification on his Rubinacci jackets. I think the effect is something very casual, relaxed, and masculine. This flies in the face of that idea that we must choose between looking natural and hiding our defects (anyone remember that terrible video where the Scimat guys attacked Jeremy Hackett over this?). Perhaps I’ll be proven wrong at my next fitting, but if I am, NSM can revert to their default natural shoulder, so no harm will be done.

The Great British Sewing Bee

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:26:00 -0700

Following the success of The Great British Bake Off – a British television show where amateur bakers were pitted against each other in a series of baking competitions – the BBC just launched their latest program, The Great British Sewing Bee. The concept is the same, but instead of flour and water, we have thread and needle. The show’s challenges all revolve around making women’s clothing, and though this site is about menswear, I thought the show might be of interest to readers since there’s a focus on tailoring. The contestants, for example, are asked to make an A-line skirt within three hours and a custom dress within seven. I think of tailoring as a mostly quiet, almost private, activity, but the time pressures and cast of characters actually make for engaging television. They also throw in a bit of history regarding pattern making, show viewers how to make a simple laundry bag, and along the way, demonstrate some of the challenges in the craft. Who would have though discussions of darts and pattern making would ever make for popular TV?

Plus, one of the judges is Savile Row’s Patrick Grant, which I admit makes for an odd judge since he has no technical training in tailoring. However, he’s charming and I suppose lends a bit of star quality (is Patrick known outside of the menswear world?). In any case, sewing instructor May Martin picks up any technical issues Patrick has missed, and Patrick has enough of an eye to say when something has been constructed sloppily (his comments are a good way for the viewer to learn when something fits, incidentally).

The BBC’s iPlayer is only viewable in the UK, but you can find the first episode uploaded on various websites pretty easily now. Here it is on Youtube, and embedded below for your convenience. Enjoy.