These cat-monogrammed split-toes may be the best and most ridiculous thing I’ve ever bought. They’re from Saint Crispin’s, which has become one of my go-to companies for dress shoes. For years, I’ve always considered Edward Green to be my favorite label for footwear. Like Drake’s, their batting average in terms of design is exceptional, which means you can pick almost anything from their catalog and be assured you’ll look great. Getting a good pair of shoes from Saint Crispin’s, on the other hand, takes a bit more deliberation, but you can also wind up with something more unique. 

I think of Saint Crispin’s as the bridge to bespoke – sitting halfway between ready-to-wear and something truly custom. A lot of it is about the shaping. Since Saint Crispin’s are handwelted at the front and pegged at the waist, they don’t have the welt you traditionally find on Goodyear welted footwear, which allows their shoemakers to cut the soles closer to the uppers. Coupled with their sleek, foot-hugging lasts, this gives their shoes a kind of shapeliness you don’t see everywhere else. See this post for a comparison of how Saint Crispin’s chukkas compare to a similar pair from Crockett & Jones. The difference is incredible. 

Since every pair is made-upon-order, you can also ask for almost anything you want. That includes the design, which for bespoke firms such as G.J. Cleverley, I find to be half the draw. I recently bought these two split-toes from Skoaktiebolaget (an advertiser here, but also one of my favorite shoe shops because of their great service). I had them modify Saint Crispin’s traditional split-toes with the sort of v-shaped wing you see on the side, going from the apron to the quarters. And as a tribute to my cat, instead of the personalized monogram they normally peg into their waist with brass nails, I had them do an outline of a feline. I can’t take credit for the idea; this customer did it first. 

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Just a reminder, the order window for this year’s summer tweed run closes Monday, July 31st. Last year’s run was tremendously popular, so I’ve brought it back one more time. For those unfamiliar, this is an English woven cloth, made to look like the raw silk jacketings of yesteryear. The difference: being a silk-linen blend, rather than pure silk, it’s both cooler wearing and less shiny, making it easier to wear in modern contexts. The subtle, irregular flecks you see throughout the cloth also make this something like a summer version of Donegal tweed (hence the name). 

For readers who may not have custom tailors, or just like the ease of ready-to-wear, No Man Walks Alone is taking a length of the fabric for a special pre-order run on Sartoria Formosa sport coats. The jackets are handmade in Naples – to the same standards as the workshop’s bespoke commissions – and come in a silhouette that I think is both distinctively Italian and flattering (in contrast to the skinny suits seen elsewhere). The shoulders are soft and sloping, but just ever-so-slightly extended, and the chest is cut a bit full. You can see examples of their work in this post. The pre-order window for Formosa’s jackets also closes Monday. You can take 15% off the price with the checkout code PREORDER15. I genuinely think Formosa’s ready-to-wear line is one of the best values right now on the market, and the discount only makes it sweeter. 

 

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Designing cloth has become one of my favorite aspects of running this blog. It’s great to see a cloth materialize, after months of planning, and then see readers send their lengths to tailors, so they can be turned into suits and sport coats. In the past, I’ve put together special edition runs of tobacco brown Fresco, navy houndstooth Fresco, and a silk-linen blend I call “summer tweed.” The last one is my favorite. 

It’s also apparently a favorite of readers. In the last year, I’ve gotten more emails about this one than any others. Those who subscribed have written in to say how much they like their fabrics (and the resulting jackets they had made). Those who missed out have asked if the cloth will ever be offered again. 

So, I’m doing one more run of this fabric – this time with a special collaboration with Sartoria Formosa (more on that below). 

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A couple of years ago, Wall Street Journal’s style editor Jacob Gallagher described the Italian menswear line Eidos as “something that only looks good on men who are as handsome as the brand’s designer, Antonio Ciongoli.” I admit, up until then, I had been thinking the same thing. And while Antonio always looked good in photos – wearing trim white jeans and citified bomber jackets – I’ve learned my lesson over the years in not modeling my wardrobe too closely after handsome Italian men I see online. 

Last winter, however, while I was around downtown San Francisco, I decided to stop by Bloomingdale’s and check out the line. The clothes, to my surprise, were exceptionally wearable. The knits, based on old Aran classics, were updated with more interesting weaves and details. The polos were trim and cut with unusual collars, but they looked good when layered under a jacket. And then there was the outerwear, which was my favorite part of the collection. Slouchy, knee-length topcoats – one of which I later bought – paired just as easily over sport coats as they did with sneakers and jeans. You can see Mitchell Moss wearing a brown tweed one on his Instagram.

Part of this is about the editing process. In an amusing segment at Blamo! (a menswear podcast you should be following), Antonio said that he’s tried to make the line a lot simpler over the years:

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Most pants are made to visually disappear into the background of an outfit. A pair of grey flannel trousers set the stage for your shirt, tie, and jacket, just as jeans serve as the foundation for almost any causal ensemble. In the summer, however, when it’s too warm for layering, your shirt and trousers ought to do more than usual. I like slightly atypical tops this time of year. I’ve also been looking for pants with more distinctive closures. 

Almost all trousers you’ll come across have a simple button or zip closure, with more sophisticated ones coming with what’s known as a “French fly” (also called a waist stay). That’s the hidden, interior tab that attaches to an extra button or two inside of your pants, which relieves strain from the top of your zipper and allows the fly to lay flat. Some designers, however, pillage archives to come up with more unique systems. Some are easily wearable; others admittedly less so. 

The more daring ones, such as Margiela’s “sailor pants,” often take after historical dress. Those multi-button designs are modeled after something Regency-era men used to wear on the whipping seas. And while they were once a favorite of Beau Brummell, they’re all but unwearable today except for men who have a lot of time on their hands. Similarly, while heritage-inspired brands such as Engineered Garments have made their versions of Thai fisherman pants – also known as Sabays, which is Thai for “comfortable” – the loose, wraparound style is maybe a little too close for comfort to culottes (unless you’re David Sedaris anyway). Blurhms’ wrap pants, I think, are a better alternative if you like that style. I just wish theirs fit a bit fuller. 

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Globalization has been a double-edge sword for menswear. On the one hand, it’s wiped out many of the distinctive features that once made regional dress unique. There are a million sources these days for Macclesfield silk ties and minimalist sneakers, but few companies genuinely doing anything off the beaten path. At the same time, it’s allowed consumers to more easily tap into overseas markets (and, by the same token, for overseas companies to gain a broader audience). 

Even with all this access to information, however, it can be easy to overlook things happening around the world. South Korea, for example, rarely gets the credit it deserves. While much has been written about how China and Japan are changing our taste, little has been said about how South Korea is developing a menswear scene rivaling its neighbors. In the nation’s capital, you can find some surprisingly good bespoke tailors these days. Shops such as BnT Tailor specialize in Italian-inspired cuts – with their straight, wide lapels and sweeping quarters – but with clothes that often fit cleaner than what you’d get out of Naples. Similarly, boutiques such as Sculpt are as good as anything you’d find in New York City, while the number of domestically designed, Korean ready-to-wear labels is increasing every year. 

Like with Japan and China, however, it can be difficult to navigate the South Korean market if you can’t read the language. Sites such as High Snobiety and Hypebeast have covered the Korean fashion scene, but they often focus on streetwear brands that might feel alien to the average reader here. So, I thought I’d put together what I think are some of the most interesting labels right now coming out of the country – ranging from heritage-inspired workwear to more contemporary, minimalist styles. 

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Sale season this year is moving along quickly. Mr. Porter just made their second round of price cuts, putting things at 70% off just two weeks after they started their spring promotion. Given the size of their inventory, your best bet is to filter things by size and see what serendipitously pops up. Also worth checking back once a week or so. As people make returns, you can expect to see some items get restocked. 

Some things I think are notable: brands such as Chimala, Camoshita, Eidos, Kapital, and Drake’s are favorites and they have some surprisingly good things still left. I also like these Margiela leather babouches, Margaret Howell linen-wool blend sweater (lovely color); Our Legacy washed jeans; chunky Nonnative ribbed turtleneck; Orlebar Brown swimwear; Engineered Garments folk print shirt; Viberg work boots (blessed be the men with bigger feet), Gaziano & Girling loafers, and suede Valstarino bombers. For this coming fall/ winter, there are some heavily discounted gloves from Dents, just $50 a pair for leather models lined in cashmere. Lastly, don’t forget to check Mr. Porter’s much slept-on house label, Kingsman. The stuff there is often made in collaboration with top-end companies, such as Mackintosh and Drake’s, but will often get passed over because people forget to look. 

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I admit to having some prejudices when it comes to tailoring. For years, I believed the best work is done by old men who have a no-nonsense approach to their craft. In the forward to Anderson & Sheppard’s vanity book, A Style is Born, Graydon Carter describes the Savile Row tailoring shop as a dark, intimidating place. Worn wooden floorboards, ancient tables with heavy rolls of wools and tweeds, and a chest-high etched-glass divider where the front of house would take your order. Even Carter’s description of his cutter, the famous Mr. Norman Halsey, is comically cold:

A few years after we had gotten to know each other, I suggested that he call me Graydon rather than “Mr. Carter.” “Of course, Mr. Carter,” he replied. On occasion, I would try to get him to make something outside the mould, something a bit dramatic, to which he would say “A most daring idea, sir,” and the plan would be quietly dropped. During one fitting, when I felt I had put on a bit of weight, I asked Mr. Halsey if he could cut it so the extra pounds wouldn’t show. “We’re only tailors, sir,” he replied politely, but firmly. 

In the world of bespoke tailoring, you’ll find hundreds of little stories like these. All charming – such as the one of gruff Neapolitan tailors offering clients coffee (I once wrote a two-part follow-up at StyleForum) – but they also contribute to this idea that there are prima facia conditions for a tailoring house to be taken seriously. Things that position the house as genuinely inclined to the craft, rather than a slick facade that’s more about marketing than good work. 

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When it rains, it pours. End-of-season sales are coming down this week, with the newest one being from End – a UK-based shop that carries a range of inventory rivaling Mr. Porter’s. At the moment, you can take 20% off with the checkout code VIPSALE. That might not sound like much, but remember the prices here are already about 20% lower than US-based boutiques (thanks to automatic VAT discounts). If your order is worth less than $800, they’ll arrive duty-free. Shipping is also free on orders over $250. 

Since the inventory is so large, your best bet is to scan through the site’s list of brands. Some that I think are notable:

• ArkAir: ArkAir is the civilian-wing of an old English company, Arktis, which has been providing standard-issue military wear to special forces around the world since 1985. Over the years, they’ve sold to everyone from the French Foreign Legion to UK’s Royal Marines. ArkAir is inspired by those original military jackets, but the clothes are cut in a way that makes them practical for civilian use. Best of all is the price. With jackets nowadays commonly landing north of $500, these hover around $250. With the checkout code, that brings them to $199. 
• Barbour: One of the best times to get a Barbour jacket is during End’s promotions. Being that prices here are, again, lower than most places, the 20% discount just makes them even more affordable. Along with core-line models, such as the Beaufort and Bedale, you can find things such as the Ashby (which is basically the Bedale, but with a slimmer body and longer sleeves). See my Barbour Buyer’s Guide here. 
  

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