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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Most of us think of clothes in discrete categories – ready-to-wear, which is what you find hanging on racks, with some companies offering simple customizations through made-to-order programs. A step up in customization is made-to-measure, where a CAD pattern is adjusted to your measurements. And finally there’s bespoke, where a garment is fully made from scratch and then honed-in through a series of fittings. 

In reality, these categories are better presented along a continuum than in discrete boxes. Especially for shoes, where some makers sit between the worlds of ready-made and bespoke. Vass and Enzo Bonafe, for example, can make nearly anything you want so long as you like their lasts. Saint Crispin’s can do the same, as well as adjust their lasts through a clever prêt-à-porter program, so they’re close cutting designs will fit your feet. 

Another maker in this regard is Paolo Scafora, a medium-sized business in Naples located just outside of the city’s main centers. I actually had plans to visit their workshop a few years ago when I visited Naples, but had to cancel because my schedule was too packed in Chiaia – the seafront neighborhood where you’ll find most of the city’s better known tailors. Scafora’s location outside of the area isn’t just about rent, it also represents their position in the market. Whereas Chiaia has small bespoke workshops butted up against international brands, Paolo Scafora isn’t really about either. 

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Mr. Porter always has the most exciting sales, and they just discounted a wide range of their spring/ summer stock by as much as 50%. I picked up a Drake’s scarf, linen Margaret Howell sweater, and some Orslow washed jeans (the 107 fit is great if you want something on the skinnier side, but with a higher rise than APC’s New Standards). The nubuck RM Williams Chelsea boots were also tempting. 

If you’re reading this Monday night, know that some of the sales inventory is still being added. Given how quickly things sell out, however, you may want to browse the site now, then check back in the morning. You can use Mr. Porter’s filters to narrow down the inventory or go through their list of brands. If you’d like some suggestions, however, here are some things I think are particularly special:

• Eidos: A terrific Italian-inspired casualwear line. The topcoat I bought from them last season has become one of my favorite outerwear pieces. This spring/ summer, they have some incredible looking Ghruka pants (size up) and cotton knitwear. See Rubinacci for more Ghurka-styled trousers. 
• Camoshita: If you’ve ever admired Yasuto Kamoshita’s easy-going, louche style, you might want to take a look at his line. His shirts and polos are especially good this season. 

• Drake’s: Do they need any introduction? One of the best men’s accessories brands in the world. The spring scarves are especially nice. 
  
• Chimala: This Japanese brand makes things that feel like they’ve been dug out your favorite vintage shop. The clothes often fit nice and loose, but in a way that’s flattering, and there are often interesting pre-distressed details (I promise they’re done tastefully). One of my favorite workwear brands.
• Kapital: Do you want to look like a wandering hobo pirate in some post-apocalyptic world? If so, Kapital is for you! Not the easiest brand to wear, but certainly fun. (I’m actually wearing a Kapital Aloha shirt while typing this).
• Valstar: Civilian-styled A-1 suede jackets from an Italian company that has made their name off this design. Can be worn with either tailored trousers or jeans, which is what makes these so useful. These really come to their own when you layer them over textured knitwear. 
• Velva Sheen: Simple, great t-shirts. The selling point here is that they’re knitted like tubes, so they don’t have any side seams, but they’re really just soft, easy-fitting tees that flatter. Be sure to size up. 
• Battenwear: Something like a surf version of Engineered Garments. Lots of beach parkas, shorts, and camp collar shirts. All done in contemporary cuts that feel more stylish than their baggier American-made counterparts. For something similar, check Arpenteur. 
• Inis Meain: One of my favorite knitwear brands. Their sweaters are inspired by archival Irish designs, mostly those that have been worn on the Aran Islands. The quality here is just excellent – a considerable step-up from the Aran companies that mostly sell to tourists. 
  
• Maison Margiela: If you don’t already have a pair, Margiela’s German Army Trainers are really useful. They’re a little sportier than Common Projects’ Achilles, which in some ways makes them less versatile, but they still go with almost anything short of tailoring.
  
• Viberg: You rarely see Vibergs on sale, but Mr. Porter has the Canadian company’s popular service boots and Chelseas discounted by 30%. The service boots in particular are great – to workwear what boat shoes are to prep (I mean that in the best of ways). Just an easy-to-wear, versatile boot if you have rugged clothes in your closet. 
  
• RM Williams: The iconic Chelsea. Theirs is a wholecut design, which I think looks better than Chelseas with side seams (surprisingly common, even on boots retailing for over $1,000). 
• Gaziano & Girling: A rare sale on Gaziano & Girling shoes. Just note that the lasts here are on the slightly sleeker side of things. 
• Onia and Orlebar Brown: Great for swim shorts. Orlebar Brown’s shorts are made with side tabs, which I think looks nicer than elasticized waists. Onias, however, fit me a little better, so they might also work for you. 
• Jeans: Mr. Porter has some of my favorite jeans. As mentioned above, Orslow’s 107 fit is nice if you want something skinny, but with a manageable rise. Then there’s Our Legacy’s First Cut, which is fuller through the thigh, but has a nice taper below the knees. Finally, LVC’s 1947 501 jeans are a forgiving slim-straight cut. Probably more useful for guys with classic sensibilities, although the wash here might be hard to use with sport coats. 

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Memorial Day weekend is here, and before you fire up that grill or go on that camping trip, you might want to check in with some of your favorite stores. It seems like everyone is having a sale this weekend. A roundup of five great sales I was looking at last night:

Ralph Lauren: Ralph Lauren is actually having two sales. One is a stackable promotion, where you can take an extra 30% off already discounted items with the checkout code MEMDAY (orders over $125 also qualify for free shipping with the code FREESHIP125). Lots of stuff to browse here, but I think the highlights are in the footwear section, where you can find things such as penny and tassel loafers as low as $200. Just stick to the stuff made in the UK, USA, and Italy – the cheaper stuff from China typically isn’t that great. 

They’re also holding their “Designer Sale,” which means select items from their RRL and Purple Label lines have been discounted by as much as 40%. I picked up the vachetta leather bag you see at the top of this post, but I got the last one (sorry). If you’re up for a splurge, this suede Purple Label aviator jacket looks nice.

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More than ten years after menswear blogs were all about sick fades and selvedge stripes, a pair of raw denim jeans is still one of the most useful things you can add to your closet. Nevertheless, I’ll admit to having some denim editorial fatigue. With the spate of slapdash Kickstarter projects and indistinguishable denim start-ups, it’s hard to get excited about new companies. I yawn every time I read about how some made-in-USA company is using Cone’s White Oak denim.

Blackhorse Lane Ateliers, however, is different. For one, unlike most denim brands, Blackhorse actually manufactures things. They’re a London-based factory, originally having started in the early 1990s. Han Ates, the factory owner, handled clothing production for various high-street labels, making everything from men’s dress shirts to women’s dresses. When those companies asked him to move their production to Turkey, however, he did. And when they asked him years later to move their production to China, he complied. It wasn’t until they asked him to move to Vietnam that he quit. As he puts it, he got “tired of feeding the fashion beast.” 

Han left the fashion world to pursue a career in the restaurant business – opening a small, Mediterranean brunch spot in London – but it wasn’t long before he found himself back in the rag trade. He missed the creative side of the work, so he picked up where he left off, co-founding Blackhorse Lane Ateliers with Toby Clark, a former menswear designer at Margaret Howell. 

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Far and away, the nicest pair of shoes I’ve seen were on Will Boehlke, the former writer and editor of A Suitable Wardrobe. Will was wearing them when I bumped into him five years ago at a hotel. He was coming out of a fitting and I was going into mine. As we passed, I noticed he was wearing some chocolate brown, glazed alligator penny loafers, which I later found out were specially made for him by George Cleverley. I never really considered exotic leather shoes up until then, but since seeing them, I’ve always wanted a similar pair for myself. 

The problem with exotic shoes – particularly those made from alligator or crocodile – is you don’t know if you’ll like them until you try them. And prices here will range from the merely to the horribly expensive, as lower-end exotics aren’t usually worth buying. Anything affordable will be made from caiman, which is a small, Central American reptile that’s a close cousin of American alligator. Caiman leather is cheap, but it’s also not terribly great. Scaly, wrinkly, and tough, it starts off ugly and only gets worse with wear. Roje Exotics has a good video demonstrating the difference between quality crocodile skins and caiman. 

If an affordable pair isn’t made from caiman, then it’s likely constructed from the less desirable parts of an alligator or crocodile hide – the tail or maybe the sides. What you want is a maker who will cut the uppers from the belly of the animal, as well as do some proper pattern matching, but doing so means fewer pairs of shoes can be squeezed from the hide. And thus we land back at the original price problem. 

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There’s an old adage often passed around by men who use bespoke tailors: don’t stray far from the house style. And for good reason. The best tailors specialize in certain looks, which they’ve carefully perfected over the years. Just as you wouldn’t order French food at Nobu, you shouldn’t ask for an Italian jacket from an English tailor. Even if he or she is willing to make it for you, it probably won’t look very good. 

Sometimes, however, under the right hands, straying works. Last year, George Wang at BRIO told me about a new project he’s been working on with Hong Kong tailoring house W.W. Chan. They specialize in clean, classic, British-influenced cuts, but are also a bit more flexible than other tailors in terms of what they’re willing to make. 

For the last couple of years, George has been working with W.W. Chan to create a distinctive house style for his store. When I met up with him last January, he brought a sample jacket, which was maybe it in its third or fourth iteration. “You can’t just give a tailor a big list of changes,” said George. “You have to see how small changes affect the look here and there through each commission. Plus, tailors can be set in their ways, so it’s easier to make these changes in piecemeal steps.”

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John Seabrook, a staff writer at the New Yorker, penned a great article seventeen years ago about the genius of Helmet Lang. In it, he writes about his search for casual clothes in a world where casualwear has come to mean anything and everything. Active Casual, Rugged Casual, Sporty Casual, Smart Casual, Dressy Casual, Business Casual. Some of the names have changed (athleisure is just “active casual” today), but the genres persist. 

The thing that makes Helmet Lang special, Seabrook writes, is that he does upgraded versions of everyday basics. Things that are easy to adopt. An excerpt:

Helmut Lang, the Austrian-born designer, seemed to understand exactly what I needed–a uniform for the new casual world. I bought some more of his clothes: a ribbed cotton sweater that didn’t stretch like my other cotton sweaters; a few pairs of khakis, which had a pleasingly crisp finish; a denim shirt; a woollen sweater in a beautiful straw color; and a pair of jeans. They were intelligent clothes, designed for both work and play, which increasingly seem to be performed in the same outfits.

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For guys who have been interested in tailored clothing for a while, there’s been a lot of interest lately in how to dress more casually. And while there are many ways you can dress down a sports coat, even the best strategies will leave you looking a bit formal. Christian Chensvold put it well ten years ago when he said tucking in a pineapple print shirt into some old khakis nowadays can make you look overdressed in most cities. 

The problem with casualwear, especially for guys who are mainly interested in tailoring, is that the available options often fall into two categories. On the one hand, you have the sort of stuff that works for almost anyone – J. Crew and Brooks Brothers, for example, but those are admittedly a bit boring (something like what a suburban dad might wear, even if a moderately stylish one). Then there are things I think are more exciting, but they can feel niche. I’ve been wearing Margiela’s five-zip leather jackets with slimmer jeans and side-zip boots a lot lately, but that kind of combo isn’t to everyone’s taste. 

Last month, however, I bought my first big item from Stoffa: a dark brown suede flight jacket made with a removable, beige shearling collar. I’ve written about the company before. My friend Agyesh, who founded the company two years ago, worked for Isaia before starting his own label. At Stoffa, he offers a range of accessories, including some wonderful scarves that have to be handled to be appreciated, as well as custom-made outerwear and trousers. 

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