Ralph Lauren’s mid-season sale started yesterday. Apparently they’ve skipped their usual private invitations and gone straight to public. This time, select items have been discounted by as much as 50%, and starting tomorrow, you can get another 15% off if you use the checkout code RLFALL15. Possibly a good time to pick up a jacket, some shoes, or a bit of knitwear. Some of my favorites while browsing the site last night:
Even with a closet full of neckties, I’m always drawn to picking up a thing or two from Drake’s every season. It’s said that the company offers English taste in the way the Italians or French might imagine it – classic English designs reinterpreted with a bit more verve. Not too unlike how an Italian or French man might wear his British clothes. It might just be a marketing line, but it’s not a bad way to describe the company. In a world where everyone offers of the same Macclesfield prints and silk foulards, Drake’s successfully walks the line between classic and novel, which is why guys like me keep coming back.
This season, they have their regular stable of wools, madders, and rep striped silks, but also some new and interesting things – such as Shetland yarns woven on grenadine looms, and wool-alpaca blends that offer unique textures. In addition, there are some new re-colorings of old, archive pocket square designs, such as those birds of paradise and unicorn prints that were originally made for Holland & Holland, as well as a colorful Navajo-inspired square taken from a scarf they used to sell in the 1970s. The growing line of knitwear, shirts, and sport coats also make the brand into more than just an accessories label. (Fun fact: the sport coats are made by Belvest, which is something of a return-to-history, as Michael Drake used to travel the world selling Belvest before he started his own company).
Drake’s website is worth a browse if you want to be inspired by some new things to wear this fall, but here are also some selections from a few of my favorite stores.
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Sartoria Solito returned to the US this year, after a five-year stint of being away. The small Neapolitan tailoring firm is run by a father-and-son team. Gennaro, the father, is known for cutting a fuller, more old-school silhouette, while his son Luigi defaults to something trimmer (although, he can also cut a fuller jacket upon request).
The firm enjoyed quite a bit of success in the States many years ago, but for various reasons, stopped visiting sometime in 2010 or 2011. That admittedly left a few customers hanging (three, that I know of), but I’m glad to say those orders are now being sorted out. I’m a big fan of the company’s distinct Neapolitan style: soft, sloping shoulders are combined with knocked-down sleeveheads and a minimally padded chest. The skirt is cut close to the hips, while the quarters gently curve away. It’s a much more rounded silhouette than what you typically see from British tailors (even ones who specialize in soft tailoring). Perfect for those who want a softer, more casual take on tailored clothing.
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Apparently, when it rains, it pours – at least when it comes to mid-season promotions. UK clothier End just started mid-season sale, where you can take take 20% off almost any purchase with the checkout code AUTUMN15. The code surprisingly works on brands that are typically excluded, such as APC, Common Projects, and Maison Margiela.
Also worth checking out: Epperson Mountaineering, Master Piece, and Filson for casual bags; Howlin’, Inverallan, Jamieson’s, and SNS Herning for knitwear; Nanamica, Stutterheim, and Mackintosh for raincoats; RRL, Engineered Garments, Needles, and Nigel Cabourn for reimagined workwear; and Orlebar Brown for swimshorts. End has one of the best online selections for casualwear. Definitely worth a browse.
East Dane was introduced a few years ago as a sort of menswear side to ShopBop (a large, online emporium for women’s wear). Like their counterpart, East Dane has an equally big selection, ranging anywhere from minimalist fashion forward lines to more classic brands. Their focus is admittedly not that targeted, but if you sift through their inventory, you’ll be surprised at how many good things are carried here.
For the next few days, they’re holding their mid-season sale, where you can knock 25% off with the checkout code INTHEFAM25. The code also works on their sale section, which makes some items discounted as much as 93% (I almost bought this Master Piece backpack last night). Some notables I found:
Southern Italians are famous for their soft tailoring, but nobody really does a soft jacket like the Spanish. Specifically their Teba – a country jacket that comes mostly unpadded throughout the chest and shoulders, and features those signature shirt-like sleeves, ventless backs, and most importantly, notchless lapels. In a world where everything is being homogenized, the Teba is one of the last articles of men’s clothing that’s still unique to a region.
Stories regarding the style are a bit murky. Some say the original Teba was a gift to the Count of Teba, Carlos de Mitjans y Fitz-James Stuart (known affectionately to his closest friends as Bunting), from King Alfonso XIII. Others say the exchange was the other way around. Others still say the jacket was originally made on London’s Savile Row and then adapted by a Spanish tailor to fit the Count’s needs. Whatever the actual origins, the Count almost certainly popularized it, and he most likely wore it out in the Spanish countrysides, where he spent time drinking wine and hunting quail. Over the years, it’s become an iconic piece of Spanish countrywear, mostly surviving on its comfort and aura of romanticism.
Construction wise, the Teba is something like a shirt jacket, combining the unstructured Neapolitan form with British-like-style. The notchless lapels may look odd at first, but they’re hardly even noticeable in dark fabrics. When worn, they give the jacket a more casual vibe. The ventless back and shirt-like sleeves also keep things casual, while the unlined and (largely) unpadded interior make things look relaxed.
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It’s always exciting to see creativity and craft come together. Bespoke shoemaker Nicholas Templeman is coming to the US this month, starting Friday, October 9th. He’ll be visiting New York City, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco. To prepare for his tour, he’s put together a collection of eight samples – ranging from the sort of conservative oxfords he used to help make for John Lobb of St. James, to dandier styles, such as a bright-colored button shoe.
My favorites from him are somewhere in between – styles that have a bit more flair than a traditional oxford, but are conservative enough to wear with a simple suit or sport coat. The adelaides above, for example, are beautifully made from a smooth box calf, and then distinguished with hatch grain facings and counters. A bit of interesting history: box calf used to refer to a hand curried and boarded leather – called so either because the object they used to prepare the leather was box-like, or because the process created box-like markings. It was supposedly done to help soften the leather, but nowadays, that’s done through the tanning process, so the term box calf just refers to a smooth (usually black) leather, like you see above.
Three years ago, when I visited Antonio Panico’s workshop in Naples, he showed me three safari jackets. One was constructed from linen, another from cotton, and a third, surprisingly, from a hefty cashmere. Together, they represented how you could wear the style three seasons out of the year. The jackets themselves were a bit too big for my skinny frame, but when Panico put them on me and belted them up, I can’t say I’ve ever felt cooler.
Since then, I’ve been wanting a safari jacket I can wear in the fall, just to go with the cotton and linen ones I sometimes use in the summer. The key to making these look good, I think, is to have the garment styled more like a jacket than a shirt (which shirt jackets like these can lean either way). That means a slightly slouchier fit, rather than something overly tailored, and details such as bigger buttons at the front, bellow pockets on the hips, and – possibly – even a separate side body panel, so that the jacket has a bit more shaping.
Heavy cashmere is too rich for my blood, but I’ve been thinking about getting one made from tweed or moleskin. The nice thing about shirt jackets is that, since there’s no interior construction, bespoke pieces are much more affordable than other kinds of tailored clothing (think, something around $750, which isn’t inexpensive, but a far cry from the ~$2,500 tailors charge for bespoke sport coats). You do need a custom shirtmaker who already has your pattern, however. If he or she has to create one from scratch, expect to pay a few hundred dollars more.
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There’s something beautifully organic about Hiro Yanagimachi’s shoes, but many people have never heard of the company for a very simple reason: despite there being over fifty bespoke shoemakers in Japan, and nearly two dozen ready-to-wear labels, their shoes are rarely sold or even seen outside of the country. In fact, they’re rarely even talked about on English language blogs, which means the rich world of Japanese footwear remains fairly opaque to outsiders.
There are some makers, however, who occasionally visit the US and Western Europe. The Armoury, for example, hosts trunks shows in NYC with Koji Suzuki, who trained in Florence, Italy under the famous Roberto Ugolini. Similarly, Hiro Yanagimachi is just starting to tour the world. “British shoes taught me the meaning of classic,” says Yanagimachi. “At the same time, I’ve always enjoyed the fun in Italian style, the sophistication of French footwear, and the comfort and casual nature of American shoes. I don’t follow any particular style, but they’re all reflected through my work when I try to answer the question ‘what is a Hiro Yanagimachi shoe?’”
Brooks Brothers just started their Friends & Family sale. The event used to be held mid-season, but it’s apparently gone pre-season now (aren’t we technically still in summer?). In any case, you can take 25% off almost everything on their site with the checkout code FRIENDS. Some notable items include: