The brotherhood of traveling pants and shoes are in San Francisco this week. Until the end of today, Salvatore Ambrosi and Philip Car are holding trunk shows at The Wingtip. I stopped by yesterday morning to see them.

This is Ambrosi’s first trip to San Francisco in several years. After what seemed like a meteoric rise at The London Lounge and StyleForum, the bespoke trouser maker ran into problems with the same clients who originally sang his praises. I don’t know if those issues were ever resolved, but current clients are happy, so I decided to try a couple of pairs for myself. Bespoke trousers, of course, are a lot more straightforward than bespoke jackets – as they have less internal construction – but there are subtle nuances in the ways that the legs and waist are cut that can affect the silhouette. I’m looking forward to seeing what Salvatore makes, as the other stuff I’ve seen online and in person have been beautiful.

Philip Car was also on site showing his range of Saint Crispin’s shoes, which I think are the nicest around, short of going full bespoke. It’s confusing, but the terms that other companies use – such as “handgrade” and “benchgrade” – don’t actually mean the shoes were made by hand or on a bench. They’re just ways of denoting different levels of quality, such as “Gold” or “Platinum” Amex cards. Any shoe that was made with a Goodyear or Blake stitch is essentially a machine-made shoe (although, like Seinfeld said, not that there’s anything wrong with that).

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I got to see Edwin and Matthew from Steed Tailors this Sunday, as they stopped by San Francisco for part of their US tour. While we were flipping through fabric books, I asked Edwin if he cuts jackets differently depending on his client’s body type. There’s been so much written about how certain silhouettes are better for certain builds (even down to the shape and width of the lapels). I was curious to hear Edwin’s view on this, since he’s actually the one cutting and fitting bespoke suits for customers.

Edwin said he mostly works with customers to achieve what they want. One of his clients likes a much fuller chest than what he customarily cuts, so he provides that. Others might want something less drape-y. Some of his bodybuilding customers have big drops (meaning there’s a large difference between the chest and waist size), so on their jackets, he has to put in two darts instead of his usual one. (For me, a skinny man with a small chest and an expanding waistline, I imagine my jackets have a negative number of darts, but I haven’t checked). 

Other than that, however, he said he mostly goes by eye. When he fits someone, he and the client decide then what needs to be changed. Much like a tweed I recently brought back, which is cut like all of my other coats, but since it’s made from a very spongy Shetland, it looks bulky. Edwin and I agreed that it would look better with the shoulders and chest reigned in a little bit, so that they sit closer to the body, and that the length could be shortened. Nothing formulaic; just something we observed when I tried on the jacket.

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End is having a great sale right now, where you can take 20% off (almost) everything in their store with the checkout code AUTUMN14. Included are lots of year-round items and things that don’t normally get discounted. Some things that I think are notable:

• Nigel Cabourn: Let’s get this out of the way. I think this might be the best piece of outerwear this season. Shape, material, and shearling lined hood are pretty much unbeatable. But yes, the price is painful.
• Barbour: Again, the Barbour stock seems to be hidden. The brand doesn’t show up on their sidebar, but it shows up if you do a manual search. This slim fitted Bedale, comes to $268 with the discount code, while this quilted Liddesdale is just $108. (Note, End will only ship Barbour items within the EU now).
• Buttero: Lots of Butteros for those who want a slightly more original take on minimalistic sneakers. I like these shaggy brown ones.
• Engineered Garments: This olive field parka looks like it has a great silhouette. I’ve also been finding my Engineered Garments fatigues to be really useful, thanks to inspiration from Gary Drinkwater. 
• Maison Martin Margiela: GATs in a ton of colors, including white and black. I own a pair of both, and the white ones might be some of the most useful sneakers I’ve ever owned.
• Nanamica: I know the price is rough, but I promise you this Gore-Tex jacket is great. The jacket takes on a nice three-dimensional shape when worn and you can use it as a casual raincoat when a mac or trench might be too dressy. 
• RRL: Lots of RRL stuff, including this antique print workshirt.  
• Common Projects: One of the best in minimalistic sneakers (if not at least the first). The discount code works on these white Achilles Lows and B-Ball Highs. 
• Elka: Casual, rubbery raincoats for folks who want an affordable alternative to Stutterheim. 
• Filson: Incredibly useful and versatile canvas briefcases. I use the tan 256 as one of my go-tos. 
• Howlin’ by Morrison: A slightly youthful take on traditional Scottish knitwear. I like their Donegals this season in tan, navy, and grey.
• Orlebar Brown: With End’s discount and free shipping, this is the lowest I’ve seen Orlebar Brown’s swim shorts go. I like the navy Bulldog model.
• SNS Herning: Textured knitwear that you can layer underneath coats to give them a slightly more interesting look.
• Superga: A failsafe and affordable buy for everyone who has sticker shock from what I listed above. I like the 1705s better than the 2750s, but both models are great with jeans or chinos.  

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W.S. Foster & Son is in San Francisco this week, holding a trunk show at The Wingtip, which is a move from their regular location at The Fairmont Hotel. I was able to make it out yesterday to meet Andrew Murphy and Jon Spencer, who serve as the company’s retail manager and lastmaker respectively. With them were some samples from their ready-to-wear and bespoke range, as well as some vintage shoes that have been sitting in their archive for God knows how long.

Everything looked lovely, but there were a couple of models in particular that caught my eye. One was a uniquely designed wingtip, with a swooping line from the shoe’s eyelets to the quarters, and then a winged cap toe to balance everything out. Apparently, it was modeled after an old design by Alan McAfee, who was a bespoke shoemaker on London’s Dover Street before going out of business sometime in the 1980s. And, among the ready-to-wear range, there was a side zip boot, which was modeled after something Foster & Son once made for a Sultan. His had a bright gold zipper and a taller heel, which accommodated some silver spurs. This RTW model is a bit more discreet, with a black tonal zipper, a regular heel, and no spurs. It’s perhaps better suited to someone who’s … um … not a Sultan.

In handling some of the vintage shoes, I noticed that the leather felt a little different. It was glossier and smoother, with a grain that was nearly invisible. I asked if this was because of the age of the shoe, or if there was something about the quality of calf leather fifty or sixty years ago. Both Jon and Andrew agreed that it’s the latter. It’s apparently harder to source good materials these days. Cows are made to grow faster and larger through modern industrial husbandry techniques – and since all leather is a by-product of the meat industry, that means most skins are too stretched out and thin to use for high-quality shoes. Foster & Son works to get the best materials, but the supplies aren’t what they used to be.

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For those who can’t make it to London, Anderson & Sheppard just opened a new online shop. As an extension of their Clifford Street haberdashery, it features almost everything in the company’s ready-to-wear line. There are seemingly hundreds of designs for pocket squares, scarves, and ties, and possibly the biggest selection of knitwear you’ll find anywhere. Smaller sections are also available for shorts, swimwear, and coats. 

The site does seem to have some kinks at the moment. I confirmed with them that customers in the United States will be able to shop, but I wasn’t able to checkout with anything in my cart. We can probably assume those will be worked out in the coming days. Additionally, the trouser section seems to still be in development. Along with the impressive knitwear, that might be one of the site’s best sections, as their Clifford Street shop was originally built with a strong focus on ready-to-wear trousers.

Lastly, for those who missed out on the firm’s vanity book, A Style is Born, it’s now available online at a much more reasonable price. The original price, that is. The book quickly sold out in the first few months of its release and resellers have been offering it for $250 or more. You can now get it from Anderson & Sheppard directly for a much more reasonable price of $125. 

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I was cleaning up my apartment over the weekend when I came across a stack of old, forgotten issues from the now defunct M Magazine. A Fairchild Publication, M was launched in September of 1983 with a special issue on Prince Philip and navy blazers. It lasted just seven short years under the title of M the Civilized Man before it was changed to M Inc (Manhattan Inc) in 1990. About two years later, the magazine folded completely, with subscribers receiving GQ for the remainder of their subscriptions. 

For the time it lasted, however, the publication was great. Especially during those early years. Although it wasn’t a fashion publication, per se, it was loosely centered on style. Every issue had a fashion spread, a feature on stylish men or places, and the occasional story on handsome items you might want to buy that month. There was also always a column at the end that would pose a rhetorical “why not?” As in, why not buy some fancy pajamas, or a three-piece suit, or a sweater with a big pheasant on it? (The last was a real, honest-to-God question posed by the magazine’s editors).

Towards the end of the ‘80s, the publication gravitated towards Italian fashion and trendy casualwear, but the earlier issues felt a little more classic, if not at least British and American. In more recent years, John Tinseth over at The Trad put together a “best of M” book, although I haven’t been able to find a copy. Peter Kaplan was also working to re-launch the title through Conde Nast before he unfortunately passed away.

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One of the nice things about writing a menswear blog is that I get to meet people who actually make things. Bespoke cordwainers, tailors, and even the occasional fashion designer – people who produce the things that many of us love. A few years ago, I met Bellanie – the co-founder and craftswoman behind Chester Mox – when I was searching for a leather card case online. Since then, we’ve become friends, and I’ve had the fortune of seeing her skills as a leather worker develop. 

Recently, Bellanie graduated from an apprenticeship with a master craftsperson, and her whole line has undergone an overhaul. She sent me couple of pieces (on loan) to check out, and I can genuinely say: I think she’s setting new standards for what men can expect for their money. The last time I’ve been this impressed with a brand was with Meermin – that Spanish shoe company that, I believe, has redefined affordable footwear. I think Chester Mox is now doing the same, except for high-end leather goods. 

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The term “timeless style” can feel like such a cliché nowadays, but it’s genuinely amazing how little — and how awesome — Yukio Akamine’s style has changed since I first saw him on The Sartorialist nearly ten years ago. Granted, ten years is hardly timeless, but with how quickly fashion moves on the internet, that almost feels like a lifetime ago.

Akamine has described his style as being traditionally British, but I actually think of it as a Japanese-Italian interpretation of British clothes. The fabrics are heavy, but the tailoring – save for a few sharply cut double breasted jackets – mostly looks soft and rounded. The shoulders are unconstructed and sloping, the lapels slightly extended, and the quarters gently curved. His shirt collars also look soft and unfused, and the points are long in a way that you almost only see in Southern Italy nowadays. For casualwear, he seems to favor the kind of slim fitting suede A-1 blousons that Valstar made famous in the 1960s, and like many Italians, pairs them with tailored trousers.

And while much of what he wears feels conservative, there are some dandyish details. In several photos, he’s seen in a chunky rollneck sweater with a tweed sport coat, and a couple of his single-breasted jackets have both patch pockets and peak lapels (a daring combination). Plus, there are those deep, deep two-inch cuffs. On most men, these kind of things would seem affected, but on Akamine, they look so natural and good. Whether it’s because of that handsome face or his age, I don’t know. I’ll give them a try when I’m in my 70s so I can at least tell if you if it’s the latter.

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No Man Walks Alone recently convinced Stephan Schneider to re-release his Merino Coat, which was originally part of his FW11 Frozen Waves collection. I’ve been wanting one for years. It’s the stuff of legends, and heavily sought after by style enthusiasts, but frustratingly hard to find.

Schneider, for those unfamiliar, is a Belgian designer with a strong background in textiles, and works not only as a designer for his own label, but also as a professor at one of the fine arts universities in Berlin. His work is a breath of fresh air in men’s fashion, which nowadays seems to operate on two polar ends. There’s the heavy reliance on traditionalism and archival material on the one hand (e.g. traditional tailoring and old-timey workwear), and dark colors and aggressive silhouettes on the other (e.g. gothninja and its increasing number of derivatives).

Schneider’s work is different. It has a subtle masculinity to it, with its looser cuts, rich fabrics, and warm uses of color. There’s admittedly nothing high-concept here – and many of the pieces are in some ways quite simple – but there’s always an element of design to keep one amused. Indeed, for the kind of guy who wants something a little different and contemporary, but doesn’t want to get too abstract, much of Schneider’s work fits the bill.

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My friend Gianluca, who directed the films O'Mast and I Colori di Antonio, just released a new project in collaboration with Italy’s oldest mill, Vitale Barberis Caonico. Titled Tailor’s Tips, it features VBC’s master tailor, Giovanni Barberis Organista, talking about how he makes a classic Ulster – a heavy piece of English outerwear defined by its half-belted back, patch pockets, and unique collar style. Hard to find off-the-rack nowadays, as fewer and fewer men wear “dress coats” (or dress anything, for that matter). The closest we really get to them in the United States are polo coats, although they don’t really have the same rustic feel. 

In any case, I’m told that this is a twelve-part series, and that a new episode will be released once a month. Just note that you may have to turn on closed captions in the control panel, which will pop up when you hover your mouse over the video (Mr. Organista speaks in Italian). As always, it’s a pleasure to see Gianluca’s work, as he’s one of the few directors doing work on the craft of custom tailoring. 

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