Made by Hand

I know of only two great Continental tailoring houses outside of Italy, those being Knize of Vienna and Cifonelli of Paris. Lorenzo Cifonelli, the fourth generation of his family to work in the firm, took me for a tour of his family's workshop the other day. Cifonelli has forty people making tailored clothing in Paris with not a sewing machine in sight (I did not ask about the trousermakers who work off site).

Jacket collars and the interior padding are hand made and hand sewn.

When everything is made by hand a jacket sits on the body like a mixture of a glove and a sweater, light and flexible. The light-weight jacket in the photo has what Cifonelli calls a half lining, though it's less than the half linings I'm used to. There is some gossamer stuff in the sleeves, and much of the rest is little more than tape over the seams.

All this hand work costs roughly the same as a Kiton RTW suit in the United States. I was very, very impressed. Lorenzo visits New York five times a year (I'm lobbying hard for the West Coast), and should be on your list if you're looking for a tailor.

Au Revoir

Sadly, today was my last day in Paris as I must cut my trip short. Fortunately, the sun was shining after several days of gray, and, after missing several of the people I had planned to see last week, I was able to conduct in-depth interviews with Lorenzo Cifonelli of the great Cifonelli tailoring house as well as Pierre Corthay the bespoke shoemaker. Watch for essays in the coming weeks.

I also visited Berluti, perhaps the iconic Paris shoemaker, but there was little worthwhile to report. The ready to wear shoes have neither construction nor styling to warrant the prices, in my opinion. Instead, let me refer you to Bergdorg Goodman in New York where Corthay's ready to wear line went on sale today.

Corthay's shoes, pictured above, are as Parisian as Berluti but the construction, after Corthay's three years of hard work setting up a plant in Paris, seems as good to me as Gaziano & Girling's MTO shoes. And that's high praise. If you like Corthay's shape, it's as good a machine-made shoe as you're likely to find. I'll be interested to see what Bergdorf asks for a pair.

Walking in St. James

A walk around London's St. James is one of the few occasions that a man can see more than an occasional well dressed contemporary on the streets around him. That's because, along with the neighboring Savile Row area of Mayfair, St. James is still the home of the greatest concentration of clothing craftsmen (and clothing customers) in the world.

The best known shopping area, Jermyn Street, has always been principally about shirts, but that seems to be changing lately. Most of the shirtmakers, except for Turnbull, New & Lingwood and Budd (all 10' by 10' of it), look rather down at the heels. Even Turnbull's windows were dominated by tacky signs offering end of run neckties for £10 ($20).

It's the shoemakers that look to have all the momentum on the street. RTW makers John Lobb, Edward Green, Trickers, and Foster look relatively healthy, perhaps because quality shoes are more important than ever when a man's dress is simplified.

Around the corner and down a block stands Lobb, which metaphorically towers over the other shoemakers. Lobb is exclusively bespoke, of course, and the company's history and reputation give it the market power to set the rates paid to the small community of outworkers used by all the bespoke makers. Quite an achievement for a company offering less than elegant lasts and a fitting process that is more hit and miss than some of the others.

The standard for bespoke shoemaking in England today seems to be that the shoes are made by hand but for the uppers, which are sewn by machine. Shoes from the different makers look remarkably similar in construction, distinctively less obvious than the variety of looks achieved by their French, Italian and Eastern European competitors (that is, different from those that aren't mimicing the look of British shoes themselves).

And after you've bought your shoes, there are few finer ways to break them in than a walk about St. James. Check out the dotted silk neckerchiefs at New & Lingwood (in the counter by the register) for £75 ($150).

Suits and Socks Installment IV

Socks don't always have to complement a man's trousers. Consider these light blue cotton hose (picking up the color in a blue broadcloth shirt) worn with a tan glen check suit and fox suede Adelaide brogues.

Waiting for the Rain

Today is a day for reading and lunch in the garden of the house I'm using, waiting for the rain that's followed me from England.

Yesterday began with a train to Paris, a taxi to Gare du Nord, and the EuroStar to London. I visited Edward Green, where my intention had been to see if I could get a better fit in a narrower width on the 82 last. But of course, they had no appropriately sized shoe for me to try (Hilary, this is your flagship store - why don't they have fitting shoes?). I did pick up a great pair of dark navy hose with subtle burgundy stripes though.

From there I went to Fallan & Harvey where I couldn't have my fitting as Peter Harvey was in Portugal (more fallout from the delayed start of my trip) but accomplished my other objective, that being some time with the cloth books. I liked Lesser's air force blue 13 ounce mohair and a 14 ounce Saxony tic weave.

After lunch and more shopping I visited W. S. Foster, maker of the pictured bespoke oxfords (about which I'll have more to say later) and finished the visit with a couple hours of backgammon with its managing director, the delightful Sarah Adlam who, I learned shortly before she beat me, sits atop the 13,000 member Royal Automobile Club's backgammon leader board. Then it was two more trains and a taxi before bed. But I am re-stocked with four English-language books and a supply of Monte Cristos.

A Torch Was Passed

The Sun King's bedroom at Versailles has a painting of Louis XIV in full regalia that Bruce Boyer used as a metaphor for the passing of an era of dress. Almost literally, as Louis was sitting for his portrait dressed in ermine, silks and jewels, the English nobility were beginning to wear tailored wool clothing.

Today, the English tailored clothing era is fading after a long run, but the careful observer can still see signs of Louis in men's dress around Paris. Consider, for example, this rack of colored jackets on offer at Arnys.

I regret that I was very disappointed in Arnys this trip. The second floor, where they sell their wonderful coats, was closed for the season, and much of the merchandise on display on the main floor looked (there is no other word) cheap. Including the colored jackets. The hand-written mark down signs didn't help this impression at all.

Returning for a moment to Versailles, no-one will ever correctly call the Sun King cheap. It's been calculated that 6% of the national income of France went to run the palace, after an initial investment that would be in the tens of billions today (assuming the necessary craftspeople were available in the first place). And not a single visitor among the thousands that I saw was wearing a suit. Or even a colored jacket.

Culture Shocks

Walking around Paris one is struck by the juxtaposition of the traditional and the modern, like the courtyard in the Palais Royale that the Ministry of Culture has elected to fill with black and white striped columns for no particular reason.



A smaller culture shock comes from the presentation of pre-tied bow ties in the best shops in Paris. They are tied by hand with a buckle back so they can be donned and removed without tieing or untieing the knot. Of course, the buckle would be a real faux pax with a wing collar, not that we have many of those to worry about any longer.

I find this a bit odd in that we are advised not to leave our four in hands knotted, but the bow ties in several Paris stores are sold this way and who am I to argue? I'll wear it this way once, with my blue mohair suit, before I untie it. It would never do to find that I can't put Humpty Dumpty together again without so much as a single wearing.

Charvet in the Afternoon

My Paris shopping didn't begin well. I began by visiting the arcades at the Palais Royale where I learned that L'Escalier d'Argent is already closed for holiday and later confirmed that scheduling will keep me from seeing shoemaker Dimitri Gomez. But then I arrived at la place Vendôme and Charvet.

Charvet (there is no web site) is a well-respected shirtmaker and one of the leading sources for bespoke neckties in the world. The store is quietly beautiful - simply being there makes the day seem better - and the staff is helpful without being obtrusive.

So much of the Charvet experience is near perfection - like the pictured silk robes - that I'm unable to understand why the bespoke necktie selection process remains so cumbersome. The silks cannot be viewed in a rational fashion. Instead, the customer provides some general guidance such as "foulards on a black ground" and in due time a selection emerges from downstairs. Then repeat - it's a process that puts a damper on discovery. Someday I hope to learn of silks that I didn't know to ask for.

But, no matter. Today the shop had a wonderful selection of semi-solid bow ties, silk knit four in hands, and summer cotton pocket squares. Outside, the sun began shining.

Linen Shirts with Poplin Ties

I've come to love linen shirts in warm weather. Their texture gives them great visual interest and they breathe. What more can a man ask of his shirt?

The first photo is a small cream check with an Irish poplin necktie. I enjoy Irish poplin's sheen against the relative dryness of the shirt.


The second photo is a light blue checked linen paired with a tan and blue Irish poplin. Of the shirts I've packed for this trip, more than half are linen. And more than half of the accompanying neckties are Irish poplins. When you find something that works for you, work it hard.

Air Travel Dress

A friend sent me a copy of the United Airlines dress code for companion travel (companions are the domestic partners, children and other relatives of airline staff), and I was glad to see that they have one. Like many codes, it's actually a specification of what companions should not wear and offers no suggestions beyond those prohibitions.

In the First and Business Class cabins, unacceptable items include:

• jeans or denim in any color
  
• athletic or tennis shoes
  
• hiking or military style boots
  
• shorts
  
• baseball caps

This in addition to the usual stuff like sweat clothes and beach clothing. Travel would be considerably more pleasant if they could make revenue passengers observe the same rules!

But the guidelines did give me a basis for comparison as I packed my beat-up bags for France. I'm travelling relatively light this trip and the only items that UAL would frown on in the cabin are my workout clothes and a bathing suit (were I to wear them in flight).

For two weeks I'm taking half as much clothing as I would for a business trip of the same duration: two suits, an odd jacket, a safariana, one pair of dress shoes, some Norwegian lace-ups, several pair of linen trousers and supporting clothes in a 26" suitcase that hopefully won't weigh fifty pounds (22.68 kilograms) including the clothes steamer. Though the bag is looking rather full, and the tailored clothing isn't in yet. And then there's the bag of electronics. I was not designed for backpacking.

On board, I'll be the guy wearing chinos, a polo, slip-on shoes, and a jacket with a polka dot neckerchief. Fortunately, nothing in the UAL dress code prohibits neckerchiefs.

English Sneakers

When I finally got back into the office after a few days of illness, I had a package from Gaziano & Girling containing a pair of crepe soled bluchers that I'd requested in February. Let's see, that would be five months, right? Not too bad.

As you know, crepe is nothing more than natural rubber. The soles are about half an inch thick and the heels are another half inch, so the shoes wear like trainers. I wanted them for days of walking around museums and cathedrals in the Fall, particularly when it's wet.

The shoes are the Wells model in Chestnut pin grain, with G&G's signature defined waist and the soft square toe. I took Tony Gaziano's advice and ordered the same size that I wear in Edward Green's 888 last, and the fit is as good as anyone can expect of a shoe made on a standard last. They'll be great with corduroys, moleskins and tweed.

It's been nearly a year since the company launched its MTO line and G&G seems to have made solid progress, overcoming minor teething problems and delivering quality shoes. With the continued success of their bespoke shoes and a new line of boots and casual lace-ups scheduled for the end of the year, G&G's future looks bright to me.

Darren Beaman Re-Appears

Darren Beaman is a London-based "tailor" who is apparently attempting a comeback after disappearing for 18 months to avoid his angry customers. He's been showing photos of partially completed jackets on the Film Noir Buff forum, the same trick he used during his first incarnation.

If you find yourself tempted by this faux tailoring, be advised that I personally know at least five men that gave Beaman money and never received their suits. I'm one of them.

After seeing some of his work and talking to men who had been customers, I gave Beaman a 50% deposit on four suits a couple of years ago. After two fittings, two of them looked done and two needed another fitting. I asked him to send me the two completed suits. He said he'd send them and charged my credit card. That was April. Of course, the suits never arrived. When I finally reached him two months later after a dozen unanswered calls and emails, he muttered something about them being stuck in customs and he'd get them right out. Nothing, and no further response to any communication.

In October of that year a friend of Beaman's who was on his way to London agreed to stop by and pick up the suits. When he got there, it turned out that they were being held by a subcontractor (this despite the statement on Beaman's web site that he does all his own sewing) and I was once again told that Darren would be sending them along shortly. The friend told me that he did have the two incomplete garments. Disgusted, I asked him to bring me those so that I could have them completed locally.

When they arrived, they did so minus the cloth and parts necessary to finish them. One was even minus the trousers. Note the photo of the jacket ticket indicating the name of the tailor. And, of course, I never received the other suits. To top it off, my credit card company refused to reverse the charges saying too much time had passed.

I freely admit that I was both stupid and not paying enough attention. What is not understandable to me is that Beaman's never responded or acknowledged that he has taken $8,000 of my money and never delivered anything but garbage. So far as I am aware he has not filed for bankruptcy, and still owes me the money. If he'd so much as said "I regret that your suits are being held by a contractor that I am unable to pay but may be reclaimed by you if you wish to pay the money I owe him for the work" I could have dealt with that. Or, he could have offered to make another suit. Instead, his response on FNB's forum was that "Some day the other side of the story will come out." I look forward to that day.

Let the buyer beware.

Back at the Keyboard Today

Some weird intestinal bug had me out of commision all week but I am back at the keyboard today.

Suits and Socks Installment III

Spectators and cotton argyles worn on a temperate Sunday with a mustard linen suit. It's definitely not business dress, but in my opinion there are few things that make a man feel quite so debonaire as a linen suit.

Reader Questions

From Tom

"Is it any more correct to wear white trousers, as opposed to cream, with black, navy and multi-striped regatta blazers?

I think Gene Kelly sported cream in 'An American In Paris,' but my idol Fred Astaire always seemed to favour white. Though, admittedly, it's hard to be sure, in some old B&W photos."

Apparel Arts called them white flannels in the copy accompanying this illustration, but they look cream to me. In addition to its good looks, cream doesn't show every spot quite as brilliantly as white.

From Duff

"How many ties does a man really need?"

Ignoring the very real temptation to over-think any question about wardrobe size, I've written that a man needs about two dozen. Twelve solids in various weaves, and twelve patterned. Check out the search function!

Quotation: The Boulevardier

"The Duke stands on Cannes station in this sunny post-war summer of 1946, a dapper figure in his tussore suit the colour of lobster bisque, rakish straw panama, two-tone brown and cream shoes, bumble-bee striped socks and silver-topped cane.

'I'll make a boulevardier of him yet,' says Noel Coward."

- Suzy Menkes, The Windsor Style

Packing for Europe

I'm off to Europe next week for some time relaxing in the country as well as shopping, fittings and writing in Budapest, London and Paris.

I plan to visit a couple dozen tailors, haberdashers and shoe makers while I'm travelling. If there's a source in those cities that you're particularly interested in reading about, let me know and I'll see if I can arrange to cover it.

A Suitable Wardrobe will be updated daily, though post times may be erratic when I'm in transit.

Suits and Socks, Installment II

City wear, including what were for a couple years my favorite brown oxfords. Above the waist, a light blue on white striped shirt, orange oval cuff links, a blue-gray twill necktie and a white linen pocket square.

Yellow Gloves

Black gloves are a bit like black suits in that retail inertia pushes them on customers when there are better choices. Just as brown shoes are more interesting than black for day wear, so brown gloves are a step above black. Other colors, such as yellow chamois or gray suede, can also add texture and visual interest. Both are appropriate for most evening occasions as well as day wear.

Once a common gentleman's glove but now seen infrequently, yellow chamois shows dirt easily and because of that has a relatively short lifespan. On the plus side of the ledger, an unlined pair is a soft, sensual pleasure to wear with a dark Chesterfield, a silk or cashmere scarf and a Homburg hat.

I ordered my yellow chamois gloves from Chester Jeffries, a small English company based in Dorset. They offer a variety of made to order gloves (in half a dozen materials with a dozen different types of lining) on their web site, and accept less ordinary requests by email.

After establishing that Jeffries had the chamois I wanted, I sent them a tracing of my hands. About a month later they responded with a made to measure pair of their CDG-4 Classic Dress Glove, which is, according to the company, hand-cut and hand-sewn. I know of few comparable personalized delights for £53.00 (about $105) including postage.

Summer Scarves

There are times in warm weather when a jacket is appropriate but a necktie and dress shirt are a bit more than man needs. When that's the case, try tieing a scarf in a four in hand knot and wearing it over a tee shirt under a jacket. It's a neglected warm weather look for travel, resort or casual wear, and particularly useful when the occasion can't take an ascot or neckerchief.

Scarves for summer should be lighter weight wool or even cotton toweling rather than winter cashmere or silk, particularly if it's humid.

Suits and Socks

Worn with trousers cut to cover the top of the shoe, socks can be a secret pleasure under a quiet facade. Wear them with braces, also concealed, in a similar unexpected color. Above the waist, a light blue broadcloth shirt, navy oxford weave necktie and a navy pocket square with white dots.

Reader Questions

From Peter

"I live in the the Northeastern U.S. and would appreciate your advice on the top 4 or 5 classic and versatile patterns for sports jackets."

Since you live in a place with seasons, you'll need jackets for both warm and cool weather. Consider these:

- Navy 13 ounce wool
- Brown 14-15 ounce gun club
- Brown 14-15 ounce Harris tweed herringbone

- Tan 14 ounce linen

- Navy 10 ounce fresco

The first three are for cool weather and the others for warm.

From Pat

"This spring in a fit of absolute madness I had a winter white, super 140, odd jacket made. The jacket is double breasted 6x1 shawl collared with side vents.

My original thought was for a dinner jacket like substitute. I have no intention of using it to replace a formal jacket, but for some reason I felt I would like an off white odd summer jacket when my wife and I go to dinner, or out for an evening. My question is do I dress it up with navy trousers and look like a sap who doesn't understand formal attire, or wear linen or colored poplin pants and risk looking like the help?

Should I keep it in the closet, as a reminder of a summer folly, or wear it with confidence with...."

The shawl collar makes it a dinner jacket in my book. You don't mention whether you had flaps on the pockets but you can always stick them inside. Wear the jacket with black trousers with a grosgrain stripe, a pleated white shirt, black grosgrain bow tie and evening shoes. And I'll bet you never get a request to refill someone's drink.

Quotation: A Suit From Me

"A suit from me, Mickie, it's not a drunken scream. It's line, it's form, it's rock of eye, it's silhouette. It's the understatement that tells the world what it needs to know about you and no more. Old Braithwaite called it discretion. If somebody notices a suit of mine, I'm embarrassed because there must be something wrong with it. My suits aren't about improving your appearance or making you the prettiest boy in the room. My suits are not confrontational. They hint. They imply. They encourage people to come to you. They help you improve your life, pay your debts, be an influence in the world."

-John le Carré, The Tailor of Panama

About You

The recent survey that more than 200 of you were kind enough to take will help quantify ASW's value proposition for advertisers much better than was possible before and I thank you for that. The survey was conducted by SurveyMonkey.com for a project funded and organized by Blogads.com, which represents 1300 leading American blogs.

In aggregate, you reported being younger than I'd have guessed. 72% said of you said you are between 21 and 45 years of age. Consistent with that, 28% of you said you live alone and another 28% live with just one other person. Unsurprisingly, 98% reported being male.

You're also, as suspected, fairly affluent. The median reported income was in the $90,000-$120,000 band and 8% of you reported incomes in excess of $500,000 annually. 24% own three or more cars and you spend money on travel and liquor. Advertisers like that.

Finally, in addition to an interest in dress, you've got better hygiene. 64%% of you claimed to floss regularly, compared to only 21% of the general population, at least that part of it measured by the British Dental Health Foundation. Keep up the good work!

Sunday Tweeds

I've had half a dozen requests for more "what am I wearing" style photos since the Rumpled in the Country picture. So, since the muse is rather lazy today, here's a shot from earlier this year. It's a cool but sunny Sunday afternoon. We've just finished lunch and are about to drive home with the top open. Which is hopefully a satisfactory explanation for the scarf and gloves worn with a very loud suit.

I'm not very pleased with the shoulders and chest on this jacket. I think the make is fine for lighter cloth for summer, but less suited to heavier fabric. My next tweed will be a gun club jacket from Peter Harvey this Fall.

A Double Breast Pocketed Jacket

A nephew of mine begins his Ph.D. program at Michigan this Fall. I reminded him that he'd need a tweed jacket and recommended a look at the film The Good Shepherd for a professorial example. When I went back to look myself, I was struck by something I hadn't noticed the first time. Costume designer Ann Roth has Sir Michael Gambon, who plays the English professor, in a double breast pocketed odd jacket. Never saw one of those before.

Does one wear it with two pocket squares or leave them both empty?

The Shaping of a Hat

I received an email from Art Fawcett last week with some photos of my in-process beaver fedora, asking that I choose the ribbon color for it. The initial choices were varieties of medium gray, which I thought had too much contrast. The next possibility was black, above, which was too dark.

Notice that Art has given the hat a simple center dent and side pinches in his studio. It has a high crown - I'd asked for a hat that could have been made in the 1930's, and men wore crowns that were about 3/4" higher than most of the hats made today.

The charcoal ribbon seemed ideal to me. It offers just a bit of textural contrast, like my Lock hats. I resisted an offer to add a colored stripe to the ribbon.

And then the hat arrived, beautifully packaged in a large hat box. During the journey, the crease and pinches had come out, leaving what appeared to be an enormous felt dome, nearly six inches high and looking rather like a turban with a brim. At least it did until after I spoke to Art, who reminded me that a crease would lower the height of the crown significantly.

The call with Art gave me the courage to bash a deep crease into the crown. And now my hat looks ready for September.

Shore Shoes Sans Straps

The reaction to my tongue in cheek choice of an espadrille model with ankle straps to illustrate a recent essay convinced me that some readers need a less controversial summer shoe to wear away from the office. There are always boat shoes, of course, but they get a little old. For a change, try the pre-faded blue Sperry Striper (about $50 directly from the company). Wear them ashore, with the usual shorts or trousers and a polo or tee shirt. Bolder men may accompany their Stripers with a neckerchief. Or, they can reserve that touch to accompany their espadrilles.

Housekeeping

I had a couple of recent questions regarding currency conversion. Whenever I mention a U.S. dollar price for goods that would be shipped into the United States, the amount is roughly the charge that would appear on a U.S. resident's credit card statement before shipping costs but after conversion from the local currency. That's unnecessarily confusing for readers outside the United States and I've made a resolution to show both the local amount and a dollar amount in the future.

A site that converts an amount in one currency into its equivalent in another is here.