I was initially planning to wear something more casual than navy mohair to the symphony the other night. But the after six starting time called for a white shirt and black shoes, and I thought a bow tie would be appropriate. That led to the suit, and there we have the slippery slope that ended with trousers worn too long.
The need to adjust one's braces to accommodate different trouser lengths is one of the challenges of using different tailors, each with his own pattern. The only reliable solution is to dedicate a pair to each suit, but then a man is stuck with a color that may or may not be in conflict with the rest of his clothes.
And so it goes.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Trousers Worn Too Long
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18 comments:
Will that is still a lovely suit, long break aside. I am a bit confused by your post: are you discussing different trouser lengths as affected by the braces or simply different tailor's trouser workmanship? I am assuming you are not doing things a la Duke of Windsor and having suit trouser made by a different tailor than the coat maker.
m hampton
Is it really that hard to adjust the length of your braces?
Though I have used different tailors for trousers and jackets, in this case it's just a matter of different workmanship from one tailor to another dandiacal.
And Scott, it apparently is for me.
Astaire used to have a separate pair of braces for each trousers viz,
"the Duke of York (later King George VI) adopted Astaire's plan of having a pair of braces for each pair of trousers, rather than move one set from pair to pair." Satchell, Astaire-the biography, p.144. Also Friedland, Fred Astaire, p.27.
He subsequently abandoned braces altogether. As Bruce Boyer puts it: "Astaire saw the great virtues of the English drape-cut
coat, but rejected the high-waisted trousers cut for braces." (Fred Astaire Style, p.14)
Food for thought, perhaps.
That is a healthy break, but I like the look. I think it still looks great!
Just a little long. I am more interested to know why you have a double besom pocket on the jacket w/o flaps. Is it just something you wanted or is that an older suit and that it was more in style to have that particular pockettreatment?
Tony, none of my city suits have pocket flaps. Jetted pockets increase the formality of a coat.
all you have to do is visit your tailor for a little adjust. it has nothing to do with the suspenders.
but i really like suit, very elegant.
but really you shouldn't go outside with an unfinished suit.
Will, I take your point about the break, but taken that aside, it is smashing suit for an evening symphony concert, the DB with the bow tie and the great shoes - Love it!
Looks like the jacket is also worn too long, Will! I thought the "rule" for jacket length is for you to be able to "cup" the bottom of the jacket with your hand. Maybe it would look better if the jacket were 1" shorter?
Will, given that the suit is a double breasted, and you would never wear it unbuttoned..., and given that the only occasion you might take off the jacket at a gala affair or party is if you had two martinis in your hands with no one to share one of them with, and a few under the belt already, at which point who cares...
...simple braces in blue pin dot or even white or black wouldn't be standard? You know, just in case they make pretty good martinis?
Doc, jacket length has nothing to do with the arms. The only rule is that it covers the buttocks.
Imagine yourself with arms that are three incehs shorter or longer and think about what that would do to your jacket if the length was related to them.
that's right there are no rules. the only one would be to avoid vulgarities, like showing a shirt with suspenders in public.
the longer the jacket the better, they don't make them knee lenght anymore.
Can I ask what the width of your trouser is at the shoe? Mine are usually 8.5" I have been thinking about going to 8.25"
interesting. it is amazingly interesting.
I don't know if you will read this, Will, given this an old post. I'm intrigued, I was given to understand that mohair resists wrinkles, and yet loads of wrinkles can be seen on the sleeves of the jacket?
I was considering a mohair suit (possibly a navy with an overcheck) for my sister's wedding next year in Monaco, but now wonder whether I might be better off with something in Lesser's 8/9oz, or even something "four seasons" at 10oz, for the sake of durability and drape. I'm going to get hot anyway, I think I'd rather have something with improved guts!
The Lesser 8/9 has plenty of guts for the weight, if you can find something you like among the little that remains of that book. But the wrinkles in the photo are less the fault of the cloth and more that the clothes have been worn for a day spent over a keyboard. Increasing the amount of mohair in the blend works also. My suit is 30% if I recall correctly. A 60% mohair proportion will be harder to crease, and also considerably scratchier.
..although that said, I'd be v interested to see the Dormeuil Voyage Prive, if they still do it. I0 oz open weave that is supposedly pretty much wrinkle-proof, with some nice patterns on offer....
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