I set out to write a piece on dressing a wedding party today only to discover that I wrote one in 2007. That one seems to be still valid so, sadly, there is no apparent need to repeat myself.
This relates to the Cloud Club illustration as the gentleman in the center is wearing a stroller, semi-formal day wear that should be the choice of the groom and the wedding party whenever the bride will be wearing a long white dress to her afternoon wedding. Unlike a morning coat, which might never be worn again if the groom is not in the habit of attending diplomatic functions or addressing the Supreme Court of the United States, the stroller is actually somewhat practical. Away from the wedding or similar settings it can be worn dressed down as a black odd jacket. I wore one for decades with gray flannel trousers when I was too reticent to don stripes, literally wearing the thing out. It also provides additional opportunities to use those wedding ties.
Speaking of neckties, the Manchester Guardian did a very nice video on tiemaking the Michael Drake way the other day. They won't let it be embedded here but it's worth a click-through even though Michael is wearing a shirt with a breast pocket and, as one viewer wrote in the comments, " I would never take sartorial advice from a man with a breast pocket on his shirt." It is apparently a tough crowd there in Manchester.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Odds and Ends
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13 comments:
Will, during the narrator's expaination of the parts that make up the tie he says: "...the keeper, through which you could, (if you don't know anything about wearing a tie), tuck the rear blade".
Hmmm... I've always been a rear blade tucker-inner, keeping everything neat and trim. Apparently I'm committing a sartorial faux-pas?
Michael, there is a school of thought that says the rear blade should be tucked into the trousers and the front left to swing. At least one Italian maker accomplishes a similar look with a larger keeper that lets the front blade move about a bit.
But I must not know anything about wearing a tie since I use the keeper.
Well thank you for that, then. I'm in good company.
At the end he says: "And don't tuck the rear blade through the keeper, it looks naff."
I had to look that up. I think I'd be offended...
if I was British...
or cared. :)
Will, should you care to comment, you might mention the trousers worn with a stroller. Vintage AA/Esky illustrations also show shepherd and glen checks, though now only stripes remain. What is the cloth from which all these trousers are made?
I'm tired of hearing criticism of those with a pocket on their dress shirt. Such shirts are suitable for an executive who never has to take notes (and therefore has no need of a pen), but what are the rest of us supposed to do? Keep our jackets on at all times??? Pure silliness.
Tim, those trousers were usually made of Cheviot. And though stripes are the easiest to find, the other patterns are still available if you look for them.
DoctorD, most men do not enjoy ink spots on their chest.
Will,
A question on the stroller, what is the traditional fabric of the black coat and its lapel? What are the stylistic guidelines for the stroller(pockets flapped or besom, single vent, no vent or double vent, number and type of buttons on the sleeve, etc.?
I think the issue of tucking the rear blade relates more to the fact that ´the people who does not know anything about wearing ties´ simply cannot tie a knot that results in the two blades ending (roughly) together. If your knot results in an almost equal lenght for front and rear blades, tucking or not tucking does not make much difference in terms of looks or tidiness, whereas if the rear blade is too long or too short you have to use the keeper to try to keep things in place -- thus covering the fault of not having the skill to properly tie a tie.
But I may be wrong. Will will certainly know better.
Todd, the jacket should be made from the best cloth you can reasonably afford, meaning anything from worsted to vicuna.
It takes self faced lapels, either notch for SB or peak for DB (either is correct), besom pockets, ventless or double vented, and conventional sleeve buttons.
The pant fabric is used by lawyers in the UK and Canada, so its not hard to get and comes in a wide variety of qualities. My stroller was dark grey and I had matching pants made wore it as a suit.
Will,
I am so glad to see someone make mention of The Stroller. Of the four possible formal outfits (tails, tux, cutaway and stroller), stroller seems to be the least worn anymore. Somewhere I read that Ronald Reagan was the last person to wear it in the public eye, and that was during his presidency in the 80's. I think, in fact, that it may have been Mr. Antongiovanni in his wonderful book "The Suit" who spoke of the fact that daytime formal wear in the USA is almost extinct. I think it's a pity, since the stroller, especially, is very elegant.
I don't rent my formal clothes, but I think an indicator of how rare it is is the fact that, while a few rental companies may offer a cutaway, a stroller is almost never seen in their catalogs.
A great Esquire book from the late 1960's called "Good Grooming for Men" and another "Fashions for Men" call the outfit a "Directors's Suit." It's the same thing as a stroller, isn't it?
The only place I see one for sale in ready to wear is on a website called "Saxon Uniforms" or Harmony on Stage", and I don't know anything about them. They sell the coat and pants quite inexpensively for about $300.00.
Is there an appreciable difference between a stroller and a regular suit coat? Aren't strollers normally in a one button configuarion? Can a regular black suit coat be worn with striped trousers and have the outfit look OK?
Doctor D,
Well, yes, you probably should keep your jacket on. I've taken to doing just that, and while I have yet to try it in the summer, it certainly works fine in the cooler seasons. I don't expect much of a problem come summer, either, because where I live it's generally cool in the summer, but with the right materials, a jacket can be worn in hot weather.
Will, it looks like you have grist for a new post here: The Stroller. Even if you've covered the topic before (and I know you have), not everyone has read your entire oeuvre (yet?).
P.S.: I'm glad I'm in the same "naff" company as you on the use of the keeper.
From the Drakes website:
"2. The self-loop at the back of the large blade, sometimes called a “keeper” but often merely the makers label, needn’t actually be used in fact to hold the smaller blade, better not to, for a freer, more stylish note."
I love how they have a feature that can't be for show, because it's not visible--but if you think it must therefore be functional, you're wrong!
If they want to be so picky about doing things right, they might want to check the spelling on their patterns, at least the ones they use on TV. The word is "flared," people.
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