Henry Poole sent me a blazer the other day, bringing a twenty-two month long project to completion. That is by far the longest I have ever had a jacket in progress, however the delay was hardly all Poole's doing. The firm visits San Francisco twice a year, so fittings occur at six month intervals unless the customer gets to London, and these past two years I have been travelling to the continent instead. So when the fronts had to be re-cut after the first fitting, that meant another forward fitting, plus a final and then a trip back to England to finish everything up. Twenty-two months.
Poole of course was the greatest tailoring firm in the world at one time and remains one of the top ten or so. The house silhouette is middle of the road, and unlike some of their neighbors they do endeavor to accommodate requests. The coat itself is fourteen ounce/400 gram Smith's hopsack with nautical gold buttons and Poole's dark red house lining.
Worn with cream flannels and brown shoes, the jacket should be perfect for viewing America's Cup events on foggy San Francisco Bay days these next two years. It should also get wear in the afternoons with light gray flannels but I think the buttons may rule it out for evenings.
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13 comments:
I love Poole's silhouette. It has quite a narrow wrap, does it not? Why no pocket flaps? And why hacking pockets on a double-breasted jacket. The narrow wrap and hacking pockets remind me very much of the double-breasted jackets that Cyril Castle made for Roger Moore. I can't wait to see how it looks on you.
So why not another hole in the right collar as the left? What are your thoughts on one in each lapel for balance? Is that more for suits?
I am not about to send the coat back for another lapel buttonhole. :-)
The slanted pockets are to evoke a reefer jacket.
Why,if I may, do you anticipate using it for the next couple of years only?
Is this a mere turn of phrase or do you arbitrarily turn your garments over in a time-frame irrespective?
It has, after all, taken nearly a couple of years to get it.
Just a turn of phrase sir.
That blazer is beautiful. Out of curiosity, what shirts do you think are best with this?
Things checked and striped but I won't be experimenting for a couple of months.
Man, if that was mine, I would wear it with a pair of carpenter Levi's, red pocket 'Tee' shirt, blue and white neckerchief and top it off with a pair of beige suede 'Justin's'. Then I would take my 'almost perfect bride' to a little place on Stockton for cheap dim sum. (She dared me to write this). Stay cool. Miami is blazing hot today.
Craig/Miami
I didn't even notice it was missing the hole in the right lapel. Good thing you're okay with it because it would really bother me.
Will -- a jacket worthy of a merchant prince such as you. Whe I was a " pup" I worked for Press and learned at the feet of my dearly departed friend Irving Press who wore his Poole suits and Lobb shoes as everyday attire at the store in Manhattan. When I moved on Mr. Press asked me what I'd like to have a suit made of. I believe it was a French blue pick and pick. I miss those days, Will, of seeing Mr. Press effortlessly gracing his environs dressed ultimately in his Poole attire. Gives me great pleasure to know you have some Poole clothing.
hi will, im considering something similar with my tailor, still weighing up different fabrics though and wondered if i could get your view. i was looking for something in a rich inky navy blue colour, want some weight to it, leaning toward a serge. would you be able to point me in the right direction re cloth? would it be unwise to go even heavier than 14 oz (i live in london which has huge variation in temperature).
andy
Serge and twill are the easiest cloths to find. Choose one from someone like Smith's.
16 ounces was once the standard for blazers in England but personally I think it a little heavy for these globally warmed times.
great thanks Will, much obliged. i'll take an especially close look at serge in the smiths book.
a 16oz blazer?! .. you dont see many of those around these days, quite taken by the idea of a heavy serge though. ill consider this weight though as it could be a good blazer for cooler evenings as i find it a bit strange to wear an overcoat on top of a blazer, while with a suit jacket it feels more natural to do so.
A
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