Textures should vary, which is why a conventional silk necktie is better paired with a linen pocket square than an equally smooth silk. There are exceptions however. Conventional silk also contrasts well with silk Shantung, silk grenadine and silk knits, none of which have the same sheen.
In the photo, for example, Rubinacci's Arcimboldo nero pocket square is displayed with the black border hidden and the blazer-compatible colors visible. A man would probably not wear gold buttons and a silk square to his office but they make a great change of pace for a dinner engagement.
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10 comments:
Again all the way Will. Texture differentiation was one of the great discoveries of my middle years. The British tend to do it by accident...the Italians by design...and outside of isolated pockets in places like NYC American men seem unaware of its existence. Funnily American women are aware but never would buy their opposite number contrasting haberdashery.
Will why is shantung considered a summer silk? When I first saw shantung I thought it was a wintery looking thing but you have brainwashed me into seeing it as a summer cloth. Does it actually wear cooler around the neck?
My cool weather jackets are textured, my warn weather things are smooth, so Shantung looks better with them to my eye.
So does shantung work next to say a slubbed linen jacket?
I don't think I have ever seen a slubbed linen jacket.
Perhaps not the right adjective to desribe the roughness of my raw linen jackets... would your shantung ties work with such a texture? And how about these ties with a smooth winter cloth? I've only ever seen you mention shantung as an exclusively summer tie.
Downunder, I would not combine slubby raw linen with a slubbed tie, if only because the two textures are too similar. Such a linen jacket might be best with any appropriate silk tie. I would generally consider neat and wedding ties too formal, but stripes, grenadines, and knits, generally in brighter colors, might be just the thing.
I really love that blazer. The shape of the shoulder, the shape and width of the lapels and the positioning of the buttons. Who made this blazer?
I am probably missing something but my linen suits are not stubby and I wear them with Shantung. I also have some silk blends with a flat surface and sheen that are good pairings for silk Shantung, as is gabardine and any other cloth with a similar finish.
Matt, Henry Poole.
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