Reader Questions

From Jonathan

"Do you have any advice on removing stubborn wrinkles from neckties? I have a number of ties (from respected makers) that seem permanently "scrunched" after being untied. I've heard that some roll them after a wear, others may steam--might it have to do with the interlinings?"

Try steaming them from the back (that way if you get a water spot on the tie it's not visible).

As you wrote, some men swear by rolling them. Unfortunately, it's never done anything noticeable for me.

From Lee

"What types of wool pants would you buy for year-round wear? I think tropical wool wrinkles and wears, and am aware of various weights, but since I am forced to buy most of my clothes online, it is often hard to guage seasonal wearability."

There's nothing that's really suitable for year-round wear in a temperate climate The closest you might get would be to wear tropicals under a coat in the winter, however your legs will be cold and tropical weight cloth doesn't wear as well as the heavier stuff.

Compromises that are suitable for most of the year include gabardine. The RTW fabric sold at sources like Ben Silver is fine for all but the hottest weather. Not ideal for freezing temperatures, but better than a tropical.

Consider also medium weight twills like whipcord and cavalry twill. The stuff wears like iron and the weights you are likely to find are going to wear warmer than gabardine but still be nine month cloth.

To the left is a photo of some of the late Duke of Windsor's odd trousers. It has nothing to do with the question, but I couldn't find anything else that did either.

Essential Odd Trousers

An odd trouser wardrobe should be a mixed lot of fabrics and weights that suits every season. Depending on how often you wear them, you'll need at least five, and more likely ten, pair for warm days and the same for cooler weather.

I've divided the essentials into casual and dress trousers with the idea being that casuals can take a little dirt. You might wear them with a jacket but they'll be paired with a sweater or a polo more often than not.

Casual Trousers
-Khaki cotton drill. Gentleman's jeans for weekend wear. Olive is another classic color.
-Cotton moleskin. Soft and warm trousers for the cold.
-Cords. In moss and mouse, for cool weather from Fall to Spring, with sweaters or odd jackets.
-Poplin. Spring casuals for golf and similar pursuits. Try a soft pink.

Dress Trousers
-Gray flannels. Every wardrobe needs at least two pair, in mid-gray and charcoal. Aficionados also like them in light gray for Spring (like the hatted fellow in the illustration) , and in weights from medium to heavy. As Alan Flusser wrote, "If you are considering a new sport jacket and are having difficulty visualizing it with a medium gray trouser, move on."
-Fawn and cream flannels. A change of pace from gray.
-Gabardines. Silky smooth trousers are ideal for much of the year in California and similar climates. Wear them in cream, brown and olive.
-Tan cavalry twill. With a navy odd jacket it's the English uniform.
-Linen. Linen breathes, so it's a good choice for hot weather. Get the heaviest linen you can find, because heavier fabric will drape better and rumple rather than wrinkle. Think in terms of half a dozen pair in cream, tan, brown and mustard.
-Light gray and tan fresco trousers. More summer wear. Fresco doesn't wrinkle like linen and it holds a crease. Wear them on unrumpled occasions with a tan or navy odd jacket.

Odd Jackets

I don't believe that a classic wardrobe requires many odd jackets. They are very useful when you need something to throw on above a pair of cords, but a flannel, tweed or linen suit looks as good or better at other times.

That doesn't mean odd jackets are not perfectly acceptable for lunch at the club, Sunday worship and any business trip where you'll arrive too late for a meeting. It just means that they are a discretionary purchase once you have a few of them. I think four or five of them cover the basics, with two or three pairs of trousers that you can wear with each jacket.

For spring and summer, you should have a navy blazer of 10 oz. fresco. A tan linen or fresco jacket makes a good change of pace. Complementary trousers could include tan and cream linen, light gray and tan fresco, and tan and khaki cotton drill.

For fall and winter you’ll want to start with a blazer of blue flannel or serge, and one or two tweed jackets. Medium and dark gray flannel trousers go with almost any jacketing. Tan cavalry twill is also a classic with the navy jacket and corduroy looks great with tweed.

A great feature of odd jackets is that they give you quite a bit of room to exercise your creativity in the details while remaining appropriately dressed. A belted safari jacket, or safariana, can be a different look in warm weather. Patch and bellows pockets on a tweed coat, developed to hold shotgun shells, are a good place to put your Blackberry.

That flexibility is probably enough reason to have more than four or five of them.