Pop quiz: How many tailors or cutters do you know under the age of 40? Not very many I imagine. In New York City, the Big Four – Raphael, Corvato, Nicolosi and Fioravanti – are in their 60s or 70s. The situation is similar in Los Angeles. I was prompted to ponder this question by […]
The next generation of tailors: Mutually assured succession Read More »
Huntsman Quote from Peter Smith, Huntsman’s general manager: “We have our own silhouette at Huntsman, which is a very fitted garment. Our silhouette is a one button front. We cut a slightly longer coat with a natural shoulder.” [Original video no longer available] Charvet An informative walk-through of this iconic Parisian shirtmaker with store manager
Video tours: Huntsman and Charvet Read More »
Certain men look good in nearly every imaginable cut/silhouette and shoulder treatment. These are rare men endowed with naturally fit and lean frames and half-square shoulders. Can the same be said for specific shoulder treatments (i.e. soft v. structured shoulders)? Is one shoulder the best-looking one for all men? Some declare the natural shoulder look
The rise and fall of natural shoulders Read More »
I touched on the topic of tying necktie knots in an earlier entry. Thanks to a recent StyleForum thread, I’m linking to a couple of useful visual tutorials to tying bow ties in particular. The first is a Washington Post slide show which is especially thorough and specific in its explanation. The second is a
How to tie a bow tie Read More »
I spoke with a close colleague of Trabalza today and it appears the lease on his current shop is set to expire sometime next year. Nothing is certain yet but lease renewals can be a dicey proposition for the lessee. I see four possible outcomes: Renewal of lease with minimal increase in rent (suit prices
Giacomo Trabalza in 2008 Read More »
This StyleForum thread discusses a bit of the history behind Sam Hober ties (formerly Mulberrywood) and David’s approach to design and tiemaking. I was in Thailand back in September and we were supposed to meet for tea at the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok. Unfortunately, our schedules didn’t cooperate. Perhaps next time!
In my quest for properly fitting trousers, I initially found it difficult to make sense of the seemingly myriad waistband options available for unbelted or beltless trousers. These included: Daks top, D-ring adjusters, button sidetabs, waistband level v. below-the-waistband positioning. What were these and what do they look like? This LondonLounge thread contains the best
In the Los Angeles area, we have a couple of bespoke options with some folks reporting favorable results with both. 1. Ariel Tello (no website, AskAndy thread, StyleForum thread) 2. Johnathan Behr (StyleForum thread, AskAndy thread) 3. Novex (no website, Sleevehead blog entries) – Novex deserves an honorable mention. Suits start at $1,600 for customer
Affordable bespoke tailors for less than $1,500 Read More »
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