Last month I was in NYC and London, which afforded me the opportunity to compare the English and Italian approaches to the handmade umbrella. Let’s do Italy first. Mario Talarico umbrellas appear to have very limited retail distribution outside of Italy. As this StyleForum thread on Talarico umbrellas describes, they can certainly be bought in […]
Two umbrellamakers: James Smith & Sons and Mario Talarico Read More »
From Hats to Suits On a recent visit to New York City, I went up to 57th St to visit the hatshop of Worth & Worth.My intent was to find a nice straw hat – a natural, unbleached Panama – which I did, thanks to the solicitous help of proprietor Orlando Palacios.Orlando did a fine
Bellucci & Palacios: A Neapolitan surprise in NYC Read More »
I picked up the completed two piece suit today and took a shot of the storefront before I left. Harold clearly takes pride in his work. The lapel has a nice belly and fullness to its shape (My sense is that he’d make a superb looking shawl collared dinner jacket). On the trousers, he adds
Novex – Details, details, details Read More »
I stopped by Novex today for my second fitting. All in all, the fit was extremely good – Harold breezed through the standard ‘punch list’ for a jacket fitting – collar fit, front and back balance, jacket length, sleeve pitch, button stance and gorge. The admirable characteristics I noted in my earlier entry remain –
Novex: The second fitting Read More »
Giacomo Trabalza and Jack Taylor are the two preeminent bespoke tailors in Los Angeles. I have long been wondering if there might be a third in the city of their caliber and reputation. There just might be and the tailor’s shop is called Novex. In this AskAndy thread on Novex, Panzeraxe describes running across it
LA’s tailoring triumvirate complete? Enter Novex Read More »
This is an interesting AskAndy discussion on the history of the roped shoulder. From what I could gather at the “A Rakish History of Menswear” exhibition in the New York Public Library, roped shoulders were featured in men’s jackets and coats from at least the 1830s, probably earlier. So when should modern odd and suit
History of the roped shoulder Read More »
Apparel Arts is the de facto magazine of record for men’s clothing in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. It has achieved somewhat of a cult status for its colored illustrations of lounge suits, formal wear, collegiate styles and leisure wear. Judged in the dint of today’s light, these illustrations and advertisements provide a remarkable glimpse
Apparel Arts: Fall 1934 issue digitized Read More »
For the more visually inclined, this article on bespoke shoes provides an excellent primer on the constituent parts of a traditionally constructed men’s dress shoe. The article also introduces two well-known shoemakers, Lobb and Cleverley. Thanks to toniok on StyleForum for posting this. The same website also has another article providing a nice peek inside
Goldarth’s article on bespoke shoes, Lobb and Cleverley Read More »
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