The following post forms the basis of what to me constitutes a coherent order of dress. It is a 'living document', and I will add to it in due course. It deals first with my thoughts on formal clothes - 'business' or 'lounge' suits and evening dress. I have avoided any forays into the more complex questions of cloth, cut, fit or details: I am content here to outline the shape of my thoughts but leave them at first baste.
As the second post illustrated, I favour very conservative styles. These days, it is not difficult to find even in high street ‘fashion’ retailers suits that are very much more adventurous than the standard two-piece offerings on the high street of my youth. However, as someone once pointed out, fashion is that which goes out of fashion, whereas style, although it contains its own internal cycles, is more enduring. Dressing conservatively need not be synonymous with dressing boringly; it is all a question of detail.
"This post lacks theology and geometry."
Without wanting to sound like Ignatius J Reilly, there has to be some kind of symmetry, coherence and logic. To that end, my thoughts run thusly:
General principles
- There should be a coherence between the degree of formality in the constituent garments of your outfit
- Avoid excessive mixing of textures and materials. The shine of calf leather shoes look strange with the softer pile of corduroy and moleskin. Suede looks unusual worn with harder, shinier cloths
- Be discreet: let the quality of the clothes speak for themselves
- Avoid overt gimmicks
Picking up that last point, I really dislike the crassness of showing off 'bespoke' features - leaving functional cuff buttons open, having a contrast lining or button-holes, or turning up their collar to show a contrast felt. For a start, all of these features are now pretty standard on ready-to-wear, and is no intrinsic indication of craftsmanship: you can probably find such features on garments at George at Asda. Multi-coloured embellishments will look bloody stupid in five years' time when everyone's forgotten that purplewas very fashion-forward in A/W2009. More importantly, why broadcast the fact that you're wearing bespoke? Who are you trying to impress? And why? Those who care about such things can tell and don't need it shouted at them; those who can't tell probably don't care.
"Shit. That must have been a long lunch."
Suits
I like single-breasted suits, and have a mix of two- and three-piece, mostly in plain or discretely patterned dark blue or dark grey. The only 'rules' I observe are:
- My coats have two or three button fastenings
- Four cuff buttons is the standard. The two closest to the cuff are functional, but should not be opened. Three looks a bit Hepworths; two looks provincial charity shop; one is OK on hacking jackets
- Two in-breast pockets (wallet and notebook)
- Single welted out-breast pocket
- Skirt and ticket pockets should be flapped and jetted
- Black or otherwise plain lining: contrast linings are immature
- I have turn-back cuffs on my two-piece suits; these look better with lighter-weight plain cloths
- Waistcoats should be single-breasted, and have six buttons; for reasons of comfort when seated, the bottom button remains unfastened. My waistcoats have lapels: those without lapels look strangely unfinished...
- The trousers have four forward pleats on the trousers
- The depth of turn-ups should be proportionate to the length of your leg; and if you are a stump-legged capering dwarf, I'd avoid them altogether
- Button fly (zip flies create the 'pants tent' when seated)
- Fishtail back if cut for braces; buttoned side adjusters ('Daks tops') if not
- No belt loops (if the trousers are made properly, they don't need them)
A rule of odds and evens
The number of buttons, vents and 'pieces' are proportionate: odd numbers work with other odds (ones and threes); evens with evens
Single-breasted coats can be three-, two- or single-button fastening
A two button fastening really limits you to a two-piece. The two-button suit originated as a less formal alternative to the three-button suit. As a result, it looks odd with a waistcoat.
Three piece, three buttons - and a peak to the rear would reveal a single centre vent
If you must wear one, a double-breasted coat should be in the classic button two-show four arrangement. Anything else is a pointless deviation. (The boating jackets of some Foot Guards regiments are excepted, as they obey laws determined by military tradition rather than any internal logic or coherence.)
A centre vent is appropriate on a three-button coat; side vents on a two-button or double-breasted suit coat; I favour a single vent on my odd jackets. A single fastening button looks a bit too wilfully ‘different’, and, especially with a peaked lapel, is strongly redolent of the sort of silvery, rayon-rich sub-morning coat offering seen for hire on the premises of Moss Bros and the Savoy Tailors Guild. If you're going to wear one, at least make it as unobtrusive as possible. Or get it made by Huntsman, where it's part of the house style.
Cloth
This is a bewildering subject. I will confine myself to a couple of very basic points:(As an aside, Thomas Mahon’s English Cut blog has an excellent guide to spotting true bespoke at a glance. In fact, Mr Mahon – once head cutter at Anderson and Sheppard - is an altogether more knowledgeable guide to bespoke tailoring and in effect renders much of this blog superfluous.)
As the second post illustrated, I favour very conservative styles. These days, it is not difficult to find even in high street ‘fashion’ retailers suits that are very much more adventurous than the standard two-piece offerings on the high street of my youth. However, as someone once pointed out, fashion is that which goes out of fashion, whereas style, although it contains its own internal cycles, is more enduring. Dressing conservatively need not be synonymous with dressing boringly; it is all a question of detail.
"This post lacks theology and geometry."
Without wanting to sound like Ignatius J Reilly, there has to be some kind of symmetry, coherence and logic. To that end, my thoughts run thusly:
General principles
- There should be a coherence between the degree of formality in the constituent garments of your outfit
- Avoid excessive mixing of textures and materials. The shine of calf leather shoes look strange with the softer pile of corduroy and moleskin. Suede looks unusual worn with harder, shinier cloths
- Be discreet: let the quality of the clothes speak for themselves
- Avoid overt gimmicks
Picking up that last point, I really dislike the crassness of showing off 'bespoke' features - leaving functional cuff buttons open, having a contrast lining or button-holes, or turning up their collar to show a contrast felt. For a start, all of these features are now pretty standard on ready-to-wear, and is no intrinsic indication of craftsmanship: you can probably find such features on garments at George at Asda. Multi-coloured embellishments will look bloody stupid in five years' time when everyone's forgotten that purplewas very fashion-forward in A/W2009. More importantly, why broadcast the fact that you're wearing bespoke? Who are you trying to impress? And why? Those who care about such things can tell and don't need it shouted at them; those who can't tell probably don't care.
"Shit. That must have been a long lunch."
Suits
I like single-breasted suits, and have a mix of two- and three-piece, mostly in plain or discretely patterned dark blue or dark grey. The only 'rules' I observe are:
- My coats have two or three button fastenings
- Four cuff buttons is the standard. The two closest to the cuff are functional, but should not be opened. Three looks a bit Hepworths; two looks provincial charity shop; one is OK on hacking jackets
- Two in-breast pockets (wallet and notebook)
- Single welted out-breast pocket
- Skirt and ticket pockets should be flapped and jetted
- Black or otherwise plain lining: contrast linings are immature
- I have turn-back cuffs on my two-piece suits; these look better with lighter-weight plain cloths
- Waistcoats should be single-breasted, and have six buttons; for reasons of comfort when seated, the bottom button remains unfastened. My waistcoats have lapels: those without lapels look strangely unfinished...
- The trousers have four forward pleats on the trousers
- The depth of turn-ups should be proportionate to the length of your leg; and if you are a stump-legged capering dwarf, I'd avoid them altogether
- Button fly (zip flies create the 'pants tent' when seated)
- Fishtail back if cut for braces; buttoned side adjusters ('Daks tops') if not
- No belt loops (if the trousers are made properly, they don't need them)
A rule of odds and evens
The number of buttons, vents and 'pieces' are proportionate: odd numbers work with other odds (ones and threes); evens with evens
Single-breasted coats can be three-, two- or single-button fastening
A two button fastening really limits you to a two-piece. The two-button suit originated as a less formal alternative to the three-button suit. As a result, it looks odd with a waistcoat.
Three piece, three buttons - and a peak to the rear would reveal a single centre vent
If you must wear one, a double-breasted coat should be in the classic button two-show four arrangement. Anything else is a pointless deviation. (The boating jackets of some Foot Guards regiments are excepted, as they obey laws determined by military tradition rather than any internal logic or coherence.)
A centre vent is appropriate on a three-button coat; side vents on a two-button or double-breasted suit coat; I favour a single vent on my odd jackets. A single fastening button looks a bit too wilfully ‘different’, and, especially with a peaked lapel, is strongly redolent of the sort of silvery, rayon-rich sub-morning coat offering seen for hire on the premises of Moss Bros and the Savoy Tailors Guild. If you're going to wear one, at least make it as unobtrusive as possible. Or get it made by Huntsman, where it's part of the house style.
Cloth
This is a bewildering subject. I will confine myself to a couple of very basic points:(As an aside, Thomas Mahon’s English Cut blog has an excellent guide to spotting true bespoke at a glance. In fact, Mr Mahon – once head cutter at Anderson and Sheppard - is an altogether more knowledgeable guide to bespoke tailoring and in effect renders much of this blog superfluous.)
- Don't buy cheap cloth: it'll go shiny, bag at the knee and elbow and round the arse and won't survive contact with your dry cleaner
- Always consider what you're likely to be doing in your suit and pick a weight accordingly.
- Beware expensive 'luxury' cloths like cashmere blends or anything silk-heavy: you'll put the arse out of them in no time.
Colour
For 'lounge' suits, there are really only two colours: dark blues and simple greys. Patterns are OK, but I'm not a big fan. My favourite suit is a lightweight light grey Glen Urquhart (Prince of Wales) check - frankly that's as racy as I would ever entertain. Blues can be a bit of a minefield, and in general the darker the better. Pete Campbell in Mad men and Nick Clegg in government illustrate the pitfalls. Perhaps it's a pushy WASP thing.
The Deputy Prime MInister
There's nothing wrong with the overt colourfulness of, say, Ozwald Boateng's suits - nothing wrong, that is, if you're starring in a rock opera or are part of the look-at-me-piglet world of media, fashion and the other 'creative' 'industries'. He's a craftsman and in his bespoke work I'm sure almost as good as the likes of Huntsman. It's just you'll look like a twat if you wear them to the office, in the street, to meet your banker, in front of friends, or before your God.
My bank manager couldn't wear that.
- Always consider what you're likely to be doing in your suit and pick a weight accordingly.
- Beware expensive 'luxury' cloths like cashmere blends or anything silk-heavy: you'll put the arse out of them in no time.
Colour
For 'lounge' suits, there are really only two colours: dark blues and simple greys. Patterns are OK, but I'm not a big fan. My favourite suit is a lightweight light grey Glen Urquhart (Prince of Wales) check - frankly that's as racy as I would ever entertain. Blues can be a bit of a minefield, and in general the darker the better. Pete Campbell in Mad men and Nick Clegg in government illustrate the pitfalls. Perhaps it's a pushy WASP thing.
The Deputy Prime MInister
There's nothing wrong with the overt colourfulness of, say, Ozwald Boateng's suits - nothing wrong, that is, if you're starring in a rock opera or are part of the look-at-me-piglet world of media, fashion and the other 'creative' 'industries'. He's a craftsman and in his bespoke work I'm sure almost as good as the likes of Huntsman. It's just you'll look like a twat if you wear them to the office, in the street, to meet your banker, in front of friends, or before your God.
My bank manager couldn't wear that.
Blazers
A short word about blazers: 'No.'
A longer word about blazers: Suitable attire for watching company rugby at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, but otherwise best avoided. Increasingly the term is used interchangeably with a 'sports jacket' (or to Etonians 'half-change'); that is, a single-breasted coat. In which case, fair enough: but stick to sensible colours and patterns.
Half-change.
Evening dress
A short word about blazers: 'No.'
A longer word about blazers: Suitable attire for watching company rugby at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, but otherwise best avoided. Increasingly the term is used interchangeably with a 'sports jacket' (or to Etonians 'half-change'); that is, a single-breasted coat. In which case, fair enough: but stick to sensible colours and patterns.
Half-change.
Evening dress
The above guidance applies for evening dress. It is a shame that the collapse in public manners has rendered white tie to all practical effect extinct; and to acquire it is cripplingly expensive. It is now worn only by royalty, diplomats, magicians, cinematic vampires, pretentious undergraduate debates convenors, toast-masters at provincial municipal events and corpulent tenors. (And if The Twilight saga is an accurate portrayal of their life, it is clear that standards among vampires have deteriorated substantially in recent years, further winnowing the ranks of professional white tie wearers.) In the unlikely event that you are required to wear i, the appropriate guidance is available from the royal household. I'm sure the Magic Circle can furnish similar advice if you are admitted to membership. I will not expound at any length.
"Laydeez and gennelmen, please charge your glasses and be upstanding..."
I have, however, always wanted an opera cloak, lined in midnight blue.
Dinner jackets should be of a black cloth, such as barathea. If single-breasted, they should have a single button fastening coat with peaked lapels - or possibly a shawl (rounded) collar. Double-breasted coats will typically have a button-one, show-three arrangement, that is two buttons fewer than on a business suit. It is usual for dinner jackets to omit flaps on the skirt pockets. Thomas Mahon suggests omitting pockets entirely, to ensure a cleaner look. In the contemporary era, when so few people smoke and have no need to carry the necessary accoutrements on their person, this is practical advice. And you really shouldn't need to answer your iPhone at such a time.
Avoid notched lapels. Such garments have a mass-produced look, and they almost invariably prove to be so: the notched lapel is almost certainly the result of the manufacturer’s use of his standard suit pattern in an effort to cut production costs. For evening dress shirts, pique (waffle) or pleated bib fronts are standard; a heavy-weight silk shirt is a distinctive but low-key alternative. It would be highly eccentric to wear a dress shirt that did not require cuff-links. This conforms to the relationship noted above between double cuffs and the peaked lapel.
A stiff shirt with detachable wing collar is perfectly acceptable, but should be worn with a waistcoat. The cuffs of these shirts require cuff-links but are typically not full French cuffs i.e. they do not have a turn-back.
A fused wing collar with a dinner jacket is very King's College June Event 1992. As, it must be said, are cummerbunds - at least if worn in a temperate climate.
Bow ties should be black silk or, possibly, satin. Try to avoid anything too narrow - the sort of thing the lead singer of Modern Romance might have worn to the 1981 WEA Christmas party - too fat - think Lennie Bennett in The comedians - or too velvet - a bit 'extra in an early Scorsese film'. It need hardly be said that they should not be pre-tied.
A golden age - of racist comedy if not of evening dress
Velvet is appropriate when at home. As there has already been a substantial and regrettable relaxation of the rules of evening dress to permit lazy and impudent young men to wear dinner jackets where white tie was once the rule, we must draw the line at wearing smoking jackets in public. They are an admirable item of clothing, but are not suitable public attire for a serious-minded gentleman. (See 'The public and the private'.) Dressing gowns are fine if you're Hugh Hefner, but even he wears them only at home.
So-called 'Hollywood black tie' - perhaps more accurately termed 'Hollyoaks black tie' - performs a useful social function in as much as it is an excellent indicator of the impressionable and easily led, but the habit should be eschewed unless you wish to resemble a runner-up in the Northern Ireland regional finals of Grazia's 'Eligible bachelor of the year', or are attending a regional Round Table dinner in aid of Esther Rantzen's Hearts of Gold. I am perfectly prepared to accept that some young men might think such an effect is desirable, but they are not serious individuals, and it is fortunate that they announce their presence so clearly so that evasive action may be taken.
Grazia: North Antrim's Eligible bachelor of the year 2004 (nominated)
"Laydeez and gennelmen, please charge your glasses and be upstanding..."
I have, however, always wanted an opera cloak, lined in midnight blue.
Dinner jackets should be of a black cloth, such as barathea. If single-breasted, they should have a single button fastening coat with peaked lapels - or possibly a shawl (rounded) collar. Double-breasted coats will typically have a button-one, show-three arrangement, that is two buttons fewer than on a business suit. It is usual for dinner jackets to omit flaps on the skirt pockets. Thomas Mahon suggests omitting pockets entirely, to ensure a cleaner look. In the contemporary era, when so few people smoke and have no need to carry the necessary accoutrements on their person, this is practical advice. And you really shouldn't need to answer your iPhone at such a time.
Avoid notched lapels. Such garments have a mass-produced look, and they almost invariably prove to be so: the notched lapel is almost certainly the result of the manufacturer’s use of his standard suit pattern in an effort to cut production costs. For evening dress shirts, pique (waffle) or pleated bib fronts are standard; a heavy-weight silk shirt is a distinctive but low-key alternative. It would be highly eccentric to wear a dress shirt that did not require cuff-links. This conforms to the relationship noted above between double cuffs and the peaked lapel.
A stiff shirt with detachable wing collar is perfectly acceptable, but should be worn with a waistcoat. The cuffs of these shirts require cuff-links but are typically not full French cuffs i.e. they do not have a turn-back.
A fused wing collar with a dinner jacket is very King's College June Event 1992. As, it must be said, are cummerbunds - at least if worn in a temperate climate.
Bow ties should be black silk or, possibly, satin. Try to avoid anything too narrow - the sort of thing the lead singer of Modern Romance might have worn to the 1981 WEA Christmas party - too fat - think Lennie Bennett in The comedians - or too velvet - a bit 'extra in an early Scorsese film'. It need hardly be said that they should not be pre-tied.
A golden age - of racist comedy if not of evening dress
Velvet is appropriate when at home. As there has already been a substantial and regrettable relaxation of the rules of evening dress to permit lazy and impudent young men to wear dinner jackets where white tie was once the rule, we must draw the line at wearing smoking jackets in public. They are an admirable item of clothing, but are not suitable public attire for a serious-minded gentleman. (See 'The public and the private'.) Dressing gowns are fine if you're Hugh Hefner, but even he wears them only at home.
So-called 'Hollywood black tie' - perhaps more accurately termed 'Hollyoaks black tie' - performs a useful social function in as much as it is an excellent indicator of the impressionable and easily led, but the habit should be eschewed unless you wish to resemble a runner-up in the Northern Ireland regional finals of Grazia's 'Eligible bachelor of the year', or are attending a regional Round Table dinner in aid of Esther Rantzen's Hearts of Gold. I am perfectly prepared to accept that some young men might think such an effect is desirable, but they are not serious individuals, and it is fortunate that they announce their presence so clearly so that evasive action may be taken.
Grazia: North Antrim's Eligible bachelor of the year 2004 (nominated)
