Put This On

Real People: Summer Linen Suit

My friend gdl203 maintains a really nice thread on StyleForum where he reposts his favorite pictures that other members have posted of themselves. It’s a nice way to catch some of the best looks on StyleForum if you don’t have time to follow one of the many “What Are You Wearing Today” threads (where the activity can get quite busy). Gdl203 doesn’t update his thread often, but when he does, it’s always great.

His latest post came three days ago, and it’s of a StyleForum member in Germany named David. David is seen here attending an alumni mixer while wearing a khaki linen suit, blue and white candy stripe shirt, and a solid brown tie. For shoes, he has chestnut colored wingtips, which is a much more summery color than your standard dark browns.

I like how the stripes on his shirt break up the expanse of solid colors on his suit and tie. It adds a bit of variation where a solid blue shirt would have not. I also really appreciate how breathable the suit looks. Not only is it made from a pure linen, but it has three patch pockets. This allows it to do away with any lining that would otherwise be necessary to protect interior bags used for welted pockets. And though it’s hard to judge from a photo, the coat also looks quite soft, suggesting that the canvassing and chest piece inside are relatively thin. Having an unlined jacket with only a thin layer of material allows heat to escape more easily, thus letting the wearer stay as cool as possible. Useful if you, like me, get hot easily.

Of course, what I really like most are the wrinkles. While some people can’t stand how linen rumples and creases, I think the look imparts a certain carefree, natural charm. It suggests that the wearer himself is stylish, not that his clothes are perfect.  

What Is Balance?

If you’ve ever participated in online forums about classic men’s clothing, you may have come across people talking about a jacket’s “balance.” But what is balance? Sometimes, it’s a nebulous concept - just a way of someone saying whether they think a jacket looks off or not. Most of the time, however, it refers to something very specific: how a jacket hangs from the shoulders.

To understand this, you have to remember that a jacket takes on the shape of our bodies, so our unique contours and posture will affect how it fits. Which is why if you take two men with the same chest size, the same jacket can look very different on each of them.

There are two aspects to a jacket’s balance. The first is how the front and back lengths relate to each other. Very simply, if you look at a man from his side, the front hem of his jacket should be either roughly even with his back, or it can be slightly longer. The back, generally speaking, should never be longer than the front. If it is, you may see the quarters of the coat (the area of the front below the buttoning point) hike up and possibly “swing inward.”  

This can happen for a number of reasons. One might be that the person stands too erect, so the back essentially “dips down” while the front “hikes up.” It may also be that the person has a very large stomach, so the front of the jacket doesn’t have enough material to cover that area without disturbing how the jacket hangs.

The opposite of this is also possible. Someone might have prominent shoulder blades or stand with a stoop. In this case, he’ll need a bit more length in the back and less in the front. Otherwise, the quarters of his jacket might fall away towards his hips and the vents at the back might gape.

The second aspect of balance refers to how the left and right sides of a jacket relate to each other. Similarly, these should also be aligned. This might seem like it should occur naturally, but certain things can complicate it. If your right shoulder is considerably lower than your left (which is very common, by the way), you’ll notice that everything on the right side of your jacket will also be dropped accordingly.

Fixing this isn’t as easy as just adding length to the right side or taking away some on the left, however. It’s not just the hem that’s affected, it’s everything on the right – the way the left and right pockets align with each other, the notches on your lapels, as well as the buttons and buttonholes. A tailor can fix this for you, but it helps to know what to look for in order to assess whether a jacket fits you correctly.

All this can seem confusing and complicated if you’ve never thought about these concepts. In the end, however, you can simply think of it like this: if someone were to view you from the side, the front and back of your jacket should be even, or the front can be slightly longer than the back. You can examine this by seeing how the hem aligns. Similarly, when viewed from the front, the left and right sides of your jacket’s hem should be roughly even as well. If they’re not, it can be said that your jacket’s balance is off.  

(Photo via Voxsartoria)

No Backpacks at the Office

For the past year and a half I’ve been largely working from home, so I forget what it’s like to commute with other fellow city-dwellers on public transportation in the rush periods. But the past few weeks I’ve been up and out early in the morning and was reminded of the all-to-common practice of men wearing backpacks with their suits.

The look is very unprofessional. Seeing a grown man walking to his office wearing a backpack that would be found in a high-school student’s locker strikes me as juvenile. The ballistic nylon, the tactical pouches, way-too many zippers and often-terrible color schemes look tacky on a guy who went through the trouble to wear a suit to make a favorable impression.

If you have items that need to be carried to and from work, then buy a briefcase. You can find them in almost any configuration to carry whatever you need and it will compliment your business attire. And there’s the added bonus you won’t be that guy who keeps his backpack on his shoulders while riding the crowded bus or train that hits everyone else in the face and takes up room (please, at least put it on the ground like gentleman).

And don’t think of this as being against all backpacks all the time. We’ve recommended backpacks in the past, but for more casual attire and situations. But if you’re going to the office, then leave them at home.

-Kiyoshi

(Image via primatage)

Traveling with a Suit

I’m on a trip right now and I hate packing large bags when flying. I just don’t trust checking my luggage. Plus, carrying a heavy bag while trying to catch your transfer isn’t fun.

So, I carry my briefcase and a small weekend bag for most trips. I stuff it with the usual — shirts, socks, an extra tie and of course underwear — but there is one thing I don’t try to pack away: my suit.

Instead, I prefer to travel while wearing it. While most fliers like to wear “relaxed” clothing, I think wearing the suit makes more sense. You don’t have to fold it up and worry about setting it aside to let the wrinkles fall out. The extra pockets are great for carrying your stuff, like tickets, phone and wallet.

Typically, I wouldn’t recommend wearing the same suit several days in a row. But if it’s for the occasional trip, the convenience of not having to pack anything but a shirt a day can’t be beat.

If you’re worried about creases in your suit from sitting for several hours in an airplane seat, I haven’t found it to be too much of a problem if you place your suit on a hangar and let it hang in the shower with hot water running to steam the wrinkles out. It should only take 10-15 minutes.

If you can get away with it and your trip is short enough, try traveling light and in a suit.

-Kiyoshi

Suits Aren’t for Standing in Front of Mirrors

The past few days a several images of soccer star David Beckham showing off his moves while wearing a suit came across my dashboard (likely from this Glamour article) and it reminded me of some advice I’d once read.

Most often, when guys go to purchase a new suit they immediately go in front of a mirror and turn into a robot. Their back stiffens, the chest heaves outward and knees lock. But this is only one way to determine if a suit fits you well. Instead, try walking around a bit and not focusing on a mirror. Sit down in a chair and cross your legs or put your feet up. And perhaps consider kicking around a soccer ball. 

The point is to get a feel of how the suit moves with your body. Perhaps the slimness you like in the mirror isn’t the best for when you need to squat down and pick up something off the floor. Or maybe the shoulders don’t quite have the range of movement you’d prefer, although they may look perfect when you’re standing still like a statue. 

Your suit shouldn’t only fit you when you’re standing upright, as Mr. Beckham proves. It should make you feel like you can do anything and look great, too.

-Kiyoshi

Is This an Orphaned Suit Jacket?

I recently received a couple of emails from readers asking if I thought something they were looking at on eBay was an orphaned suit jacket. An orphaned suit jacket is a jacket that used to belong to a suit, but for some reason – whether because they were worn through, badly damaged, or just plain lost – the matching trousers are no longer available. It’s not uncommon to come across these when you’re looking at second hand clothing, and you’ll want to avoid purchasing them. Wearing an orphaned jacket can make you look like you spilled something on your suit trousers and had to change out of them. It’s not a good look.  

To be sure, there are no hard and fast rules, and some suit jackets can be worn as sport coats. Those made from cotton, linen, tweed, or corduroy are usually fine. There are also some wools that can be successfully used for both business suits and casual sport coats. However, for the purposes of this post, we’ll assume the simplistic view that suit jackets should generally never be worn alone, as most of the ones you’re likely to encounter through second hand clothing are of a certain type that shouldn’t be.

So how can you tell what’s what?

Generally speaking, the rougher, fluffier, more visible the weave, the more likely you’re looking at a sport coat. Conversely, the finer and flatter the weave, the more likely you’re looking at a suit jacket. This is especially true if it feels very smooth, silky, and lightweight, and you can see diagonal lines on the surface of the fabric (like you can with denim). If the fabric has a bit of shine to it when you bend and move it, it’s almost certainly something that was designated for a suit.

Certain patterns can also be clues. Pinstripes and chalkstripes always indicate something was meant to be worn as a suit. Birdseye, nailhead, pinhead, and very fine herringbone - the kind that you only notice is herringbone when you inspect it up close, but looks solid from a foot or two away - also tend to be reserved for suits, though there are exceptions. If it’s a chunky, rough weave such as tweed, something like a birdseye would be fine. 

Similarly, pay attention to scale of patterns. Though suits can come in big, bold patterns, and sport coats in quiet and subtle ones, the more successful sport coats tend to have larger scale designs. It’s a way of announcing to the world: this isn’t something to be worn to a business meeting. Thus, if you’re in between whether or not a jacket can be worn by itself – if the pattern is very small or faint, you’re probably safer off passing.

Lastly, if a jacket has buttons made from metal or mother of pearl, or are covered in leather, you’re likely looking at a sport coat. Horn, on the other hand, can go either way, but one thing you can do is count the number of buttons on the sleeve cuff. If there are less than four, the chances of it being a sport coat go up.

In the end, however, you just have to use your own best judgment. Remember: the point is not to say whether something is definitively orphaned or not, the point is to not look like you’re accidentally wearing a suit jacket without the matching trousers. In the end, just keep that in mind and go with your gut. 

(Photo via Capnwes)

Q & Answer: My Pocket Square Makes My Lapel Bulge!

Gus asks: I have a recurring problem with my jackets: the left lapel bulges open when I put a pocket square in the breast pocket.  Do you know of the cause of this and the cure?

The answer’s about as simple as you’d think it would be. Either your pocket square’s too big or your coat’s too small. With our squares, we usually cut at 16” square, though we go down a bit smaller for heavier fabric to prevent this problem. You can try a less scrunchy, more foldy pocket square arrangement - that might cut down on volume.

More likely though is that your coat is fitting tightly, either in the chest or at the buttoning point. So either have it let out a bit or hit the gym. The fad for tight-fitting jackets has led to a lot of gaping and bowing in our nation’s lapels, and jamming a pocket square in there can exacerbate the problem.

Peaks and Patches

Last night, I caught the last half of 1974 remake of “The Front Page”, starring Jack Lemmon. It’s an amusing film, especially if you were a journalism major who really enjoyed hearing stories about how press rooms used to be filled with cigar smoke and poker games. Sadly, this wasn’t the experience I had during my brief career in newspapers. 

Lemmon’s character, Hildy, wore a suit that caught my attention. I couldn’t be entirely sure, but I believe it was a cotton khaki suit. What made it interesting was the combination of a single-button, peaked-lapel front along with triple patch pockets. It’s not a pairing you see very often, as patch pockets are typically reserved for suits and jackets that are more casual. And peaked lapels are definitely more formal. 

But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. He’s wearing a boater hat, signaling it’s summer — or at least where he’s headed next with his wife-to-be that it’s warmer weather — and the need for cooler-wearing clothing. It reminded me of a post at A Suitable Wardrobe about how summer jackets have patch pockets. This is done to minimize the amount of lining needed to allow for better air circulation in the heat. A jacket with pockets that go inside would require more lining inside. 

Of course, I wondered how much of this would be negated by the fact Hildy also wears a waistcoat, which ends up coming undone toward the end (naturally, while cranking out the story of his life on a typewriter on deadline). But as you’ll notice in this photo, it also has patch pockets. And I’m not sure he could get away with wearing a single-button, peaked-lapel suit without the waistcoat and still look quite as sharp. 

The suit is a reminder that typical conventions and rules are nice, but sometimes you should be open to changes for the sake of practicality. 

-Kiyoshi

Because You Are An Adult, You Need A Sincere Suit

Not every man should wear a suit and tie every day. I myself wear a suit once a month at most. But every man in America should own a suit. I am defining “man” broadly here - let’s call it sixteen and up. One suit. For when it matters.

“What do you mean, ‘for when it matters?’”

Well, I get an email about three times a week that says, “I’ve got an unexpected (funeral/wedding/job interview/christening/wake/big meeting/court appearance) coming up next week. Where can I get a good suit on short notice for a good price?”

I usually (almost always) help these people. I suggest Brooks Brothers or maybe Suit Supply, two very good sources for suits, and I suggest they try to find a passable alterationist to work on short notice, and I suggest they not try to save money on this because it’s important and because as engineers say: “cheap, fast, good: pick two.”

But there’s something I really want to say to these people that I don’t. Something a little sour. Something I will say to you, man-who-has-not-yet-faced-sartorial-crisis.

YOU’RE A GROWN MAN. YOU SHOULD ALREADY OWN A SUIT.

This particular event may have been unexpected, but did you seriously not expect that something would come up in your life that would require grown-up clothes? Even professional surfers who live in beach huts in Bali have great-uncles who die back in Fresno. And great-aunts who’d feel bad if their grand-nephew showed up at the funeral in khakis and a polo shirt from his catholic high school’s uniform.

You will need a suit, and it is better to buy it on your time. When you buy a suit on short notice, you get something ill-fitting, you pay too much, you don’t have time to make your own decisions about what you want, you can only go to one store, you might not even be able to get it altered… in other words: you’re fucked from the word “go.”

So get real. Take some time, and buy yourself a good suit. One good suit. What my mom calls a “sincere suit.” It should be solid gray and conservatively styled so you can wear it for a good five or ten years when this stuff comes up. A plain, mid-gray suit can be worn to any event which requires a suit, from Easter Dinner at grandma’s to your co-worker’s unexpected wake.

Get yourself a shirt and two ties, too - one very dark for funerals, one a little happier, though still sober, for not-sad events. Neither of these ties should have Bugs Bunny on them, by the way. And some dress shoes, and socks and a belt. Just one set of basic, serious-business clothes. Because you will need them. Not all the time, but sometime. Inevitably.

You don’t have to be a suit-and-tie guy. You don’t even have to be a wears-pants-instead-of-shorts guy. But if you’re a grown man, you should own a suit.

These days, our friend PG from MostExerent works for a tech company that frowns on suits. His blog’s now mostly a record of his cycling and travel. There’s no better expert on the shape of tailored clothes, though, and his advice here is very much worth paying attention to.

mostexerent:

Another gem from my archives (2011) which will answer some recent messages & this time uncovered by linenforsummertweedforwinter:

Shape, Drape or Both?

Both is possible & preferable in my opinion - too many are trapped into thinking that tight fitting means shape.. When it is actually the opposite.

See how my jacket still has shape even not button up.

How is this possible?

Start with the shoulders then working down to the cuff:

• Make sure they sit on with a slight extension & not before the shoulder point
• “Natural” shaped shoulder line gives a softer & more sensual appearance whilst a structured shoulder will add power as well as elegance - nothing wrong with either as long as they suit your body type & not over built.
• The chest needs enough fullness & not tightness - see the clean subtle draping. No creases or gaping. Everything looks ”natural”
• The waist has ”natural” suppression at the ”natural” waist point to give shape - not tight like a corset
• Hips are in line with the shoulder or below to give balance
• Pants are sitting at your ”natural” waist not hips
• Open quarters aka the bottom of the jacket where the left & right meet (noticeable when buttoned) will mirror the lapels in a figure eight
• Skirt of the jacket has a slight flare
• Pantaloons are hanging naturally & with a slight break.

So as it starts to warm up, ”airforce blue” is always a great option to wearing navy or grey. Especially if there is some mohair in the mix. This suit is totally different in direct light, it’s like DISCO! So one has to ensure the other components are subtle.

You want to make sure the over all effect does not compete but look ”natural”.

The oncoming eye should not be competing for any detail..

So DITCH the H belt or novelty cuff links..

Details | Suit - P Johnson in Loro Piana wool/mohair for GW | Shirt - P Johnson in Thomas Mason for GW | Knit tie - Drakes (this one is a mix of black & navy) | PS - vintage Japanese kimono cloth | DubMunks - John Lobb 2010 St Crepin for Leather Soul for GW

* My Sistah just enjoys PHOTO BOMBING!

** FYI - I am standing 3m away from the camera whilst my Sistah is 1.5m

Cut your coat according to your cloth.