Put This On is made possible thanks to the support of our sponsors, so twice a month, we like to give them a special shoutout and say what’s going on with them.
The Hanger Project is all about helping the well-dressed take care of their wardrobes. They’re the largest online supplier of high-end shoe care products, shaped garment hangers, and every other garment care accessory you can think of. Their hangers have flared out shoulder joints to mimic the shape of your natural shoulders, which helps preserve the shaping that’s pressed into your tailored jackets, and their collection of French-imported Saphir shoe care supplies covers everything from suede waterproofers to shoe polishes. Those polishes have a bit more natural oils than your average waxes and creams, which helps keep your leather shoes supple.
Proper Cloth built their reputation on giving guys reliably well-fitting shirts from customer-supplied measurements. In the last few months, they’ve set their sights a little higher and are now going for custom tailoring — premium made-to-order suits, jackets, and pants, with the jackets being made in a half-canvassed construction. Their tailoring is made from Vitale Barberis Canonico wools, a well-respected Italian mill that supplies bespoke tailoring houses around the world, and prices start around $500 for a sport coat. This week, they’re also releasing some new winter outerwear. Their Biella Flight Jacket, pictured above, is made from a rich navy wool and generously sized, black pressed shearling collar. Like much of Proper Cloth’s outerwear range, it’s designed so you can wear it with jeans or tailored trousers.
Paul Winston over at Chipp Neckwear once told me the chalky, dusty hand of ancient madder reminds him of a horse’s wet nose. I’ve always thought was a charming description.
The term madder actually refers to two things. The first is the rich-red, vegetable dye that’s derived from the Eurasian plant Rubia tinctoria. In ancient times, it was used to dye regal clothes, which Bruce Boyer says is how we get the “ancient” part of ancient madder. Then we have “madder style,” which is an old method of printing that involves using thickened mordants, drying, aging, dunging, and dyeing with alizarine (the coloring agent obtained from madder root) or other coloring agents.
Today’s ancient madder is made with synthetic dyes, like most indigo items, but the look is the same. Ancient madder ties sit in the middle in terms of formality – they’re just as good with tweed and corduroy jackets as they are with worsted suits and pinstripes. And Chipp’s are the most affordable we’ve seen anywhere. They’re made in New York City using the same English silks that you’ll find at high-end tie shops, but here they cost just $75.
Dapper Classics has become one of the internet’s most favored sources for value-minded trousers. They’re not cheap — each pair runs about $225 — but they’re made in New York City by one of the world’s most reknowned trouser factories, Hertling. And they’re about half the price of tailored trousers from Rota. Much of the cost here can be accounted for in the materials alone. Dapper Classics uses top-end wools such as Minnis Fresco (typically only available to bespoke tailoring customers). And this month, they’ve introduced some new fabrics, including softly brushed moleskins and Donegal lambswool tweeds.
Tweed can be tricky for trousers, as many are either too loosely woven (which means they’ll bag easily) or they’re too bold for practical wear. Donegal is one of the more useful tweeds, however, because it’s dense and hardy, and the speckling is conservative enough to pair with sweaters and sport coats. For something more conservative still, moleskins can be worn just like chinos, which is to say they go with anything. They have a soft, almost suede-like texture. And while they started off as a country cloth — originally used for hardwearing activities such as getting through thick, prickly brush — today, it’s an fall/ winter material that simply feels good.
You can always find your basic dress shirts at Ledbury, but the company also has uniquely designed button-ups that can do double-duty for the work week and weekends. For fall, this includes their autumnal plaids, Donegal-esque speckled flannels, streaky indigo plain weaves, and rustic microcords (sort of like the thing you’d expect in an outdoorsman catalog, but can actually work in the office). These are finished with Ledbury’s button-down collars and a shortened body length, which allows you to wear them tucked in or out. The flapped chest pocket, shown above, also give the shirts a sporty touch. Check back with the site next week if you’re looking for deals. They’re are doing a declining promotion on our shirts with the biggest percentage off happening on Black Friday and the two days leading up to it (no minimum spend required).
Finally, our thanks to Huckberry. Remember in the late-aughts when men’s style enthusiasts used to wax everything? Including pants? (Why oh why did we wax our pants?). Well, Huckberry is bringing back a bit of that rugged style, but in areas where you may actually want some weather resistance. They recently reintroduced their wool-lined, waxed trucker jacket, which is made from a 7oz shelter cloth. Like raw denim, the cotton body here will lighten with creasing and wear, showing your unique wear pattern. Huckberry also has some new beeswax nubuck leather boots from Astorflex. We wouldn’t recommend taking them out in a torrential downpour, but the waxed finish will make them a little more weather resistant in light rain. And they’re more sensible than waxed pants. (No but seriously, why did we wax our pants?)
