The Perfect Suit?

Recently our man Enzo, writer of the blog "13th & Wolf" wrote of "finding your style sweet spot". Yesterday, at a nearby thrift shop, I may have found mine, for all of $14.99:

3 season wool 2 button sack suit, with 2 button cuffs, in charcoal with a soft chalk stripe.

3/4 lined jacket, plain front pants with a 1 3/4 inch cuff.

Best of all, it's an old store brand number. I'm all about the Brooks Brothers and J. Press, but I really love to find something from one of the innumerable old small-time men's shops that used to dot this country of ours. Anybody know anything about the Limited Edition line from a place called Learbury?

That Learbury label has a decidedly 1960's look to it, but the label from the Amalgamated Clothing Textile Workers Union (ACTWU) puts this one likely in the late 80's/ early 90's. Is it really true that as recently as twenty years ago we were producing high quality domestically produced tailored clothing for independent shops geared toward the everyday, non-millionaire office worker? Cripes, what happened?

This suit is great. It's got all the elements of an East coast "Trad" fit that I love (undarted front, flat front pants and 2 button cuffs), without looking like a 1962 costume (2 button front, not 3/2, no hooked vent, no lapped seams). The best of both worlds. I can wear this, confident in my own sense of style, without looking like an anachronistic fop. This suit is really gonna be something with a white Brooks Brothers button down oxford, a simple burgundy tie with white pin-dots, black tassel loafers, and a tan cashmere overcoat.

If only I had a corner office on the 50th floor, a bottle of good Scotch in the bottom drawer of my desk, a sexy but demure secretary, a box of illicit Cuban cigars hidden in the garage, and some wealthy international clients that wanted me to "show 'em a good time while we're in town", I'd be all set.

Anglophilia

For any guy interested in menswear to any degree, Anglophilia is hard to avoid. So many of the staples of a man's wardrobe are derived from British influence in one way or another: the navy blazer, the cardigan sweater, the trench coat, the button down collar...the list is endless.Even the Milanese and the Florentines, whose manner of dress in menswear can be so distinctive, owe a hefty bit of gratitude to the Brits. Today, I trotted out the British gear in full force:
A classic Barbour Moorland jacket, Brooks Brothers cotton sweater, made in England, and a cashmere and wool Burberry check scarf (heisted from Mrs. G. note: real men know how to selectively steal clothing from women) work very well with a Polo button down and a no name silk ascot.

This stripes/plaid/foulard print combo may be on the verge of pushing it, but I think the strong solid colors of the sweater and jacket nail things down pretty well.

However, I must admit to being delighted with the bold clash created between the iconic Burberry house check and the tartan lining of the Barbour.

Topped off with an American made, but clearly British derived, wool driving cap in grey herringbone tweed.

And while my Levi's dungarees may betray my true nationality as an uncouth Yank, they work quite well with these vintage English made Clark's chukka boots in dark green suede. Just for good measure, one more pattern on the socks to really strain the edge of the envelope.

They happen make a pretty good cup of working man's afternoon tea across the pond, too. I buy this stuff at my local Indian run grocery/convenience store...ah, the remnants of imperialism.

Cheerio!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Thrift shopping is nothing if not a mixed bag. I tend to show only the "scores" here, the good stuff, such as:

A Scottish lambswool v-neck from the "House of Tweed", $5.99. Why, oh why, are there no more shops with names as cool as "House of Tweed"?

A rust colored cotton crew neck, made in England for Brooks Brothers, $5.99. Kind of an unusual Brooks Brothers label. Anyone know its vintage? (I'm looking at you, HTJ).

Or this killer 1970's clock radio, in perfect working order, $3.99. True, many would see only an outmoded piece of junk here, quirky at best. But Mrs. G and I are both suckers brown and orange plastic home goods of the 70's. Must be misguided nostalgia for childhood, or something. I should mention it to the shrink.

But remember, shopping in these stores is not all a bed of roses. There's plenty of the bad stuff to sort through, such as:

Action Stretch slacks by Seminole (the slacks that fit). By God, if you could have seen these things. The "cloth", if you can call it that, was like rubber, thick as your thumb, and as charged with static electricity as anything I've ever touched. But I will say, judging by the myriad positions the fella on the tag is able to achieve, there certainly must have been a time and place when these slacks stood for Action, with a capital A.

And then there is, of course, the downright ugly, such as:

Black cowboy boots with a home made flame job. No comment.

In closing, if you mean to snag the good stuff, patience and a healthy sense of humor are both essential.

Update: The Trade

Firstly, my apologies to those of you who have been showing up to find nothing new here all week. A fella needs a break sometimes.

You may remember some time back the Young Fogey and I swapped some rags, by which I acquired an amazing Tartan suit by Pendleton. Believe me, I have been absolutely dying to trot this one out. With the alterations finally complete and a friends Christmas party last night, I finally had my chance. Get ready, it's a doozy:

Oddly enough, I find this suit wasn't as shocking to wear as I would have thought. Sure, it's pushy, but the cloth is generally dark and its well cut, so mostly it comes off as a nice suit. The thing is warm, too.

Being from the 1970's, the lapels are just a bit on the wide side. Instead of my usual button down collar and four in hand knot, I chose to balance out the width of the lapels and the thickness of the cloth with a spread collar and Windsor knot. It is a little tricky putting a tie with this number, but I think this one worked pretty good. I may be wrong, but I think the Black Watch actually has a regimental stripe similar to this. Besides, the stripes are green, white and red...Christmas-y, and Italian, a double whammy!

Down below, red wool socks (what else?) and tassel loafers. Now, if only I had a top hat with a holly sprig stuck in the band....

This one did require some surgery, so in true Giuseppe fashion I decided to spend a small bundle on the most impractical thing in the closet. The jacket skirt was a bit longer than I like to wear them, so I had it shortened by an inch, along with the sleeves. My buddy the old Vietnamese tailor really knows his craft. You'd never even know it had been worked on.Check out the curve at the edge...it's perfect.

Shortening jackets is tricky. There are a lot of little things to remember. For instance, shortening a jacket means the rear vent will also be shortened, often requiring that the vent be altered too to keep the proportions right. This suit, being from the 70's, had an especially deep vent to start with, so that wasn't a problem.

The pants had some flare to them, but I decided to perform that bit of surgery myself. I tapered the legs in an inch, starting just below the knee. I'm no expert, but I think they came out pretty good. If your going to try something like this at home, work with plaid. The grid makes it easy to get your lines straight.

It will probably be a year before I wear this suit again, but that's just fine. The pants alone will work great with a cardigan or a white cable knit pullover, and that jackets gonna be swell with some grey flannels or a pair of jeans.

Thanks Young Fogey for sending this one to a loving home. I'm sure you'll agree, it would have been a crime to break this one up.

A New England Classic (sort of)

We are all, I'm sure, thrilled to death that good old L.L.Bean has recently decided to bring back the venerable Norwegian Sweater...the real one, actually made in Norway. I've wanted one of those things for a long time, but at over one hundred clams, its out of reach for a raggedy old cheapskate such as yours truly.

Then, a few days ago, armed with birthday money from my parents (yes, they still give me money in a card), I happened across this number:

Knitted of wool as-thick-as-your-thumb, a real bullet proof piece. $6.99

No, it ain't L.L. Bean, it's Boston Traders. No, it ain't made in Norway, it's made in India. Possibly early 90s vintage. I remember once I had a pair of white cotton flannel pants with deep inverted pleats from Boston Traders. Those were pretty cool too.

Unlike the Bean sweater, this one has a nice little detail knit at the cuffs and waist, as well as an extra white stripe at the neck. Jaunty.

Best to keep it simple with this one. Paired with a pink and white university stripe oxford...

Levi's and blucher mocs. What outfit could be more of a New England classic in early December?

p.s. Seems I've now got a dedicated following of trash talkers. I must be getting popular.

Custom Shirt Reprise

The custom shirt gets it's first airing tonight. Paired with a navy flannel blazer, and a $1.99 Italian silk pocket square with hand rolled edges I picked up this afternoon. No tie. We're going top a nice place, but I don't want to be stuffy. Besides, my over the top white button down collar is zesty enough for a modern upscale casual dinner.

Finished with J.Press charcoal flannel trousers ($4.99) and brown suede Allen Edmonds "Bradley" 's ($12.99).
I don't care what anyone says, I really dig this shirt...which is good, since I'm the one who's going to wear it.

I'm posting early tonight. The last thing I hope to be doing after returning home from my date with Mrs. G. is looking at the computer in the wee hours.

My First Custom Shirt

About a month ago, I received an email from a young lady working for a p.r. firm in Chicago. She was writing on behalf of online custom shirt company Deo Veritas. She found this blog, and offered me a free shirt, made to my specifications, to review on here. How exciting! Who knew that screwing around on the computer when you ought to be in bed could actually have perks? So I accepted her offer and, promo code in hand, headed to the Deo Veritas website.

The shirt arrived today...I've been itching to tell you all about it.

Blue and white gingham check, smooth pinpoint Italian cloth, with contrast collar and cuffs.

Contrast button down collar, that is. Unorthodox? Certainly. But, like a real rube, I decided that my first custom garment should spare no bells and/or whistles. I was inspired by a shirt that Brooks Brothers was offering last year, blue university stripe with white button down collar and French cuffs. Hell, Gitman Brothers was selling something similar at the infamous Pop Up Flea.

Contrast cuffs, three button with an angled cut at the corner.

The label reads "bespoke tailored". Really I'd call this excellent made to measure. To me, "bespoke" implies that I was fitted in person by the man who would make the garment. A semantic detail.

And just for good measure, a monogram. I'm really not into monograms on anything other than a canvas tote bag, but they offered it on the inside of the collar band. That's not bad.

As for fit and construction, I'm totally pleased. The fit is great, the shirt is unique. I may be a thrift store junkie, but it's nice to own something fresh once in a while...doubly so when its really been made just for you. I'm high on the feeling. I never knew it could be this way...

Take a look at the pattern alignment on the sleeve placket. Perfect, no?

And the front placket is nearly invisible...awesome.
Deo Veritas is an online company based in Chicago. The shirts are made in Hong Kong. I like things made in the U.S.A., but a Hong Kong tailor is nothing to shake a pin cushion at. They offer three different methods of measurement, each of them easy to use and intuitive, a wide range of fabrics, and a cool online preview of your shirt. There is no minimum number of shirts to buy, and shipping is always free.Their website states that their tailors each have at least ten years experience in making bespoke menswear. I'll vouch for that. Whoever stitched this one up clearly knew his craft.

This shirt, with all its bells and whistles, would have cost $84. Sure, I'm used to paying three or four bucks for shirts, but that's a fair price for a custom order. A more straightforward shirt in the same gingham cloth would have cost $78. Many of their offerings are as low as $65. Seriously, Polo Ralphie shirts retail for more than that new.

The whole process, from order to delivery, took about a month. A nice fellow named Vinnie, who I assume is one of the men in charge, emailed me to check up on whether I got my shirt yet. I was impressed by his customer service. Here I am getting a freebie, and he still goes out of his way to make sure all goes according to plan.

In all honesty, I'm a broke S.O.B. That's why I wound up scouring the thrift stores in the first place. But I'm thrilled about my Deo Veritas shirt. The company seems committed to putting the custom shirt more within reach of the less-than-rich man, and I applaud them for that. The quality is top notch and the turn around was quick. Frankly, I don't think $65-$85 is such a bad price for a thing like that. If you're considering custom shirts, give these guys a try. I dig 'em. I'm already considering blowing my Christmas bonus on a few more.

Tomorrow is my birthday, so the timing on the delivery was accidentally perfect. I plan to wear it out to dinner with Mrs. G. on Friday night, so you can see photos of it in action then.

p.s. while cleaning out the hundreds of emails in my inbox this evening, I realised I had promised Dennis over at Made to Meausre NYC I would put his link up here. That was bakc in May. Sorry, Dennis, I'm slow sometimes.