Going Custom

Hi again!

Today is a post very important to me, because it affects so many men and women with the style bug. There is really nothing quite like the feel of custom-made clothing. It used to be that one had to spend incredible amounts of money to be able to enjoy the luxuries of clothing made to fit no one other than oneself. Those days are gone, thanks to the incredible value of Astor & Black Custom Clothiers.

Astor & Black makes suits, shirts, topcoats, sweaters, ties... the list goes on. They also carry top-quality American made shoes by Allen Edmonds and top-quality English shoes by Loake. Astor & Black is actually the only U.S. retailer who carries Loake, favored by actors such as Kevin Spacey and Paul Bettany, and baring the badge of unsurpassable honor for an English company: appointment by Her Majesty the Queen.

The suits are second to none. Any imaginable feature is included in the price of the suit: functional buttonholes on sleeves (surgeon cuffs), pick-stitching, Bemberg linings from conservative to outlandish, button-flies, slide tabs, bull-horn buttons, your choice of jacket vent style, suit cut... once again, the list goes on.

The suits are all fully canvassed, rather that fused or glued, meaning the fabric is draped over a canvass cut to the contours of ones' body that the suit fabric "floats" over, allowing the suit to form to the body. Many suits (even some made by Armani!) are constructed by gluing (or "fusing") the outer cloth to stiffer fabrics to give form. Over time, or when the suit gets wet, the fabrics can separate and the glue can bubble and ripple (at this point the fused suit is ruined).

Astor & Black's representatives come to your home or office for a complimentary fitting and deliver your suit to you upon completion. Satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Fabric options include Scabal, Versace, Dormeuil, and many others. Here's the best part: the suit prices start at $500, which one would be lucky to pay for a decent off-the-rack suit.

You may consider this to be an endorsement of compromise, but I assure you; I am a very satisfied customer, and am not on the payroll. Check out the website: http://www.astorandblack.com/ to find a representative near you. There are package deals featured with unbeatable value. But I must worn you: once you go custom, you won't go back to the rack!

Pictured is a shot of my rep (David Watkins) and me, both wearing Astor & Black suits and shirts (click on the photo to enlarge for detail).

Until next time,

Cheers!

Paul

Fun with Patterns and Colors

Hello again!

Today I wanted to touch on patterns and colors, and how to balance very different visual and tactile textures.

When mixing patterns, it is quite easy to end up looking like an optical illusion, so one must take care in choosing articles that are not too combative in nature.

In the example seen below, a "base" is achieved with a rather common patterned shirt: the grand stripe. There are hints of blue in the suit fabric, which the shirt supports.

























The bolder paisley pattern in the tie echos the gold found in the suit fabric, as well as the blue from the shirt, and introduces a neutral color; in this case, brown. The brown should be repeated in the shoes and belt, which for todays example, we need not show.

Again we see the paisley print in the pocket square, along with the blue and gold colors, but in much more vibrant hues, along with a hint of pink to add an unexpected brightness to the ensemble.

The suits boasts a mini houndstooth pattern with colors that are supportive of the other attire. This example is well-executed, and is intended to serve as inspiration for those who possess the daring to dress both conservatively and playfully all at once!

Have fun, and let us know what you think!

Cheers,
Paul

It's All in the Wrist!

Hello again to anyone happening upon this blog, and to my one dedicated follower, Nikki, whom I have never met but would buy a latte in a second if I was anywhere close to Canada.
Today I shall be brief, or at least, that is the plan. Who knows? I may surprise even myself.
Surgeon cuffs, or functional buttons on the cuff of a suit jacket, shall be today's topic. I am interested in opinions if you care to share them.

My inspiration for today's post comes from a picture that was taken of me at an event I attended. I was unaware that I was being photographed at the time, and the photographer captured a closeup of my wrists while my arms were crossed.
I was wearing a custom suit, where I had specified that the first buttonhole of the jacket sleeve be sewn in a thread matching the windowpane pattern and lining of my suit (I am somewhat of a dandy, so for those of you who consider this to be a vulgar affectation, thank you kindly).

I also have one buttonhole open on one sleeve, and two on the other (again, if there are older sartorialists among us who find this to be a display of vulgarity, I hope you realize that you have my respect, if not my giving a... darn).
Here is the picture in all of its glory, snapped by the Serendipity Sisters of Charlotte, NC (I give credit where it is due!), and I was quite pleased with how great a candid shot like this turned out.
The event I was attending was sponsored by and in support of my haberdasher, David Watkins of Astor & Black (whose blog I contribute to by the way: http://www.suitsofourlabor.blogspot.com/), and I was thrilled to see others at the event who also specified different colors for the first buttonhole!
In photographs from Milan, Florence, even London, I see a pretty good split of men wearing one or more of their cuff buttons undone and men wearing them all fastened. I suppose you know where I stand. What about you?
Until next time, Cheers!
-Paul

The Significance of Insignificant Details

I have a deep love for the Italian principle of "sprezzatura," a disheveled elegance where effort is put into dressing as if one's style is effortless. Delightfully paradoxical, sprezzatura is shown different ways by different practitioners, the most notable in my mind being the late Gianni Agnelli, whose contributions to style may have even been greater than his contributions to the Italian car industry when he was the man behind Fiat (I know this is arguable: for the purposes of this article, my opinion should be regarded as fact).

Agnelli was famous for leaving a random cuff button undone on his suit sleeves; for wearing his watch on the outside of his shirt cuff; for a slightly askew tie knot, and he displayed these quirks with brilliance. Many photos of him can be found on the wonderful web, so in the interest of not infringing on another's copyright, I'll let you do a search.

I love seeing others who appreciate this stylistic approach, and wanted to showcase a few examples today!

This is my friend Ron Freeman. He's the diretor of Uptown Charlotte, a magazine publication that is establishing a presence in Charlotte, NC. I am always impressed with Ron's sense of style. This look combines English and Italian influence with perfection. A couple of things that jump out at me are the conservative English cut of the tweed sportcoat offset by the punch of the bright orange Hermes foulard ("carelessly" piled in nonetheless), which is definitely far from conservative. The zipper-neck jumper under the sportcoat is a decidedly Italian compliment to this look. The distressed yet still meticulously maintained boots that peek out from beneath a well tailored pair of jeans anchor the ensemble. And look at the drape of the jeans! They fall atop the boots' uppers just as one would expect from a far dressier pair of trousers.

Ron's putting the care and attention into casual dress that one would hope for from anyone wearing a suit. Superb.This is... (ahem) myself. I wanted a slim-cut black suit, but didn't want to look like a hitman or an undertaker when wearing it. I opted for a suit with a faint red and white pinstriping. On an evening that begged for a minimalist outfit, I changed one button on this gingham check button-down to a red button to pick up the pinstriping. When the jacket is buttoned, this button is not visible. When unbuttoned, few will notice the different colored button. Hopefully, however, those who do notice will appreciate the touch.

Thank you for tuning in today, and as always, feel free to submit your own photos for inclusion on this blog!

Cheers!

-Paul