Harrisons 150s wool, Grand Cru range
About a year ago, having just picked up my first suit in this cloth from my tailor, I waited for the right day to wear it for the first time. That day proved to be an Indian summer one in NYC. Not cold but not hot, I walked around in comfort not worrying about the weather which might ordinarily cause me to work up a lather. At one point, I thought I had left my jacket at the office but I was wearing it. Part of the explanation is the skill with which my tailor makes a jacket but part of the reason was the lightness and smoothness of the cloth.
Characteristics of Harrisons SUPER 150’s Grand Cru Special Reserve.
This is the 2nd edition following the success of the initial launch of the quality in 2006.
For this edition, Harrisons added another ten designs, including the two Pure Platinum ,and one 24 carat gold stripe, which are a little more expensive. These patterns probably appeal more to Russian, Middle Eastern and people in entertainment.
There are a few key ingredients that Harrisons have maintained in this bunch…
Same construction, same finish, and of course still 2 fold warp & weft…this gives the cloth not only a luxurious handle, but as importantly, it gives you great every day performance and wear.
Many other makers super lightweight 150’s which are made with singles weft, and found in high end ready to wear garments also have a light, smooth feel but they wear out quickly and do not lend themselves to tailoring as well as Harrisons Grand Cru super 150s does. This where Harrisons use 2 fold warp and weft along with its tighter weaving and 11oz per yard weight really deliver a garment with long lasting smoothness and resiliency.
Harrisons make no bones about the fact that Grand Cru, as with all their qualities in the Harrisons ranges, are primarily targeted for tailors; these are the customers who understand how fabric works, not only during the making of the garment, but also how well the cloth will perform for their customers once they are actually wearing it.
Film Noir Buff’s Personal observations.
Construction is High grade yarn in all 150s quality, not flimsy, has body at 11 oz. but feels light as a feather on the body.
Grand Cru doesn’t wrinkle much and the few that do appear shake out over night on a hanger. The cloth shows no signs of bagging or pulling. Fabric feels cool and smooth against the skin which means that this fabric, in spite of its 11oz weight, rarely makes the wearer hot or uncomfortable. And, if you lift weights, the softness of the cloth will yield to your Monday morning triceps expansion.
The cloth also takes the dye well for a rich, even color/shade. There are still not enough stripes in the collection. However along with several narrow pinstripes in several colors on grey, navy and black backgrounds there are a navy and a charcoal with a medium resolution chalk stripe (charcoal version pictured with skull+crossbones lining) and a very distinct white rope stripe on a navy, black or dark grey background (black version shown with double breasted jacket).
This cloth has a very impressive look for business or for casual suits worn for dressier events. It is an excellent value and costs no more than any other woolen merchants’ super 150s cloth.
Tailor’s comments:
My tailor, Nino Corvato, rarely raves about a cloth. This is partly because he works with so many nice cloths. However he continually sings the praises of this Harrisons super 150s cloth as one of the best he has ever worked with. He claims that it is a dream to work with. In his opinion the overall look of the cloth from a construction and finish perspective is that it is excellent, professional and has a current look.
The French Cut
At the conclusion of Suedeheads we’ve seen the usual splintering of a youth culture taking place. People going their separate ways because of marriage etcetera, but mostly because of the simple fact they’re growing up and other interests may take over. What I intend to do with this particular piece is to follow the originals path whose interest in clothes and music did not wane ( or not for good at any rate ). In this case we’ll be concentrating on what wasn’t a coherent scene and didn’t have a name as such, so we’ll just call it The French Cut, shall we ? Somewhat unimaginative I agree and yet I find this most interesting seeing as some of the ex-Skins/Suedes/Smooths were joined by some original Mods in choosing this style, or was it the other way around ? Obviously it wasn’t only them wearing this style because it ‘just exploded in the Seventies’ ( quote J.Simons, owner of the Squire shop ) so it was more a case of going mainstream and blending in with the crowd perhaps. Another way of looking at it would lead to the conclusion it was a more mature way of trying to stand out, through sartorial subtleties rather than via a uniform. People had always been aware of the contradiction in terms that came with those subcultural leanings, or so I like to think anyway. Interestingly enough there was no escaping the return to more classic themes as favoured during their younger days, eventually.
It’s a known fact that the early Stylists or Individualists fused Ivy League with continental styles, Italian and French styles to be precise and as the title of this article suggests it’ll be the latter we’ll be discussing here. To give an example : one of the first noticeable French influences on our British phenomenon were the Breton fisherman’s shirts being worn by Modernists in London around 1961, they were usually worn with Levi or Lee jeans, sometimes with a triangular gusset let in to the side seam to give a kick out, and sometimes frayed hems. Often this outfit would be topped off by a button cardigan.
Some would wear a cycling shirt in a plain colour under a V-neck sweater in order to get that polo look you couldn’t get hold of in the UK at the time. A lot of those tops were knitted so the idea worked really well.
I suppose much of the attraction came from the fact that those clothes were foreign, as in hard to come by, just like Paris kids would prefer English brogues, or an Arrow BD shirt over a perfect French one ( like Charvet ). The French equivalent of the Mod appeared circa 1965, dubiously called minets or ‘trendies’. Les Minets were mainly from affluent Parisian families ( as opposed to the Mods who had middle, or working class backgrounds ).The Minets peaked in 1967/68. The music was American Jazz, Blues and Soul and later English bands like The Stones and The Who as well, they liked English clothes and footwear. However, the Minet style was anticipated by the so called ‘Drugstore Crowd’ which apparently surfaced in 1962 – taking their name from the cafe-boutique they frequented on the Champs-Elysees ( although the originators had moved on already by then, in true Stylist fashion ).This small exclusive group favoured slim fitting suits and cashmere sweaters with dog tooth trousers etcetera. Their shoes had to be English or American.They favoured Church’s shoes and some even progressed to John Lobb, would you believe.
Le Style J.F. Kennedy :
“Part of the Champs-Elysees looked like the campus of an American University in ’64. White socks, unlined madras jackets and American-cut slacks” according to Adam ( 1964 ). “… Tassel loafers or over-stitched Penny loafers (with a real US cent slipped in the window), white socks, light coloured cotton or corduroy jeans, Oxford shirts with button-down or snap collars, and lightly lined three-button jackets with small shoulders in seersucker or madras.”
Suits were in “Mohair, Harris Tweed or Herringbone Cheviot (with an adjustment tab on the back of the pants)”. Also popular were “Crested Blazers (here, however, crests were sold separately from a little basket…)”
Shetlands came in “Duck yellow, Candy Pink, Pale Blue, Mauve, and Off-White.”
Minets in casual fashion
The grass is always greener effect, as it were, is apparent in the above. In accordance to this theory the London Modernists were furthermore heavily influenced by the Nouvelle Vague, or at least by an image derived from such films. A good example would be the character played by Jean-Paul belmondo in “A Bout de Souffle” or the one played by Alain Delon in “Plein Soleil”. Or anything else they perceived as being French for that matter. Kids were spotted carrying a loaf of French bread for instance or going through the motions pretending to read a French paper.
A lot of what influenced them was more authentic though. Like the casual clothes worn by French tourists, students or diplomats sons who were living in London and who would subsequently visit clubs like Le Kilt and La Poubelle that catered for them. Their clothes were well cut to begin with, the British kids weren’t used to good casual clothes at the time e.g. hipster trousers. The Frenchmen also wore beautiful round-toed shoes and their suits were made from lightweight fabrics, obviously their British fellow clubbers were well impressed with the way they presented themselves.
For the French kids in their turn there was the added value of being away from home which led to the usual sexual escapades and drug intake. Another important factor was that the music played at London clubs was better than what they were used to at home. Another one of those cross fertilization matters taking place like that.
Last but not least one of the haircuts favoured by the British Mods was The French Crop which was basically a grown out College Boy with a high parting. Backcombing the hair would give it that special effect as can be seen in pictures of “Rod The Mod” Stewart circa ’64.
It’s interesting to see how all those influences were going back and forth. As for our core topic there’s a little anecdote where some visiting Frenchwomen approached an ex-Mod in a London street, speaking in French, assuming he was a countryman of theirs, judging by his clothes.
Chris Hardy :
The incident occurred on an evening out to Southend around springtime 1970, I was outside a club with a couple of friends when some French girls (probably au pairs or exchange students) came up and started talking to us in French. They were surprised to find that we were English, and said they thought we were French because of the way we were dressed. If I remember correctly I was probably wearing a slim-fit silk shirt, a Shetland crewneck jumper a size too small, parallel French-cut trousers and round-toe loafers. This was pretty much our regular wear around this time.
Jacques Dutronc, the epitome of French style
Most of the customers followed what J. Simons ( and others at e.g. Village Gate, Quincy/Jones or Woodhouse, but also Stanley Adams and Take 6 who were a bit cheaper and more accessible ) had on offer at the Squire shop without giving it too much thought really, seeing as they could trust the man when it came to tracing down stylish clothes that weren’t too outlandish. The prevalent thought behind what the London Stylists ( from Mods to Smooths ) had always done was that you had to be relatively understated, so they would have an excellent eye for that sort of thing for starters. Moving with the times, but thoughtfully so I’d call that….
This was the period where things did become a little experimental again in that there was a rising demand for more contemporary, continental clothes so the suits with the concave shoulders and the pinched waist started to appear. Tight waistcoats as well as tighter seats were part of this look. Also the shirt collars and jacket vents became deeper, the trouser widths and the lapels got wider and the ties fatter ( still available in muted,classic designs if you looked hard though ). Also velvet trousers, e.g. to be worn with two button jackets were popular for a more casual option.
A lot of this stuff came from Maya in Paris. Another item that sold really well was the short, belted, Shetland wool cardigan that would be worn with brushed or sometimes quilted denim for instance. Shoes were still loafers or Toppers with a very rounded toe. All in all, with the longish, slightly backcombed hair it looked very French to the British eye.Yet in some way the basic approach was still very British though, probably as in being reluctant to dress down in earnest. Those were different times indeed although eventually standards would drop anyway. For the time being, during the early ‘70s, at many a night spot one still couldn’t get access when not wearing a jacket, which makes sense although I’d say wearing a tie is perhaps a little too much to ask.
Chelsea Drugstore, Kings Road, London during the early ‘70s
So, we’re talking approximately late ’71 by now. People with a subcultural background ( and there were many of that kind around ) had already gotten used to a much softer look via the Skinhead to Smooth route in the case of those that were now hitting their twenties.
In The Way We Wore (by Robert Elms) Steve Harley mentions a movement that he claimed began in the pubs down London’s Old Kent Road in 1970-71. He says that there were scores of former Skins in tight-fitting shirts with long hair and ‘loon pants’ and nodding their heads to the prog-rock bands. These were the young dudes that inspired Mott the Hoople. Rod Steward and T-Rex they’d obviously listen to as well.
It is suggested that ‘as soon as the Northern lads adopted crops, you could hear the hair growing in Bethnal Green’.
Some youths were more inclined to go for very long hair and a rather feminine look embracing fur coats, lacy shirts, high-ish heels in a kind of Marc Bolan look. Others were more restrained, favouring an updated Squire Shop/Village Gate style with slightly flared trousers, Stephen Topper shoes and a trench style coat worn quite fitted and long. It is important to note that those former Skinheads sporting this look did it with a recognizable style. The quality and subtlety of the clothes would distinguish them. It wasn’t a coherent ‘scene’ as such, as mentioned earlier, but there was definitely a pattern. Some opted for a more formal interpretation i.e. the three piece suit, others chose a more relaxed outfit like the tightfitting tanktop, brushed denim jeans and slim shirt with cuffs just turned back once, in a so-called ‘hairdressers style’.
John King in a fairly slim jersey shirt from a shop in Romford (probably the forerunner of Take6), bespoke very slightly flared trousers from his local tailor and shoes from Stephen Topper in Carnaby Street
The basic French Cut silhouette ruled through most of the Seventies on a much wider scale and in a watered down ( thus much more common ) form, via the High Streets. Just look at some of the movies and all those TV cop programs from back in the day, like Kojak, to get the picture.
All of that started to change when the most dedicated disciples of The Look started to become aware that they’d lost direction and purity in style somewhat. It has to be stated that the participants don’t look back on this period with great fondness. Taking a bit of distance usually helps clearing a matter and to be honest people had to distance themselves from the younger crowd. Still they’d be contemplating how much happier and more comfortable they were with their style when dressing in a more classic sense.
John King :
“I was sitting on a tram ( in Ostende in ’75- AR ) and this guy got on and sat opposite us. At first I thought he was a girl. He had blond hair in a kind of bob style. He was wearing a lovely creamy colour cardigan over a silk shirt in a pale pinky cream that had tiny ‘Michel Axel’ logos all over it. He was wearing some lovely deep tan Chelsea boots and carried a small Givenchy bag (later available in Stanley Adams in London). He also carried a copy of Vogue. He looked so different. He was the prototype for the next Decade.
Next year ( a ) friend( of mine ) opened a small and very exclusive shop in my hometown selling very early Armani pieces, Ciao, Falke and established here in Essex that look I had first witnessed the summer before in Belgium.’’
What happened at such shops was that the owner/staff would educate, if need be, their customers to spend a little more money, think £20 on a shirt and £30 on trousers when high street shops would sell a suit for £25, perhaps paving the way for the designer age like that.
Sartorial inspiration comes from within to an certain extent only and influences may come from anywhere when it comes to the true Stylist. Then there’s the element of wanting to test the boundaries that is part of a strong personality. Sartorial eclecticism can be translated into shopping at very different places that may even stock seemingly clashing styles, at least tot the untrained eye. Thus building a unique wardrobe that has everything to do with who those people are : characters.
Obviously, as I’ve mentioned in the intro, some people would stick with it while others would drop out, at least temporarily, due to family obligations etc.
Through the decade there was, however, a gradual move taking place towards a more classic casual style among the ranks of the former Mods, Suedes et al, which culminated in Ralph Lauren and similar preppy looks. Also the influence of the Gant stores within certain circles was not to be underestimated. Prior to that, during the early ‘80s, Gant was sold at various places such as Austin Reed and John Lewis. People would remember the shirts from the early ‘60s and the revived shirts seemed quite faithful to the original item. There were plain and university striped ocbd’s, as well as nicely cut trousers, good quality cardigans, a great heavy wool bomber type zip-up jacket called the Melton Flyer and a ¾ length field type jacket named the Slugger. This all fitted with a relaxed but smart low-key way of dressing. Similar to Ralph Lauren, but without the label and the hype.
To summarize matters I’d say experimentation may temporarily lead people ( sartorially ) astray, but there’s always the safe knowledge of being able to return to a basic level. Usually there may be a little something that’s still incorporated into one’s personal style, as a leftover, so to speak. It’s all part of the attitude for the devotees of The Look.
So we’ve reached the end of this study, but our journey continues so rest assured, dear readers. We’ll retrace in our footsteps to find out about London’s take on the Ivy League style. I hope you’ll be looking forward to it as much as I do as it should be a classic story !
Alex Roest
Thanks to Chris and John, also thanks to Daniele.
Recommended reading:
Mods! by Richard Barnes
The Look (again) by Paul Gorman
A History of Men’s Fashion by Farid Chenoune (Flammarion 1993) ISBN: 2-08013-536-8
Comment [9]
Dream Weavers
There was nothing so very remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it so very much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself “Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!” (when she thought it over afterwards it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but, when the Rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on…
Odd vests (Known as “waistcoats” in England) worn under work suits have a lineage. Sometimes they are silk and sometimes they are wool. With the wool ones you generally match the finish of the wool to the suit, flannel with flannel, barathea with worsted. The colors for wool vests are medium to light grey, buff or cream. With silk vests, anything goes in terms of color and pattern. However, a silk vest should still look somewhat manly and use the type of silk used for neckties.
Nicolas Grace wearing an odd silk vest with his city kit in the House of Cards series
There is a tradition of wearing silk vests in West London amongst the club set and, to a lesser extent, in the city which ebbs and flows. Right now it is on the ebb and with the global economy what it is at the moment, I wouldn’t count on the return of any such sartorial ebullience anytime soon. About 10 years ago, when the Movie Four Weddings and a Funeral came out, there was a revival for colorful and bold odd vests in silks. They were worn mostly for weddings then and they are almost exclusively worn for weddings now; they are still quite popular for that purpose.
Circa 1830-40 the double breasted waistcoat came into style in England and has not altered much in cut to this day.
At the best of times, to sport a vest for general city day wear you’ve got to be someone with a lot of confidence. A colorful odd vest is something of a signature; a flamboyant one. You would have to be either a very dapper dresser or a dandified one; certainly one man in a million.
This illustrates a point about traditional clothing which falls out of use; sometimes it becomes costume and other times it is still acceptable but can only be worn by those who feel they can carry it off. It all depends on who you are and how you wear it.
Drake’s draws the line art and colors it
Deciding that an odd silk vest to be worn with a day suit might be a natty detail, the search began for an appropriate silk to make up. At first, I found a lot of UK stores and websites which offer them ready made but I found nothing that attracted me. These vests were often cut in a formal style that would not go with a business suit and the patterns and colors were a little too festive.
In any case, I wanted the vest made by my tailor and thus preferred looking at silk swatches. But of the myriad tie silk swatches I looked at, nothing seemed quite right, either too wild or too sedate. I began to realize that my vest was not going to be had without considerable ingenuity.
Vanners then uses Drake’s Line art and digitizes it to work with their weaving looms. Silk quality, weave type, colors and pattern are all carefully set
I mentioned this to the tie designers at Drake’s who had made theme ties in the past and that I hoped I might get a piece from old stock. I thought that a vest with a repeating skull or Hindu god motif might be more amusing than a stylized geometric silk. Unfortunately, these theme silks were already all made into ties; nothing remained.
Despondent, I consulted my white rabbit who, being in touch with his sartorial spirituality, struck a Zen pose for me. The resulting mantra provided the inspiration I was looking for. The rabbit himself. After all, he had been kind enough to lead me, Virgil like, through the many circles of English tastes; why couldn’t I use this opportunity to show him how grateful I was? In many ways, he was already my sartorial constellation. Why not then immortalize him as such?
Drake’s were tickled enough by my almost English form of madness that they decided to indulge me. Drake’s did all the artwork by hand and different versions of the rabbit were tried out in several sizes and colors. Although many other colors looked good as art, we decided that a white colored rabbit would be best because other shades might defeat the symbolic purpose.
I was ecstatic by the enthusiasm displayed by both the tie designers at Drake’s and the weavers at Vanners over this vest idea demonstrating that I am not alone in my sartorial insanity.
Once the general design by Drake’s got the green light, the silk weavers at Vanners enthusiastically took a hold of the project. After all, this is an English classic about an English classic. Vanners scanned the drawings from Drake’s but then had to do their own artwork, digitally coloring the drawing to match the many silk tints they carry. After the colors were set, Vanners arranged the rabbit in both a larger size and frequency to optimize its use as a vest.
Vanners then created a “sample blanket” which demonstrated the rabbit in several different color ways. Once I chose which colors I liked, the design was placed a little closer together and the weaving began in a crisp ribbed silk. Two versions were created, one, like normal necktie silk, woven on the bias and the other set the rabbit motif differently to make it easier to tailor into clothing.
I took the silk to be made up by my tailor, Nino Corvato, into a single breasted style with a grey backing and two bottom welt pockets (Four welted pockets being rather passé) .
The vest construction is very soft which is a virtue of Nino’s dual Neapolitan-Brooks Brothers golden age training. When I tried the finished vest on it was feather light and fit so fluidly that I forgot I was wearing it.
Necessity is truly the mother of invention. Or in the case of traditional items of clothes, reinvention. Because nothing satisfactory existed on the market, I ended up with a more personal item.
This vest represents a perfect example of dandy, silk designer, silk weaver and tailors all working in perfect harmony. And, although it drew inspiration from my desire to be nattily unique, I am merely a cog in a well woven and sewn sartorial machine.
I have now paid homage to a white rabbit with a sense of style who in spite of his eternal feeling of obligations elsewhere takes the time to lead me through the English aesthetic.
Comment [2]
Icons of Classic American Style
This article follows on from my previous article on the Updated American style, “The Paul Stuart Variation: Classic American Style“. This article presents a selection of famous men considered icons of American style (sequel to follow).
Douglas Fairbanks Jr – One of Alan Flusser’s favourite icons of classic style, Fairbanks followed his father into Hollywood stardom. He was know for his tailored double-breasted suits, old-world elegance, and strongly European sense of style and deportment.
Fred Astaire – The most famous American dancer of the twentieth century is often held up as the “missing link” between Savile Row style and classic American styles. G Bruce Boyer describes how Astaire, with his Anderson & Sheppard suits, introduced a more relaxed, comfortable style of dress, partially spurred on by the wardrobe demands of his profession, but also influenced by the Duke of Windsor who was revolutionizing men’s clothing in his own way. With an emphasis on shaped but roomy jackets, and full but not billowy pants, Astaire’s style evolved during the Depression into a “mid-Atlantic” style, combining the famous Savile Row “drape” style with softer, more casual Ivy League styles.
Clark Gable – Hollywood’s leading man for decades, the “King of Hollywood” was an early customer and fan of Brioni, helping to introduce the firm’s products and styles to America and to challenge the Savile Row and Ivy League traditions. In leisure, his wardrobe choices were casual American.
Gary Cooper – Truly the “Quiet Man” of Hollywood movies, Cooper was know for his modest lifestyle both on and off the screen. A true outdoorsman, he exchanged the suits worn in studio publicity photos for classic American outdoor clothing when hunting and shooting with his family and friends. But his suits, when worn, show classic proportions and details, well suited to his tall, lean build. Privately, he wore basic white T-shirts more often than anything and had a preference for low-vamp kiltie tassel loafers worn with white socks.
Henry Fonda – Once one of Hollywood’s most famous and respected actors, today Fonda is sadly not well remembered by filmgoers. His sense of style was pure American and embodied a comfortable, prosperous, middle-class sensibility. Just look at those pressed chinos and cardigan!
Cary Grant – What more can be said about Grant, possibly the most famous Hollywood actor of the 20th century? Take a read through Torregrossa’s excellent book for a detailed and informed analysis of Grant’s wardrobe. Polished, debonair, and always well-dressed, Grant will be forever linked with the suit he wore in Hitchcock’s North By Northwest. But looking back over a lifetime in photos, it’s apparent that Grant’s wardrobe never stood still and he remained a man sensitive to fashion trends—he was much more than just that suit in that movie.
Jimmy Stewart – One of the most beloved and gentlemanly of Hollywood actors, Stewart made a successful career of playing the honest, decent, and upright American citizen. And it turns out he was like that in private too. Never quite as sharp as Cary Grant in terms of style or grace, he managed to hold his own most of the time and overcame the sartorial challenges presented by his “bean pole” physique.
Frank Sinatra (and The Rat Pack) – Five men who left an unforgettable mark on the history of American entertainment: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford. Although together for only a few short years (and only one major film), they kept nightclub and lounge acts cool for a while longer and always looked good doing it.
John F Kennedy – One of America’s most popular presidents was an early adopter of the Updated American style introduced by Paul Stuart. Emulated by American men, Kennedy was an ideal showman for a new, more youthful approach to American style. While the Duke of Windsor was ahead of his time in adopting modern style, Kennedy rode the wave of post-war youth-focused American style. From here on, youth would lead the way in style and fashion.
Robert Kennedy – For a long time always photographed looking over his older brother’s shoulder, Bobby Kennedy was the most traditional and grounded male member of his family. It shows in his style: conservative two-piece suits and sensible footwear, timeless and modern at the same time.
Bill Blass – Designer to the most famous and wealthy American women, Bill Blass was one of the most classically American and traditional of designers in the second half of the twentieth century. Although professionally Blass was primarily a womenswear designer, he himself was a great advertisement for updated classic American menswear.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan – Not generally known as a style icon, Senator Moynihan nevertheless kept the classic American Ivy League style (and its subsequent offshoot “preppy”) wearable and in the public eye decades after its popularity had waned among the general population.
Ralph Lauren – Considered the most successful men’s clothing designer of all time, Lauren keeps classic American style moving forward while never losing sight of its past, modifying classic Ivy League styles with modern shapes, colours, and mixes and adding in a healthy dose of British style and elegance. He’s so good he usually does it better than the originals did.
FURTHER READING
G Bruce Boyer, Fred Astaire Style (New York: Assouline Publishing, 2004)
Jonathan Coe, James Stewart: Leading Man (London: Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd, 1994)
Alan Flusser, Dressing the Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion (New York: Harper Collins, 2002)
Maria Cooper Janis, Gary Cooper Off Camera (New York: Harry N Abrams Inc, 1999)
Richard Torregrossa, Cary Grant: A Celebration Of Style (New York: Bulfinch Press, 2006)
Geoffrey Wansell, Cary Grant: Dark Angel (New York: Arcade Publishing Inc, 1996)
Comment [1]
Domenico Spano on Men's Style
Domenico or “Mimmo” Spano dresses men from the American business elite as well as those who simply love clothes. His style is a powerful one for men who need to let others know they are in charge. In a conference room full of alpha dogs, this is a tall order. But Mimmo rises to the occasion and his American customers love his style.
His International customers (which include Italians, French, Irish, Japanese and English!) also love his style which is essentially updated American from the 1930s. In his opinion, American style is very assertive, self assured and masculine. Representatives from the old movies which provide a lot of his stylistic inspiration would be such men as Gary Cooper, Randolph Scott and George Raft.
Fabrics are made up specially for the shop. Many of them are woven by Moxon in Huddersfield, England
People gravitate towards men of style and truthfully whether they love or dislike a given look, they are impressed with someone who HAS a look. Mimmo and his staff infuse a sense of personality throughout every part of the things they design without it overpowering the basic items their design is meant to adorn.
And while stylish men may draw the admiring gaze of the onlooker, interesting men are often drawn to Mimmo to learn how to square style with their personalities.
Interesting customers:
There was a Japanese customer who wanted to replace an old a bottle green herringbone cashmere jacket. Mimmo couldn’t find a like quality fabric anywhere. He told the customer he could get it copied at an English mill but there was a 70 meter minimum required at something approaching $500/meter.
Although only 2 meters is needed for a jacket, the customer did not balk and ordered the fabric. When Mimmo received it, he made the jacket up for the customer.
Mimmo then phoned him up and asked him what he wanted to do with the remaining 68 meters of green cashmere, the customer told him to ship it to his home in Japan so he could upholster one of his rooms. It must be mentioned that the customer did get his name placed on the selvedge.
A billionaire had just finished a new villa in the Caribbean. He wanted Mimmo to spend some time there to witness his lifestyle sand enable him to design an appropriate wardrobe for him. He sent his 737 jet to pick him up and put him up at a hotel with two cars and two drivers (in case one was busy).
Mimmo spent a couple of weeks touring the Island’s pleasures and spending evenings in his host’s wine cellar discussing life with him. $283,000 later the man had a completely new wardrobe for New York, for Europe and the islands.
It included, white linen suits and odd trousers, blazers, an 8oz white flannel suit with a sky blue stripe, morning suits, tails, dinner jackets, suits, odd jackets and suits and skirts for his wife as well.
For a physicist’s with an interesting hobby he made a classical magicians outfit complete with silk lined cape and tails and Top Hat. As a thank you, the Physicist performed a series of deft tricks for the staff including burning a twenty dollar bill in front of Mimmo and then giving the exact same bill back to him from inside a rolled up cigarette!
Owl cufflinks given to Mimmo by his late wife and worn by him almost every day.
Mimmo’s approach with more mainstream clients:
When a man is a customer who is the head of an organization vs working in the middle level how does that affect how you choose clothing for them?
For more junior executives they usually want something more versatile. Medium to dark shades suits, a grey sharkskin, a blue blazer, a grey pair of pants, a muted plaid or an understated pinstripe. They don’t want to upstage their bosses who might think they’re making too much money.
But when the top man comes in, they always need to have navy and charcoal solid suits and then the power stripes with heavier or brighter stripes. Also, double breasted suits show elegance, dominance, individuality. 80% of the suits he sells are double breasted. But if double breasted suits aren’t worn by the vast majority of the population, aren’t they considered odd? Not in the least, they are a positive. One of the reasons the double breasted suit endures in spite of its scarcity is the fact that the heaviest hitters wear them, which reinforces the look as one of success, prosperity and power; not to mention all around bon vivantism.
Women often comment on Mimmo’s suits both on him and worn by his customers. His opinon about why a well dressed man evokes a comment from the fairer sex is that “Women love a man in a uniform and the suit is a uniform. A suit must be worn precise and neat. Every day is an occasion so why not wear it the best it can be? “
Mimmo’s take on the direction of Men’s style in America:
The Italian influence on men’s tailored clothing is beginning to wane a bit and Americans are rediscovering their own style again. Americans are very elegant people and have no need to copy from anyone. Although the American domestic tailored clothing companies are mostly gone, American’s will dictate that the Italian companies make clothes for them in the American style like Ralph Lauren and Paul Stuart.
Younger men have a renewed interest in dressing up and well that their fathers did not have. Tailored clothes used to be something you HAD to wear and frankly most men had terrible taste whereas, today, young men want to use clothes as a means to look both individual and smart. Greater care is taken in selecting fabrics and cuts of garments. Additionally, bolder, more colorful items are chosen because there is no longer a feeling that the suit is a means to remain unnoticed. It is also true that they are more likely to wear a jacket, even a suit jacket, with a pair of jeans but the renewed interest in tailored clothes is refreshing.
What impresses Mimmo about another man’s style?
The way a person carries his clothes and ultimately himself; his posture. A man doesn’t want to match so much as coordinate.
What is the difference in his mind between a dandy and a well dressed man?
A dandy is a man who likes to change several times a day. He starts the day off with a morning suit, then something different for work, then something different again for the evening. A navy suit with a purple stripe may not be strong enough for a dandy but a well dressed man would look good in it.
Mimmo on elements of his own style:
Mimmo prefers double breasted suits often in navy worsted with a self herringbone or shadow stripe. He also likes Prince of Wales plaid suits which are almost always single breasted).
He wears black shoes very seldom, mostly for formal occasions. Mimmo loves brown shoes from medium to espresso brown which can be mistaken for black and he likes a flat finish and definitely never high gloss finishes He is not a huge fan of exotic skins but doesn’t mind a loafer in a brown crocodile.
He wears braces almost exclusively and a belt actually makes him feel uncomfortable. His clients choose belts and braces in an approximately equal ratio.
He believes that if super 150s and above fabrics are packed with a lot of yarns and woven tightly they can produce a great fabric. However, he personally loves flannels, 7-8oz ones for spring and the heavier 13/14oz ones in winter which yield more depth of pattern especially with the real ghostly chalkiness of the stripes. He especially loves charcoal flannel suits with distinct or wide white chalk stripes.
Thw owl cufflink design repeated faithfully onto a necktie by Drake’s ties.
Mimmo also believes that while brown suits are not popular everyone with a large wardrobe should have one for diversity’s sake. A reddish brown is bad but a nice chocolate brown suit can be elegant.
If you have a desire to dress well, Mimmo and his associates will help you to achieve that style, always with a 1930s sense of elegance. If you do not know what clothes to choose and want to reinvent yourself as a stylish man with a very definite flavor, Mimmo can create this for you.
Comment [4]
Kilgour Keeps the Row, Real
`Have some wine,’ the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.
Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. `I don’t see any wine,’ she remarked.
`There isn’t any,’ said the March Hare.
`Then it wasn’t very civil of you to offer it,’ said Alice angrily.
`It wasn’t very civil of you to sit down without being invited,’ said the March Hare.
`I didn’t know it was YOUR table,’ said Alice; `it’s laid for a great many more than three.’
Alice is looking for the old world civility in her brave new one. Thus Alice relies on reflexes she knows will never operate properly in wonderland, rather like a person recently losing their sight seeks to remember colors. Alice wants desperately to understand the new creatures around her, but memories from her old life are all she has. However, those around her are bound by no rules at all and therefore can act irrationally. The irony is that in a children’s fantasy land come true, Alice cannot enjoy herself and instead must become the adult foil while the magical creatures around her play at a tea party. Ultimately, She can do little but accept the tea party that has gone on for long before she arrived and will continue long after she leaves.
What can we say, Alice? Don’t mess with tradition.
The English are an ancient people and they have exquisitely long memories. Nonetheless they know it is a turning world and that they must innovate to survive. But to innovate on tradition without losing touch with the ancients is burdensome. One cannot do so randomly but only through careful attention to what has come before. One sartorial chapter must follow from the one preceding it, like in Burke’s chain novel of history. Which is why when the English update something it still has the gravitas of an old world grandee about it.
There is a movement on the row to blend the current with the traditional. And the English do it well, at least for men’s clothes. It is interesting that though other cultures claim to be more cutting edge, only the English seem to be able to blend the absolutely current with the time honoured gentlemanly ideal. It’s Austin Powers, it’s Clockwork Orange, it’s Brave New World all blending with the middle class approach to looking smart and needing to get it right on the first go; due in large part to an absence of resources to experiment with.
The English, again, trump all cultures by creating a perfect crossroads of design, solidity, comfort, longevity, class elegance and value. Whereas the Italians make things more beautifully, they do not design them as solidly, and whereas the French make things more elegantly, they do not make them as seriously; while the Americans may outdo all others for innovation and practicality, they cannot achieve that centuries old aristocratic look that it seems the English of all classes can tacitly agree on.
Kilgour leads this movement of keeping the Row current without surrendering one Anglo-Saxon inch. I had occasion to discuss the Kilgour aesthetic and its appeal to both the English and its international clientele.
The English like a slimmer fit of suit around the waist than do the Americans. This look is ironically not accomplished by a tightening of the jacket waist but rather by a fitted and more shaped chest. Typically, greys and navies are most popular both in solids and simple white or grey stripes. They did a black fabric with small white spots and it sold out in Scotland but not at all near London. Navy bespoke suit by Kilgour, sky blue double cuff shirt, silk/ woven tie, black leather loafers, hand-blown glass cufflinks.
Kilgour is one of the oldest established tailors on Savile Row with workrooms there. Style-wise everything that goes into the ready-to-wear collection has a degree of handwork involved in it, which bridges their past with the present interest in luxury in readymade articles. Although the target market is international, the taste mindspring is English.
That is, English with the acknowledgement of a larger world out there. Kilgour has a distinctive look; spots and stripes need to be worked into the collection in places like a suit’s lining or a shirt, even if it is tongue-in-cheek such as spots appearing randomly all over a rain Mac’s shell fabric. That’s Kilgour, tipping a quintessentially English item in a younger, more cosmopolitan direction. Each collection is designed to work together without seeming pat. Thus, continuity and flow is essential for any item that is carried by Kilgour; there is a method to the madness.
A new generation is taking the lead in London, and brown shoes, black background ties and other hitherto scandalous items are bleeding into the rain painted cobblestone landscape of London’s City. Similarly, weights of fabrics are getting lighter. Gone are the 13-14 oz-per-yard suit cloths of yesteryears West End, and now the 10-11 oz forms the backbone of the English wardrobe. Kilgour epitomizes updated and refreshed English style.
Sky blue mohair suits, light grey worsted wool suits. Customers today are often men who do not have to wear a suit but choose to wear one. Although not corporate, a sky blue mohair suit for someone getting married or in advertising or even film is something smart and elegant. It’s also versatile because the suit jacket can be worn with jeans. Many of these customers are acutely aware of what image they want to convey; important but up to date, and cool.
Flannels and flannel blends are very much a part of Kilgour’s collection. Wool and angora blends are used both for overcoats and tailored suits. Mohair and tonics in the 50s and 60s were all the rage in London, and now they’ve returned; there’s an awful lot of shine in men’s suits in vogue at the moment.
Wherever the best tailoring fabrics reside for the purposes their customers require, there you will find Kilgour sourcing materials. Thus for the 10% cashmere lighter weight flannels, Loro Piana makes one with fluff but not weight. Harrisons of Edinburgh makes beautiful quality mohair which is rich with 60% kid mohair and used often by Kilgour for their custom makes.
Other fabrics are designed for their ready-to-wear collections, and they always keep yardages for customers who want the same ready-to-wear designs custom made.
For example, a super 140s Swiss cotton shirt cloth in a sky blue with a subtle pink and white stripe. Or, an English mill making 60% mohair cloth in colors that say Kilgour including denim blue, amongst others. A finely striped cotton/wool suit in black or navy is a Kilgour signature. And do wear your mohair suit with a polo shirt in the evenings and a shirt and tie to the office.
And if you want to wear the jacket with jeans, Kilgour launched its own tailored jeans line in Autumn ’07.
Single breasted notch or peak lapel and fitted, one-button jacket, side vents and moderately slanting pockets is the Kilgour look. That said, they readily make two and three button jackets for City customers who so request. Single breasted, one button, peak lapel jackets are very popular for odd jackets worn with a pair of jeans.
Kilgour has always been seen on the Row as a very progressive tailoring firm, even in years past. Tommy Nutter, the refreshing savior of the row in the seventies, apprenticed at Kilgour. And though it respects tradition, it seems that a lot of the City of London rules are easing up and that brown shoes and lighter shades of suits are sighted more regularly in that environment.
Is there a difference between a very well dressed man and a dandy? They believe there is. If you could dress one of each, what would you choose?
Dandy: Suit in single breasted, three button navy with white chalk windowpane pattern, or a double breasted navy suit with with a small all-over white pindot pattern, striped shirt, chocolate-brown shoes in calf. Side strap buckles on the pants. Lilac socks, Duchamp cufflinks, A Duchamp necktie, a flouncy pocket square which would refer to the Bengal striped shirt. Dandies make more of statement with color.
Very well dressed man: Charcoal grey one button, beautifully tailored, with black suede lace ups with little or no brogueing, simple socks, soft pink shirt either solid or with a fine almost invisible pattern like a mille raie stripe, a solid knit tie with a pointed bottom, solid silk pocket square (The English are not overly fond of dry or linen pocket squares) with contrasting trim, and their murano hand blown cufflinks which are unique to the shop and sum up the Kilgour brand. Well dressed gentleman rely more on cut and simplicity.
From the design department at Kilgour:
Customers come to Kilgour for a very specific look. They are interested in our shape, which is a lean body with structured shoulders and slim waist, subtle detailing, a strict colour palette (very dark navy, tonal greys, light pink, sky blue, white, black), and an overall modern, clean look. Customers come to Kilgour because of the handmade detailing, exclusive fabrics, and expert finish.
Kilgour suits are famous for their structure, the slim silhouette and the way they enhance a person’s body by hiding any imperfections and putting all qualities forward. Although Italians generally look for a softer, unstructured and more relaxed suit, while Americans look for a boxier silhouette, all our customers come to us because they appreciate the English cut of our tailoring.
Our Tailoring is designed to make one disappear into one’s surroundings, a bit like urban camouflage. Our garments are all about the detailing, the quality of the cut, and luxurious fabrics. We work on the inside of the garment more than on the outside! We strive to make garments that are about a restrained luxury: the shape is beautifully structured, and the detailing on the inside harks back to bespoke principles.
For example, our half-lined system with contrast colour piping, all hand work, or details of piping under collars. The materials we use are very important: textures such as silk scarves, knitted ties, superfine cotton shirts, mohair suits for evening, all add interest while retaining a thoroughly English, reserved feel to the look.
The ultimate Kilgour look would have to be a 1 button charcoal grey Super 160’s Wool suit with a peak lapel, a crisp shirt in white, sky blue or dusty pink, and a textured navy silk knitted scarf. For winter, we do a super dark navy needle cord suit, with a crisp white shirt and the silk knitted navy scarf.
We also have beautiful silk printed scarves with spots and stripes, which are the only patterns allowed in the Kilgour wardrobe. These patterns also add to the restrained, modern look of the Kilgour man.
English Pocket Squares
I weep for you,” the Walrus said:
“I deeply sympathise.”
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.
Although today we separate the one for blowing from the one for showing, there was a time when pocket handkerchiefs were stuffed in the welt pocket of a tailored jacket’s chest pocket. At first, plain white linen was used but soon there began a vogue for colorfully embroidered linen squares; often gifted from a lady. At this point, the breast pocket handkerchief became equally decorative and functional, which popularized the pocket square as a part of the Englishman’s wardrobe.
Let’s call him Trevor. He was a mature club habitué and very, very English. He liked clothes too and noticed that I dressed better than most of the Americans around me. One day while we were both smoking a cigar and having a scotch he leaned over in his leather armchair and motioned up and down and back and forth from my tie to my pocket square making a sign of absolution with his montecristo #2 and said, “I noticed that unlike most Yanks you often do not match your pocket square to your tie or anything else in your outfit. Good show.” That comment stuck with me.
It isn’t that the English won’t match the pocket square to a color in their outfit; it’s that they aren’t as neurotic about it as we are. It seems like American men in the last 10 or 15 years have developed this matching the pocket square color and pattern to the shirt tie and even suit pattern and colors, but as the rental car commercial says, “Not exactly.” Unfortunately, this near miss in pattern and color becomes a whole new level of patently obvious dressing.
The English consider this very studied. To them, a pocket square should quite literally look like it happened to get into the suit’s chest pocket accidentally or was left over from ten outfits ago. Similarly to the bowtie, if you are an Englishman who makes use of the pocket square, anything goes in terms of pattern and color without any regard for the rest of your outfit: the more carelessly plopped into your pocket, the more points you score from your peers.
Some of the pressure to match colors and patterns, at least somewhat, comes from external sources. I frequently hear people comment that my pocket square bears no relationship to my tie or shirt. I do not know if it really bothers American eyes or if people consider me generally well put together and this strikes a chord with them or gives them an opportunity to point out that I didn’t quite get it right. Nevertheless, I want to give them the benefit of the doubt because when I do nicely match my pocket square to my shirt and tie, I often hear a comment at some point during the day that they like (or more curiously “approve of”) the combination.
To a certain extent I think all American men are bound by the judgment of their mothers before they even leave the house, and for the rest of their lives they imagine that they are being inspected by both men and women to see if they pass muster. Therefore, I conclude, it is an American tradition that if you sport a pocket square, it needs to address either the shirt or tie or both. Otherwise American viewers, even if they don’t know what a pocket square is, can be irked, and this is sometimes a good thing.
In principle, the English like to believe they match the pocket square to some secondary color in the shirt or as a backup to something above the waist. But in practice this ideal breaks down under field conditions. Part of the reason is that colors unacceptable in shirts or ties are eminently acceptable in pocket squares.
How would you match an orange pocket square to anything else in the outfit when orange for shirts and ties (not to mention stripes on suits) is generally avoided? All sorts of colors go for pocket squares; all shades of purple, pink, yellow (from crocus to saffron and ochre), reds, oranges, greens (although brighter greens have that shamrock association most English would probably avoid), browns, blues (although a navy background will command a bright contrasting color) and greys.
Two linen pocket squares in the pale, plain colors the English prefer with city suits. The silk squares have that bright, festive air the English are attracted to in pocket squares but still clearly masculine in colors and textures.
Avoid pocket squares that match the ground color of the shirt lest someone think you’ve cut a hole in the breast of your jacket to let the shirt show through. The one exception is a white pocket square picking up the white background of a shirt. The English prefer white pocket squares in silk rather than linen. Silk is preferred over linen or cotton but the English will wear any of the three fabrics.
There is the studied art of having gotten it wrong to convey a sense of degage, that one is above such matters of matching a pocket square to a shirt or tie color (this in spite of the fact that you actually have a silk square in your pocket at all which is considered by many to be its own artifice). That is why a navy pinstripe suit with a blue and white checked shirt, a blue and pink striped tie and a bright red pocket square with yellow spots (spots mind you, not dots; I am changing due to continued exposure with the British) is very English, and if plopped carelessly enough in the jacket, one could be a high ranking cabinet member. The idea is that the pocket square just happened to be in there from ten outfits ago.
Of course, as in America most suit wearers forego the pocket square altogether. Others place anything from pens and eyeglasses to “shudder-ables” in there.
Sometimes a dark red or wine background color tie gets a bright red pocket square but don’t match the reds too closely much less exactly or you will be considered … from somewhere else.
What to use with a pink and blue shirt with a navy tie? Try a bottle green or a purple pocket square. Pocket square colors tend to be bright for the city and darker for the country jacket. It is acceptable to wear a color that matches something in the outfit every now and then but not as a rule. The idea that you spent any time trying to make your pocket square pick up anything in your outfit smacks of trying too hard which is not the triumph of sartorial sophistication it often is in the States but rather a sartorial disaster and one that strips the serious façade from a man.
New and Lingwood:
Mostly silk, mostly with either a spotted or paisley design. The only rule with pocket squares is not to buy matching tie and hanky sets. It should pick up some element of your outfit. One wants to look like you haven’t considered placing your pocket square in depth but in fact it was carefully arranged. You could always just leave it in and the next time you wear the suit the potential discordance is recognized English style all its own.
Turnbull:
They should usually match your tie and/or shirt or have color combinations which associate with you tie and/or shirt. They are usually silk although the white linen square is not unknown.
These Turnbull and Asser are typical of the colors and patterns the English like for silk pocket squares.
Pocket squares-wow-there seems to be a real and growing interest in them-another English journalist is writing about this wonderful little piece of silk or cotton or linen dandyism. I love a pocket square. It also serves a function-maidens in distress wiping mascara and eye makeup on a pocket square is one of the most frightening experiences, pangs of sorrow at a $60-100 piece of beautifully woven or printed silk, hand rolled edged squares being crushed/mutilated/ruined-who cares about the girlfriend’s feelings-what about mine-but then as a gentleman one’s pocket square is there to serve a function as well as a decorative emblem, a small piece of one’s own dandyism.
A gentleman would never show his emotions about such a bit of frippery (although deep down he is cursing having handed it over). So sorry but it is an experience I once had-one of my favorite Hermes silk pocket squares and a girlfriend who had just broken up with her boyfriend. I gallantly handed over a £100 Hermes square and it was never the same again-in fact I never saw it again. I still see the girlfriend and I always think that a small piece of beautiful silk saved a broken heart-ahhhh. Now that’s being a gentle man and a friend.
Really, back to business. At Turnbull & Asser we always advise that the pocket square should match the shirt/tie in terms of colour ways. This is not implying that the square should be exactly the same design but as long as the colours naturally and harmoniously work/blend together. We use a number of different styles of folding. The bishops mitre, square or (as I call it) the rose which looks like an exploding flower in ones pocket.
Cotton squares are fine as is linen (mainly for evening wear or else use white silk). They are also good for…well blowing ones nose and damsels in distress-saves on the silk.
Turnbull gets a large selection of pocket squares made up mostly in paisley, geometrics and solids with or without a contrasting border. The last sort is very popular with the English.
Harvie and Hudson:
English men ask for both linen and silk. Cotton is not popular and silk is many times more popular than linen but linen is worn. The English like variety even while staying the same. It’s not easy being English, and it’s harder trying to pin them down as they tend to be a moving target. The key thing is colors, the English follow a certain color palette whether in silk or linen and they never tire of it. At the moment, solid colors with contrasting borders mostly in silk but also linen are very popular.
These pocket squares by Cravats are typical of English favorites. Pinks and/or reds and navy. Spots are especially popular. It is telling that the multi-colored panel square is basically shades of pink and red. The point of a pocket square is to be pale or bright as befitting an accessory expected to help assail the unrelieved darkness of the city suit.
Vanners Silks:
A suit without a pocket square is like a salad without the dressing – there’s something missing!
Although it is possible to find pocket squares made from jacquard silk, it is generally considered too heavy – so the majority of pocket squares are of printed silk, which is typically lighter and softer, and therefore lends itself to the task more efficaciously.
Basic pocket squares are hemmed by machine, but all good quality ones should undoubtedly be hand rolled – a highly skilled operation that gives the edges a lovely rolled appearance with neat hand stitching.
The simplest pocket squares are of plain silk, usually a lightweight fine twill, or for something a little different, linen.
Next up on the design front are plain pocket squares with a contrast colour border – often called a shoestring as it is typically just a few millimeters wide (OK, a sixteenth of an inch to you guys). Classier stores such as Brooks Brothers and Polo will stock shoestring edge pocket squares with their name or logo discreetly printed in one corner in the same shade as the shoestring.
At the top of the tree are printed pocket squares – these are often miniature works of art. For example the ground of the square might be an ornate paisley design, with an ‘engineered’ border say two inches wide in a contrast design – and even a shoestring edge and a printed logo as well. These beautiful products are in effect smaller versions of women’s head-squares, but generally executed in darker colours. An outstanding purveyor of fabulous printed pocket squares is Robert Talbott of California.
And how to wear pocket squares? Well the variations are numerous, and very personal. At it simplest, the pocket square is folded neatly so that just an ‘edge’ of silk shows above the suit pocket. Beyond that, there are countless different ways of folding/bunching the square – divided broadly into corners showing and corners/edges inside. No doubt a psychiatrist would have a field day in analyzing the gamut between the strictly neat, folded square and the foppish exuberant all hanging out approach – but I’ll not go there!
Solid white is popular as is a cream solid. White background pocket squares are also quite English, usually with some blue in them. The navy one in the center with the white and orange design is one of those inexplicably popular combinations and, owing to its brightness; this one could be worn with a navy suit.
Cravats:
The English love paisley or spotted silk pocket squares. They like the pocket square to pick up a secondary color in the shirt and they stuff it in their breast pocket in a signature manner which also needs to look like they couldn’t care less.
Doug Hawkes, Wardrober for English Films:
The question of pocket squares is very interesting, as they seem to have disappeared off the face of the earth, or at least, the streets of London. I’ve been a keen observer of the pochette through all the periods of fashion, and even now muse over the straight edged folding, peering no more than a quarter inch above the welt of the breast pocket. Neat, but a modest statement indeed!
I have to say that I favour a slightly bolder statement, picking up the silk by the centre, and dunking it into the pocket without too much fuss. A little eccentric maybe.
My observations when researching for, and dressing city types in such productions as Geoffrey Archer’s “First Among Equals”, which covered the late 50’s to the 90’s, was throughout that period, a trend toward wearing the silk or white cotton with three peaks showing, infiltrated through the ranks of political and banking circles. With the exception of the odd flamboyant or two, adding colour to what really was a conservative period, in more words than one. A polka dot was, however, as far as one would go to draw the eye, and could easily receive a “tut tut” if entered into the wrong setting.
The English like paisleys, both the more complicated variety and these which are set in a foulard style. Note that when the English like something it gets done in all the various color combos which make them happy. Note that their navy ground color contrasts with the London City navy suit fabric beneath. The English like contrast. These could also be plopped into the breast pocket of a charcoal or black suit.
Michael Drake:
I like to wear a solid white linen hank because it looks good with everything , if not a white linen hank with a contrast shoestring in either sky or royal blue. If I wear a print hank I would never wear a matching design/colour, I tend to wear a lot of blue ties which I often team with a brown hank with ivory dots and if I was wearing a brown tie I would probably do the opposite.
The other point is that more and more hanks are being worn in the evening without ties, a sharp jacket with a pocket square in the top pocket, good shirt , is a very cool look
Although it flies in the face of general convention, the English adore Hermes (as well as Ferragamo) ties and while the ties have limited popularity because most are the printed sort, “Les pochettes” are sought after for their rich, pure color ways.
Givan’s Irish Linen:
They make beautiful handmade linen pocket squares with hand rolled and sewn borders. The English prefer silk over colored linen pocket squares but when they do wear linen, they usually opt for pure white. It should be well beaten up and mellowed a cream color with age and handling. An Englishman alternates between using it to wipe his brow and blow his nose to give it that relaxed look. One also needs to plop the linen square carelessly into the breast pocket, to look studied is to court disaster.
White linen is very popular with the English. The Irish make the best and Givan’s are the most elegant. Givan’s linen squares have body and substance to their composition. They sell individually or by the dozen and make a good transfer from chest to side pocket when they are past their prime.
You gotta Know when to puff ‘em, know when to fold ‘em…
Clearly, the art of “plopping” is very important in England. To the English, the too artistically puffed or folded pocket square is a failure. A person’s eyes should not be drawn or distracted to how well puffed or arranged your pocket square is.
One way I have taken to experimenting with being English is to choose a pocket square by blindly selecting one from a drawer stacked with them (All in City appropriate colors and patterns because making sure your control group to select from are all acceptably English is more than half the battle). Whatever I pick out, I use whether or not there is even the slightest relationship to the rest of the outfit. I also arrange the pocket square and then just stuff it into the breast pocket of the jacket quickly without arranging it. However the pocket square goes in the first time, that’s how it remains all day.
This is a necessary excercise for me because I am too used to matching an element in my tie or blending all the colors of my shirt, tie and suit via my pocket square. When it comes to the pocket square, the English do not necessarily care whether you match or contrast colors nor do they care whether there is even the slightest relationship between the colors or tones chosen, as long as it all looks like you have not put any thought into any of it, lest it lose the very aplomb it is supposed to inspire. But I think the excercise good for anyone else aspiring to the English look because any good theorem needs to be constantly repeated.
Therefore, concentrate more on wearing a pocket square in a randomly selected color/tone/pattern and be a little bit more cavalier about how you place it in your jacket’s bosom pocket. You may very well discover that your white rabbit approves and that you have taken yet another step towards becoming idiosyncratically English and establishing your own style both at once.
Follow, for he beckons…
Technically, the English shouldn’t like this. It is dark, it has animals on it and “gold” but for some reason it is set so well they like it a great deal. Perhaps the message matches the colors well enough to remind them of childhood dreams?
Comment [8]
The Paul Stuart Variation: Classic American Style
INTRODUCTION
This short article is intended to make a start towards revitalizing the reputation and perception of an often under-appreciated pillar of classic American menswear style: the “Updated American” suit and jacket silhouette.
I intend to collect in one place as much information as can be gathered by an interested layman on the Updated American style, using published books, articles, and internet searches. I have included photos to help illustrate my points and make comparisons.
This article came about as a reaction to the generally held opinion among internet denizens—and some writers—that the only true classic American style is the “traditional” Ivy League style. In my view, the Updated American style is as genuinely and legitimately American as the Ivy League style, reflected in the fact that it has become for all intents and purposes the standard American style for most American men. Whether readers agree or disagree with my statements and assertions, or can prove me wrong on one or more counts, is incidental to my purpose although welcome, since it means this essay will have got people thinking.
JACKET SILHOUETTES & STYLES
Before reviewing the Updated American style in detail, it is worthwhile to first review some background material to add context.
Anyone who has read the current literature on men’s clothing, or visited websites, forums, and blogs devoted to men’s clothing, will have seen used the term “silhouette” applied to the specialized shape and details of suits and jackets. Opinions differ on the number of categories of jacket style, but the table below attempts to summarize these categories.
| Silhouette/Style | Origin | Date* | Shoulders | Waist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British or Savile Row | UK | (Savile Row) | padded | high waist |
| Ivy League (Sack Suit) | US | early 1900s (Brooks & Press) | natural | boxy, no darts |
| Continental or Italian | Italy | 1950s (Brioni, Cardin) | broad, padded | significant suppression |
| Updated American | US | 1954 (Stuart) | lightly padded | slight suppression, darts |
| Athletic** | US | lightly padded | fuller cut | |
| Drape/Blade*** | UK | 1930s (Scholte) | wide, lightly padded | significant suppression |
| Military*** | UK | (Savile Row) | padded | suppression |
| Neapolitan*** | Italy | natural, lightly padded | ||
| Equestrian/Hacking*** | UK | (Savile Row) | padded | suppression, flared skirt |
* Approximate date of popularization and/or earliest adoption, with the name of the designer or firm that is generally held to be responsible (if applicable).
** Andy Gilchrist makes this distinction in his CD-ROM, although other writers give it no mention.
*** Antongiavanni is the only major writer who makes these silhouette distinctions.
The three earliest suit and jacket styles—from an American perspective—are the Ivy League, Savile Row, and Continental. The suit and jackets worn by American men today have been developed from these three basic styles and designers and fashion houses continue to reach back to them for grounding.
Readers will observe that most of these suit and jacket styles originated decades ago. Do they still exist? What’s the standard today?
According to Garrick Anderson1, in the 1950s differences between the three basic suit and jacket styles were generally apparent but in intervening decades distinctions have become blurred, with British firms now making American styles and American firms now making Italian styles. This is echoed by Flusser who notes:
Today such references have lost all practical meaning. The last thirty years of global fashion have transcended national boundaries and cross-pollinated indigenous tastes to such a degree that those standard suit silhouettes have been completely unhinged from their former territorial or tailoring moorings2.
He’s right of course. Men’s suit and jackets are pretty much all the same today, except those from the major fashion labels and designers. For most men in America, a jacket is a jacket and this means a garment which is a melange of the three original styles, the Ivy League, Savile Row, and Continental. Even present-day examples of the pure styles, such as the sack suits available from Brooks Brothers and J Press, have been slightly modified over time and today more closely resemble other styles than in the past3.
But which suit and jacket styles can be considered classic American? Only two have sufficient historical provenance to be labeled genuine American classics: the Ivy League style and the Updated American style.
L to R: George Bush in a sack suit, William Clark in an Updated American suit (source: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library)
The Ivy League Style
Introduced to America by Brooks Brothers in 18954, the American Sack Suit is a variation of earlier Victorian-era lounge suits. In its purest and most correct form, the sack suit is single-breasted with two or three buttons, centre vent at the rear, natural shoulders, and has little or no shaping around the waist (no darts, the vertical seams on the front of the jacket reaching upwards from the hip pockets).
Sack suits first gained popularity among Ivy League students in the 1920s5 but remained an insider style until after World War II and a fashion cycle that made it widely popular in America for over a decade. Long after the style had been a marker of America’s academic elites, the so-called Ivy League Look became an “everyman” style of middle-class aspiration from the mid-1950s through 19676.
Today the Ivy League style or sack suit is available only from a few retailers such as J Press and Brooks Brothers. While J Press sells sack suits almost exclusively, Brooks Brothers usually offers only a few sack suits each season.
The Updated American Style
The Updated American style is considered a response to the introduction of shaped, padded, and stylish Italian suit and jacket styles to America, incorporating some European shaping and structure into the sack suit. The Updated American style takes the sack suit and adds darts for slight waist suppression and some shoulder padding to make the shoulders more prominent, but keeps the centre vent at the rear and sticks with a two button single-breasted configuration. While never approaching the shaping of the Savile Row or Continental styles, the Updated American nevertheless recognizes that most men can benefit from some improvement on nature.
According to Karlen & Sulavik:
A variation on the Sack is the so-called Updated American suit…[the] coat is slightly suppressed (tailored closely to the shape of the torso) and shoulders have more padding, imparting a slight ‘V-shape’ to the torso. Trousers are often pleated and cut full.7
But the best description of the Updated American style is found in Jackson:
This cut [the Updated American cut] is becoming the most popular style. Unlike the traditional Ivy League suit, the Updated American suit has a slightly suppressed waist with added vertical seams [darts] in the jacket to give shape and style. The lightly padded shoulders and crisper line are flattering to many body types. This cut also has a higher armhole and smaller waistline in proportion to the shoulders… It may have a single or double vent. Like the Ivy League cut, the pants hang straight from the knee, though the circumference of the pants legs is usually smaller than that of the Ivy League.8
Flusser credits the New York retail store Paul Stuart with introducing the Updated American style to American men in 19549. Located just around the corner from Brooks Brothers, Paul Stuart offered men “an alternative to the overtly stylish menswear from Europe and the repetitious predictability of the Ivy League look”10. The Updated American style gained a boost when John F Kennedy, the popular new senator and later president, wore suits and jackets from Paul Stuart.
Here are Flusser’s comments:
The last or fourth type of suit style was a blend of American and English, Brooks Brothers and Savile Row. Long the staple of fine dressers, from Fred Astaire to Cary Grant, this Updated American suit combined the Row’s trademark smartness with the understated comfort of the sack suit. Introduced to the Gotham gent in the middle sixties by Madison Avenue retailer Paul Stuart, this shaped, two-button suit was later offered to the general public through the fashions of designer Ralph Lauren.
Featuring higher armholes and a smaller chest with darted fronts for a more shaped waist, the updated American suit’s longer rolled lapels opened the coat’s front to reveal more of the man’s furnishings while emphasizing his V-shaped torso. Whether Americanized by a center vent or anglicized with side vents, for several decades this soft-shoulder hybrid was the keynote of traditional American fashion, breathing fresh air into the East Coast Ivy League look.11
Thus the Updated American style is a slight modification of the Ivy League style, adding some shaping but maintaining the classic American profile of generously fitting jacket and full-cut pants.
As an aside, it is worth noting that the Updated American style does have its critics. Misleadingly, Antongiavanni suggests the Updated American style is somehow related to the Drape (or Blade) suit:
…most every ready-made suit found in [the United States] are attempts at compromise between the Drape and the Sack, a silhouette that has been termed the “Updated American”. It will have padded shoulders and a somewhat suppressed waist but large armholes and little drape.12
This is inaccurate since the Drape/Blade style was always a specialized suit and jacket silhouette which enjoyed popularity and accessibility only within a small, elite group of people13. As noted earlier in this article, the primary influences that led to the Updated American style were the traditional Ivy League sack suit and the Continental (or Italian) style.
Today, the Updated American style is available everywhere and from nearly everyone. Firms such as Brooks Brothers14, who originally popularized the Ivy League style, have done nearly as much to popularize the Updated American style by awarding it the conservative menswear seal of approval. Given its provenance, there is no escaping the fact that the Updated American suit and jacket style is as much a ‘true blue American’ classic as the Ivy League style and a wonderful complement—and alternative—to the sack suit. Americans are indeed lucky in having two genuinely American suit and jacket silhouettes from which to choose.
COMPARING JACKET STYLES
To help illustrate the Updated American style and its similarities—and differences—with other suit and jacket styles, included below are photos of several jackets from various brands and various silhouettes. Care was taken to select jackets of similar sizes (each of the jackets depicted is approximately 42R or 42L) and to limit jacket types to two-button, single-breasted only15.
The American jackets in the photos below include a sack suit (from J Press) and two Updated American jackets (from Brooks Brothers and Paul Stuart). Note how the Press and Paul Stuart jackets have nearly identically shaped natural shoulders, while the Brooks and Paul Stuart jackets both have noticeably less shoulder padding than the Press. There is little or no shaping of the waistlines, even on the Updated American jackets.
L to R: J Press, Brooks Brothers, Paul Stuart
The photos below are close-up views of the Press and Paul Stuart jackets from the first comparison (above). Note the similarity in shoulders between the sack suit (Press) and the Updated American jacket (Paul Stuart).
L to R: J Press, Paul Stuart
The European jackets in the photos below include two Italian silhouette jackets (from Brioni and Zegna) plus a British jacket (from Burberrys). Note how each has much more pronounced shoulders (particularly the Brioni and Zegna) and more obviously shaped waistlines than the American jackets.
L to R: Brioni, Ermenegildo Zegna, Burberrys
Although comparing jackets in this manner is subject to discrepancies posed by age, fashion, and alterations, it does illustrate the basic differences between the three main suit and jacket styles. Since waistlines can be altered on any jacket, but shoulders are generally not alterable, the most significant variations are found in the shoulders: few if any differences separate the sack suit and Updated American shoulders, while a noticeable gap in shoulder shapes, padding, and styles separates the American jackets from the European jackets.
Footnotes:
1 Karlen & Sulavik, The Indispensable Guide To Classic Men’s Clothing (New York: Tatra Press, 1999) pp. 6-7, quoting Garrick Anderson of Garrick Anderson Sartorial Ltd.
2 Alan Flusser, Dressing The Man (New York: HarperCollins, 2002) pp. 81-82. Flusser is easily one of the most knowledgeable experts on the history of men’s clothing, a reputation enhanced by the fact he is himself a successful designer and clothier.
3 Karlen & Sulavik (p. 9) quote Jarlath Mellett, a Brooks Brothers executive, who observes “The sack suit is a Brooks Brothers classic…But even classics which have been around for forty years don’t go untouched, and we make small changes to keep them modern”.
4 From the Brooks Brothers website (www.brooksbrothers.com): “1895 The Sack Suit: Brooks introduces the No. One sack suit. Regarded as the first genuinely American suit, and designed to fit all body types, the suit offers soft natural shoulders, a single-breasted jacket, and full, plain-front trousers”.
5 Nicholas Antongiavanni, The Suit (New York: HarperCollins, 2006) pp. 55-56.
6 Commonweal Magazine (August 9, 1957) offers a period comment: “…it was just the other day that we fell to musing on the triumph of the Ivy League style in fashions for men. Natural shoulders and narrow lapels, somber colors and dignified cut are the now ubiquitous hallmarks of the Ivy mode, and what used to be the special garb of a special breed of northeastern American is now accepted dress of John Doe all over the nation”.
7 Karlen & Sulavik (p. 7).
8 Carole Jackson, Color For Men (New York: Ballantine Books, 1984) p. 123.
9 Alan Flusser, Style And The Man (New York: HarperCollins, 1996) p. 293.
10 Ibid.
11 Flusser, Dressing The Man (p. 81-82).
12 Antongiavanni (p. 62). Antongiavanni is a well-known proponent of the English Drape or Blade suit, to the extent that he considers it the “cut of choice of the world’s best dressed men”, an exaggeration of the facts.
13 The Drape or Blade suit, or rather its creator, tailor Frederick Scholte, was made famous by the Duke of Windsor. Hollywood stars carried the style to America and wore it often—and were often photographed wearing it—but it was never commonly available to the public like the sack suit, for example.
14 Generations of Style (2003), the self-published Brooks Brothers retrospective book, describes the introduction of the No. 2 Suit: “This good-looking suit is a variation of our famous No. 1 model, and is designed for the considerable number of present and potential Brooks Brothers customers who have broader, squarer shoulders and fuller chest than average. Specifically, the two-button jacket is more suppressed at the waist and smaller over the hips…the trousers, too, are cut somewhat smaller in the waist and seat.”
15 The photos included in the comparisons are of jackets offered for sale on eBay. The J Press sack suit is the only exception to the two-button rule.
Comment [6]
Suedeheads
The very word Suedehead refers to the grown-out crop i.e. a Skinhead haircut. The attire and the attitude that went with it were not very different from those of his immediate predecessor however; it was rather a variation on a theme. The Suedehead of the early Seventies wasn’t so much a separate entity as a continuation of the smart Skinhead who (in many cases anyway) had always worn his hair slightly longer than the ubiquitous number one of ’69.
One has to remember when the Skinhead was yet to be christened as such; Peanuts (as they were somewhat inaptly called) still wore their hair in a college-boy style. The neatly side-parted hair re-appeared at the tail-end of the movement when what basically still were Skins had their hair in that style, or indeed a grown-out crop which resembles the “French crew” (which is like a crew cut but longer, about two inches all over) of the early Mods. So the whole style had come full circle, because Skinhead was Mod begat in the first place, so that’s where our story begins.
Although a certain ‘Spartan branch’ of Mod was spotted in the London clubs by some as early as ’65, I’d say a change started to become more or less apparent when Mod started to die down in ’66. There will always be present a certain ‘hard case’ element among young males growing up and in this case the Hard, or Gang, Mod deserves a mention. For day wear he may have opted for desert boots, Levi 501s, a Ben Sherman button-down shirt or a Fred Perry topped off by a Harrington or an MA 1 flying jacket. Gradually the Hard Mod would change into the boots-and-braces Skinhead with his mean looking number one (electric hair razors have settings known by their numbers). Sideburns were optional and remained just that all the way through. Those that were young enough adopted/adapted the new look of the kids that were too young to have been Mods in a neat working class amalgamation.
Now this is obviously where the pared down version of The Look takes shape. Boots, worn for practical reasons, jeans with precision turn-ups, shirts mostly plain or striped at this stage and thin braces worn for show. This look has its place of course when we’re talking street smart. Add to it a nice cardy or V-neck sweater and/or a nice casual jacket for instance, replace the boots with smart shoes and it will have a somewhat different effect altogether.
There is quite a bit of ambivalence surrounding the aggro side of the Skinhead and I will let that comment speak for itself. Most people will lose interest in that sort of thing soon enough (or turn pro indeed) because of relationships and other responsibilities. I do want to concentrate on the smarter end of the whole phenomenon anyway, but as far as the splintering of the original Mod movement went, the Hard Mod was definitely faction number one (sic).
The Hard Mods changing slowly into ‘Peanuts’
Then there were those who’d gone flamboyant, student, hippy or had settled down by then (’66 that is) already, but I will further ignore all of them for obvious reasons (apart from the fact that people were expected to settle down pretty early in those days and often did so, which in itself is an important social factor as we shall see later). Finally there was the Conservative or Suit Mod type that had stayed ‘with it’; the former Mod, as it were. He’s not necessarily the most interesting sort of person, although depending on where he is coming from, he can be quite interesting. He will probably have copied his look (to an extent) from the older guys from his neighbourhood or his older brothers or cousins maybe. Now where he truly becomes interesting, in my book, is when he is subtly adding his own ideas to “The Look”. He becomes more interesting still when he is broadminded enough to pick up new ideas from the next generation. Of course in this case, the new mood suited him perfectly, seeing as he’d worn his hair short for years anyway.
This ‘new’ street smart look did appeal to him shall we assume. Suits were for evening wear only now (mind you that during the heyday of Skinhead people like him were still called ‘suits’), but during the day he could be seen sporting e.g. loafers or ‘town looking’ brogues (Royals), Levi’s Sta-Prest trousers, that were basically slacks, a pristine button-down shirt and some nice casual jacket perhaps topped off with, say, a number three.
He wouldn’t have had his hair any shorter than that because it would have made him look suspicious in the eyes of young women for one thing, not to mention his employer. He would also be too mature to want to look like the younger kids and what’s more: the smartest dressers among these may have wanted to copy his more sophisticated look and in turn impress their mates. That’s called cross-fertilization I think.
The fact that people had relatively little time to indulge in that kind of thing was, as mentioned before, an important factor in their outlook on life as such. You were supposed to marry in your early twenties, so you had to save up if you were so inclined when money was in most cases tight to begin with. People on average couldn’t spend the amounts of money on clothes we are nowadays used to. So that makes it even more admirable how they managed to look so smart.
Another ‘hair thing’ is that you would soon have grown tired of attracting attention from the old Bill (police) let alone not gaining access to nightclubs full stop. I think that one is called natural progression or common sense really.
One should furthermore be aware of the fact that smart Skins had always dressed in what became later known as a Suedehead manner. The idea was, once again, to look smart and not like a thug. Trying to look hard when you’re really not (except maybe when you’ve got the numbers) doesn’t help anybody at the end of the day. The smartest answer in both senses of the word is to dress to impress and the Suedehead most certainly did just that!
Still of unknown Suede in typical check button-down and Harrington
Apart from the fact that Suedeheads resembled Mods in their overall smartness and colourful look, what should also be mentioned is that they borrowed some elements from the Rude Boy as well. Think shades, pork pie hats, cropped trousers, Crombies and the Rock-steady music. Ska/Reggae and Soul meant a lot to them (as in Deep, Black and Urban) because it set them apart from the undiscerning, or so they thought. And it was a soundtrack they could dance to obviously.
The ‘out-and-out’ Suedehead look consisted of smart shoes (mostly brogues and loafers like those made by Faith Royal), Sta-Prest trousers in all their various colours, check button-down shirts (Ben Sherman, Brutus or Jaytex were popular, a lesser known brand they wore was Arnold Palmer), plain coloured knitwear ( e.g. bright red or pastel V- necks or mustard cardigans although the latter were arguably more Skinhead), Harrington jackets and the aforementioned Crombies or a sheepskin, and then maybe that porkpie hat and ‘them’ shades.
Suits were basically three button, narrow shouldered, high buttoning with narrow lapels and waisted, worn with parallel trousers ( 20” bottoms by ’71 ). Exact styles differed a lot because of fast changing fashions at the time, but were also regional. They often came in tans and bronzes or light and petrol blues (with red linings), tonik two-tone material, Prince of Wales checks or dogtooth patterns. Ties were fairly sober and narrowish. Pocket squares were all the rage.
Suits were being worn during the day again
Girls often wore boy’s shoes, loafers mostly, crepe soled lace-ups, clumpy nurses’ style shoes with a brogue pattern or plain, and other popular high street fashions such as sling-backs both with flared heels, suede and patent-leather, buckled shoes, in bright multi-colours towards the end.
Geometric patterned, plain and side patterned tights were popular with miniskirts (again preferably mohair or failing that the cheaper Trevira, styles – plain A-line, pleated often tartan checks etc, lots of buttons). Same shirts as the boys, off-the-peg suit jackets of varying lengths, although 3/4 length just above the knee was very popular in 2-tone fabric, PoW checks, double breasted also. Crombies. Trevira two pieces and mohair, Mod-like shift dresses would be worn too, Maxi length dresses at the very end of this period, often backless halter-neck.
The hair was slightly longer than the boys’, it would be in a neat style, parted with lots of forehead, with the lengths razor cut, sometimes lacquered. Some girls would wear their hair just long as it happened, often in ponytails or off the face with an Alice-band or hair clips. Make up was eye heavy with pale lips, early-on sometimes no make-up at all; Skinny eyebrows-false eyelashes, perfume – Youth Dew, very popular.
So the foundations of this look were laid in ‘66/67. The somewhat older dressers even went back to the roots of Modernism, may it have been perhaps not consciously so. The “Ivy shop” and later “Squire” as well, catered for the former Mods that wanted to carry on looking sharp. Those two shops were totally Ivy League and both stocked beautiful knitwear, thick soled shoes (such as wingtips and plain cap brogues), button-down shirts, Harringtons, raincoats and Prince of Wales check suits to a collegiate cut.
Young men that didn’t think of themselves as Skins would be considered just that by today’s standards. Although some of them did become Suedeheads. The difference would have been unmistakable to those In The Know (ITK) but it would have been a nuance that was subtle enough for the Suedeheads themselves.
The Modernist tradition of exclusivity and secrecy (some would call it elitism) carried on at any rate and the funny thing is youths began to wear suits again during the day in the early seventies. They were very likely a bit more daring colour-wise than they as Skinheads (and please note we’re talking about the same people here, expanding The Look) would have preferred and that’s basically another Mod trait.
Just previously to Suedehead there’d been a short-lived fad to sport the city gent look (in this version : navy or black blazer, white cutaway collar shirt, striped tie, grey flannel parallels and black toe-capped Oxfords) which had also taken place in ’62 (striped, waisted suits in this case, but also with the added bowler and brollie like their Seventies counterparts). In other words: young men experimenting with traditional garments in order to create a look of their own, subverting the very thing in their playful sartorial rebellion, if you will.
This (at the time) 17 year old Smooth from North London is wearing a made to measure Crombie and a trilby, Levi’s, a Ben Sherman shirt and Oxfords. The girl was a model and has on a petrol blue/gold Trevira suit. A lot of the gear came from High Street stores like Burton and Top Shop.
Now let’s get back to where the Suedes were taking The Look afterwards. The hair grew longer still (short on top, down to the collar at the back and sides) and they turned into “Smoothies” come ’73 with their either very plain shoes or Norwegians (clumpy loafers with a basket-weave vamp), round collared shirts, Fair Isle yoke sweaters, tank-tops, loose cords etc. Then feather cuts, Oxford bags, Budgie gear etc or back to denim and spray painted boots for some i.e. the return of the Boot-boy…shame !
Others went on to become early “Soul Boys” that carried on shopping at the better shops on the Kings Road, if they were from “The Smoke”, but that story is not for me to tell. More than a few of the older lads went for the ‘French Cut’ look thus going for individuality and leaving the uniform behind.
Although some Skins had stayed true to the cause there weren’t many left by ’76. When Punk came along people became very much aware again of the sense of belonging that is a big part of any youth culture, the attraction of that ‘community feeling’ was wearing on pretty heavily during that time. Many disillusioned Punks as well as those who disliked the scruffy image looked back to the fifties and sixties for inspiration. Of course there were those who followed in the footsteps of older relatives too, because they recognized the simple beauty of a concept their elders had enthused them with.
Among various revivalists were (again) some that wanted to be a little sharper and thought of themselves as Suedeheads. For many though, it was the idea of the sussed, “smart Skinhead” that proved appealing. The “smart Skinhead” went very much against the tide of the plastic Skins that had entered the scene and signaled a trend back to basics, and all that.
Tom McCourt made the change from Skinhead to Suedehead early in 1978. In this photo he is wearing a silver mohair suit which was handmade, one of his original Ben Sherman shirts: a very light stripe in pale green and a very pale lemon. The overcoat a dark navy wool number, it had raglan sleeves and was from Aquascutum. The shoes were brogues. He was probably also wearing a tank top, complementing his socks colour-wise.
Ever since the Eighties there have been purist Skins keeping the original styles alive. They won’t have to look that far really, especially these days with the www. For instance: Levi’s, Lee and Wrangler are all doing some excellent repro jeans, but also A.P.C. and Edwin are worth investigating. There are several sources imaginable as for an authentic American styled shirt as well. Sta-Prest is probably a little hard to come by, but YMC is an interesting label in that respect as well as for some other gear. A good pair of smart trousers, Crombie style coats, raincoats, sheepskins etc can be found without too much hassle in a decent men’s shop or in some of the High Street shops even (just like in the old days, if your imitation looks smart enough it’ll do the trick nicely). Footwear can be traced through the original makes or can indeed be modern and perhaps a bit sleeker, in true accordance with a Mod-like aesthetic.
Suits can be bespoke of course, or seeing as the fashions were changing so rapidly back in the day, they could just as easily be e.g. Paul Smith or Ozwald Boateng, as in classic with a twist.
Away from any sub-cultural meaning, as the photos will hopefully show, The Suedehead look is a look that can definitely still work when updated ever so slightly. Looking smart doesn’t mean ‘boring old man’ by any means and the haircut remains a classic.
The women’s ‘updating’ bit requires some thinking that I will gladly leave to a female person to be honest, but that aside. I think both men and women will be able to see the subtlety of this classic, timeless look, if they really want to.
Callum McCourt is one of the few contemporary Suedeheads. Here he’s sporting a silver and black tonik suit with a black/blue/white check vintage Ben Sherman button-down shirt. Not in the pic are a pair of original oxblood tassel loafers ( without fringe ) and a dark grey and black herringbone check chesterfield overcoat ( with black velvet collar, very Suedehead ) by Duffer of St George.
Alex Roest
Many thanks also to Bomber and Brideshead (the two Johns ). Special thanks to Lily and Rosa.
Recommended reading:
The Great Lost Look essay from Kevin Rowland to be found in The Look by Paul Gorman
The Button-Down Types chapter in The Soul Stylists by Paolo Hewitt
Jim Ferguson’s Fashion Notebook in Skinhead by Nick Knight
Suedehead
by Richard Allen
Viewing:
Bronco Bullfrog by Barney Platts-Mills
Listening:
Trojan Suedehead Box Set
This Is Soul: Remastered & Expanded/Vinyl Replica Edition
Comment [20]
Harrisons' Multi-Millionaire Cashmere suit
The whole world is in love with luxury. If there is one uniting principle amongst the world’s consumer elite, it is a cosmopolitan agreement on the principles of good living and the philosophy of Luxe. Luxe embodies the term hip; it also embodies the best in materials, design, construction and finish. Luxe is nothing less than a new, visual lingua franca which commands respect and admiration wherever you travel.
Cashmere is one of those Luxe items the world has recently decided to oversubscribe. And what of those voices that claim cashmere is too fragile for a suit? They are nothing more than a plague borne on the wings of an earlier age before advances in technology perfected the process of weaving worsted cashmere to give depth and strength to the fabric. The world moves on, what was once true is now no longer.
But in spite of the advances in looming strong cashmere suit cloth, there are those who still think it frivolous due to its earlier reputation for fragility. To add to the confusion, there are indeed low grade cashmere fabrics marketed as luxury goods. These factors serve to perpetuate avoidance myths for men’s suits made from cashmere. Prepare for the myth to be put to the test.
I had a suit made up of Harrisons Multi-Millionaire fabric which is Pure Worsted Spun Cashmere with a small percentage of Vicuna-reminding me that there is cashmere and then there is Luxe-cashmere. Harrisons selects the highest quality Mongolian cashmere and employs a spinning process for both yarn refinement and weaving of the cloth which makes for impressive fabric strength.
Harrisons’ Multi-Millionaire Cashmere is buttery soft but has a tight weave and a smooth finish. Weighing in at 10 ounces per yard, it has enough body to make it substantial and presumably hard wearing.
Available in a white chalk stripe on black, navy, charcoal, a more closely spaced chalk stripe on grey, navy or a mottled mocha brown and a variety of other pin stripes, including blue on navy and purple on navy. Of course, the standard plain weave, sharkskin and self herringbone solids are also available in several shades of grey, navy and black.
The cloth color and pattern I chose is a navy with a pink chalk stripe; achieved by a mixture of pink and white in the stripe and subtle enough to be unnoticeable as pink until closer inspection.
This is English taste translated into a more modern, international fabric and finish. Although it is hard to picture the English themselves wearing this quality it satisfies the current desire for English taste combined with a global pursuit of Luxe which is part of the trumping game played out in offices from New York City to Tokyo to Milan and Bahrain.
Harrisons’ Multi-Millionaire Cashmere is an interesting cloth because it blends the images of successful captain of industry, old money scion and dandy. Rarely do we see so many intersects in a single series of cloth. Further, the cloth “crossroads” the traditionalist’s fabric colors and texture with a “hip” handle. To explain a “hip” handle simply imagine that any woman putting her hand on your arm, around your waist or on your back while you wearing this fabric will be loathe to remove it. Women love cashmere-and if you happen to be the animal wearing it, you will reap the whirlwind.
Worn to dinner with an Acorn fabric shirt in varied blue stripes with occasional white and pink ones as well and white collar and double cuffs, a pink with blue spots Cravats 350 thread count necktie, gold and enamel Duchamp cufflinks and a blue with white rings Turnbull and Asser pocket square. Dark brown suede cap toes and navy wool socks were the natural choice. The outfit was selected for an appearance at Daniel in NYC and is decidedly on the old-boy-hip part of the spectrum.
I made mine up for social occasions although this may be worn to the office if you have enough clout both personal and within your firm to carry it off. A single breasted, one button, peak lapel jacket with turn back cuffs on the sleeve. Pants were reverse pleat with a Daks style waist adjuster.
Incidentally, My tailor loved this fabric and told me it was a dream to work with, a term he rarely employs. I put turn back cuffs on the jacket sleeves to give the suit a more old world feeling. Note in the photo that the stripes from turnback cuff to sleeve arm are not in alignment. This is due to the fabric which was so fine that in order to achieve making the cuff noticeable my tailor decided on a slight break in continuity.
I will endeavor to put this suit through more than ordinary paces to gauge the amount of wear and tear it can sustain in the field. Stay tuned for an update.. In the meantime, dandies, grab your martini glasses and cigars…
Comment [5]
