The Virtues of Single and Double Breasted Jacket Styles.

The virtues of double and single breasted jackets are as follows: 

The single breasted is the most common type, flattering some body types more than others, while the double breasted is less common but more flattering to certain body shapes.

The single breasted jacket  is one that can be worn by any man, but its intricacies will make a man look as elegant as he possibly can. A single breasted suit with a nipped waist and two buttons will make any slim to average man look good because it creates the ideal silhouette of a narrow waist and broad shoulders. This is particularly true of those jackets with peak lapels that accent broader shoulders.

The three button single breasted jacket will give shorter men the illusion of height, more so if it is a long jacket with rolled to the middle button lapels. Some say that one button jackets are even better for shorter men as there are no superfluous buttons on the jacket, creating a smoother look. The fewer flapless pockets, the less cluttered the jacket looks which will also add to the illusion of height.

Less fitted single breasted jackets, with two buttons more often that not, are better for a wider man as it stops him looking any wider than he already is.

Double breasted jackets on the other hand serve a taller, slim gentleman to a greater extent. The two rows of buttons break up the height and emphasize width to stop him looking ridiculously tall and thin. Short men should avoid double breasted jackets for the same reason; it makes him look smaller because there are too many horizontal lines on the jacket. The most flattering of double breasted styles is the uncommon six on two (two buttons to fasten)  rather than the uncommon six on one( only the one button to fasten) because it creates the most flattering look on a man. 

This information provided has been aided by researching the works of Nicholas Antongianni and Alan Flusser.

A Guide to Formal Wear

As the summer weather slowly begins to appear here in dear dreary old England, summer balls and school proms are being organized. 

These events are a great time for a man to demonstrate sartorial prowess. The first thing to do is find out the dress code. If it’s not on the invitations, just ask someone who is involved with organizing the event, not one of your friends. The usual one is “Black Tie”, which I’ll explain in detail further down, but it might be as vague as “Smart” or “Formal Dress”. If it is one of those descriptions, do NOT interpret this as a smart pair of jeans and a blazer, or as one person I saw at a winter ball (yes winter) did with a pair of chinos and jacket. The best option would be a dark suit. If this is your first suit go for navy or grey as these are more versatile colours than black and can be worn at interviews, work, funerals and weddings equally.  White is the best colour for the shirt; it can be double or single cuffs and should have a plain front. Make sure that the tie is sensible and demure. Belts break up the clean line of a suit, but braces (suspenders) are not only fashionable they are a practical accessory that will keep the trousers up without visually cutting the body in half. Shoes are always good in black, as long as they are polished. 

As most proms and balls will be in the evening, avoid like the plaque light coloured suits. Light grey is a perfect colour for summer but not for the evening so leave it to formal day occasions. If you are planning on using the suit for other things, it’s also safer to avoid the modern trend of suits with stain “tips” on the edges of these suits; this seems to be a strange merging of Black Tie evening wear and business wear.

  

Black Tie is the most common dress code for balls so here is a guide as to what that entails if you are unfamiliar:

The Black Tie dress code refers to a black, one button jacket with either a Shawl collar or peak lapels in satin or grosgrain, trousers cut for button on braces with a satin/grosgrain piping down in the seams. The notch lapel, seen on most usual suits, is acceptable but it will look inelegant compared to the others. The shirt ought to be a white, pleated, Marcella, (pique) or even plain with a fly front (covered buttons) with a turndown collar; wing collars should be reserved for White Tie events. To cover the waist, either a low cut waistcoat to match the jacket or a black cummerbund to match the black bow tie should be worn. The bow tie that you wear with this ensemble should be a self tie one; it is not rocket science gentlemen. Footwear should either be highly polished plain black leather or patent leather shoes. The key term in this is Black; the ONLY acceptable alternative is midnight blue. It is ok to wear a ivory or white dinner jacket but only in the Tropics. This goes for accessories too, it’s not the ‘80s anymore, don’t have matching, brightly coloured bow ties, cummerbunds or waistcoat; it looks silly. A white pocket square will complete the outfit and here is a little leeway to add a splash of colour to the look if it is insisted that you have something that matches your date’s dress.

This is the only ensemble to wear for a Black Tie Only/Required event. If the invitation has Black Tie Preferred/ Optional as its dress code, you can wear what I have mentioned above. If you have to choice and really don’t want to wear a dinner suit and bow tie, then you may wear a dark, formal suit (3 piece or not) a plain white or blue shirt and conservative tie. Shoes should be appropriate but black is always a safe bet.

If you feel that a suit or following dress codes in some way diminishes your unique sense of creativity, avoid the event all together. It would be rude to the host, not to follow suit (pun intended). Comedian David Mitchell gives a great explanation for this in this podcast here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66c7el1E11o, he is right; Black Tie is a gift to men as it requires very little effort once you know the rules. For more information, go to www.blacktieguide.com.

 The most important thing to remember is fit. It is better to wear a well fitting dark suit and long tie than a poorly fitting dinner suit and bow tie.

   Examples of a cummerbund, low cut waistcoat, shawl collar and peak lapel jackets. All images from  http://www.blacktieguide.com

Bond on a budget.

During a friend's recent birthday celebrations, involving a suited dress code, poker and Casino Royale, it was suggested that I write an article about how to dress like James Bond on a budget. The brilliant David Zaritsky has several articles and pod casts on his website http://thebondexperience.com/ about this subject, relating to specific outfits that James Bond wears as does the fan-site www.ajb007.com.  I will offer broad, generic advice in terms of cut, style and aesthetic followed by a list of budget places for the main components of the formal Bond look.

Suits:

The key Bond look is obviously a suit but to really obtain that James Bond feel there are a few things to bear in mind. Firstly, make sure it fits. The jacket sleeves should always show a little of shirt cuff and you should be able to cup the base of the jacket when your hands are by your side. It should lie flat against your chest, and the shoulders should never be too wide. Bond’s suit are always well fitted so its worth trying a size down as most "off the peg suits" are quite big. 

Trousers should fit on the natural waist, but fashion has dictated that most off the peg suit trousers are worn at a similar position to jeans (on the hip) so make sure they fit comfortably. Have the length so that it touches the top of the shoes when standing. While most suits that are available on the high street have belt loops on the trousers, avoid wearing belts as this breaks up the clean line of the suit. (Bond did wear belts yes, but he had a master tailor in Brioni at the time)

Waistcoats are occasionally worn by Bond so make sure they cover the waistband of the trousers and fit comfortably, not loosely. Any number of buttons is fine as long as you leave the bottom one undone.

 Secondly, minimalism and subtlety are always “Bondian” elements. Always wear suits that look good, but are not ostentatious; no loud linings, contrast stitching, satin tips or piping and this goes for ties and cufflinks too.  The most classic Bond suit style would be a 2 button, single breasted suit, in a solid/subtle patterned navy, light grey or charcoal. These styles can be found off the peg anywhere between £40 and £200. Wool is ideal fabric but it is more expensive so buy the best with what you can afford. It is always better to have a suit that fits well but looks inexpensive than an expensive suit that fits awfully. 

In terms of shirts, again buy the best of what you can, but in general look for 100% cotton, plain light blues and whites. Recently Daniel Craig wore tab collar shirts but I would advise against these if you are financially constrained; stick to a normal collar that is neither too wide, nor too pointed. Double cuffs are preferred for modern budget Bond’s look as the original turn back cuff shirt are considerably expensive as they are from Turnbull and Asser. Where possible, look for slim or fitted shirts if you have a slim to average build as most shirts have tight collars but are made for larger men. T M Lewin are one of the best for finding shirts in different fits and collar shapes, look for their sales and multi buy deals for the best price. Most high street shops and department stores offer a decent range of material and fits too such as Marks and Spencer, John Lewis and Debenhams.   

For ties, as with everything else, go conservative colours/ subtle patterns that harmonise with the rest of the ensemble. Cufflinks should be silver rather than gold coloured metal and have them as plain as possible. These can be bought from most places at reasonable prices.  Go for black plain toe shoes, either rounded oxfords or square toe and keep them well maintained with polish. A good pair of shoes might cost that little more, but if they are treated well they will last. The final element of the Bond look is a square folded plain handkerchief that matches the shirt. Cotton ones can be bought for £3 and still look good.

Stay tuned for information regarding the most iconic of Bond's formal wear; the dinner suit.

A brief list of places to go for the above (UK, apologies to readers from overseas, check out Zaritsky’s site for U.S.A and AJB007 for international) :

• Marks and Spencers: Suits from £59, shirts, ties and cufflinks from £10.
• John Lewis: Shirts from £25
• TM Lewin: Shirts 5 for £100
• Next: Suits from £79.*
• Burton: Suits from £79.*
• Asda George:  Suits from £45.*
• Charles Clinkard: Shoes from £50

* All have a range of inexpensive shirts, ties and shoes.

Other information regarding James Bond's looks can be found from the insightful work of Matt Spaiser at the Suits of James Bond: http://thesuitsofjamesbond.com/

Bristol Fashion Week 22nd March 2013

On Friday 22nd March, I was fortunate enough to attend the summer Bristol Fashion Week as a blogger.

For tailoring, there was a considerable variety in details but no major style changes. Nonetheless, here is what is fashionable in the realm of high street suits for the summer.

In terms of colour, monochrome is in vogue for both men and women's fashion. Pastels are not uncommon for blazers and some suits even had bold shades such as deep reds and light blues. It was surprising not to see light grey for summer tailoring.

The things that I can surmise about the details of suit jackets:

Overall jacket length is still quite short.
Single vents are growing in popularity, despite their impracticality for putting hands into pockets, yet double vents are still common.
Most jackets have two buttons, three can be found on blazers but the fastening one is still quite high on the waist.
Narrow lapels are still fashionable; hand-stitching details can be found on more "off the peg" suits.
Pocket styles are rather varied, some jackets had slanted flapped ones while others were besom and the occasional ticket pocket can be found on more traditional high street retailers. Patch pockets could be found on blazers.


The things I can surmise about suit trousers:

Low rises that are similar to jeans and chinos.
Fitted rather than slim cuts.
No or very little break; some trousers barely touched the shoe.

Other:
Waistcoats were quite short in length
Cummerbunds are still fashionable for Black Tie.

First Post. The Interview Suit.

Hello everyone, this is the first of hopefully many blogs regarding men's formal fashion and tailoring advice. 

This inaugural piece will focus on what to wear for a job interview:

While some jobs do not require formal attire or have their own uniform, the gold standard for interviews would be a two-piece suit in a grey or navy blue. The pattern/fabric is up to you, I would however offer that a herringbone is better for winter, subtle checks/plaids for spring/summer and pinstripes or chalk-stripes work better in financial, law or business professions. If you are not entirely sure, solid patterns are always a safe bet.

The jacket should ideally be a single breasted one can either be two or three button, (one works the best on a slim build), have a ticket pocket or not, double vents are standard for suits this side of the Channel; vent-less jackets are fine, just rather formal and single vents are too informal originating from country riding jackets. It should be well fitted in the chest by lying flat against it and the shoulders of the jacket should not protrude too much from your actual shoulders. The best way to gauge the correct jacket length is if it just about covers your seat (bottom) and when your arms are by your side you ought to be able to cup the base of the jacket with your fingers. The sleeves should reveal about half an inch of shirt cuff. Always remember to only fasten the middle button on a three button jacket to avoid creating a boxy look.

The trousers can have pleats or a flat front depending on your build; flat fronts work better on slim chaps, and I would recommend side adjusters over belt loops as they give a smoother, cleaner look to whole ensemble. Turn-ups (or cuffs) are useful in keeping the trousers in position near the shoe, so if this is a concern then go for them. The trousers should be worn at the natural waist, not the hips. This may not always be possible as most off the peg suits offer trousers with fashionable short rises. They also should have a small break at the shoe. Remember that the smaller the break the cleaner the line of the suit will look and if you are at the shorter end of the height spectrum this will present the illusion that you are taller.

Three piece and double breasted suits and are best avoided for interviews as they can often appear a little ostentatious, even though they are the most traditional.

The shirt should be in a subtle colour, white and light blue are always going to work, single or double cuffs and well fitted in the body but comfortable on the collar. The tie should harmonize with the suit and shirt and should be in muted shades or tones; burgundy, navy and dark grey will work with most shirt/suit combinations.

Working in a shoe shop, I would say that it is better to go with well polished black brogues or oxfords rather than brown as black is more subtle, even with blue suits. Feel free to accessorize with a tie bar, white pocket square and tasteful cufflinks (no Mr Men or diamante ones please). 

You do not need to spend a fortune out all of this, the fit is more important so buy the best of what you can afford and make sure it fits well. While I realize this is not the be all and end all of guides for dressing for an interview, I hope there is some useful advice here.