Category Archives: Tailoring

What is Wednesday #12

What is Wednesday.

This weekly Wednesday post is aimed at answering some of the more basic and critical aspects of tailoring and the terminology we use to describe them. It stems from realizing that I’m constantly throwing out different terms with my clients and quite often they’re unsure as to what I exactly mean. The goal of this section then is to alleviate this terminology gap and provide you with some know-how to talk tailoring with a little more ease.

What is…a shoulder pad and why do we use them?

Typically made of canvas, felt and/or polyester fleece – shoulder pads are shaped roughly like a half moon and extend from the shoulder seam back over the shoulder itself. They’re intended to create an even shape over the shoulder to allow the jacket to have a perfect platform from which to hang over the chest and back. Throughout time they’ve come in a variety of shapes and sizes – from the bigger styles of the 80’s to the smaller version we generally see today.

The top image we see below is an example of roughly the middle ground. Double the the thickness of the white felt in the middle and we’re getting into Gordon Gekko territory and the power suit of the 80’s. Reduce the felt just just thinnest of layers and now you have a sense of what today’s lightly padded jacket contain.

In terms of the why; the Greek God Ares shows us how the shoulder area is anything but uniform. In fact it’s much like a mountainous region – there are peaks and valleys and no two are the same. Some have a lot of muscle and are round in shape, others are bony and angular, while others yet are mix of both. And this is where the pad comes in – its role is to smooth over these variations and establish and even shape from which the jacket’s shoulders will sit.

Lastly a note on size; generally less is more. The style of the moment is all about reducing padding and having the shoulders appear as natural as possible. This is especially important for muscular guys as there is no need to come across looking like an NFL linebacker.

As always please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions. Better yet book a free appointment and we can banter in person and see if we might be a good fit to work together.

Take care – Michael

info@martinfishertailors.com

The Absolute Basics: 5 Keys To Suit Care

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Whether you’re new to wearing suits or you’re a veteran of the game it’s always good to get a refresher on the keys to caring for your suits. These are the absolute basics and will keep your suits both looking crisp and in the best condition possible for a longer life. For a few other tips have a quick look at this earlier journal post from last year.

The Absolute Basics: 5 Keys To Suit Care

1. Proper Hangers

This one is easy – it’s just a matter of making it a priority and getting it done. Dress clothing is expensive and an investment thus you need to treat them exactly as such. Two hangers are needed:

A) Jacket Hanger

Two keys here; firstly the width at the end of the hanger needs to be substantial coming in at a minimum of 2″ in width. This is necessary to support the shoulders of the jacket and enable the roundness of a perfect shoulder to be maintained. The second key is the actual length of the entire hanger; it needs to be long enough that the ends are supporting the shoulders but not too long whereby they push past the shoulder seam and distort how the sleeves fall.

B) Pant Hanger

Always folded along the center crease to maintain a crisp appearance and always hung upside down from the pant bottoms. Gravity combined with the fact that the waist band is heavier means the legs of the pants will be taut and hence the wrinkles and creases from daily wear will fall out of the pant.

2. Space

Giving your clothes room to breath is crucial – both right after use and in how they are stored. Nothing is worse than after a long day of use you cram your suit back into a tight closet for the days wrinkles and smells to remain firmly in place.

Instead begin by letting your clothes hang out in the open for awhile – ultimately by a window – and let air circulate around them. This will allow any heat and moisture from your body to dissipate and with it the associated smells. When it’s time to put them away the key is to again have some room to let them breath – a rough rule being to have one inch on either side enabling the garment to hang freely. Pay particular attention to jacket lapels – they get easily distorted and miss-shapen when pressed up against the back of another jacket.

3. Spot Clean

Any time you get a stain or spill something make sure you spot clean. Simply take a damp hand towel and carefully dab at the foreign substance. Be sure to avoid wiping and pushing the substance deeper into the cloth; rather use a twist and lift motion so as to ‘pull’ it out of the garment and into the hand towel. When done make sure you allow the area to completely dry and then lightly brush any remaining excess off.

Crucial – only after going through this process and it failing to lift the substance do you consider going to a dry cleaner to deal with a stain. The chemicals used in the dry cleaning process are very harsh and as such we should only dry clean our dress clothing 1-2 times a year at most.

4. Brushing

The ultimate goal should be to brush down your suits after every use; reality though means this is unlikely thus let’s settle on every second wear. Brushing is crucial as it gets rid of the surface dust and grime that accumulates on the cloth in daily use. Failing to do so means over time the natural pores of the wool fibers become clogged and filled with these particles resulting in a lifeless and often dingy smelling cloth.

How? Go to any shoe store or cobbler and get yourself a five inch shoe brush with soft bristles made of hoarse hair. Lightly brush the coat after each use; start at the shoulders and work your way along the collar and down the lapels. Next look after the body of the coat before completing the process with the sleeves. As you do this you will visually see the cloth ‘perking’ up as the fibers are opened, cleaned and given room to breath. Think of it as the clothing equivalent of washing your face! As for the pants it’s much the same though pay particular attention to the seat and pant bottoms; it’s amazing what we sit on in a day and the amount of splatter that comes up off the ground as we walk.

5. Awareness

As you go through all of the above steps make sure to take a look at your clothes and keep tabs on their general wear and tear. Check under the arms and crotch area to see how the cloth is standing up to the inevitable rubbing, check on the stitches of the seat and across your blades for signs of stress, make sure all the threads of your buttons are firm and not starting to fray, etc. Being on top of the little things means we can address them before the become full blown problems and are much more difficult to deal with.

I hope this quick list helps – and inspires – you to take a touch more care with your clothing. As I stated at the beginning a wardrobe takes time, effort and funds to build thus maintenance and care are crucial for longevity. As always please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions. Better yet book a free appointment and we can banter in person and see if we might be a good fit to work together.

Take care – Michael

info@martinfishertailors.com

Friday Style Debate: to turtleneck under the jacket or not?

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Time to debate!

Friday Style Debate: to turtleneck under the jacket or not?

Over the last few seasons the 60’s throw back of the turtleneck under a jacket has re-emerged and it shows no signs of slowing down as of yet. At this point everything is fair game – whether it’s a thin turtleneck or something more chunky; or whether it’s combined with an odd jacket, a blazer or a full blown suit.

The main question of course is how do we feel about it – are we on board with the style or is the overall look a bit too contrived for your tastes? Perhaps the individual needs a touch of je ne sais quoi to pull it off?

Personally I’m starting to warm up to it after a bit of a slow start. This feeling was enhanced by a client who dropped by for a fitting last week executing the look beautifully – that said he has a hint of je ne sais quoi assisting him though!

Let the debate begin…

What is Wednesday #11

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What is Wednesday.

What is…a sleave-head?

A sleeve-head is a rectangular’ish shaped strip of felt and canvas that supports the cap of the sleeve. The idea is to create a soft and even fall at the top of the sleeve rather than having the cap collapse.

I say rectangular’ish because the sleeve-head is actually curved as it’s designed to support the round part of the sleeve as it goes over the shoulder. The image below will give you a better sense of the actual shape before it is attached.

The white stripe on top is the felt while the bottom pieces are the canvas. It’s important to note that the type of canvas is different than what we use in the chest of the jacket. In this case it is a broken twill; it is denser and has more roll to it which is critical to properly support the top of the sleeve while still creating an overall soft feeling.

The above images will give you a better sense of where the sleeve-head actually sits. At the top you see how the sleeve-head is inserted – do note that this example is an inside-out shoulder. I’ve done this to show you how it is positioned in relations to the shoulder seam; the sleeve-head itself is the canvas bit that you see protruding out from the rounded area of the shoulder. The image on the low left shows it laid over a finished jacket in the proper location. Like I mentioned the key aspect is that it is set to protrude over the shoulder seam and into the top of the sleeve itself. As the sleeve rolls downward over the shoulder the sleeve-head is what creates the roll enabling the sleeve to softly flow over the deltoid rather than collapsing and creating a divot. The image in the right corner is a perfect example of this.

Make sense? This one is definitely a touch on the technical side but is critical in helping you wade through the noise that accompanies suit terminology. As always please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions. Better yet book a free appointment and we can banter in person and see if we might be a good fit to work together.

Take care – Michael

info@martinfishertailors.com

Introducing Tone-On-Tone Micro Pattern Cloth…

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Recently a client came to me with a simple request; when viewed from across the room he wanted a black suit that screamed classic elegance only for it to morph into something with a real sense of visual interest as the viewer got closer. The answer – the tone-on-tone micro pattern cloth.

Introducing tone-on-tone micro pattern cloth.

I’ll start with the micro pattern itself – it simply refers to an extremely small pattern that is found in the cloth. The tone-on-tone part means it’s done in the same color thus creating a very subtle effect – from distance the cloth looks basic and flat while up close it takes on a radically different surface interest.

The micro pattern aspect of this is not new as cloths such as a nailhead, a pin dot, bird’s eye, herringbone, and houndstooth have been around from the beginning – some examples of which are seen below.

What is a slight – though major – change is the trend towards doing it in the same color. This enables what have traditionally been less formal cloths to have a new lease on life as more formal cloths. Simply put; the weaker the contrast the more formal the cloth.

Perhaps the most clear example of this is found in the shift of how herringbone is being used. Traditionally it was used as more of a sports coat cloth; done with a distinct lighter and darker color and typically with a 1/4″ inch pattern as we see below.

The newer version however is done only in the single color and the width of the pattern is often reduced – sometimes being seen in the more traditional 1/4″ inch but also being done in a 1/8″ inch width. The resulting effect is a more elegant appearance and a suit that can be worn in a far wider range of settings as a result. Below are two great examples – so good in fact that in both cases you’d be hard pressed to even know they are a herringbone.

There are two other influences to mention with the rise of the tone-on-tone micro pattern – the first being the increased use of “fancy” cloths in the business or standard suit setting. Most fabric mills in the world use the term “fancy” to describe their most formal cloths – those used for black tie and other formal styles of suits. In recent seasons the offerings in this area have increased but more importantly they’ve become more subtle. Different styles of weaves and patterns have emerged and a defining factor has been tone-on-tone pattern. Cut as a tuxedo such styles of cloth provide an understated elegance; when done in a standard business cut it elevates the suit by giving it a hint pizzazz that subtly differentiates the cloth from other more traditional business styles.

The image above is a perfect example of this traditional “fancy” cloth. In fact these images are of the suit to which I began this article describing – a classic black suit from a distance but morphing into a greater surface interest as you get closer. The cloth in the images below are other versions of this – you can see the pattern in these extremely close-up shots but as you step back to the five to seven foot range it simply becomes a solid.

The second influence to keep in mind is that of the athleisure trend that has emerged over the last year or so. For those unfamiliar with this term it refers to the blend of streetwear, fashion and athletic gear; examples such as Stella McCartney designing for Adidas or Pharrell Williams collaborating with the likes of Louis Vuitton. The main impact on the the tailoring side of things is the advancements being made in the development of technical fabrics that are crossing from the sport world into the world of fashion. While these technical cloths are woven to achieve performance benefits they have also influenced the look and design of cloths in general to the point that the traditional fabric mills are paying attention. To get a better sense of this simply look at the cloths being used in the latest collections by major fashion brands such as Prada, Burberry and Luis Vuitton.

As always I’d love to hear your opinions on this or any sartorial subject for that matter. Better yet book a free appointment and we can banter in person and see if we might be a good fit to work together.

Take care – Michael

info@martinfishertailors.com

Friday Style Debate: to roll your dress shirt sleeves or not?

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Time to debate!

Friday Style Debate: to roll your dress shirt sleeves or not?

This is no definitive rule on this matter thus it’s a subject totally open for debate and to the whims of your personal sense of style.

I’ll get the ball rolling as for me the moment your jacket comes off the sleeves must go up. This is the case regardless as to whether you are wearing a tie or not. A dress shirt is exactly that – and by that I mean it’s dressy and to be worn to a certain degree of formality. The moment a jacket is removed or not worn in the first place means the formality of the situation has been lowered and hence it’s time to roll. As such I think the guy on the right looks comical – he’s totally looking formal but lacking the most important element of the look in the jacket. The fellow on the left however looks completely put together.

Do you agree? Disagree? Perhaps you have another theory as to what you do in certain situations? Either way I’d love to hear your opinions on this subject matter – I look forward to hearing from you.

Let the debate begin…

What is Wednesday #10.

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What is Wednesday.

What is…soft tailoring?

Soft tailoring is a bit of a catch-all phrase for describing a style of jacket that has removed all or a good amount of the materials on the inside of the jacket. The result is a jacket that will be light, airy and allows the wearer’s body to viewed as it is – in essence it will feel more like a sweater than a typical jacket.

For those of you who have been following the series up to this point you’ll know that we’ve discussed the natural shoulder line in #7, the difference between a natural and unstructured shoulder in #8 the concept of a jacket’s expression and structure in #9. All of these elements put together get us to this point where we arrive at either soft tailoring or a more structured style of tailoring.

The two images above are both examples of soft tailoring. The top is on the more structured side of soft tailoring while the bottom image is as unstructured and soft as one can find. The difference? The top image simply has an extra layer of canvas over the shoulder area that provides a touch more roundness in the appearance of the shoulder. Both examples are still light and airy but the more unstructured and soft you go the more fluid the jacket becomes. To some this is the pinnacle of tailoring whereas to others it looses the shape that one is looking to achieve by wearing a jacket in the first place. At the end of the day it’s all about personal preference.

As its been lately this is again a touch technical but also critical in helping you wade through the noise that accompanies suit terminology. As always please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions. Better yet book a free appointment and we can banter in person and see if we might be a good fit to work together.

Take care – Michael

info@martinfishertailors.com

Friday Style Debate: who wears the odd suit best?

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Time to Debate!

Friday Style Debate: who wears the odd suit best?

This is a fitting subject matter considering the debate always falls on the traditional business casual day that is Friday. Last week I received a text message urging me to do a debate featuring well executed odd suit combinations – the impetus being that this person was seeing too many guys in the office dressing down suit jackets with poorly executed casual pant.

As such here are two examples of very solid odd suit execution – in this case both going with the timeless and classic blue + grey combo. By breaking things up you’re clearly dropping on the formality scale but you’re keeping things elevated at the same time. To be more casual still it’s an easy play – especially for the guy on the right. Drop the tie and he’s just as perfect as the layering cardigan brings a bit of a pop from a color and texture point of view yet he’s totally put together. For those who want a bit more information check out this previous post on the odd suit that I posted a few months back. Let me know if you have any questions and/or thoughts.

So – let’s get down to business. Who is wearing the odd suit the best? I’d love to hear you thoughts on this one – let the debate begin…

What is Wednesday #9

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What is Wednesday.

What is…meant by a jacket’s expression and structure?

Suit nerds like me love to banter about this subject; at its most basic level though it refers to what happens on the inside the jacket. This is because the level of structure on the inside of a jacket determines the expression of the jacket on the outside. With structure it comes down to firmness – the more structure the more firm and armour-like the jacket becomes. Conversely the less structure the softer and more sweater-like the jacket becomes. Inside a jacket you will find different layers of canvas, horsehair, felt, shoulder padding, sleeve-heads and wadding – it’s how these materials are combined that determines the level of firmness and overall structure of the jacket.

In the images above on the left we have a great view into how this influences the shoulder area. This is an example of relatively light padding – the goal in this case being to achieve a smooth ark over the ditch that naturally occurs above the collarbone while not adding any excess bulk. The result is an expression in the shoulders that creates a feeling or mood that is generally light and natural – much like we see in the image on the right.

Another reason I’ve chosen this image is because it shows the connection between the expression of a jacket in relation to how we cut the shoulders. In this case shoulders have been pushed slightly wider than normal as the blue lines indicate. The red indicates where the shoulder seam could have been placed for a completely different look and mood for the jacket. By cutting wider and combining it with a light structure the expression of the jacket on the whole is one of softness.

Make sense? Again this is touch technical but critical in helping you wade through the noise that accompanies is suit terminology. As always please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions. Better yet book a free appointment and we can banter in person and see if we might be a good fit to work together.

Take care – Michael

info@martinfishertailors.com

Want to look your best? It’s all about fluidity…

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Unquestionably the concept of fluidity is the most underrated subject in men’s clothing today. Go back a decade and we had too much fluidity; clothes in general often crossed the line towards being baggy. Recently of course it’s the exact opposite as silhouettes have become trimmer; often verging on too tight.

Want to look your best? It’s all about fluidity…

When I talk about fluidity what I’m getting at is how your clothes interact with your body – particularly in movement. It’s a given that as we move our clothes will inevitably move with us. The key though is that like a good athlete our clothes must move as “quietly and smoothly” as possible with each our movements – regardless of how big or small they are.

The two images above show this principle perfectly. Both guys are in full stride yet the clothes show no hint of strain at all – there is a softness and comfort that is almost visible to us. At the end of the day this more than anything else is exactly the point of tailored clothing.

How clothes interact with your body.

Before I get into what quiet and smooth movement looks like I want to paint a picture of the opposite – of what we could refer to as a “louder” style of movement.

Interestingly the impact of clothes that are too loose and too tight are somewhat similar. In the case of overly baggy clothing you swim in the excess cloth; the result of this is that all of that extra bulk gathers in certain areas and constantly responds to even the most subtle movements of your body.

With clothing that is too tight we see the exact same problem with constant movement; in this case though it’s due to the fact that the clothes are clinging to the body. The result is that with each movement of the body there is a pull, a twist or a riding up of the garment.

Two different fits with one problem – constant movement. In the end the wearer has to contend with non-stop fidgeting as they try to control the garment; not exactly pleasant, comfortable or pleasing to the eye.

Fluidity.

To achieve fluidity we need to strike a balance between the two extremes of baggy and tight. As such the aim is to cut a garment that eliminates all unnecessary excess while still having enough of it strategically placed to enable the body to move in an unhindered fashion. The trick with this is to stick to the “less is more” approach – particularly when dealing with a trimmer silhouette. By that I mean cutting “less” aggressive in terms of how close we fit the garment to the body. It’s important to keep in mind that any hint of strain on the garment when you’re not moving is magnified when you are. The advertising of modern fashion has made this point very difficult to hammer home; strains and pulls have become the norm on the pages of GQ and on the mannequins in stores. The problem though – neither models or mannequins are required to move.

In the end what we’re really looking for is a general softness in the garment; we want it to move effortlessly with the body as much as necessary but not a hint more. While a lot of this is achieved by how we cut the pattern for the garment another key element of this is allowing the characteristics of the cloth itself to be expressed. The drape of the cloth is hugely important and by allowing it some room to breath in relation to the body the overall garment will often appear slimmer than it actually is.

It is this aspect of the tailoring game which can become quite addictive. Every aspect is a process and an evolution whereby the tailor and the client collaborate to strike the perfect balance in terms of how the clothes look and feel. Add a half here, take away a quarter inch there – it’s the little details that make the difference.

Take care – Michael

info@martinfishertailors.com