Tag Archives: what is…series

What is Wednesday #30

What is Wednesday.

WIW#30 - waist ease

This weekly What is 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…meant by waist ease?

We’re picking up from where we left off last week in regards to discussing a true waist.  When we make a pant from scratch we always add a touch of ease at the waistband as opposed to making it the exact same width as the tape measurement.  For example; if the waist measurement is 34″ then it is typical to add anywhere from a 1/4 to 1″ of ease.  This is done to make the pant more comfortable for the wearer as well as to account for the slight fluctuation that occurs in the waistline throughout the day due to eating and drinking.

How much ease should you add?  That is a very personal question thus it comes down to what feels right for each individual.  Put it this way – a pant should never “need” a belt rather the choice to wear one is to “finish off” a look off as opposed to be there to hold the pants up.  To give a touch more guidance; on a personal level I prefer a relatively snug fitting waistband hence I go with a 1/2″ of ease.  I find this amount accounts nicely for my standard weight fluctuations and is comfortable in terms of where it sits on my waist.  That said I have clients who want it “on the verge” of tight and choose a 1/4″; while others prefer to use a belt and go with 3/4 to 1″ of ease.

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

What is Wednesday #29

What is Wednesday.

WIW#29 - +1

This weekly What is 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…the difference between a true waist and a +1 waist?

This is simply a discussion about vanity sizing.  I’ll start with the true waist – if it says the waist is 34″ then that is exactly what it will measure.  A +1 waist is where the vanity comes in – it will say the waist is 34″ but in reality it will in fact measure 35″.  Simple enough – or is it?

It’s not simple at all.  When you’re out buying off-the-peg clothes you are never told – be it on the label or from salespeople – if it’s a true waist or a +1 scenario.  In fact in certain scenarios – particularly with jeans – that +1 will increase all the way up to +2″.  This is why it’s critical to always try on clothes to make sure the fit is totally to your satisfaction.  The other option of course is to simply visit a tailor who will always make your clothes with a true waist – plus a little ease of course.  More on that subject next week.

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

What is Wednesday #28

What is Wednesday.

WIW#28

This weekly What is 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…meant by the drop between a jacket and pant?

A crucial concept to understand – particularly when buying a suit off the peg.  The drop simply refers to the difference between the chest measurement of the jacket  and the waist measurement of the pant.  A standard drop these days is 6 or 7 inches; as such a size 40 jacket will have a 34 or 33 inch waist.  A size 42 would then have a 36 or 35 inch waist; while a size 38 would have a 32 or 31 inch waist.  Pretty simple in the end.

The key however is how much alteration tailoring can occur in the pants waist and seat area; this is crucial for when the suits drop does not combine with your actual measurements.  I’ll use myself as an example as I wear a size 39 jacket and thus the pants would have either a 33 or 32 inch waist; this is a problem as my waist is a 34.  Check back next week as I’ll build on this critical theme.

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

What is Wednesday #27

What is Wednesday.

WIW #27 - rise

This weekly What is 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…meant by the pant’s rise?

In simplest terms the rise is the distance between the bottom of the crotch and the top of the waistband.  Generally this distance will be between 9-11 inches in length; pushing up to 12 and down to 8 in extreme cases.

In the image below you will see three lines; at the top is the waistband, at the bottom is the base of the crotch and in between is the middle point:

WIW #27 - rise II

The easiest way to understand the rise is to imagine cutting the pant along the line of the middle point.   If you want to increase (or lengthen) the rise you would open the pant at that level and add more height; the result being the crotch point would lower and the waistband would get higher.  Conversely if you want to reduce (or shorten) the rise you would take away length at that point; the result being the crotch point would raise and the waistband would get lower.

The idea with the rise is to get the right amount of proportional length in the mid section for your body; one that doesn’t make it appear too long nor too short.  It also assists with comfort ; too little or too much room for your “boys” is something we generally strive to avoid.

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

 

 

What is Wednesday #26

What is Wednesday.

WIW#26 - unlined jackets

This weekly What is 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…meant by a half-lined and unlined jacket?

I’m going to assume that everyone is comfortable with the idea of a full lining; they make up the bulk of jackets and as the name implies they cover the entire inside of the garment. Considerably less common in our climate is the half-lined and unlined varieties.  I’ll start with their similarities; firstly both will always have lining in the sleeves as this enables the jacket to easily pass over the arms.  Secondly both will have the inside of the front “lined” with the same cloth as the jacket itself; this is necessary to cover the canvas that runs along the front of the jacket and provides it with its shape.

WIW#26 - unlined jackets II

As for the differences; it simply comes down to whether or not there is lining covering the upper back area.  As you can see in the image above there is such coverage – the result is this is a half-lined jacket.  No upper coverage and it becomes unlined – pretty simple really.

The idea behind having the lining is that it allows for the jacket to move smoothly over the shoulders; something which comes into play when the cloth is a touch rougher resulting in friction between the shirt and the jacket.  This effect is both uncomfortable for the wearer and leads to unnecessary wear and tear on both pieces hence the half-lining option.  Smoother cloths simply don’t need the layer.

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

What Is Wednesday #25

What is Wednesday.

WIW#25

This weekly What is 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 ticket pocket?

This week marks the final post on the type of front pocket options that are available to us.  To review – our first look was at the range of standard pockets; that was followed by last week’s post on the slanted pocket while this week we look at the ticket pocket.

The ticket pocket refers to the mini pocket that sits above the main hip pocket.  It’s important to note that it is only found only on one side; typically it’s the right side though there is no reason a left handed person cannot request for it to be moved over to the left.

WIW#25 II

From a style perspective any combination of the pockets we’ve discussed is possible.  As you can see in the images above the ticket pocket can paired with either the slanted style pocket (left) or the flat sitting pocket (right).  The vast majority of the time the ticket pocket will match the main pocket in terms of being a besom, flap or patch style.  While that is the norm it is most definitely not necessary; in fact combining different styles is a great way to personalize a jacket and differentiate it from the others out there.

As for the why it exists – just like the hacking pocket it goes back to how things used to be in good old England.  Originally it was referred to as a change pocket. In the days when horseback was the main mode of transport it was where equestrians would keep change to pay at toll points that they routinely would pass; it was a nice touch that meant they didn’t have to reach into the internal pockets of the jacket.  Fast forward to the Industrial Revolution and the growth of the commuter railway and the change pocket becomes known as the ticket pocket.  As for today – a bus or rail pass, business cards, your fob, keys or if you’re looking for a dash of dandyism you might want to throw a pocket watch in there for dramatic effect.

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

 

 

What Is Wednesday #24

What is Wednesday.

WIW#24 - slanted pocket

This weekly What is 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 slanted pocket?

Last week the discussion was about the different styles of pockets; this week is all about the different angles for those pockets.  In the three examples used last week all of them had straight pockets – that is a pocket that sat perpendicular to the center front of the jacket.  This by far represents the vast majority of suit jackets and sportscoats.

WIW#24 - slanted pocket II

The good news is that slanted pockets are very easy to understand.  As the name implies and you can see in the image above it simply refers to a pocket that is on an angle; for the most part the angle is downwards from the center of the jacket towards the hip.  The degree of the angle can be very subtle – 15 degrees or so – or it can be quite aggressive getting close to 40 degrees in certain cases.  This style is often referred to as a hacking pocket; a name that comes to us from the country pursuit of horseback riding as “to hack” is to ride a horse for light exercise.  Why the connotation to horse riding?  Because gentleman back in the day always rode horses in a jacket; as such it was easier to get your hand in the pocket when riding if the pocket was on an angle as opposed to being straight across.

As for today – it simply comes down personal taste and nothing else.  Some people hold the view that the slanted pocket makes the torso appear slimmer when cut in conjunction with a nipped waist.  To others it represents a way to subtly differentiate the jacket from the majority of straight pockets we usually see.  While others yet might feel it’s a touch rake’ish for their liking.  As I said it’s all about personal taste and what looks good to your personal eye.

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

What Is Wednesday #23

What is Wednesday.

WIW#23 - pockets II

This weekly What is 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 patch, besom & flap pocket?

A pretty simple topic this week – specifically we’re talking about the styles of front pockets found on suit jackets, sportcoats or blazers.  Generally there are three kinds – patch, besom and flap.

WIW#23 - pockets

On the outsides we have the patch and flap styles – both are easy to remember as they are simply physical descriptions of the pocket.  As for the besom style – if anyone can let me know where the name comes from I’d be much obliged as I can’t seem to find an answer.

The big question though – which style to choose and when?  The easy answer is whatever you aesthetically prefer – today the rules are interpreted quite loosely and you’ll see all three styles with relative frequency.  That said the most formal of the bunch is the besom style – it is typically what you would find on a tuxedo and black tie jackets; however as you can see in the image above it also just as useful with a standard suit.  On the other end of the spectrum is the patch pocket – definitely the most casual of the three.  Traditionally found on sportcoats and blazers; they are presently gaining a lot of momentum and finding their way into more standard suits.  They are in fact a great way to relax a suit and give it a touch more playfulness.  As for the flap style – it sits right in the middle and will forever be the most popular choice for its versatility which enables it to be equally appropriate in both formal and more casual environments.

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

What is Wednesday #22

What is Wednesday.

WIW#22 II

This weekly What is 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…meant by open or closed quarters?

This is a natural follow up to last weeks discussion about the nuances of the jackets skirt – here is the link if you didn’t get a chance to give it a read.  While the skirt deals with the amount of flare that occurs in the bottom third of the jacket; open or closed quarters specifically deals with whats happening at the center front of the jacket from the fastening button down to the bottom.  In image below on the left you have an example of closed quarters, while on the right we see open quarters.

WIW #22 alter

What is the difference?  Quite simply it refers to the amount of opening that occurs below the fastening button.  With the closed quarters on the left there is little to no opening at all. Comparatively with open quarters we get a big opening that essentially mimics what happens from the button up to the collar.

Which one is better?  Neither – it’s all about aethetics and whatever looks visually right to you is the option you should choose.  The reality though is that we see a lot more open quarters jackets than closed.  In general it’s a softer look as there is simply less cloth visually in the mid section – this allows for more contrast as there is often a glimpse of the shirt, tie or sweater in this case.

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

What is Wednesday #21

What is Wednesday.

WIW#21

This weekly What is 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…the skirt of a jacket?

The skirt simply refers to the bottom third of the jacket – roughly from the level of the second button down to the hem.  You will always find in the skirt the lower front pockets as well as the back vents.

Now that we know what the skirt is – let’s shift to what role it plays with the look and feel of a jacket.  As we learned in What is Wednesday #4 the button stance represents the thinnest part of the jacket; from this point down the jacket’s width is actually increasing in circumference as it transitions into the skirt and sweeps over the hips.  The look and feel of a jacket is really influenced by the amount of flare that is added – or lack there of – as it flows over the hips and the seat.

WIW#21 II

The difference is clearly shown in the two images above.  The fellow on the left has much more fullness – or width in the circumference – which allows the skirt to softly flow over his hips and seat.  The fellow on the right has little to no ease at all as you can see the jacket is hugging his hips.  If you could see the side view it would be hugging his seat in the same way.  To hammer this home look at each of their right thighs – on the left there is a good two fingers of space whereas on the right there is none.

Which is correct?  Both are – it all depends on the look and feel you want the jacket to give and more importantly is impacted by the proportions of your body. The fellow on the left is much broader in the shoulders and chest; as such he has chosen more fullness in the skirt because it balances out the top and bottom of the jacket. If his jacket hugged his hips it would have the effect of making his chest and shoulders actually appear disproportionate to the rest of his body.  The fellow on the right meanwhile doesn’t have to worry about this as he is rail thin from the top all the way to the bottom.  In this case he has chosen to keep the line of the silhouette quite straight; he equally could push the skirt outwards a bit in an attempt to create a more dramatic sweeping silhouette.  At the end of the day it all comes down to a personal choice.

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