What is Wednesday.

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 vent? (And how many should I have?)

A vent is a vertical slit on the back of jacket that rises upwards from the bottom hem – its purpose is to allow for a greater ease of movement when wearing the jacket.  There are two options to choose from – the single vent or double vent – as can be seen in the image below:

On the left is British PM David Cameron in a double vented jacket; while on the right is his Deputy PM Nick Clegg in a single vented jacket.  Both options are equally correct and look good when they lie flat and at a 90 degree angle as seen here.

Which brings up the big question – which option is preferable?  My first response to clients is always whatever looks aesthetically cleaner to their eye.  In most cases they don’t have an opinion thus response number two – do you put your hands in your pockets?  If the answer is yes then you should always choose the double vent.  The reason is the double vent creates a flap that covers your seat when your hands enter the pockets of your pants just like can be seen here:

If you don’t put your hands in your pockets then my advice is to still stick with the double vent – reason being that two vents simply allow for more ease of movement than one thus allowing us to cut the garment a touch closer in other areas.  I would also add that aesthetically it looks more balanced – but that is just my personal opinion of course!

As always please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or comments. 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 Wedsnesday.

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…the right amount of shirt cuff to show?

At a minimum you need to show a quarter inch – no questions asked.  If you want to play down the middle then a half inch is the way to go; for those wanting to push the boundary slightly you can show three quarters to a full inch – beyond that lies the danger of being a bit peacock’ish which I don’t recommend.

Why is it so important to show cuff in the first place?  It’s all about proportion and balance.  By having the shirt cuff visible at the wrist it softens the overall look and ties in with what is happening in the neck area.  Failing to do so means there is too much suit cloth which begins to overpower the overall look.

These two fellows are about as perfect as it gets – half inch on the left and a full inch on the right.  Both of these images give you a real sense of the balancing effect the pop of shirt color has at the wrist.

As always please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or comments. 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.

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…meant by having kissing buttons?

When we say the buttons are “kissing” it simply means they are touching each other.  This can occur in two ways; in the top image below you see the overlapping technique.  This creates different angles to which the buttons lie which to some is visually more interesting.  The second option can be seen in the bottom image; in this case the buttons don’t overlap but instead they are simply abutting one another.

This weeks discussion is of course a natural follow up to the relevance of the surgeon’s cuff that was discussed.  In terms of a tie in; both of these methods are possible options when using a surgeon’s cuff or when choosing a cuff that has decorative buttonholes that actually don’t function.  And lastly why would you choose one option over the other?  No reason other than aesthetics – one will simply look better to your eye and that is the one you should go with.

As always please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or comments. 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.

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 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

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…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