Ask A Quick Question

[Grand Potentate]

I traditionally hang my ties on one of those closet-space-saver multi racks. I've recently learned that some people roll their ties and store them in a drawer, or even fold them. What is the board-approved way of storing ties?

I know more people who roll them in drawers than anything else. Yet a surprising number use those Sharper Image-esque rotating tie thingies.

 

[Dropbear]

Should I buy a Sunspel Riviera polo or a Kent Wang for half the price?

 

[Grand Potentate]

Should I buy a Sunspel Riviera polo or a Kent Wang for half the price?

I was looking at Sunspel the other day. I know they're supposed to be popular, but I cannot for the life of me see what justifies that ultra high price. Kent's a good guy anyway, and I like supporting people who got their start on the forum. Verdict - Wang.

 

[Dropbear]

Thanks.

I actually bought a couple shirts from Kent nearly five years ago - back when he was still living in Austin, near the cemetary. Very nice chap! I still wear the shirts regularly and they are going strong.

 

[Chorn]

I traditionally hang my ties on one of those closet-space-saver multi racks. I've recently learned that some people roll their ties and store them in a drawer, or even fold them. What is the board-approved way of storing ties?

The best way is to lay them flat, folded in half. After that, it's a toss up between rolling and hanging. Grenadines and knits should be rolled because gravity can quickly warp them. Really though, it doesn't make too much difference between the two.

 

[Zé Ferreira]

So, come home from a wedding reception tonight to find strawberry dried and stuck to my new saddle-colored carminas. Don't know how long it was on or where it came from, because I consumed no strawberries.

I want to fucking explode. Is there any fucking way possible to remove this god damn stain from my brand new mother fucking shoes?

Or am I just straight up fucked now?

In case you can't tell, I'm pretty fucking raging right now. FUCKITY FUCK FUCK.

 

[Chorn]

Might need to get them refinished. And indeed, MoL knows what he is about when it comes to leather care. Also a real mensch

 

[Grand Potentate]

Time to get him on board the WDWV train

 

[Zé Ferreira]

Thanks for the recommendation guys. Shot him a pm on SF.

And sorry about the profanity, but I can't remember ever being this angry.

 

[Grand Potentate]

Thanks for the recommendation guys. Shot him a pm on SF.

And sorry about the profanity, but I can't remember ever being this angry.

Fruit will do that to a fella

 

[Dropbear]

Weddings are hell.


What finish do you have on those shoes? Is the leather raw and porous? Just wondering how deep the stain is.

At worst, they could be stripped and re-finished, though I'm sure the stain can be removed without going that far.

 

[Zé Ferreira]

Dropbear , shoes are cordo (so not very porous at all, IIRC) and pretty brand new, so only the factory finish. Have only been brushed by me up to now - no products yet applied.

My main concern was the rap berries have for permanently staining anything they touch when you're dealing with fabrics.

I mean, TBH, anything you do to cordo will supposedly patina away in the long run. But in the short run my shoe pretty much got screwed. No way to really hide that stain for now.

 

[Grand Potentate]

Shit, that's gonna be a tough one. Its the fact that you didn't find out about it for so long that gives me pause about a quick fix. Maybe contact Carmina and get their take on it?

 

[Zé Ferreira]

... Don't want to send my new shoes back to Spain to disappear into the labyrinth...

But I get what you're saying too; wouldn't be as big a deal if something fell and I immediately noticed it. The fact that it was dried on...

:rage-73:

 

[Grand Potentate]

... Don't want to send my new shoes back to Spain to disappear into the labyrinth...

But I get what you're saying too; wouldn't be as big a deal if something fell and I immediately noticed it. The fact that it was dried on...

:rage-73:

Well, you MIGHT not have to. If nothing else, you can send them to someone in country who specializes in Shell. Who that would be, I have no idea. But you don't necessarily have to go transatlantic to get that type of service.

 

[Zé Ferreira]

Didn't hear back from MoL. Have taken to the forvm. Will report back.

 

[Zé Ferreira]

Got anxious and tired of waiting. Killed the stain with fire.

(A through Renovateur rubdown and brush session)

Almost completely eliminated it, and at the very least made it invisible to others. Now I'm very confident that it will patina away. May use neutral cordovan creme next time to see if that will moisten it out even more.

 

[Betelgeuse]

Why wouldn't I wear a tie? I don't work on a farm.

Hahaha. You don't wear a shirt with jeans for... lets say going to a mall or a nightclub?

 

[Zé Ferreira]

Can anyone provide a picture and brief explanation of the difference between an Italian cut jacket and an English one in the modern world? I get that it's basically a difference in shoulder shape, but I'm not sure how to visualize it.

 

[Zé Ferreira]

Is shoulder therefore the only difference between various countries' cuts then?

 

[Grand Potentate]

There's a French shoulder?

 

[Grand Potentate]

Is shoulder therefore the only difference between various countries' cuts then?

No. The generalities tend to go along with body cuts as well. English being more natural, Italian being more streamlined, American being more robust. Again, just generalities, as you can find a maker in any country who cuts their suit one way or another.

 

[Zé Ferreira]

If I want to be generic/stereotypical though, English = ? And then Italian = ? Cut wise?

 

[Grand Potentate]

If I want to be generic/stereotypical though, English = ? And then Italian = ? Cut wise?

From biggest to slimmest - American, British, Italian.

 

[Betelgeuse]

Italian, British, American.

More here

http://anuntitledaddress.tumblr.com/post/49533065675/coat-shoulder-expressions-english-vs-french-vs

I'm not sure if this are the correct name of the shoulder. As far as I know, the first one is the well-known "Con Rollino", the second one is "Natural Shoulder" and the third onw is the "Spalla Camicia". But that's just the shoulder expression.

The different shoulders are achieved by doing these:

A discussion from the London Lounge explains the rational for the dramatic size difference:

This is not done for aesthetics, although the devotees of the style certainly claim it is beautiful. To the unknowing eye, it looks sloppy, like a sign of inferior tailoring. But it most definitely is not. It is not to everyone’s taste, however, and de gustibus, as the saying goes. Anyway, it is done for comfort and freedom of movement. Classic Neapolitan coats have very small armholes, very close shoulders, and relatively lean bodies—more roomy than a Roman or Continental coat, but less than traditional Savile Row, and much less than what is typically made in America. The large upper sleeve combined with the tight armhole, draped chest, fullness over the blades, and soft front canvas give the arms a most free range of movement. The coat can be worn all day, in almost any circumstance. The heat might get to you, but you will be able to do whatever it is that you need to do without having to take off your coat. (Within reason.)​

A term often used to describe Neapolitan tailoring is spalla camicia (Italian for “shirt shoulder") and manica camicia (Italian for “shirt sleeve"), both of these terms refer to a particular method of attaching the sleeve of a jacket to the body - it must be noted that although spalla camicia is associated with Neapolitan tailoring, it by itself does not define a Neapolitan jacket.
Spalla camicia refers to the usage of shirt-making techniques to attach a sleeve to the body of the jacket, but before we talk about that, we must revert back to the basics and talk about seams.

The diagram above represents the seam on a jacket where the sleeve joins the shoulder. The shoulder is shown in red, the sleeve in green, and the stitch that joins the two pieces in black. As you can imagine, it is difficult to attach two pieces of cloth right at their edges; so some excess width (called a seam allowance) is used to join the two pieces of cloth together.
After the two pieces are joined together. The seam allowance must be manipulated and tucked away. One method is to press and fold the seam allowance back onto itself (a.k.a “Pressed Open", or “Open Seam"):

A second method to manage the seam allowance is to tuck the allowance from both pieces down onto the sleeve (a.k.a “Pressed Close", or “Closed Seam"):

"Regular" (non spalla camicia) jackets manage the seam allowances of the sleevehead via these two methods; the second method is slightly more elegant as the excess bulk pushes the sleevehead up, creating a “bump" similar to roping. The Italians call thiscon rollino ("with roll").
With spalla camicia, the seam allowances are folded and tucked back onto the shoulder, like so:

This is the same method employed by shirtmakers to attach the sleeves of dress shirts; spalla camicia simply refers to the utilization of shirt-making techniques in jackets. By tucking the seam allowance against the shoulder and not against the sleeve, the jacket is allowed to follow the shape of the body and fall naturally.

When talking about Neapolitan tailoring, the discussion will invariably lead to the most famous feature of a Neapolitan jacket - the soft shoulder. The soft shoulder is a Neapolitan specialty, but it is not in itself the sole criterion that defines a Neapolitan jacket - not all Neapolitan tailors use it, and certainly not all tailors who use it are Neapolitan.
If we refer to the diagram below, we can see that there are several other common design elements to a Neapolitan jacket aside from the soft shoulder (A). Neapolitan jackets are often made with larger arms (B), wider lapels (C), more open quarters (D), and are often shorter than their British counterparts (E).

More here:
http://www.bespokenn.com/post/5277648787/what-is-a-neapolitan-jacket

Finally, I have these two jackets, that I posted in the "Tailoring Thread" (I don't remember the name of the thread) but no one commented. :challengefailed-71:

This first one is Ermenegildo Zegna, it has the "Con Rollino" shoulder.

And this is Isaia Napoli MTM (not for me) but has a Natural Shoulder, it's not the Spalla Camicia. The shoulder expression and the cut, look very different to me. :megusta-1:

Arghhhh! The images doesn't show in the quote haha. View the link.

 

[Betelgeuse]

egeuesey, I like that Isaia jacket. A LOT. Where'd you kop?

Thanks mate, I bought it from Spoo. :smuggrin:

 

[Zé Ferreira]

I considered GATs last year too, but bought some flyknits instead for a causal "sneaker-esque" thing. The guy on SF who gets them wholesale form Germany has great reviews.

 

[Grand Potentate]

Something seems off with the fit of this shirt, but I can't figure out what.

I think it's the balance: not enough material in the front, and too much in the back.

I have "erect" posture which means I lean back slightly. The front looks like it has too much tension.

Grand Potentate What's your take?

The shirt is 23'' p2p, which should more than accomodate my actual chest of 41'' (5 inch of slack)

View attachment 850

Its a bit tricky with the lighting and the white space, but the right shoulder seam seems too high. There's WAY too much material around the upper back and lower back, even despite the darts. Best guess: Seems like they added the darts in after the fact, and maybe used a mannequin to do it (if you can imagine pulling the shirt around the front of the mannequin to help with the fit).

 

[Zé Ferreira]

I normally don't get a ton of wear between my thighs on various pants (no denim blowouts yet, etc) but a specific pair of Epaulet chinos are wearing there excessively. Can't tell if the fabric is the issue, or if for some reason since getting the waist taken in they're experiencing greater friction or whatever. Any thoughts? Don't want to even start a hole and need to patch it, but the fabric is changing texture as well as draining of color.

 

[Grand Potentate]

I normally don't get a ton of wear between my thighs on various pants (no denim blowouts yet, etc) but a specific pair of Epaulet chinos are wearing there excessively. Can't tell if the fabric is the issue, or if for some reason since getting the waist taken in they're experiencing greater friction or whatever. Any thoughts? Don't want to even start a hole and need to patch it, but the fabric is changing texture as well as draining of color.

Was there a reason you had to have the waist taken in? Were they too big? Too tight material and excess material can often produce the same results.

 

[Zé Ferreira]

Buying a size up for the thigh measurement leads to an oversized waist, so was trying to have that corrected.

 

[Grand Potentate]

Buying a size up for the thigh measurement leads to an oversized waist, so was trying to have that corrected.

I figured. Take a pic of the wear area.

 

[Grand Potentate]

While still wearing them please. :drool:

I'll break out my microscope.

 

[Grand Potentate]

A competent cobbler should be able to knock that out with a few coats of polish. You'd have to keep an eye on them, but it could be done.

 

[Russell Street]

A safely subtle way I've subdued shoes of lighter color is to take a buffing brush midway through polishing a darker pair and carry it over to the lighter pair. There's a dusting of darker polish, evenly distributed.

 

[Grand Potentate]

Looking forward to the results of the experiment

 

[Chorn]

I darkened some AE neumoks and am pretty happy with the results. They were already pretty casual and the leather unpolished, so I just used some brown saphir beeswax polish. I'm using them mostly casually (shorts, jeans), but I think they could work with rougher jacket/trou combinations (tweed, coarse flannel). It's very uneven, as it was originally. Anyway, this was the original:

And I'll post the after pictures when I get home. I may very well have ruined the shoes, but I like the results so far.

 

[Grand Potentate]

My first dark brown suit. Figure Cordo #8 shoes, but what about shirt and tie? Maybe French blue shirt and dark green tie? Or light blue shirt and maroon tie?

Thoughts?

Hmmmm. How brown we talkin?

 

[Grand Potentate]

Like this -

I just don't think a white or cream shirt would work for me as I am very pale.

High melanin count is definitely not one of your strongsuits.

I honestly dont like light blue with brown, but if you had to swing it, I'd say go as light as possible.

For a tie, red would be nice. Maybe a maroon?

 

[Zé Ferreira]

Yellow shirt?

Also an experiment, but if you tried going with something a bit cooler than cream, maybe a dove grey / slate type color it would create a slightly different look. Brown suits are hard- hence, why I've always shied away.