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Dropbear said:
How hard is it to do some basic sewing machine stuff?

I’m not looking to start a new hobby or learn a new skill, but I have some old shirts and trousers that I could breath new life into rather than throwing them out but turning them into shorts, short sleeve shirts and/or adding some basic darts to take them in. Nothing worth paying the local tailor to do.
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Super easy if you have a sewing machine. Youtube can teach you all you need
 
Dropbear said:
A few drinks, a little knowledge and power tools. What could go wrong? 😁
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if you're going to lop off sleeves that's one thing but hemming and darting you should take to a tailor. its a pain in the ass to measure properly.
 
Hi all, here's my question. Tweed. Can be used in office? Or in urban environments? How to wear tweed in the office? I cannot escape the feeling tweed jackets/suits are for free time, activities in the country side or at least in open air.
 
WCutter said:
Hi all, here's my question. Tweed. Can be used in office? Or in urban environments? How to wear tweed in the office? I cannot escape the feeling tweed jackets/suits are for free time, activities in the country side or at least in open air.
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Whilst each office dress code is different, tweed is good for to go for me in the autumn and winter, but I probably wouldn't sport it if I was an accountant or in a government office. Certain country looks, are probably not a good around town.
 
WCutter said:
Hi all, here's my question. Tweed. Can be used in office? Or in urban environments? How to wear tweed in the office? I cannot escape the feeling tweed jackets/suits are for free time, activities in the country side or at least in open air.
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As with everything, the answer, in my view, is "it depends".
The cut and the cloth pattern will drive the answer, I would say. I have jackets I would feel very comfortable wearing in the office, whilst others I wouldn't dare.
 
Pimpernel Smith said:
Whilst each office dress code is different, tweed is good for to go for me in the autumn and winter, but I probably wouldn't sport it if I was an accountant or in a government office. Certain country looks, are probably not a good around town.
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I worked in government (7 years in city administration), there the choice was worsted, maybe flannel in winter. Where I work now, even it's a family owned business, the fashion is to avoid jacket and - god forbid - suit; at least in our subsidiary. The local joke is: if you see half of the department managers in jackets/suits - it means we have an audit from the customers. If you see them all in suits - it means the owner of the company has boarded plane and is coming to us. In this environment I raised some eyebrows when I began sporting jackets (worsted wool, linen, cord on Fridays), in tweed I'd expect that reaction cubed.
 
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belinmad said:
As with everything, the answer, in my view, is "it depends".
The cut and the cloth pattern will drive the answer, I would say. I have jackets I would feel very comfortable wearing in the office, whilst others I wouldn't dare.
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Yes, I admired recently your (three piece?) amber colored tweed suit, I was surprized that it gave a clear urban vibe.
 
I can't really be fully immersed in your situation to say, but it sounds to me like tweed would actually probably be better than a worsted given no one else wears jackets generally. It's less formal, I just wouldn't go for any wild country checks or anything.
 
WCutter said:
Hi all, here's my question. Tweed. Can be used in office? Or in urban environments? How to wear tweed in the office? I cannot escape the feeling tweed jackets/suits are for free time, activities in the country side or at least in open air.
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It depends on the office/profession.

In my profession, engineering, you can wear Donegals, herringbone's Harris and the like (basically any tweed that looks solid from a distance) and some gun clubs and houndstooths to the office, louder checks are not really suitable IMO.

However, if you can pull it off then go for it...but I suspect you can't because the kind of man who can pull it off wouldn't be asking the kind of question you're asking in the first place.
 
WCutter said:
I worked in government (7 years in city administration), there the choice was worsted, maybe flannel in winter. Where I work now, even it's a family owned business, the fashion is to avoid jacket and - god forbid - suit; at least in our subsidiary. The local joke is: if you see half of the department managers in jackets/suits - it means we have an audit from the customers. If you see them all in suits - it means the owner of the company has boarded plane and is coming to us. In this environment I raised some eyebrows when I began sporting jackets (worsted wool, linen, cord on Fridays), in tweed I'd expect that reaction cubed.
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Sometimes it's good to out dress your peers to differentiate yourself from the herd.

Hybrid working has created a less formal dynamic and since we're back in the office, I've ditched the tie, at least for now.
 
formby002 said:
It depends on the office/profession. In my profession, engineering, you can wear Donegals, herringbone's Harris and the like (basically any tweed that looks solid from a distance) and some gun clubs and houndstooths to the office, louder checks are not really suitable IMO.
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+1 on your choices, although I'm not an engineer.

With all the ideas you guys have given me I made me some rule of thumb: at the largest level - I'd tend to avoid the greens and browns who remind me too much of hunting & horse riding; I think mid-greys, charcoal and blues would work.

Then patterns and textures: I'd be inclined to stay clear of barleycorn, overchecks, windowpanes, plaids, tartans, even herringbone. Would give it a go to some finer glen checks and puppytooth/pied de poule. Seems difficult to make a clear cut rule with all these - for instance I liked some donegals which were very fine woven, while others were so coarse and rustic that I don't see them in office.
 
WCutter said:
+1 on your choices, although I'm not an engineer.

With all the ideas you guys have given me I made me some rule of thumb: at the largest level - I'd tend to avoid the greens and browns who remind me too much of hunting & horse riding; I think mid-greys, charcoal and blues would work.

Then patterns and textures: I'd be inclined to stay clear of barleycorn, overchecks, windowpanes, plaids, tartans, even herringbone. Would give it a go to some finer glen checks and puppytooth/pied de poule. Seems difficult to make a clear cut rule with all these - for instance I liked some donegals which were very fine woven, while others were so coarse and rustic that I don't see them in office.
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Some, glen checks will be fine, The hand woven Donegal's tend to be coarse, and not very good in my opinion. The machine woven ones are very nice and I'm toying with the idea of a golden brown one for my next jacket.
 
Funny you should mention it - me today
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I love tweeds, gun checks and the whole English country vibe - though when I wear it to the office people ask if I’ve been op shopping for my stuffy old grandpa clothes.

I’m actually eyeing off these two (a summer wool/silk and a winter tweed) which on on sale this weekend:

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EB4DA358-82AE-4377-B991-7621859E1BA0.webp
 
WCutter said:
+1 on your choices, although I'm not an engineer.

With all the ideas you guys have given me I made me some rule of thumb: at the largest level - I'd tend to avoid the greens and browns who remind me too much of hunting & horse riding; I think mid-greys, charcoal and blues would work.

Then patterns and textures: I'd be inclined to stay clear of barleycorn, overchecks, windowpanes, plaids, tartans, even herringbone. Would give it a go to some finer glen checks and puppytooth/pied de poule. Seems difficult to make a clear cut rule with all these - for instance I liked some donegals which were very fine woven, while others were so coarse and rustic that I don't see them in office.
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Here's a PoW Tweed which would be suitable from Lovat's Kirkton book.

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Dropbear said:
I love tweeds, gun checks and the whole English country vibe - though when I wear it to the office people ask if I’ve been op shopping for my stuffy old grandpa clothes.

I’m actually eyeing off these two (a summer wool/silk and a winter tweed) which on on sale this weekend:

View attachment 43660View attachment 43661
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Love the first one - more of a city vibe than the second one which feels a bit country to me.
I have a similar one to the first in light cashmere cut by Panico.
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Dropbear said:
I love tweeds, gun checks and the whole English country vibe - though when I wear it to the office people ask if I’ve been op shopping for my stuffy old grandpa clothes.

I’m actually eyeing off these two (a summer wool/silk and a winter tweed) which on on sale this weekend:

View attachment 43660View attachment 43661
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They both look great, still I'm more tempted by the wool/linen. I'd wear wool/linen even in winter, and here on Transylvania January brings frequently some -29 Celsius :rolleyes:
 
Grand Potentate said:
Thank god. Extremely boring people IMO.
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Think so ? ... Naaah

What I had in mind when I said agreed although I am not an engineer and my subsequent (lame) joke with the gathering of non-engineers was based on a curious observation. In my workplace most of the engineers avoid to wear jackets or suits 95-98% of the time. I tried to understand why that happens and realized most of them pride themselves with being production people, precision guys who are onto serious business and do not have time for dressing up or dandy clothes. In this environment, when you see someone in a jacket or suit, you know that person's not an engineer.

I admit my joke was too personal to be clearly understood, my bad.
 
WCutter said:
Think so ? ... Naaah

What I had in mind when I said agreed although I am not an engineer and my subsequent (lame) joke with the gathering of non-engineers was based on a curious observation. In my workplace most of the engineers avoid to wear jackets or suits 95-98% of the time. I tried to understand why that happens and realized most of them pride themselves with being production people, precision guys who are onto serious business and do not have time for dressing up or dandy clothes. In this environment, when you see someone in a jacket or suit, you know that person's not an engineer.

I admit my joke was too personal to be clearly understood, my bad.
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Well, each to their own, but one of the reasons I like bespoke tailoring is because I have been surrounded by, in both my professional and personal life by skilled individuals. I love and appreciate craftsmanship.
 
WCutter said:
always

what tweed do you wear to office?

PS: nice one from gary numan
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Everything from houndstooths, donegals to gamekeeper tweeds. Although the latter very rarely.

I wouldn't wear any of the above for a meeting with a client.
WCutter said:
Think so ? ... Naaah

What I had in mind when I said agreed although I am not an engineer and my subsequent (lame) joke with the gathering of non-engineers was based on a curious observation. In my workplace most of the engineers avoid to wear jackets or suits 95-98% of the time. I tried to understand why that happens and realized most of them pride themselves with being production people, precision guys who are onto serious business and do not have time for dressing up or dandy clothes. In this environment, when you see someone in a jacket or suit, you know that person's not an engineer.

I admit my joke was too personal to be clearly understood, my bad.
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There's elements of truth in that, engineers are typically not known for their sartorial finesse and it was seen as a virtue to be not interested in clothes. Just getting the job done. The stereotype is someone who's into the mechanics and not the dealing or negotiating with people side of things. I knew a lead rotating equipment engineer who dressed in colourful waistcoats and had a chain watch, eccentric looking, but he was top of his game so could get away with it.
 
WCutter said:
Yeap. Would not mind to go to office with one like that.

But is it a tweed? Seems so fine!
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To me there's City Tweeds and Country Tweeds. The country ones are thick and rough like Harris. Its a bit like the difference between Wool Flannels and Worsted Flannels even though they are all wool.
 
Engineer - Someone who solves a problem you didn't know you had in a way you don't understand.
 
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