The London Lounge

Hello, I have been buying Oxfords from Anglo-Italian for a while now. They have a store in Marylebone and e-commerce. If you going via the latter, you may like to ask them to check the measurements, as I've had to return a few shirts with miscut sleeves. I like the fit, which is on the slimmer side ...

I have always been happy with Marcoliani and Sozzi are serving me well lately.

I’m also partial to the Japanese brand Tabio, which are very good indeed. They’re overpriced through their international websites but are only about $12 - $15 a pair in Japan.

Thank you Concordia.

I have always thought the idea of wearing linen in colder months is a bit unusual, but I am open to persuasion otherwise....

I have read, elsewhere, that a shirt collar ought to be slightly (1/4”) loose at first, as it will shrink after washing. I can’t say I’ve thought too hard about this although on reflection some of mine have gotten tighter over time. Presumably the fabric does not shrink, so it must be the interlinin...

Gents, I am about to have 6-8 shirts made up for business wear. Whites, blues, white and blue stripes: nothing to scare the horses. I am looking for a shirting that will wash and wear well over a numbers of years, and won’t crease overly by the end of a long day. I am inclined towards Thomas Mason a...

Henry: I have been tempted to commission something from the gent who does my alterations, more for the experience than the product. His style tends to favour a sleeve somewhere approaching the knuckle and...shoulder pads. Although alterations are always faithfully executed to my instructions, I susp...

Once again, I truly appreciate your bluntness! Shall we call it New York charm? Seriously though, I feel a great deal better to know that I am not going crazy here. I’ll take a firm stance and see where I get. I hope the feeling of ‘once bitten, twice shy’ passes: the inclination is very much to fle...

Regarding asking for a refund, might the etiquette be to offer to indemnify the cost of the cloth? I don’t feel like I should have to, but I am a deal maker by instinct and vocation so it might be a start.

Failing that, I suppose that I might have to have a word to the chaps at Amex...

Gents, I am very grateful for your feedback, and your bluntness. I feel very foolish for making the second payment: I did so not wanting to offend, but Old Henry’s comments align with my own feelings that the suit is almost unwearable. Certainly, it is a lot less flattering than my RTW suits that we...

Dear Couch, thank you for the feedback! Here’s a fit pic. https://scontent-nrt1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/50522619_10156768764050516_2734178499915939840_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ht=scontent-nrt1-1.xx&oh=31b433ab9e036af592188bcc58a3eb8d&oe=5CB73054 Please disregard the trou...

Apologies Couch, technology is not my forte. That link should work, however...

Gents, A quick picture ahead of a full write-up tomorrow. https://scontent-nrt1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/50088520_10156768035660516_5754757960433664_o.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_ht=scontent-nrt1-1.xx&oh=ad7d97efef2906ea4e3ea3d23088f8d1&oe=5CCAF74A https://scontent-nrt1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/50458291_10156...

Gents, I have a fitting tomorrow, and I’ve been inspired to seek to persuade my tailor to try a sewn-in pleat/dart of the Oxxford variety. May I prevail upon someone to post a picture of a well-executed example? Is the preferred placement the same as a single pleat, ie below the inner braces button?...

Gents, It’s been some 13 years that I’ve been a member of this forum, and I am pleased to say that I am at last crossing the final frontier. Herewith, a short(ish) account of the ongoing process of commissioning my first bespoke suit. The beginning I’ve spent the last decade wearing Neapolitan suiti...

Crepe-soled desert boots have taken me on plenty of overseas jaunts, although for business travel I favour black double-monks: more formal than loafers and also more forgiving on swollen feet (you can loosen the straps). While I would never wear them unbuckled as a style statement, it is a happy hal...