The London Lounge

I most enjoyed reading the prior series of posts about "Daring Adventurers" and thought I'd suggest the following for reading along similar lines: Patrick Leigh Fermor: The books of his that I've read concern his early travels from the hook of Holland to the Iron Gates, but I've also enjoyed an anth...

Dear Rowly: I agree with many of the previous comments (i.e., day suit or country wear, etc.) and, as I have a suit made from fabric quite similar to 8124, I'll add the following: The fabric looks lovely made up in a suit but, in the wearing, proves to be a little brighter than you might imagine -- ...

I thank you all very much for your suggestions and welcome others. Also, I'll do my best to let everyone know where we ultimately stay and our opinions.

Thank you once more.

Best regards,

Gentlemen: I write seeking recommendations for London hotels (especially in or near Mayfair, St. James's, or the Strand) where my wife and I might stay wtih my parents for several days in May. As my wife and I will be sailing from the US to the UK -- and therefore anticipate being well-acclimated to...

You might try the Plaza Athenee at 64th and Madison. Smallish, elegant, and a bit less pricey than the Carlyle , it may not qualify as the "best" hotel in New York, but it's very well-located if you're looking for something on the upper East Side. Having stayed there several times, I've never left d...

Gentlemen: Thank you very much for your responses. As I'm out of town without my studs, I can't include a photo right now. That said, I think the mystery items are stud buttons for a waistcoat because all three are the same length. (I'm also a little miffed at myself that this didn't occur to me; my...

Gentlemen: For Christmas, my wife gave me a lovely set of vintage studs and cufflinks for my tuxedo shirts. Included among the set are what appear to be three collar studs. Although I've never worn a detachable collar, those that I've seen have required two studs only, leaving me to wonder about the...

Dear Cufflink79:

You might ask Dege. A few years ago, they made a lovely sweater for my father. Unfortunately, however, I don't know whether this was true bespoke or more along the lines of MTM.

Best regards,

Dear ks: I can speak only in generalities about Mr. Whittaker's patterns, which, I believe, are paper, but perhaps a description of the process of ordering a shirt would help. You choose a fabric for the first shirt, are measured extensively, and asked about specific points of preference. The latter...

Dear ks: I agree with Costi's comments about the request for photographs and think you may be well-served by the maker you're using. In the event you're not pleased with this maker's work, however, you might try Dege & Skinner. Robert Whittaker is Dege's shirtmaker, and he routinely visits San Franc...

Dear Paul:

You might enjoy visiting Bel y Cia at 20 Paseo de Gracia. They do RTW and bespoke. Their store is lovely and the offerings that I saw were quite nice -- so nice that my wife and I left with some. (They offer womenswear, too.)

Best regards,

All: Yesterday, a funny thing happened at the tail end of some posts about T&A neckties: Two members of this forum discussed the time it takes to receive orders from Dege, and it appears that one gentlemen was (recently?) very disappointed at the time it took to receive his order. As a Dege customer...

Dear Concordia and Dopey: Thank you for your replies. Concodia, for what it's worth, my first experience with Dege was the same as yours. By choosing woven silk in a subsequent order, and my orders after that, I've achieved nice results. I suppose that the thicker silk counterbalances the thinner li...

Dear Niall: Your message reminded me of two wonderful trips to your city. Both were for weddings, and both left me enchanted -- and a little the worse for the wear by the time the festivities were over. Unfortunately, it's been more than five years since the second trip, but, to the extent they may ...

Dear Dopey: Thank you very much for the kind message. In light of our shared experience with T&A, whose ties do you favor now? I ask because T&A isn't the only one of my old standbys to annoy me recently. The width -- or perhaps more accurately the relative lack of tapering from one end to the other...