The London Lounge

I believe that Grant's style in his later years was premised on the idea that if one's face is as handsome as his, nothing one wears should arrest the eye and keep it from the face. The observations here about the style of his suiting in his later years is consistent with this hypothesis. As is the ...

My tailor counsels for lining when commissioning coats with open weave or "see-through" fabrics like frescos or mohair because he argues that, without full lining, the shirt's pattern may well be visible beneath the coat. I am skeptical about this, so I wonder if any of you with open-weave frescos s...

Was back at my tailor's (Will Field) yesterday. Turns out that there is indeed only one blue in the 90% mohair Tonik - and it is a decidedly lighter shade of navy. There was, however, a black (as well as a very dark brown, similar I would guess to Oscar Wilde's famous dinner jacket fabric). I pulled...

Yes, Dormeiul. I was looking through the book a couple of weeks ago at my tailor's shop. The darkest in the book was indeed midnight. I seem to recall three or four shades of blue. Since the primary use for the suit will be nights out, I want as dark a midnight blue as possible.

My first bespoke suit will be delivered next week (a double breasted 11 oz. French Navy Blue chalk stripe in Anglia cloth) and it's time for another commission. I have in mind a midnight blue mohair for evenings out, speaking engagements, and travel given the legendary ability of mohair to resist wr...

Michael Alden's encouragement - and my new-found passion for clothes - played a big role in keeping me going. Suits look a lot better on you when you're in shape.

I fear that a 14 oz worsted will be too hot for the spring and fall. Nice looking fabric though.

OK, the idea has been officially abandoned. Thanks for saving me money and time. I'll have to find some other nappy grey cloth for this commission. Any suggestions?

if you bought black label and have 15.5 % fat, you really must have had an impressive weight loss Indeed I did. No real trick to it; I simply joined Weight Watchers, did what they told me to do, and exercised for 30-40 minutes a day, five days a week. Took a bit more than a year. I'm not quite wher...

I ordered my first bespoke suit last month - an 11 oz French blue worsted with sky blue chalk stripes in Anglia cloth. I would like my next commission to be a three-piece Cambridge grey flannel for shoulder season wear. I'm guessing 11 oz is about as light a flannel as one can wear in good conscious...

Postscript - Having now lost 70 pounds and down to a proud 15.5% body fat number, it's time to make a decision. Unfortunately, I had to have something to wear in the here and now and couldn't wait for bespoke orders lest I wear Joseph A. Bank gunny-sacks until after the New Years .... something I ju...

Alas, I am considering a relatively inexpensive local MTM operation, so four MTMs = one bespoke suit from my local tailor. Given my tight finances this fall, I face the choice of four or five MTM suits until next Spring or - if I really stretch it - two bespoke suits. Could I really rotate two suits...

Isn't that missing the whole point-- in the bespoke world you can build a wardrobe using the right tools for the job . If you dont have enough money to do it at once, you can do it slowly. There is no magic weight... I hear you. This has been my feeling all along, but I was getting spooked by the f...

It undoubtedly is. Virtually all of the old rules regarding gentlemanly dress are an anachronism in the sense that they are unheeded far, far more than they are observed. Shall we allow majority-rule (sociologically speaking) to govern our own dress, hold stubbornly to the old sartorial customs even...

Nicholas Storey, author of A History of Men's Fashion and fellow London Lounger, would likely tell you to man-up and just wear the black shoes if you're heading to the office. Brown, burgundy, or whatever is inappropriate in the city work place ... period. Sure, brown shoes might look better, but tr...