The London Lounge

I haven’t tried this in steamy weather, but I would be disinclined to slot it into that. More of a year round evening thing that could mitigate high temperatures at banquets and opera performances.

May depend on your industry, your firm's culture-- and whether you are the ones dishing out or asking for money at a particular time.

Depends on the local culture. My guess is that former British colonies might favor darker suits for work, but there is unlikely to be a single rule.

Well, I am in. Tough to choose these days, with so many classic, non-eccentric patterns. But this would be good as 2 or 3-pc suit, or broken apart.

The lighter weight is really worth pursuing. I have an autumn tweed sample--roughly the same product as this one-- and it wears fantastically well.

For resoling, I go back to the maker even if RTW. I might bend that rule for Alden loafers, which have come back from the factory a slightly different size. But CJ and EG do OK. Toe taps as above. Heels are a little less critical, so I will risk Timpson’s in Oxford for all-rubber models.

Not quite in this triangle, but Cremona is not too far. Check out Stradivari and other makers' work at the museum.

The grey suit is more capable of fading into the woodwork. A genuinely neutral statement, which speaks more of the style and cut of the suit rather than the color. Tweeds, flannels, and mid-grey POW soften the impact in ways that wouldn't happen so easily with RAF, French blue, navy, or midnight. An...

Customs vary. The UK is more suit-friendly, but perhaps due more to thrift. A lot of older guys don't want to throw out old clothes to make room in their narrow wardrobes for flashy new sport coats and barracuda jackets. Instead, they keep the old stuff and maybe do without ties, or have a jumper on...

A lot of factors, some unrelated. The pandemic got a lot of people wondering why they should wear anything at all resembling a uniform-- which is what the lounge/business suit was for a better part of the 20th century. In the UK, you had top Tories wearing suits without ties for quite a while before...

You could do thin city rubber soles, or Ridgeway, which give good lift off the pavement without collection so much gravel as the commando style.

Make sure to use Pure Polish cream with water-resistance around the welt!

Possibly mitigated by shape of the lapel. But a useful caution to keep in mind.

Not everywhere by everyone. There are kids who get used to living in duck boots in school, and never outgrow the habit. They are not so uncomfortable that this is implausible.

I would think that nailing the accessories will put you ahead of most. A really good shirt, with classic waistcoat and not-cheesy tie (plus excellent shoes) will extinguish most of the red lights that alert people to your having rented. And because a shirt with white collar can be worn on other occa...

As in, what you would wear to a museum.