The London Lounge

In the end, I chose to go with Charvet. As usual, they are quite pricey but the result will, I have no doubt, be faultless.

I have decided to buy a white tie ensemble for a couple upcoming occasions. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find in Paris any bow-tie of cotton pique that is not pre-tied.

Could anybody advise me? I assume such a garment would be available from some London shops by mail-order.

alden wrote:Camps DeLuca and Cifonelli are the only two “tailoring” houses run by sons who learned the craft from very talented fathers. One hopes that their businesses prosper.

What is your opinion of Charvet for bespoke suits?

Some might consider this overkill Well, that seems like a very good "funamental care" drill. I do the same, essentially, with the exception of conditioner, which I don't use. I also alternate between neutral wax and grease for the sole (I don't know how you call that product in English, it's a wate...

Incroyable wrote:I understand that the traditional silk used for top hats is no longer made.

That was also what I heard, but if there is somebody out there still manufacturing those, I would be curious to know about it (central Europe maybe?).

I have not heard that the magazine was not published any more. It certainly was a few months ago when I last bought it, I will check if I can, still find it.

Just a small additional bit of information. There is another important dimension for quality: what are the stiffeners (in the back) and toe puffs made of? According to my shoemaker, Church's use thermoplastic toe puffs and thermoplastic or cardboard stiffeners. These are easier to work with but infe...

rjman wrote:Perhaps a glimmer of hope, Michael?

Do you think that is a good move for Old England? I have not yet noticed any improvement in Hackett, but I shall look more in detail.

manton wrote:I may re-open negotiations at a later date(...)

This post made me realize how much the relationship with one's tailor is akin to the relationship with one's spouse.

I have a question about the yoke. Why is the split yoke superior As far as I know, the main point of interest in a split yoke is that it gives the ability to have different measurements in the two shoulders. Also, an alteration tailor would therefore be able to change the length of only one shoulde...

I had the same impression. The toe appears almost ridiculous to my chiseled-toe-trained eye.

I'm curious as to the notion that both full-brogue oxfords and monkstraps are dressier than plain-toe derbies? For monkstraps, especially plain-toe ones, I think this is not debatable. For the rest, maybe some derbies with a very modern design, such as the Corthay ones with a very narrow flap, coul...

I use my trusty Lancel rollaway for planes and trains.

For a few years, J.M. Weston experimented with some sort of "advanced MTM" that was more or less similar. They were taking measures using a laser device of sorts, and were keeping the data in electronic format.

This line has been discontinued, so I have not been able to test the results.

Concordia wrote:The better-made ones that are in evidence at the Opera (about the only place he would ever dress for out there) have notch lapels.

Why not consider a shawl collar ?