Survey results: Who will be your next tailor?

[garu]

For the curious:

http://mangahelpers.com/m/ousamanoshitateyasartofinito

Scroll down to the "Summary and Preview" section, click on the first image (Chapter 129, page 1), then click on "next" at the top of the frame.

Good luck!

Personally, I refuse to accept that Manga is culturally significant: it is what it is...and only that. Your mileage, as they say, may differ.

Ta,
garu

[erasmus]

Point well taken garu about the standards of dress in Japan. After all, Japan is a society in which government officials (ministers I believe) still appear in morning dress on ceremonial occasions. The Japanese also were the first to "discover" previously unknown Neapolitan, Florentine, etc tailors a dozen years before anyone on the English language clothing forums picked up on them.

Also it seems that many of the best shoe aficionado websites are in fact Japanese and their men's clothing magazines (Men's Ex, Leon) are far better than GQ and Esquire. Their obsession with quality also goes beyond mere consumption of goods but also to production. Quite a few of the cordwainer apprentices who have trained in recent years in both Italy and England come from Japan.

[Guest]

is Cheo better than Logsdail, or are they both worth trying out? Can anyone with experience respond, please.

[garu]

Point well taken garu about the standards of dress in Japan. After all, Japan is a society in which government officials (ministers I believe) still appear in morning dress on ceremonial occasions.

Not only government officials or ministers, erasmus. The year (fiscal year) starts on the first of April in Japan (because life starts in Spring), and at my company's Opening Ceremony, held in the first week of April, Morning Dress is highly encouraged (that is, one is not required to wear Morning Dress, but if one does not do so it is duly noted - and in Japan it is not good to be duly noted for such a thing). If one is not able to wear Morning Dress (for example, if one is a new or a young employee), one should wear a black suit, black oxfords, white shirt, and either a silver tie, white or cream tie (long, not bow), or white tie with black stripes. Other forms of dress are not acceptable. These rules are for men, of course; ladies have a different code.

My employer requires gentlemen to wear a jacket and tie, and a suit when appropriate. Sadly, shoes can be a problem here. There are outside shoes (the shoes one wears to work) and inside shoes (the shoes one changes into at work); one must not wear outside shoes inside. I have three pair of shoes in my shoe cupboard, all of which are rotated. Some employees [shudder] choose to wear plimsolls or athletic shoes.

Ah, well...one cannot have everything. (It is worth noting, however, that those who do mismatch clothes and shoes never make it to the top of the greasy pole. In the Japanese mind, discipline is an important element of one who is successful.)

garu

[garu]

I thought I would add one further example of dress in Japan:

My company has two groundskeepers / cleaners. When on duty they wear a uniform that resembles military fatigues (utility uniform). They do not wear their work uniform to work, however; they wear a suit or jacket and tie to work and change into their work kit upon arrival. When asked why they did this, it was explained that their job was what they did, not who they were. "A man should always strive to look good," said the older of the two.

Dress is taken seriously in Japan...

garu