The London Lounge

Gentlemen,

I'm new to the forum, matters of elegance and classic style despite my advanced age of a tad short of 40. How or why I all of a sudden turned into a fellow obsessed by such things as tweeds and shoe shining techniques is largely beyond me at this moment. If I should hazard a guess, I would blame my bend on all things esthetic freed from erroneous assumption about elegance belonging to the economically or socially well off, combined with an urge to materialize my values and goals in life in the medium of clothing.

Now that I've seen the Light, I've entered a strange land and embraced the daunting task of familiarizing myself with the territory and determining whither I should head. My guides so far have been a few books, a lot of surfing the information highway and LL contributors, to whom I'm deeply grateful. If such thing is possible at all, I would be even more grateful if the same contributors would advice me on how to go about building a suitable wardrobe on a budget and otherwise start my journey on the Way of Masculine Elegance. Thus far I've gathered a few hints of what I like that might serve as basis for my decisions. I'd happy to hear comments, suggestions, corrections and warnings on thoughts below:

1. I like tweeds. I managed to obtain a swatch set of organically certified tweeds in the natural colors of heritage breeds of sheep from a small mill in the Isle of Mull. To my uneducated eye, they appear very pleasing and have poetry that speaks strongly to me. In addition to that, they represent an agreeable philosophy that I feel my own. The collection includes a few versions of herringbone pattern which I'm fond of. I was therefore happy to discover the concept of Rus In Urbe here conforming the suitability of subtle tweeds for city wear. I also live in a city where tweeds can be worn most of the year (Helsinki, Finland). Is a Irish style walking hat appropriate for city?

2. I've taken a shine on (pun unintended) shell cordovan, which I feel would both match (certain ruggedness and hard wear) and contrast (shine) tweeds and would be practical in this climate and conditions (easy in maintenance, warmth and water resistance). So far I've considered Alden and C&J cordovans cap toes (I'm attracted to plain cap toes) in deep brown and/or burgundy, two pairs to rotate, plus maybe a pair of oxfords in black. Rubber overshoes for further protection.

3. I'd like to keep my wardrobe simple with as few pieces as possible for economical, ecological and philosophical reasons. I have bumped into couple of lists about what are the minimum requirements for a gentleman's wardrobe but they haven't been entirely helpful. I'm an artist and don't need to wear a suit for work and my acquaintances are not into suits and classical clothing. However, I find suits simple and elegant way to cover oneself and am not awfully worried about the consequences of standing out too much (or should I?) I'd like to see how far I can get with a tweed suit with medium grey herringbone, for a start. Is it bad form to wear the same suit day in and day out? Will I ruin it? Can I wear a suit coat with odd trousers? I also think of trying out trousers made with natural fawn heavy hemp herringbone fabric.

4. I'd like an all purpose trench coat with removable wool lining, single breasted and belted.

5. To further complicate matters, I desire all of the above in certified organic, fair trade or some such materials. Do the famous and renowned clothiers and shirt makers have alternatives in these? It seems difficult for a humble individual to obtain replies from producers for e-mail inquiries. I've found even a tannery in Slovenia producing vegetable tanned leathers from organically grown beasts. How to get one's hands on them seems to be another thing entirely.

I sincerely hope that I can here find whether my goals are worthy and my initial thoughts on them make sartorial sense. All comments will be taken as education and valuable pointers towards the right path.
I'm happy to join the ranks of LL.

SV

I think it's unfortunate that no one so far has seen fit to answer any of your questions, but you pose a rather lengthy sequence of inquiries that might have been intimidating. In response to this part:

I'd like to see how far I can get with a tweed suit with medium grey herringbone, for a start. Is it bad form to wear the same suit day in and day out? Will I ruin it? Can I wear a suit coat with odd trousers?

It's definitely not good form to wear the same suit day in and day out. You wouldn't wear the same cardigan every day, would you? Granted, tweed is a durable fabric, but it's said that every suit should be given a day or two of rest to recover from the strain of wear. And aside from that, wearing always the same thing would convey upon you a sort of Chaplinesque "tramp" image that you might not want.

Your second question - wearing a suit coat with odd trousers - I think lots of men do it and it depends on the coat. I especially see no difficulty with a herringbone tweed suitcoat. Essentially you would simply be turning your suitcoat into a sportcoat, which should be a perfectly graceful and harmless transformation, given that tweed sportcoats are one of the most common things to wear with odd trousers. If there's any difference whatsoever between a tweed suitcoat and a tweed sportcoat I'm not aware of it. I believe it can be done with other cloths as well. Probably not with pinstriped coats.

I hope other members can answer your other questions.

Regards,
P.

SV,

In order to figure your minimum number of tailored pieces, you will need to decide how many days per week you wish to wear them. As Pelham noted, you really need to allow your garments to rest at least one day after wearing them, and over the long haul two is better. Purchasing enough clothing to allow for this is actually more economical over the long run because it will last much longer.

Wool is elastic and absorbs body moisture. It needs time to go back to its original shape and shed that moisture. If you put further strain on it before that occurs, you will drastically shorten the life of your tailored garments.

As for the concept of certified organic, I have never heard of that designation for wool tailoring goods. The business that creates fine worsteds and woolens is largely a small artisan enterprise, with the exception of a few large worsted mills. Certainly the tweed business is a very small circle of people.

Cheers,
Joel

Dear SV

I know for a fact that masculine elegance is not confined to the moneyed elite and as a matter of fact, these days, you would be hard pressed to find any trace of it there. There are no economic confines to beauty and since you are an artist, that is probably preaching to the choir.

A good deal of the information you will require is here on the pages of the various forums and you will have to spend a moment reading them to pull out what you need.

An Irish walking cap is normally fine for a rus in urbe application but it depends a bit on what you are wearing it with.

Cordovan cap toes are excellent investments, we have made on for the club in a Balmoral boot and Carmina is an excellent maker to consider as well especially for cordovan as they are a bit the Alden shoes of Europe.

I suggest you try to ask concise questions of our members, the more work you put into your question, the better response you are likely to receive

Thanks and welcome

Michael Alden

I

Thank you very much for your replies and and advice, gentlemen!

I apologize for the confusing start and vague questions.

I have been perusing posts enthusiastically here and learned a lot, found some answers to my questions. So with woollens as with shoes; not two days in a row. If I have one suit I should arrange to wear something else the next day after wearing it. Basically, two outfits for each weather condition with accessories to give variety would suffice? Or, extend their life, at least.

I suppose I should not hurry to any purchase before mapping out my needs and preferences. I recognized in myself an urge to find a simple solution to dressing, perhaps because of the financial limitations. Simplicity also releases energy to other things.

So, to start one garment or a combination of garments at a time? I might start with shoes .

As for certified organic wool and other fabrics, they do exist indeed. But perhaps I should initiate a new thread for that to lay out some though I have on the subject? I'm very excited and ethusiastic about them.

SV

Dear SV,

Welcome to the Lounge!

I will add my few suggestions to the good ones you already received above:

1. Given your occupation and preferences, tweeds are a good option. Grey herringbones are particularly suitable for townwear, but you don’t have to confine your options to them.

3. If you are set on a style and want to look the same all the time, you can do like Einstein did: have several identical suits made. But it sounds a bit sad…

4. Have a look at some other styles of overcoats before setting on a trenchcoat. The LL is full of pictures and ideas.

5. Well, I could see an ethical issue with synthetic fabrics, but as long as you wear wool, cotton, linen and silk, what can be more organic than that?

Just start somewhere and inspiration is sure to follow.

Dear Costi,

Thank you for your suggestions. Einstein's approach has it's appeal but it does seem a little bit bleak. It's like a monk's habit, always the same. Although, if you consider the suit as frame, then you could add the variety with shirts, ties, hats etc. which are generally less expensive.

I thought a trench coat would be versatile. For all kinds of weather with a detachable lining. A heavier woolen overcoat for colder days (like -15 degrees the other day).

I guess I'm attempting to become elegant at one stroke once I've decided which kind. I suppose it doesn't work that way.

I posted a new subject on Tweeds, Ethics & Sustainability.


SV