You will have probably heard or read the following wisdom: small men should avoid the DB suit! And small men should avoid drape! If you have been paying close attention and doing the math you will conclude that small men should avoid “draped DB” suits like the plague.
So it is a real joy to use pictures of two men, who barely towered over 5 feet, as examples of wondrous, draped DB style. It is equally satisfying to use examples from two great traditions: Savile Row and Naples.
Windsor
Toto
The easy, natural and ample lines in these two suits, coats and trousers, have done aesthetic wonders for their owners. The placement of the notch in the middle of the upper chest, and the resulting lower slung style, have played their part as well. The men look taller than they really are.
How many times have you seen the small man trussed in a tight, high notched DB looking like a sausage bursting through a woolen casing? And also looking smaller than he actually is?
"Tightness accentuates, drape attenuates."
Print these words out in color and tack them on the wall near your dressing room window and read them every day, out load for a month.
This exercise is designed to be used, in association with hours of reading the LL, to clear the myths about men's dressing from your minds.
When you are done with your homework, come back for the next illustration of the week.
Cheers
M Alden