House Styles and Shirtmakers

"The brute covers himself, the rich man and the fop adorn themselves, the elegant man dresses!"

-Honore de Balzac

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Cantabrigian
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Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:17 pm

On the recent Jermyn Street thread,
Gruto wrote: Whatever AK says, he and others have house style. That is fact when humans are in involved. To get the best product I think it is preferable not trying to create your very own shirt but to meet the history of the house.
Do you think that shirtmakers have house styles in the way that (some) tailors do?

If so, what styles do you associate with which shirtmakers?


My own thoughts on the subject are that while each maker may have collar and cuff styles as well as patterns he prefers, those preferences do not amount to a definitive or recognizable house style.

I would imagine that some shirtmakers tend to favor a certain fit while I would similarly imagine that some (probably the better) shirtmakers have definite opinions about how to fit each particular individual.

But it seems as though a full or slim fit is well within the realm of possibility for each any competent shirtmaker.
naturlaut
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Fri Mar 31, 2006 5:51 pm

In my opinion, and to paraphrase another poster, I think the history and working method of a craftsman will eventually lend themselves to become a 'house style', though I also have to admit that to recognize such characteristics requires the eyes of a connoisseur. Prokofiev's "Classical Symphony" still sounds more Prokofiev than Haydn --- to a musician or to one who knows music of Prokofiev and Haydn.
AlexanderKabbaz
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Fri Mar 31, 2006 6:31 pm

Ignoring for the moment that Cantabrigian's post is, in and of itself, cause for incitement of a riot ...
In my opinion, and to paraphrase another poster, I think the history and working method of a craftsman will eventually lend themselves to become a 'house style', though I also have to admit that to recognize such characteristics requires the eyes of a connoisseur.
House style is more commonly associated with tailoring than shirtmaking. That aside, I would agree that the vast majority of shirtmakers have a particular type of shirt which they prefer to create. However, the more common elements which are normally associated with the phrase "House Style" do not apply to shirtmaking. These would include silhouette and construction. Here one needs look only at the extremes: mildest suppression/soft/A&S vs. sculpted/hard/Fioravanti. That which falls inbetween yields what is considered to be the house style of all the other tailors.

Switch to shirtmaking. Shirts basically conform to the body. Hence, silhouette is God-granted, not tailor-created. There is no such thing as hard and soft construction in the majority of the parts of a shirt body. The shirt is only as hard or soft as the fabric from which it is cut. We don't have the luxury of the use of padding, wadding, canvas, and thick cloth which makes tailors' lives so easy. (Yes, I'm ducking now.)

Yes, I grant that there are hard and soft collars & cuffs. And I grant that there are slightly fuller and slightly more tapered bodies. But in the main, these are preferences expressed by each individual client and (hopefully) adhered to by the shirtmaker. Of course there are instances such as T&A's 3-button cuff, Charvet's gussets, and Arthur Gluck's collar shape which could give rise to the concept of a house style. But I make 3-button cuffs, have no quibble with Arthur's particular collar and ... well ... gussets ... uh ... goshdarnit. I just can't go quite that far.

As close as I've ever gotten to a house style is that number of clients have liked my personal dress collar and I have replicated it for them as well as a few who have asked for the Joelle cuff and gotten copies. Aside from that, my only claim to a house style would have to be that I won't use gussets.
Will

Fri Mar 31, 2006 7:12 pm

No gussets? Oh well.
Cantabrigian
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Fri Mar 31, 2006 7:26 pm

Sorry, Alex. No riot-starting intended. I just, rather poorly, tried to express the sentiment you did.
AlexanderKabbaz
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Sat Apr 01, 2006 12:25 am

Sorry, Alex. No riot-starting intended. I just, rather poorly, tried to express the sentiment you did.
Jus' funnin'. :D Besides, shaking the "old ways" by rioting isn't always a bad thing. It is often the impetus for improvement.
rjman
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Sat Apr 01, 2006 9:22 am

AlexanderKabbaz wrote:
Sorry, Alex. No riot-starting intended. I just, rather poorly, tried to express the sentiment you did.
Jus' funnin'. :D Besides, shaking the "old ways" by rioting isn't always a bad thing. It is often the impetus for improvement.
You've been listening to those kids over in Freedom this week, haven't you?

-- RJ de Villepin.
cpowell
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Sat Apr 01, 2006 4:56 pm

Alex - can you post a picture or description of the collar and cuff styles you referenced?

Thanks!
AlexanderKabbaz
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Sun Apr 02, 2006 1:23 am

cpowell wrote:Alex - can you post a picture or description of the collar and cuff styles you referenced?

Thanks!
Sorry if I sound confused, but which ones?
cpowell
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Sun Apr 02, 2006 8:21 pm

You referenced "As close as I've ever gotten to a house style is that number of clients have liked my personal dress collar and I have replicated it for them as well as a few who have asked for the Joelle cuff and gotten copies"

Curious specifically as to your personal collar and thoughts on why you feel it best "fits" you.

Thanks again!
AlexanderKabbaz
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Sun Apr 02, 2006 11:34 pm

cpowell wrote:You referenced "As close as I've ever gotten to a house style is that number of clients have liked my personal dress collar and I have replicated it for them as well as a few who have asked for the Joelle cuff and gotten copies"

Curious specifically as to your personal collar and thoughts on why you feel it best "fits" you.

Thanks again!
The height of the collar is ideal for my neck. The curve of the leaf is such that it follows the contour of my shoulders & collarbone. The spread, point length, and edge-stitch are features of the collar I just happen to prefer.

Here are a few photos. In the first, my personal collar is on the right (No Tie Space). The second photo, a closeup, has the spread slightly distorted because the collar is pulled down to show the second button. The third photo shows the collar on a less "dressy" shirt. The final photo shows the collar being worn. In that photo you can also see the "Joelle" cuffs, but the slight curve is somewhat obscured due to the angle of the photographer.

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