Stroller fabrics: coats and trousers

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

-Honore de Balzac

SilkCity
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Wed Mar 07, 2007 6:27 pm

Yachtie:

If I may be so forward--as I am on the fence about laying out
some GBP or EUR.--for a stroller rig: where do you intend to
wear such finery?

I'm thinking Met Opera matinees, but after that, I'm coming up dray.

Manton, per piacere, too, your ideas.
Best,
SC
manton
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Wed Mar 07, 2007 7:22 pm

I fear you will not find many occasions to wear it in NY, SC. The Met is a good idea. Church as well, though these days only the ushers have ties, and even then are likely to be in blazers, not strollers.

If you just want to say, the hell with it, and wear it to a nice weekend lunch and/or trip to the museum, you'd get style points from me. Our own Tutee routinely wore a stroller in Manhattan on the weekends, and got suprisingly few puzzled looks. I think it is so forgotten that no one considers it out of place. They probably just thought he was wearing a blazer! (His canvas top boots did get some stares, however.)
SilkCity
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Wed Mar 07, 2007 8:38 pm

"The hell with it" often serves as ample license for certain of my
bespoke plunges; though this one would be a doozy!

Thanks, M.
yachtie
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Wed Mar 07, 2007 10:14 pm

SilkCity wrote:Yachtie:

If I may be so forward--as I am on the fence about laying out
some GBP or EUR.--for a stroller rig: where do you intend to
wear such finery?

I'm thinking Met Opera matinees, but after that, I'm coming up dray.

Manton, per piacere, too, your ideas.
Best,
SC
Truth be told, it wouldn't get that much wear but certainly Easter services or Christmas Day, Orchestra matinees, weddings, funerals etc.- most places where I'd now wear a charcoal DB that's not business. It is certainly more of a "whim" than a suit or even a dinner jacket.
Sator
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Wed Mar 07, 2007 10:24 pm

This is why the best way about it is to have an Oxford grey coat made with both matching as well as formal striped trousers. That way it can be turned from a lounge suit to a stroller as required. It makes it less of an extravagance.
pchong
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Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:01 am

interestingly, I see quite a lot of stroller or stroller-like combinations in Tokyo as standard business wear.

I am with manton...to hell with it, I would wear it on any occassion which calls for a lounge suit. These days, many people even mistake the stroller as an odd jacket combo. Wear what pleases you.
HappyStroller
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Thu Mar 08, 2007 3:59 am

Yes, me too. I too want style points from our great Manton. The hell with it, etc.
manton wrote: ...<snip>...
If you just want to say, the hell with it, and wear it to a nice weekend lunch and/or trip to the museum, you'd get style points from me.
...<snip>...
HappyStroller
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Thu Mar 08, 2007 4:10 am

Sator, Manton does have his point.

If you were to keep a Stroller inside the wardrobe and yourseven-year old kid happens to look into it, he'll probably say, "Dad, this is a totally black jacket. I thought you said never to wear black."

But when worn in combination with the rest of the Stroller stuff, it should look special.

You could turn around the argument by saying it looks just like a black suit were you to pair the Stroller jacket with a black trousers.

My point is that the Stroller jacket needs to be seen in combination with the striped pants, etc.
Sator wrote:
HappyStroller wrote:It's a bit difficult to mistake the Stroller jacket for an orphaned suit jacket, if I may be allowed to point out, for the following reasons:-

a. If black, the usual colour, most people will know it is not a typical lounge/business suit, or even sports, jacket;

b. It normally has only one button;

c. That one button is usually covered with black silk;

d. It has a peak lapel;

a. People these days will think any black coat looks like a plain lounge coat

b. It can have more than one button

c. Stroller buttons should not be covered in silk

d. It preferably - but not necessarily - has peak lapels
Sator
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Thu Mar 08, 2007 4:57 am

HappyStroller wrote:Sator, Manton does have his point.
I never disagreed one iota with Manton. That is why I added the suggestion of a fialle weave to that of his barathea. Oxford grey is only mentioned as an alternative to those who feel that a black stroller coat would otherwise get too little wear to be worth the expense of acquiring. Otherwise I have not the slightest objection to a black coat in this instance. However, I would disagree with the suggestion that the coat has to be black, unless one is wanting to expressly wear it to a funeral, in which case the waistcoat should also be black.
SilkCity
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Fri Mar 09, 2007 1:51 pm

Since, "the hell with it", seems to have (again) made up my mind for me,
Manton (others):
where to go for the stroller commission? I am a patron of Caraceni (R) and A&S.

Another shop on the 'Row, perhaps?

Thanks,
SC
manton
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Fri Mar 09, 2007 2:12 pm

I am tempted to say A&S, for the simple reason that the stroller is such a traditional garment, and getting from a 100+ year old SR house therefore seems fitting. But in the end I would say, get it from whichever tailor you like better. Or, if you have decided on a cut (DB v. SB), and think that one of those two makes a better DB, the other a better SB, then choose on that basis.

You definitely want your striped trousers to have brace tops (high, fishmouth back). A lot of Italians don't know how to do that, or don't care to. Is that true of Caraceni Rome? If so, then definitely get the trousers (at least) from A&S.
SilkCity
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Fri Mar 09, 2007 2:28 pm

Thanks, M.

Now, off to check on the level of the GBP!
Best,
SC
smoothjazzone
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Fri Mar 09, 2007 3:50 pm

I believe A&S made Tutee's stroller
Concordia
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Fri Mar 09, 2007 10:40 pm

As a bit of a dodge, but not too much compromise on what I like, I've thought that getting a DB suit in a very dark grey herringbone (no pocket flaps or vents) would be a useful entry into this rig. Add supplementary striped trousers and a proper shirt, and we're ready to go. No real sacrifice of utility, as a 12oz herringbone(Dugdale makes some nice ones) could see use in a suit for a whole lot of evenings, and even the odd funeral. While travelling, one could wear the suit and pack the striped trousers.

Now if I only knew where one could go looking like this. Perhaps to keep SilkCity company at the Met, but with two of us dressed this way together people might think we were on the payroll and ask us to fetch something.
pchong
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Sat Mar 10, 2007 3:05 am

Concordia wrote: Now if I only knew where one could go looking like this. Perhaps to keep SilkCity company at the Met, but with two of us dressed this way together people might think we were on the payroll and ask us to fetch something.
Sad but true...one will be in danger of being mistaken for hotel staff when dress like so...but of course, one would carry oneself with a little more ceremony than the help, and hopefully with proper fitting clothes, one might escape being asked to fetch something.

I have sometimes thought, to heck with it, I am going to commission a morning suit and wear it for business lunch or a product launch...but always pull back for fear of being mistaken as on the payroll.
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