How might I improve this coat?

[sartorius]

Gentlemen,

I would like to invite comment on the coat pictured below. I will provide details of the maker, and any other particulars which may be of interest, once this thread has developed a little. For now, I will say only that the coat was made for me in 2007. I have been reticent to post pictures in the past but I have never been entirely satisfied with this particular coat and so decided to canvas opinions in the hope that they might help me to understand and articulate ways of improvement. I have already consulted my tailor but will withhold the contents of that conversation for now to avoid any risk of colouring members' views.

Apologies in advance for the quality of the pictures. I took them myself using a tripod and it was a cloudy day in London which meant that I had to hastily set the camera timer each time the sun came out! Our garden is also still a work in progress so please excuse the rather ersatz setting. This corner happened to be where the sun was at it's brightest at the time I took the pictures. I am indebted to Mr Alden's guidance on outdoor photography in this regard!

Sartorius

[alden]

Sartorius

The overall impression is of a jacket made for your kid brother, it seems small on you. The first place I would add some cloth is in the shoulders. The buckling in the upper sleeve and ripples in the back of the coat are signs of tightness. You need a half inch more width in the shoulders at the very least.

It appears that you have prominent shoulder blades with the right blade being larger than the left. Ask your tailor to ease the cloth along and under the shoulder seam in the back to help get the cloth over your blades. This will also improve the kicking out we see in the back due to a short back balance.

The styling of the coat is fine, if that is what you like. But the make looks a bit too constructed and machined for custom/bespoke. It’s just the sense I get from the pictures. Bring the coat along to our next LL London chapter meeting and we'll have a closer look.

Regarding pictures, try to avoid mid day shooting. Middle to late afternoon light is best.

Cheers

Michael

[sartorius]

Michael,

Thank you. Some food for thought there. Two things in particular interest me in what you say and I wonder if you might elaborate on them?

The styling of the coat is fine, if that is what you like.

Very diplomatic! Given an entirely free reign on the style front, what would you advise?

the make looks a bit too constructed and machined for custom/bespoke. It’s just the sense I get from the pictures.

The coat is full bespoke, and mostly hand stitched. The work on the outside is extremely tidy, a little less so inside on some parts of the lining. Overall, the coat is quite structured, in fact the shoulder treatment is the most structured of all the coats I have from this particular maker.

Sartorius

[alden]

Sartorius

Styling is a very personal matter, isn’t it? You have a fine figure to wear clothes and I am tempted to say that a softer make and a bit of drape would do very well on you. If you do indeed have prominent blades, softer clothes will glide and fall over them. This might allow a better line overall. If you have sloped shoulders, do put a bit of pad in them, but throttle down on the rest of the construction.

The one button closure is so much evening wear that I have never been able to warm to it in day or sporting wear. You have the figure to wear a 3B front very well.

As regards to the make itself, a lot of construction can make a garment look like RTW or MTM because these treatments require a lot of same. I have always thought that a soft make looks so much more “bespoke” because it is so rarely used in industrial manufacturing and so rarely seen on our streets or paths.

Cheers

M Alden

[Jordan Marc]

Sartorious:

Let me add some thoughts to the other helpful suggestions already made.

The button stance on a single-breasted blazer with a high notch gorge is usually two, not one. There's nothing wrong with a single button closure, per se. It's something of a signature for Huntsman, but there are other tailors on Savile Row who do it as well. The problem with
a single button stance is that it has to be placed at the natural waist of the customer. While the button seems to be at your waist, the
rise of your trousers is too low. You need trousers with a higher rise. Whether pleated and buttoned for braces or plain front with buckle
side tabs set just below the waistband, it's up to you. Pull your pants up, sir. And when you do, you might want to add a V-neck sleeveless pullover or two knitted in two-ply cashmere. Perhaps a flatweave, certainly a cablestitch.

Back to the buttons, which are the jewellery of a blazer. They make or break a jacket of this type, and you need more than one on the
sleeve. Unlike Prince Charles, who will run five up the sleeve of his double-breasted reefer (absurd!), you have to give some thought as
to the number and size of the buttons on your sleeves. The easiest way to do that is to lay out all the buttons on the blazer before
they're sewn on. Let your eyes be the judge. And don't just take any old buttons that your tailor has in stock. Hunt for something
distinctive that separates you from the ho-hum brass button crowd.

Above all, enjoy your clothes and make them your own!

JMB

[ay329]

I can not provide any positive comments as to the jacket but would like to add the mixing of suede shoes with what appears to be corduroy trousers is an EXCELLENT IDEA. Plus the chocolate suede shoes blend in well with the natural color of the trousers.

[sartorius]

Michael, JMB, thanks to you both.

Overall, as you have identified, I tend to wear my coats lean and clean and with some shape at the waist. I take your suggestion about soft construction but that will have to wait for a future project. As I mentioned, this particular coat is quite heavily structured and so any improvements will have to be worked into the existing construction.

Michael, when you say

The first place I would add some cloth is in the shoulders. The buckling in the upper sleeve and ripples in the back of the coat are signs of tightness. You need a half inch more width in the shoulders at the very least ... It appears that you have prominent shoulder blades with the right blade being larger than the left. Ask your tailor to ease the cloth along and under the shoulder seam in the back to help get the cloth over your blades. This will also improve the kicking out we see in the back due to a short back balance.

I assume you are talking about more width across the back of the shoulders (across the blades) rather than across the top? Also, I assume this is easily achievable without affecting the button closure at the front?

On reflection, I wonder whether the coat might benefit from a fuller chest? Whilst I generally like my coats to be lean and clean perhaps the chest is a little too lean in this case? What do you think, and how easy would it be to increase the chest swell on a coat which is already finished?

On the button stance, I chose one button largely because I dislike blazers with too much "bling" - by which I mean lots of shiny and often rather prominent buttons which to my eye can look too showy. The button placement in this case is eactly the same as on my two button coats and my tailor assured me when I made the decision that adding a second button would be no problem. I think that second button may be a good idea. If I were to go further and suggest moving to 3B, how easy is that on an already finished 1B coat?

I also agree that one button on the sleave is not enough. This was actually something I chose rather on a whim, having admired it on a coat worn by an acquaintance. The acquaintance's coat wasn't a blazer though, and I think another one or two sleeve buttons would be a good idea. I will take your advice JMB about placing them in position to see what looks best.

Sartorius

[Jordan Marc]

Sartorious:

A two-button stance on the jacket will do very well and, as you suggest, shouldn't be any problem for your tailor. As for the sleeve
buttons, lay out three per side and see how it looks. More than three on the sleeve are unnecessary for a single-breasted blazer. If
it were double-breasted with a six-button stance, I would say use four buttons per sleeve. Regarding blazer buttons being too much
bling, it depends upon the buttons you choose. Some are gaudy, others are tasteful, still others are quietly splendid and simply irresistible. Whatever your choice, buy spares in both sizes and tuck them away for safe keeping, just in case you lose one.

JMB

[alden]

I assume you are talking about more width across the back of the shoulders (across the blades)

Yes. The tailor should be able to give a bit more room there.

You might also ask if he is able to "pass the back up" a bit to help get the cloth over your blades better and resolve the kicking out we see in photo 3.

Most importantly the tailor needs to relieve the pressure that is causing the upper sleeves to buckle in that we see in the same photo. More room across the back should help.

Prominent blades are tricky especially when one blade is larger than the other (almost always the case.) You can see some rippling in the cavity between the two blades on the shot of the back, but it is minimal ( and will probably always be there to some degree, depending on the cloth you use.)

I would suggest you try, in the future, to stick with heavier weights in cloth and use side vents.

I am more concerned about getting the coat to fit you better. The button issue is more a matter of taste. I often have 1 button sleeves on tweed coats, but would probably opt for 4 on a blazer. And you can leave the coat as a 1 or 2 button front, you could not make it a 3 button now.

Cheers

Michael

[sartorius]

Thanks Michael, I will discuss the fit issues with my tailor when I next see him.

Any views on my question about adding some fullness to the chest?

Sartorius

[alden]

Any views on my question about adding some fullness to the chest?

I would be happy to see it. The coat looks too neat for my own taste.

Cheers

Michael

[sartorius]

I would suggest you try, in the future, to stick with heavier weights in cloth and use side vents.

The cloth in this case is a 12oz worsted with a slightly raised knap, from Holland & Sherry. It is actually a darker navy than the pictures suggest - the direct sunlight has bleached the colours somewhat. I'll come back to the question of weight. For now I'm interested in your comment about side vents - could you elaborate?

[Jordan Marc]

Sartorious:

While waiting for Michael to expound on the beauty and benefits of double vents, I'll toss in a thought or two about a deep center vent.
It's often associated with equestrian coats as well as tweed and estate check odd jackets. Whether the button stance on such a coat
numbers one or two, the waist is nipped in and the lower front pockets are slanted and flapped. The ticket pocket, too. The notch lapels, which are rolled to the first button at the natural waist of the wearer, usually have a high gorge. If you pair such a coat with cavalry twill
trousers and suede Derbys, it's a smart look for the country. Add a V-neck sleeveless knitted pullover in a jewel tone to complement the cloth of your coat and you're good to go.

If you're not intrigued by country life, you might recall that Sean Connery wore a somewhat similar rig in Goldfinger.

JMB

[Greger]

It looks like you could use some more room in the shoulder blade area. This is sometimes done by letting out the front where it connects to the back. This would make a bigger scye, so the sleeve circumference would need to be enlarged to fit.

It is a nice blazer.