Relative autonomy

"He had that supreme elegance of being, quite simply, what he was."

-C. Albaret describing Marcel Proust

Style, chic, presence, sex appeal: whatever you call it, you can discuss it here.
Gruto

Mon May 07, 2012 7:31 pm

Image

- You say your spirit is free but you wear a suit like everybody else.

- Oh, my pockets are placed 1/4 of an inch lower and my lapels are 1/8 of an inch wider.
Costi
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Tue May 08, 2012 8:23 am

Haha! :lol:
"To be free is to be unable to do otherwise"
Celibidache - again...

If the suit truly appeals to you, if you feel free wearing one, than this is your truth. Others may do the same (and look similar) for their own "reasons".
If the pocket placement and lapel width follow an internal logic that is your own, then you couldn't do otherwise - could you? (therefore, you are free)
Originality for its own sake is a dead end, always ending up as inauthenticity. We don't need to actively look for originality in order to be authentic. Authenticity is not about being different from others, it is about being yourself. But being yourself, you are necessarily different from others, even if you look similar. Originality resides in the reasons why, not in the outside image.

"The truth you need to understand is that you are the truth and there is no other."
The same Celibidache
Gruto

Tue May 08, 2012 5:44 pm

Costi wrote:If the suit truly appeals to you, if you feel free wearing one, than this is your truth. Others may do the same (and look similar) for their own "reasons".
Very true.
Frederic Leighton
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Sat Jun 07, 2014 4:56 pm

Nisargadatta Maharaj (...[i]again[/i]) wrote:Freedom to do what one likes is really bondage, while being free to do what one must, what is right, is real freedom.
After wearing suit, white shirt and tie for 730 days in a row, today I bought some dungarees. I always wanted a pair! :mrgreen: I think they will look great with white shirt, high stand wing collar, silk tie and black shoes...

Image
Screaminmarlon
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Sun Jun 08, 2014 7:25 am

:D
Please Federico, post a pic
uppercase
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Sun Jun 08, 2014 10:44 pm

If you wear a chambray shirt with a tie, you might as well wear blue jeans with a blazer or sports coat.

And I think it can look good.

Any blue jean wearers out there…what brand would you recommend as I am in the market…?
Rob O
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Mon Jun 09, 2014 7:34 am

UC, I would recommend Albam jeans. They normally run very long (35" inside leg) and need tailoring however there is now a new "bespoke" service where they will tailor the leg length to your preferences. The denim is a quality 13oz Japanese selvedge.

http://www.albamclothing.com/product/18 ... length.asp
Luca
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Mon Jun 09, 2014 8:36 am

Allow me to pitch in with a "cheap and cheerful" alternative provided by a middling-quality, inexpnsive, mass-producer: Levi 508s. This model has a decently high rise (12" on a 34" waist, IIRC), a tapered but not constrictingly slim fit to the leg and comes in a broad selection of fabrics and is universally available. I've been quite happy with mine (for Sunday wear, when rough-and-tumble with my young uns rather precludes sartorial pretensions).
Rob O
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Mon Jun 09, 2014 11:07 am

Simon Crompton writes eloquently on his experience with Levi bespoke jeans, maybe something to investigate?

http://www.permanentstyle.co.uk/2014/04 ... 5WUjIm9K0c
Luca
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Mon Jun 09, 2014 11:57 am

Rob O wrote:Simon Crompton writes eloquently on his experience with Levi bespoke jeans, maybe something to investigate?
Definitely a step too far for me :shock: . I just can't conceive of jeans as something other than "wear to destruction". That fellow on PS is informative but you get the sense that he uses (comped) bespoke toilet paper and uses wedgewood plates as disposable picnic flatware... :D
uppercase
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Mon Jun 09, 2014 7:23 pm

Yes, I agree, bespoke everything is ridiculous.

Couldn't imagine bespoke jeans.

'Close enough' is a good enough fit for most things.

The main problem for me with jeans is also the rise. Also stretching bagging and sagging.

Also can't wear jeans in hot weather. That's just terribly uncomfortable.

I found a Levi jeans model overseas which nobody in the USA, including the flagship SF store seems to be familiar with. This jean fits me best. Can't remember the model # but I'd guess that it's made for downmarket countries where people may have odd non-European bodies.

I'm a 34 waist on a good day but after two days wear, jeans stretch so much that I'm a 32.

Still , I do think that we should have the freedom to wear jeans and a chambray shirt with a beautiful bespoke coat and suitable tie of some sort, all standing on some good rubber soled shoes which should properly cost several thousand dollars to set the right tone for this work wear.

I've seems some guys here on LL wear this sort of current day hipster uniform and can tell you I just don't think that they pull it off when the jeans are all wrong, particularly rolled up , I don't care what or who the cloth and tailor of their bespoke coat.

Freedom still requires a hard critical look in the mirror.
Rob O
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Mon Jun 09, 2014 9:34 pm

Well said that man.

I have a suspicion that the current obsession with unwashed selvedge, rolled-up legs and japanese hand looming is faintly ridiculous. But nevertheless Albam make a good, straight-legged comfortable jean with a good rise and stitching quality. They run hot on a sunny day (of which there are few in the UK) but that's where Incotex steps in.
bond_and_beyond
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Mon Jun 09, 2014 9:47 pm

uppercase wrote:
I'm a 34 waist on a good day but after two days wear, jeans stretch so much that I'm a 32.

Still , I do think that we should have the freedom to wear jeans and a chambray shirt with a beautiful bespoke coat and suitable tie of some sort, all standing on some good rubber soled shoes which should properly cost several thousand dollars to set the right tone for this work wear.

I've seems some guys here on LL wear this sort of current day hipster uniform and can tell you I just don't think that they pull it off when the jeans are all wrong, particularly rolled up , I don't care what or who the cloth and tailor of their bespoke coat.

Freedom still requires a hard critical look in the mirror.
For me jeans that are not quite slim in the legs and hips (albeit with a high as available waist) do not work with tailored jackets. The end result still looks a bit "sloppy". As denim is a stiff material with little drape it needs to be cut close to the body in order to work IMO. This especially goes for the ankles (and the length also needs to be correct of course).

I always follow the rule of buying denim in the waist size that is just so small that I can only button them with some pain and effort the first time I try them on. They will stretch abit and eventually fit very well.

BB
uppercase
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Mon Jun 09, 2014 10:52 pm

Albam has a nice website. Makes me want to buy something from them.
The jeans don't look good on the models though and don't appear as if the cut would work with a sports coat, but then you really need to try on jeans to make an informed comment.
I will give them a try when I next get to London.

Jeans are very tricky to choose particularly if you want to wear them in the city and more particularly if you intend to wear them with a beautifully tailored coat.

Baggy, bulky doesn't work with coats and then there's the generational thing thrown in meaning the wrong choice can just make you look like a farmer fed on too much pork rind while incongruently wearing a Savile Row coat. So jeans really throw a wrench into the works and can cause too much mental disquiet.

I almost feel that I have to reclaim the lanky figure and mental outlook I had in my early 20s to wear jeans with a coat even though my clothing tastes now occupy another plane.

Maybe the two shouldn't mix. Maybe it's time to call it quits.

Maybe freedom is overrated. Maybe a tried and true uniform of some sort works best.
Luca
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Tue Jun 10, 2014 7:30 am

Re. the sizing: perhaps as a sop to expanding transatlantic midriffs, Levi 508s appear to be "vanity sized" whereby, despite being usually a 36" wearer, I had to go for the 34".

Re. the rolled cuffs: I fidn that on very dark heans the cotnrast looks good as long as the roll is not too extreme. Heck, suit trouser cuffs are a stylised derivation of that same action.
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