Bespoke vs. Made-to-Measure

I have encountered a good deal of confusion from readers who have questions regarding what is "bespoke" or "tailor-made" clothing and how it differs from "made-to-measure" clothing.

Unlike many tailors, I find that there is tremendous use for both. Especially if you are, as I am, a size that is difficult to find on store racks. Made-to-measure clothing may get you a slightly better fit and, more importantly, a better selection of fabric/style combinations than might be available to you in the mainstream market. The sizing and fit is essentially that which is available off the rack, but rather than trusting the sizing information from company A or company B to be true to size, you provide the makers with your dimensions, and the garments fit.

Made-to-measure

Made-to-measure services are great for garments that do not need to have a close and perfect fit, such as topcoats, jeans and shirts, or garments that you are comfortable with a less than ideal fit, such as your #3 blue blazer. I am still searching for a made-to-measure provider that will make me a blue denim shirt with a spread collar and French cuffs!

The limiting factor in made-to-measure clothing is that you generally have to provide your measurements to the maker, and you and the maker need to be speaking the same language when you communicate those measurements to him/her. The first time that I ordered khakis from a Southeast Asian made-to-measure provider, I received two pair of beautifully made trousers that would not fit any creature born of woman. This was not the fault of the maker in any way – the garments were made with the exact dimensions that I had provided, but the expertise in taking those measurements was lacking. I now generally prefer to take my measurements from a well-fitting garment that I own rather than try to take (or have a friend take) my measurements.

I love made-to-measure dress shirts. They are not much more, if any more, expensive than good quality off-the-rack shirts, and I can get what I really want.

Here are a few great providers of made-to-measure clothing:

• Nordstrom
  – It is true. The great mall-giant also offers made-to-measure services in their gentlemen's clothing department. Price is more than the Nordstrom off-the-rack offerings, but it is in line with their over-all product line. Good for sport coats, dress trousers and suits.
  
• Brooks Brothers – Also true. That icon of American men's clothing will make you their famous shirts to your specific dimensions for a price not much different from their offerings on their shelves. The quality is the same and the fit is all yours.
  
• Makeyourownjeans.com – Huh? This is an offshore maker of jeans and casual shirts. They will replicate your favorite trousers for you as well. Shirt styles tend to be trendier than what we, as young but impoverished gentlemen, are seeking, but this is a good source for decent quality blue jeans.
  
• Bookster – Beautiful tweeds from the British Isles and from Europe. Cuts of jackets and suits in a slightly antiquated British taste. You can see these being worn with Coke hats on Derby Day.
  
• Paul Fredrick – For dress shirts only. Paul Fredrick used to be the manufacturer of dress shirts for a number of the best department stores to sell under their own labels, and they may still be. The catalogue at Paul Fredrick offers a great selection of very nice quality dress shirts and their made-to-measure area offers even more. This is the first made-to-measure service that I ever used and it remains among my favorites.
  
• Magnoli Clothiers – A touch on the cheesy side, but they make replicas of many of the clothes that you have seen in the movies. They are probably best known for their suit that replicates the light grey rig that James Bond wore in Goldfinger.
  
• Liste Rouge Paris – OK, you want to feel a bit like a million bucks? It can be done, but it ain't cheap. Liste Rouge is a premium made-to-measure operation where your whim is their command. They use the most premium of fabrics to create shirts as art. This is not the shirt that you are going to retire to gardening after a couple of years of heavy wear. Worth it? Perhaps, though by the time you are spending this kind of dough on a shirt you might just want to take the trip to Paris and get a truly custom shirt.
  

There are numerous others on the Internet. Be mindful to which countries you are sending your financial information. Check reviews of each provider before ordering, and be aware that the unscrupulous ones may post their own reviews. Use your common sense guided by your experience.

Bespoke

This is the topic of numerous books and blogs. You will find tons of information on the Internet about it. Bespoke clothing is what we in America call tailor-made clothing, though the term "bespoke" implies a bit more.

To find this, your first task is to find a tailor, something that in the 21^st century is becoming more and more difficult. When in London, pay a visit to Anderson & Sheppard, makers of suits to the crowned heads of Europe and Hollywood. Though, if you live in a city of some age and substance, you are sure to find a good quality local tailor in your own town.

Bespoke clothing is made of the fabric that you desire. You want a braided pinstripe? Yes, sir. You want an antiquated cut? Perhaps an Edwardian cut to compliment your, may I say, spectacular figure? Of course, sir.

For your money you get an expert in the clothing making business to take your measurements for you. Whilst he is taking your measurements, he will also be asking you questions about your tastes: what you like and what you dislike. Do you really want an English cut suit, or would something a touch more relaxed fit your manner of living a bit more. He is getting to know you. "Only my tailor knows" is a truism for a reason – your tailor is someone who you talk to and who really learns your tastes better than just about anyone else. He will show you a selection of fabrics on hand, and may be able to order you something that is not in the shop. He will tell you honestly that you should not wear cuffs on your slacks because your legs are proportionately short, and cuffs will make them look stumpier. He will tell you frankly that you are too plump to wear double breasted suits. His business is honesty, and he knows what looks right. He will assist in the selection of colors and fabrics and will recommend shoes. And socks. And, possibly, undergarments.

He may make a mock-up of your first suit with him in muslin. He will certainly make an appointment for you once he gets the suit cut and put together. You will then go in for a fitting – at this point the suit will have chalk marks and loose seams and will look nothing like the suit you ordered, but the tailor will make a few more marks and pin a few seams and look thoughtfully at the lapels and send you on your way.

When you go in for your final fitting, you will don your new rig, look at yourself in the mirror and be stunned. There is truly nothing like a good tailor made suit to make you look your very best.

If you are fit and have the wallet for it, bespoke clothing especially suits and formal clothes are what are to be aspired to. For your information: The bottom of Anderson & Sheppard's suit line will run you around £3000. At today's exchange rate, that comes to around $4600. $4600 very well spent.

Pocket Squares vs. Handkerchiefs

I realize that in many people's view, I am a bit conservative in my clothing selections, but that is the nature of a gentleman's wardrobe, so I make no apology for it. The fact is that most of the clothing on this blog is fairly timeless – with minor variation it would have been in place in 1935, it is in place today, and it will be in place in a hundred years. By building a wardrobe in this manner, a young gentleman who builds his wardrobe carefully and with consideration will be able to wear his gray flannels thirty years from now, and he will be perfectly at home.

Today, however, I must apologize because I am going to "kick it old school" for awhile.

What do you put in the breast pocket of your suit? Many elegant and conservative stores sell little eight inch squares of silk in a variety of colors to tuck there. Some even manufacture pocket squares that match neckties. Personally, I think that all this is quite silly. The most elegant thing that a gentleman can tuck into his jacket pocket is a neatly pressed and folded white linen handkerchief. Choose a hemmed or corded edge, whichever you prefer, though the corded edge is a bit more formal. What the color is of your suit, jacket or necktie is irrelevant: your handkerchief is white. Despite the fact that it is being used as a fashion accessory, your handkerchief is fully functional.

And this brings me to my next point: Carry a handkerchief or two. While I will argue that the handkerchief in your breast pocket should be linen, that is a fairly high expense for a pocket handkerchief, so if linen is out of the question, go for a good quality rolled cotton. Take the time to press it and fold it and keep it in the weak-hand pocket of your trousers. Nothing else goes in that pocket, just your handkerchief. If you are wearing Bills Khakis, or other trousers with similarly deep pockets, go ahead and carry two. If you need to use it, a handkerchief is far more elegant than Kleenex, but it is imperative that you produce only a clean handkerchief. A hard used rag, whilst useful in private, may be offensive to others.

Perhaps most importantly, especially at weddings and funerals, is the ability to offer a clean and pressed handkerchief to a young lady. Many of us tend to become incredibly uncomfortable when faced with a crying lady – a clean and elegant handkerchief offers us a comfortable gesture that we may engage. You will find that it is generally graciously accepted, and it makes for a kind and old-fashioned gesture that is well appreciated.

As far as availability goes, I am very fond of the product carried by Brooks Brothers, but it is not cheap at $60 for a three-pack. I do like Irish linens the best, but that is prejudice on my part – there are excellent linens available from mainland Europe and elsewhere. Check eBay for bargains – you may often find vintage products in new condition there. Make sure that they are not yellowing, and you are good to go. If you like monograms on your handkerchiefs, keep them white on white, and make sure that you fold your handkerchiefs in such a way that the monogram is entirely hidden.

Tying the Knot

Calm down. Take some slow, deep breaths. I am talking about neckties.

I called your attention to the Tie-a-Tie website the other day. This leads me to the discussion of neckties and knots.

There are a number of necktie knots, some of which fall in and out of favor. I am limiting my discussion to three basic knots that I find to be of the greatest use, and the bow-tie knot. Given my habitual lack of illustration, I will not attempt to describe the creation of these knots here, but I will refer you to the excellent Tie-a-Tie site.

The Four-in-hand Knot: I view this as the 40s/50s style knot. Frankly, it was the only knot that my dear old dad ever wore when he wore long ties. He was more of a bow-tie kind of guy, on the whole. The Four-in-hand is a simple, smallish, slightly asymmetrical knot most suitable for the least formal of neckties and with button-down collars or long pointed collars with narrow space at the neck. With ties made of exceptionally course materials, such as mohair, woolen or silk knit ties, this is probably the best choice of knot. Generally speaking, this is the least formal of necktie knots and is suitable for the most casual of settings in which one might wear a tie.

The Windsor Knot: This is the extreme opposite of the Four-in-hand: it is the most formal of long tie knots. Do not think of it so much as tying a knot as building a knot. Take your time to get everything just right, and you will be rewarded with a vast and well-sculpted knot. Worn with spread collars, this is the knot that you see Tony Blair and the Duke of Edinburgh wearing. The knot projects confidence. It takes a good deal of material to build a Windsor knot, so if you are very tall or a bit corpulent you may need to consider going to an extra-long tie for this one. When wearing a tie-tack or clip you have the option of shortening the narrow end of the tie a bit, allowing you to get away with tying a Windsor in a slightly short tie.

The Half-Windsor Knot: This one falls somewhere between the other two. It is a bit smaller than the Windsor, but it is larger and more symmetrical than the Four-in-hand. Personally, except with the very heaviest of necktie materials like the knit ties discussed above, I prefer this knot for most casual and semi-formal wear. It is suitable with a button-down collar, a plain point or with a modest spread collar. For the really broad spread collar varieties, the Windsor is really de rigeur.

There are a number of additional knots that are suitable to differing situations. Tie-a-tie discusses one called a Pratt Knott that seems quite similar to a half-Windsor when executed. Another great resource site for ties and knots is Ben Silver. Here you will find a grand selection of really fine and expensive neckwear as well as a great tying guide offering options such as the Prince Albert, the Small Knot and the Cross Knot as well as advice on tying ascots and bows.

The Bow Tie: As I said, my dad was a bow tie kind of guy. In the 1980s bow ties made something of a resurgence, and then they seemed to disappear again in the 90s. My old dad, however, started wearing them in the 30s, and he never stopped. A bow tie expresses a degree of non-conformity with a sense of classic style. My personal tendency is not to wear them to job interviews, but I have no compunction about wearing them everywhere else. The reason Dad liked them was because he did not have to worry about them flopping about when he was working. I like them because they are cool. Bow ties may be worn with button-down collars, plain point and, possibly, the narrowest of spread collars. Anything wider however will require a Windsor. When called upon to don a tuxedo, despite the request for a "black" tie on the invitation, you may now elegantly wear a bow of just about any color you choose. Do not follow the trend of the Hollywoodies and forsake the bow for a long tie – no matter what the silly little fashionistas like to say, it is not correct. Whether for formal or more casual wear, stay away from extremes in your selection of bows: never go with the uber-wide C. Everett Koop/Orville Redenbacher varieties, but stick with a modest width. The British call the ones with the plain rectangular ends "bat-wings" because they are shaped rather like cricket bats, and I think that these look the best when tied. Nearly as good, and a bit easier to tie for beginners, is the Slimline or Standard tie which has a dip in the middle. The term "butterfly" is tempting, but avoid it as it generally connotes a very wide bow.

Bow ties do seem to be making another comeback, and there are some great sites devoted to them. My personal favorite is Beau Ties Ltd., but they may be found at any gentleman's store that deals in classic men's goods.

Ascots: I must admit that for certain wear and in certain settings, I love ascots. Unfortunately Hugh Hefner and Tony Curtis have kind of ruined these for the rest of us, and they can seem like the punch-lines of fairly bad jokes. Frankly, you should probably be over 50 before you start wearing these, and then you need to be prudent in how you wear them. If you have your own sloop of not less than thirty feet, then you may get away with an ascot no matter what your age. If you are part of the cruise crowd, make sure that you are sailing on one of the better lines. On Carnival, ascots are always out of place, on Crystal, there may be a time and a place for one.

Tie-a-tie

I will go into the various necktie knots in a later post, but I want to call readers' attention to this wonderful website: Tie-a-tie.net. As an old Scout, I am fairly proficient with knots, but I still struggle when I am trying to sculpt a perfect Windsor at 6:15 in the morning. This site provides videos and clear instructions for most of the major knots and guidance for their use.

Flannel

The cool weather is obviously having an effect on my clothing preferences of late. We are actually experiencing a bit of winter in our normally balmy Northern California, so my mind turns to warmer clothes.

And what could be warmer or more comforting than flannel?

Flannel comes in two basic varieties: wool and cotton.

Wool flannel is the stuff of your best dress suits, trousers and blazers. It is also what the best Pendleton™ shirts are made of. There is much to recommend wool flannel shirts – most notably, if a young gentleman spends a good deal of time out of doors in the cold months, wool will keep him warm when sodden wet. Additionally, good quality wool will keep its crisp appearance through much hard wear. No matter how well worn your wool flannel Pendleton gets, however, it will never be something that you want to rub your face against – it is not "comfort" clothing.

Cotton flannel is what I really want to discuss here. It comes in various weights from quite light, suitable for mild Californian autumns and springs, to thick "chamois cloth" weights, which make good layers in mid-winter. It is used to line jeans and khakis and to make shirts. These are not business shirts. No, these are shirts that warm the flesh and the soul. A well washed and thick cotton flannel shirt is like wearing the softest blanket from your bassinet. Like Linus, you will take your security blanket with you everywhere. The heaviest cotton flannels will never offer the same degree of insulation as wool flannels, but they are far more suitable for indoor wear and for layering over tee-shirts and turtlenecks. A well cut flannel shirt can go under a tweed or corduroy sport coat, it can go under any sort of parka, or it may be worn as a medium-weight outer layer on its own.

The best cut flannel shirts offer two breast pockets, often pleated, but not always. Knife pleats on each side of the back are best, but they may have no pleats at all – the additional volume afforded by pleats makes layering over heavy undergarments somewhat easier. Look for good long tails as they serve not only to keep the shirt tucked in whilst you are cutting wood or driving the sleigh, but they also offer welcome insulation to your bum.

Where to find them? The old stand-by, L. L. Bean still carries them, as does their west-coast counterpart, Eddie Bauer, but in recent years I have found the offerings at Cabela's to be of better quality. Also, Cabela's offers them in a wider selection of colors and they offer embroidery to personalize the shirts a bit.

Malone Pants

I am taking something of a departure here. The weather in our balmy Northern California climes has taken a turn for the cool. Tomorrow the weatherman is predicting sleet. Sleet! In Northern California!

This is one of the rare times when I wish I still had a pair of Malone Pants. Malone Pants are one of the less-than-basic alternatives that it  behooves a gentleman to own. The fabric is a tremendously thick woolen flannel. And it is not refined flannel. Think lumberjacks, jacking lumber in the forests of the Yukon. These pants are heavy. But, like so many articles of men's clothing that were developed in the nineteenth century, they are also dashing. Traditionally they are in a dark Oxford grey color with a faint red and green windowpane check. Because they are woolen, they will not only keep you warm after fording a river to get to grandmama's house, but they will continue to look dashing once they dry. And, if on the sleigh-ride home with Miss Fanny Bright you happen to get caught in a drifted bank, you will be able to loan the only blanket in the vehicle to her whilst you dig your way out in relative comfort.

In truth, Malone Pants, though we only wear them a few times a year in this region, are invaluable wardrobe additions. Woolrich makes a fine example, and L.L. Bean carries them under their own label too, but they call them Main Guide Wool Pants. With a Pendleton wool shirt, you are ready to go Christmas tree hunting in these babies, and throw on a blue blazer and you are ready for Midnight Mass. In the winter these are truly not replaceable by any other garment that I know of.

The Denim Discussion

Denim. We had to talk about it eventually.

Invented in France as a rugged, utility material, died with cheap indigo dye, it was the stuff of working class trousers, hardy and coarse. As it happened, the exact combination that they hit on was a moment of ingenious synchronicity – the fabric, whilst coarse, washes wonderfully and, as it ages it becomes wonderfully soft. The indigo dye, starts as a harsh dark blue, but, as it washes it also softens, taking on its own character, eventually to an ever paling sky blue and, finally, it turns almost white. In the latter half of the twentieth century we found that denim and washing machines are made for one another. And, if you fold denim trousers right out of the dryer, you don't even have to iron them.

But denim is more than merely convenient: it is poetic. A soft, old pair of pale blue jeans are as at home in the Rocky Mountains as a pair of khakis on the Serengeti. They speak of broad, blue skies and poetry in the forest. They are romantic.

So why do so many old school pundits of gentlemen's wardrobe still disdain jeans as belonging to those who mow our lawns, but are certainly not gentlemen? It is because of denim's working-class roots. Unlike khakis, denim did not have the Ernest Hemingways and William Buckleys of the world acting as full-time spokesmodels. Denim was included in Hollywood's reinvention of the Wild West and was worn by the likes of Roy Rogers and John Wayne in their hundred year re-conquest of the open prairie. Denim was tough and working-class, but it was not elegant.

And then the eighties came along, rescuing us from the polyester decade of the seventies and introduced the denim shirt. I am not talking about the denim work shirt or the denim western shirt, but, rather, the finished denim button-down, and it became the blue blazer of the modern age. It could be worn with a tweed sport coat, corduroy trousers and a coarsely woven necktie, and it was at home in the Ivy League classroom or the elegant chophouse. With sleeves rolled and the collar open, it can easily pair with Bermuda shorts on the beach. It is truly an all-purpose shirt. Given its resilience and resistance to wrinkles, it is the perfect travel companion. And its softness next to your skin will lend you strength at the interview for the Big Job as well. The wait staff at Les Halles in New York City wears denim shirts with spread collars and French cuffs – I have coveted these ever since I first saw them, but have never been able to find one.

All of this makes us think that, perhaps, we should reevaluate the ever present blue jeans.

In my opinion, the blue jeans are a perfectly acceptable casual addition to the gentleman's wardrobe, certainly west of the Mississippi. You need to be aware of the characteristics of various denim trousers, however, and make your selections carefully.

First of all, for most of us, Wranglers are completely inappropriate. If you spend a good deal of time in the saddle of a horse, either for work or play, then Wranglers are the blue jeans of choice, and you should wear them. They are very tight in the buttocks and the thighs for the purpose of avoiding uncomfortable wrinkles between you and your saddle. For those of us who do not ride in jeans, however, they are just trampy. It is like a lovely, busty maid squeezing into a tube-top: It puts everything on display, but not to the beset advantage. And, to make things worse, every country-bar dwelling pretend cowpoke dons the Wranglers in order to give himself some cowboy cred. It doesn't work.

Most so-called designer brands are also wrong for men. They are means of advertising your net worth on your bum, and, as dad had it, if you have to tell me that you are rich, you are not. Some designer brands, Ralph Lauren and Façonnable to name two, are excellent in their design. They are also startlingly expensive. L.L. Bean still carries excellent house-brand jeans, and the website, MakeYourOwnJeans.com, offers designs that will suit every taste.

In selecting your blue jeans, remember the Aristotelian rule of thumb: Avoid extremes. You neither want your jeans to be too tight, nor too loose. Not too new, nor too old. On young girls, holes in the knees can be quite enticing, but never on gentlemen's jeans. Because I am cut a bit like a box, my blue jeans of choice are Levi's 505s. They are similar in cut to the classic 501s, but they have zippers in lieu of the button flies. I find that the button holes on the current breed of 501s are wearing out just about the time that the jeans are getting good, whereas the brass zippers of the 505s last a few lifetimes.

Once you have selected your jeans, wear them well, but not inappropriately. Wearing rugged jeans with a dinner jacket or a sport coat was creative and naughty in 1981, now it is back to being inappropriate. They pair well with sport shirts or tee shirts. With a crisp button-down they will take you to lunch at Ahwahnee, but break out the well pressed khakis and a blue blazer for dinner.

In short, every gentleman should have a dark denim dress shirt in his wardrobe. Blue jeans are less necessary, but they do make a nice alternative to khakis periodically. Just remember to be cognicent of the design and quality of your denim, and it will serve you well for years to come.