The Real Innovation of Tom Ford

The greatest contribution Tom Ford’s new eponymous line has made to menswear is nothing to do with design – it is the creation of a compromise between bespoke and made to measure.

Bespoke, as regular readers will recall, involves creating a suit from the ground up. It can take any form, any shape and material. It is usually handmade by the tailor you speak to. Made to measure involves taking your measurements, adjusting the standard block for an existing suit and having it made in a factory.

Aside from the added quality of having a suit sewn by hand, the biggest difference between bespoke and made-to-measure is that there are fewer options with the latter – the shape of your suit and, to an extent, the materials, will be limited.

Tom Ford doesn’t mind this because people want to buy a Tom Ford shape and Tom Ford materials. They don’t want bespoke. But they do want the suit to fit as well as humanly possible. So he adds an onsite tailor to the equation.

The customer’s measurements are taken in New York, and from those measurements staff pick one of four bases and adjust it. The amended base in sent away to the factory (in Italy) and made up. When it comes back, the New York staff have the capability to make some fairly dramatic adjustments if needed. It’s made-to-measure, with a tailor at the other end.

“When you go to a bespoke tailor you can have almost anything made. When you come to us, you come for a certain Tom Ford look and then it’s modified. This is a hybrid that did not exist,” Ford told Fantastic Man recently. “There’s much more customisation than you can get from any other designer company. At the same time it’s got a bit more of a personal [designer] stamp than Savile Row.”

This is not just new, it is important. It tells people from George Clooney and Brad Pitt to the man in the street that you don’t only have three options – ready to wear, made to measure and bespoke. You can find any point in between if you find and use a good tailor.

If you buy a suit off the peg, ask what adjustments can be made in-house. Many designer brands offer this, often at cost price. Don’t be afraid to take it to a separate tailor if the fit still isn’t right (pushing yourself along the range from RTW to almost MTM). And don’t be afraid to take a MTM suit to a tailor either. Again, many shops that offer MTM will also do adjustments – Suit Supply is a good example, as I mentioned in a previous post.

It’s great to see Tom Ford distance himself from many other designers, who make no attempt to ensure their RTW suits fit. It is even more impressive that he has created an almost unique niche. Here’s hoping some other designers follow his lead.

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A Modern Ascot

I’d like to wear an ascot, but I just can’t. Outside of a wedding or a trip to Ascot, I’d have trouble pulling it off. I have, however, found something that is near enough to be satisfying without being too flamboyant.

The two keys to making this work are colour and collar. The colour needs to be dark and with a subtle, dark pattern if any. The collar should be non-existent: I wear it with a sweater or t-shirt rather than a shirt. On the v-neck of a shirt, even a polo shirt, it looks too forced. As with braces, white suits and most hats, it’s very hard to wear at my age without looking silly.

So, the new ascot. It is a short, dark blue scarf in silk, which I found accidentally in a vintage shop for about £5. No more than two feet long and four inches wide. It is worn in place of a scarf on more summery days like today, tied once and tucked into the front of a round-necked cotton sweater.

I have a long neck, and so collars generally are a good thing – polo shirts rather than t-shirts; shirts themselves above all. The short silk scarf, however, adds some needed height and weight to the neck of a sweater.

I prefer a dark colour and pattern, because again it makes the outfit a little less flamboyant. This is of course an entirely personal decision, but given the recent results of the Menswear Poll it seems most readers are more conservative than me if anything; so my dark blue neckerscarf with black graphic pattern is probably more likely to appeal than a yellow polka-dot version.

Again, my aim was to take a little-worn item and bring it into my wardrobe in some way. I would draw a parallel with woollen handkerchiefs – something I find far easier to wear with non-formal outfits than silk handkerchiefs. It is more muted, and subtle, but undeniably there.

One problem. Aside from a discovery in a vintage shop in York, I have yet to find a silk scarf of similar size. Has anyone seen something similar being sold as new? It strikes me as something that Dunhill or Aquascutum might carry, but I could only find regular, pre-folded ascots in their stores.

Any reports of sightings would be appreciated. In the meantime, I encourage you to scour the vintage shops and try out this suggestion with your best summer-weight sweater.

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Ralph Lauren Spring Sale?

Last Wednesday was very exciting. I got an email from my pal Ralph Lauren, informing me there was to be a “private sale” over the following five days – May 15 to May 19. In my experience these private sales mean that the items in the store are on sale, but not marked as such. The sales assistants will reluctantly admit that there is a sale, if pushed (see this posting).

The email promised 40% of most lines, and an extra 20% off on the Thursday. I had bought a pair of Purple Label monk-front shoes at a similar discount a year ago, and they are the most comfortable thing I have ever worn, including slippers and trainers (the Purple Label is made by Edward Green – see this posting). So I was beginning to get excited.

When I turned up on the Thursday, there were no sales signs up. No surprise there. No discounts on the price tags. Again, not unexpected. But when I asked a sales assistant which lines were on sale, he denied all knowledge of it. Given previous experience, I asked a more senior assistant, showing him the print-out of the email. This produced a sigh.

“That sale is only at stores in the US sir, and online,” he said.
“And the online sales are only available for US delivery, is that right?” I asked.
“Yes. We were going to have a spring sale here as well, but that’s been shifted back to June. Management upstairs will be pleased to know this went out to everyone, not just those on the US mailing list. I’ll go tell them now.”

Off he stomped to deliver the bad news. As I turned round I saw someone else walk into the store, clutching a print-out of the same email. I felt a little sorry for the staff. They were going to have a long day.

So, no sale for me. But you heard it here first – there will be a private sale at Ralph Lauren in the UK in mid-June. I couldn’t get them to confirm a date, but there aren’t many weekends in mid-June – my money’s on June 14/15. Also, if any US readers went to this sale on the May weekend, can you report back on what the discounts were? If I remember from last time, there was 40% off Polo and Black Label, 50% off Purple Label.

On a separate point, an article in The Times here last week predicted record discounts this summer, as stores struggle to get cash out of us before the whole world goes into recession. The sales can only be more extreme in the US. So start saving now.

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Filling the Hole in Menswear Retail

When I fantasise about winning the lottery (which is more often than is probably healthy) I wonder what I would do with my time, what small bookshop or café I would set up, to potter about in, spending the day obsessing about having the “right” clientele and making a small loss year after year.

I’ve decided now I would create a menswear shop to fill a hole in the market. Much like my desire to find or create the perfect magazine, this shop may not prove economically viable. But then if I’ve won the lottery that wouldn’t matter.

Here’s my business plan. All the suits would be made in Hong Kong by my current tailor and the facilities he uses. I can get a decent suit from him for around £150, but given that I would become a bulk customer, and I could offer him some share in the profits of the enterprise, I’m sure this amount could be negotiated down to nearer £100.

The shop would emphasise fit above all. To that end, it would carry a limited ready-to-wear line, but one with odd chest fittings as well as even – 39, 41 and 43 as well as 38, 40 and 42 – and with unfinished sleeves and trousers. The customer would pay a small surcharge on top of the suit price to have the sleeves and trousers finished for him to the correct lengths. He would also be encouraged to have the waist adjusted. All these adjustments would be done by a tailor on site, and priced at cost. If the suit costs me £100, I would hope to do this for under £200, with all the costs and overheads taken into consideration.

The ability to have a more accurate chest and shoulder measurement, and other parts of the suit adjusted cheaply, would mean that this ready-to-wear line would fit better than almost any other.

I am aware that most shops only carry even chest measurements because it is more costly and inefficient to carry them all. I would compensate slightly by narrowing the range available – perhaps going from 37 to 43 inches. Other retails outlets have to carry a wider range given their wider clientele, but the racks are always filled with 46 inch chest suits at the end of a sale. I would hopefully avoid that.

More than half the business would come from bespoke clothing – measured by the tailor in London (I might even do a little training myself in order to be able to measure customers accurately) and made in Hong Kong. Given that suits out there are turned around in less than a week, the whole process for a customer in London would not take more than two weeks.

The suit that arrives in London would be unfinished, to enable something approaching a second fitting with the customer in London. Also, all suits, particularly ready-to-wear, would be made with excess material in the jacket to allow for easy adjustments.

If the priority of the shop is fit, the second priority would be individuality. The ready-to-wear line would only include a handful of identical suits, perhaps one in each of the sizes. Each small group would vary from the others by the materials, linings and buttons, making each almost unique to that customer.

This really would be personal tailoring – unique and individually adjusted.

The shop of course would be a haven for the sartorially minded. It would include a small library of rare Apparel Arts issues and a seating area with free espresso for those who fancy hanging out, browsing the glen plaid swatches and considering their next purchase. There would likely be a shop tie and individual pattern of check, available only to the best customers.

These are more superficial considerations. But I think the business plan could work, and the shop would certainly be unique. As with my considerations on a new menswear magazine, if anyone has the money and the courage to help me launch something, do say!

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The Contradiction of Wedding Attire

Many of those attending a wedding this summer will feel they should have some sort of summery outfit, a linen suit perhaps, or at least something sporty in pale grey. Those who turn up in their dark blue business suit will probably feel a little underdressed, aware they didn’t make an effort. Yet they are probably the most correctly attired people there.

Wedding attire has changed over time, just like men’s formal dress generally. What was once the absolute minimum is now the realistic maximum. But there are a fair number of constants, and a range of more or less formal options one can go for while still being satisfyingly traditional.

At the most formal end of the spectrum is the morning coat (a version of tails) in black or dark grey. It usually has one button at the waist and tails that fall onto the back of the knees. It is worn with mid-grey striped trousers. Above the waist is a double-breasted waistcoat in pale grey, cream or buff (creamy yellow). Shirt in white or with white contrast collar (preferably separate), most formally wing collar, with an ascot. Then accessories, white linen handkerchief, flower in the buttonhole etc.

This get-up is probably what you will get if you hire a wedding outfit. It will be poor quality, fit badly and be stain resistant. Most importantly, it will offer no opportunity for personal expression.

So, let’s take the formality down a notch. First, the shirt – this can be a smart white shirt with a normal collar. If you happen to own a contrast-collar shirt, with the body in blue or blue stripes for example, this is the perfect opportunity to wear it. If you have a wing collar shirt of your own (perhaps to go with your black tie/tuxedo) then wear that. Either way, at least the shirt is your own.

Second, dump the ascot unless you own one. The one from the rental place will be the same as every groom or wedding guest has worn and will have no personality. Instead wear your favourite tie in a summer hue – perhaps a gold satin, or a Macclesfield grey.

Third, the trousers can quite easily be your own. If you own a mid-grey pinstripe or chalk-stripe suit, wear the trousers from that. Even a sporty check is acceptable, as long as it is the right grey to contrast with the very dark jacket.

So here is a decent alternative. Rent the waistcoat and the morning coat, and wear everything else your own. They will fit better and probably be of better quality.

There are two further options. One, wear the waistcoat from another three-piece suit you own. This should really be either a tan linen, or a pale grey wool. I’m sure there aren’t many people out there who own either, but if you do then the whole get-up is yours minus the jacket.

Which is where the stroller comes in. This is semi-formal day wear, but given that everyone else will be in linen suits, it is still pretty formal. The stroller is a short jacket in dark grey or black, single or double breasted, with peaked lapels. Again, it is worn with striped or checked trousers in a contrast grey, and can have the same shirt, tie and waistcoat as mentioned.

So wear whichever of these items you already own and combine them. The outfit will be traditional, but you will be largely wearing your own, personally picked and fitted clothes. Perhaps most importantly, you will also look different to anyone else no matter how formal or informal they may be. There is nothing worse than the whole wedding party wearing the same ill-fitting, shiny outfits. It’s supposed to be a special occasion, and they’re wearing nylon.

Myself, I own all these items save the waistcoat. But then maybe I’ll have a buff one made before the next wedding I go to.

P.S. To complete the argument begun in the first paragraph – the next level down from this outfit for a wedding is considered to be a dark suit combining some of these elements, such as a double-breasted waistcoat or perhaps a double-breasted jacket. There is therefore a good chance that your friend who turns up in his dark grey, double-breasted office suit will be better dressed than every ball of wrinkled linen dotted around the church. Linen is for summer, but not for weddings.

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