On Double-Breasted Waistcoats

It’s always nice when fashion coincides with personal taste. Makes you feel like the whole world is coming around to your way of thinking. Waistcoats are current example.

Patterned waistcoats are an abomination, unless you’re going to the races. And even then you’d be better off in smart three-piece tails. (Perhaps in pale grey, to set oneself apart.)

Waistcoats, equally, need to fit well. If your trousers are worn on the hips, as most are today, the waistcoat must be long-fitting. No shirt material should ever be exposed between waistcoat and trousers. For that reason and because of the unsightly bulge, belts should also be avoided.

Lastly, waistcoats should if possible be made to measure. They are the hardest piece of clothing for a tailor to make and ready-to-wear will rarely fit well. To illustrate: I recently had a suit made by my tailor in Hong Kong, the first I have had from him without a fitting out there first. I was pleased with the result, but he refused to make a waistcoat in this way, remotely, without being able to see it on me and adjust it accordingly. Good for him and his principles. He’ll have to wait until I am out there in November to make the third piece in the three piece.

That waistcoat will be double-breasted. And this is the central point of this posting. Double-breasted waistcoats are not just for weddings, white tie or the whimsical. They are a regular alternative in the three-piece suit, and to my eye always look cleaner and smarter. The long row of buttons up the front of a single-breasted waistcoat can look rather bulky, and lead to a rather high, 1960s-style fastening.

The double-breasted waistcoat, by contrast, has a low, sweeping line that creates a clean V behind the jacket front. There is no cluttering of buttons.

Even though the height of a waistcoat should be no more than an inch (probably a single button) above the top button of the jacket, the prevalence of three-button jackets means that in reality two or three will be exposed – as usually only the jacket’s central, waist button will be fastened.

One or two-button jackets will permit waistcoats with deeper Vs and therefore fewer buttons, but the ratio between jacket and waistcoat buttons is likely to be even more disproportionate (one to three, say, rather than three to five).

Colour and material, of course, are paramount. A double-breasted waistcoat is unusual and should be done in plain (usual) tones and wools. I’d recommend dark grey worsted, navy being a little dressier.

Given the recommendations of The Waistcoat Theory, there is a good chance this waistcoat will end up being worn without its jacket, which is all the more reason why it should be able to shine on its own. And we wouldn’t want to be too fashionable, would we?

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Reader Question: Upgrading Shirts

Chris (Westie): I want to move on from wearing M&S/Next shirts that don’t fit me properly. Would my next step be to go straight to a tailor? How much can I expect to spend and do I need to know what kind of material and colour or pattern I want?

Going straight to a tailor is always going to be the preferred option if you can find one that is easily accessible and not too expensive. I couldn’t afford the majority of tailor-made shirts in London. The cheapest I have found are at SuitSupply for individual shirts (around £80) and at Brooks Brothers for bulk orders (around £70). Both are too expensive for me to use as my regular shirt suppliers.

I was fortunate enough to go to Hong Kong a few times on business, and having now had my measurements taken by a reliable tailor there, and had them adjusted a few times, I have a reliable source of new shirts that fit well and cost around £25, which is much more reasonable. This is the option to go for if you can find a comparable service – but I’m aware that may not be possible.

There are options to have shirts made to measure over the internet. Manning & Manning over at www.shirts-custom.com is one example. However, I have never tried any of these services and so cannot vouch for them. What’s more, I wouldn’t trust myself to measure myself. Something is bound to be altered in the very act of measuring, rather like quantum mechanics. And getting someone else to do it might be even worse. Better to have a proper tailor involved.

So, Chris, your next best option is to spend a lot of time trying on shirts in slightly more upmarket shops. This will take a while but is worth it. Think about the experience as all the shopping you’ll ever have to do, rolled into one weekend.

Essentially, every brand will cut their shirts in a slightly different shape, with the width of the neck being the only constant. Try each of them on and you will eventually find one that fits you pretty well. Here is a rundown of my experience of mid-range shirts in London:

Massimo Dutti – Some of the best shirts for value for money. Two lines around either £40 or £60. There are more tailored options, as well. Rather too short in the tails, but that is inevitable these days as manufacturers want to save money by using less material, and men often want to wear their shirts untucked and therefore do not want dress-length tails.

Reiss – Some nice shirts but a very slim fit. Many fit me well around the waist but are too tight across the chest. Collars also a little too large for my taste. Also rather expensive – usually £60 to £80. You might as well order a bunch of made-to-measure shirts for that price.

Hackett – Probably my favourite off-the-peg shirts that I still own. Good quality. Could be a little narrower in the waist but not bad considering. Also a little short in the tails. £50 to £70.

TM Lewin – Again, good value. In the sales often reduced to £25. And there’s always a sale. Good long tails but far too large in the waist for me. They now have a semi-fitted line but I haven’t tried them. £25 to £50.

I hope this is useful, Chris. Another option would be to go to a department store and try on a lot of different brands. Stand in front of three mirrors, to show you every angle. And bring a girlfriend with you, or a man with at least as much interest in clothes as you. Looking at the folds across your back will be key (see my posts on the fit of a suit).

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Reader Question: Office Casual, Part 1

Ed, London: Office attire where I work is very casual – a lot of jeans and t-shirts, with only very senior people wearing suits. I’d like to incorporate some more formal or dressy items into my work attire but don’t want to stand out too much. What would you suggest?

I’d start with ties and shoes. Retain the casual benchmark that is a pair of jeans, and try adding smarter shoes and/or knitted ties.

Leather shoes are a whole world of joy, as I’m sure you’ll have realised if you’ve read this blog for very long. Many collectors of upmarket shoes wear them as much with jeans as suits, and doing so gives you a greater range of choices. If you’re going to opt for leather shoes with jeans, bear the following things in mind:

- Shoes with greater bulk or pattern are more casual. So go for brogues or wing-tips. The heavier look of patterned and layered leather shoes makes them sit more comfortably with heavy materials like flannel and denim.
- Suede is a lovely casual option but can be hard to maintain. Make your second or third pair of smart shoes a brown or ginger leather. That way you always have an alternative if it looks a bit wet out (don’t wear suede in the rain if you can help it).
- Go for brown. Whether chocolate, tan or blond, brown shoes will go best with jeans. Black makes you look like a schoolboy and other colours can be hard to wear effectively. (My only exception is red leather, which I think can look great with indigo denim.) Broadly speaking, the darker the brown the darker the jeans should be. But there is much greater flexibility here than with suits.
- Get a good-quality leather belt in a similar hue to wear with your shoes. Again, there is greater flexibility than with suits as to matching the shoes to the belt. But try and find something similar (two browns should be sufficient for all shades of shoe).

Next, ties. Wear a well-fitting shirt with the jeans (all important considering that there will likely be no jacket to cover the shirt). It should fit well both at the waist and at the neck – nothing would remove this outfit’s crispness more than an undone shirt collar.

For ties, anything is good apart from regular silk. Wool works well, as the duller texture suits the trousers and shoes more than silk – which complements polished shoes and worsted wool far better. Particularly good are the narrower, square-ended wool ties.

In that same vein, knitted silk can also work well. It has a shinier hue but the texture makes it inherently more casual. Also cottons or cotton/silk mixes.

This gives you two fantastic areas of menswear to plunder. It should go without saying that the jeans should be traditional and straight cut. No drainpipes or flares please.

(I’m warming to this subject. The next post will explain why textures are the key to getting Ed’s combinations right when he wants to add a jacket or vary the trousers.)

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Introducing the Lazy Fold

Sometimes, just occasionally, I change my mind. While the didactic style of some of these postings might suggest a singleness of purpose, an almost obstinate point of view, I am open to the possibility of evolution. The stuffing of a handkerchief is one such occasion.

In one of my earliest posts on this blog, Tips on Stuffing, I outlined the three most popular ways to arrange a silk handkerchief: pulling the centre to the bottom of the pocket, thus exposing the points; vice versa, exposing the puff; and combining the two by folding the handkerchief in half, displaying both the centre and points.

I used to be a puff person. Exposing the points seemed a little affected except on a special occasion (my wedding, for example, though that was a linen handkerchief). And the folded, combination option does not leave anything at the bottom of the pocket and therefore tends to slip down during the day.

The puff was practical by comparison and a little more understated. However, it had a number of weaknesses, chief amongst which was that differently sized hankies would puff at different heights out of the pocket. The tips could be folded down inside the pocket in order to adjust the height, but that rather defeats the simplicity of the technique and could take a few attempts to get just right.

Instead I revert to what I have christened the Lazy Fold. Stuff one corner of the handkerchief into the pocket until you feel it touch the bottom. Then fold over the rest and stuff it behind, leaving as much silk exposed as you desire.

It’s easy but surprisingly effective. Height is easier to adjust, it’s quick and it never has to be done more than once. What’s more, the fold you create above the pocket is slightly different every time, creasing in a different place. This creates a more casual, less studied look. (Something you want to strive to do with a handkerchief as it will look, to most, rather studied already.)

As a footnote, I also find that if I want to highlight the border pattern of the handkerchief a fold is better than a stuff. This is in direct contrast with my previous posting, which advocated exposing the tips to achieve this effect, and relegated folding to cotton or woollen handkerchiefs.

That is the traditional approach. But in this case I believe I was (whisper it) wrong. It is very hard to display the points of a silk handkerchief without it appearing affected, at least in a business setting – which is where I would be wearing mine almost exclusively.

Try a normal TV Fold instead, with the edges uppermost; it is more subtle. I consider myself evolved.

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The Colors of Summer

When it comes to summer dressing, most men like the idea of adding a little shot of color to their ensemble.  At the same time there is normally trepidation when it comes to modulating that extra splash of liveliness.  When does a little become too much?  How can I show some personality without looking like a caricature?

I am reminded of a fellow I saw on the street last year on a steamy summer day.  He was wearing the loudest pants I’d ever seen.  They looked remarkably like sofa cushions from a 1950s Florida vacation house; bright orange with giant palm fronds and parrots printed all over them.  These pants actually hurt my eyes.  But the guy wearing them looked cool as a cucumber; relaxed and suave in sockless loafers and a crisp white oxford.

Though most of us would run the other way when presented with such an outfit, it worked on this gentleman because it fit his particular personality.  For the rest of us, spicing up the warm weather wardrobe will likely include less extravagant exercises in color.  Though we still need to dress professionally for the work week– or at least wear long pants – there is still room for personal style in manageable increments.

As a general rule, please do not make the mistake of thinking that dressing for summer weather means wearing togs better suited to the beach or a weekend cookout.  Always assume that someone important will need to see you during the day and dress accordingly.  How then do you “responsibly” add that bit of personal color?  A favorite option of mine is to use accessories as a way to tone down the formality of office attire while still offering the world a little flash of style.

Ribbon watch straps a great option, especially for the summer.  You’ll be amazed at how a preppy grosgrain or NATO strap can change the whole feel of your favorite wrist watch.  Additionally, these straps give your timepiece a breezy, vintage feel.  People will think that your dad wore it back when he was studying archaeology at Yale.

Smart Turnout makes some of the best ribbon straps; from British military unit colors to England’s venerable colleges – even American Ivy’s – you can find something that fits your personal style.  They are easy to swap around, so keep a drawer full and match your watch your watch to your mood.  If needed, invest in the little tool that allows you to remove the pins which hold most watch bands in place – it makes life easier.

Belts are another simple way to add color to your look while falling well within the bounds of great practical style.  Tucker Blair needlepoint belts are a unique and thoroughly preppy way to add some fun and color to your summer wardrobe.  Though a new company, Tucker Blair’s signature needlepoint belts are a classic in a New Englandy sort of way.  They are an instant classic as well; each one is a little work of art and an instant heirloom.  They truly are unique and speak to both New England clambakes and Low Country boils.

Ribbon belts are a popular and less expensive way to give your style a little punch.  Great companies like J. Crew, J. Press, and Gap offer stripes, critters, solids and plaid versions that make choosing one an easy exercise in personal messaging.

Another summer staple of the past that’s getting a new shot of life is patchwork madras.  In the states at least, it seemed like back in the day everyone’s father had a shirt like this.  Each year it was debuted at the family Memorial Day picnic and was kept busy all summer long.

Each washing left the cloth a little softer and a little more faded – the sign of true madras.  Cape Madras, founded in 2004, has resurrected the real thing and built a unique company that is both dyed in the wool American and dyed in Madras, Indian. While the Cape Madras collection is designed by the creative team in the US, the company weaves all its own fabric designs in rural villages in India.

Unlike the traditional muted colors one associated with madras, they use colors not usually seen in traditional madras like bright pinks, greens and oranges.  With offerings of shirts, shorts, jackets, pants, you can find a classic summery look for any occasion.

To add an extra layer of individuality, choose a signature, something that people will associate with you alone.  A relative of mine wears round tortoise shell glasses. Since I can remember he has always worn them and by now anything else just wouldn’t look right.  Since he is particularly Ivy League in his style of dress, the glasses give him a living Ralph Lauren ad persona.  It’s just right on him.  So, what’s your summer signature of personal style?

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