With so many options, choosing your pocket style can be a daunting task when commissioning bespoke clothing. So, in the interest of minimising any potential pocket-related anxiety, we’ve drawn up an overview of the three most popular pocket styles and their variants.

FLAP POCKETS
The flapped pocket — where a pocket is cut into the interior of the garment and covered by a simple flap — is by far the most common pocket for both suits and jackets.

Straight, flapped pockets are often seen as the default setting for a jacket, also being the template for most ready-to-wear garments. Straight, flapped pockets are the best choice for when you’re not wishing to draw extra attention to a jacket, being well-suited for business wear.

Flapped pockets can also be set at an angle, being more commonly known as slanted pockets. The slant angle starts at a moderate 15% but can be increased to 20% – 25% for a more dramatic, right angle-like appearance.

Slanted pockets have an equestrian heritage, with their angled position making access easier when riding. Opting for slanted pockets can add further country appeal to a tweed jacket or make a worsted suit look sleeker by virtue of their dramatic angles.

Lastly, a smaller ticket pocket – so named because city businessmen taking the train to the country on weekends would use them to stash their train tickets – can be added above one of the flapped pockets. Typically set above the right pocket, they can be also set on the opposite side to accommodate the left handed. Either way, a ticket pocket can differentiate a jacket from a suit jacket or simply add extra interest to the latter.

When a jacket has slanted flapped pockets with a ticket pocket, it’s typically referred to as a Hacking Jacket. This pocket style has deep roots in English equestrian tradition, and instantly gives a suit or casual jacket a more rustic image.

JETTED POCKETS
Like flapped pockets, jetted pockets are cut into the interior of a jacket. However, they lack a flap, leaving only the appearance of a subtle slit on the body of the jacket. As with flapped pockets, jetted pockets can also be slanted and joined by a ticket pocket.

Being the most formal style of pocket, jetted pockets are a must on dinner jackets or smoking jackets. They’re less commonly seen on suit or casual jackets, in part because a well-made flapped pocket can be converted to a jetted pocket by simply tucking the flap into its interior. Cad & The Dandy’s flapped pockets are easily tucked, offering the versatility of a jetted look whenever the wearer should choose.

PATCH POCKETS
The last of the three major pocket styles, patch pockets are also the simplest. Rather than constructing a pocket inside the jacket, patch pockets are made by adding an extra patch of fabric to the jacket’s exterior, building the pocket on the outside.

In keeping with their simple construction – and larger visual presence — patch pockets are the most casual pocket style. This makes them a great choice for jackets and suits made from more casual fabrics, particularly lightweight linens and cottons.

Patch pockets can be left open at the top, or secured with a flap, creating what’s called a patch-flap pocket — a staple of American Ivy Style. Patch pockets can’t be slanted, but they can be curved with the top resembling the hull of a small boat – a classically Neapolitan approach.

The surface area of a patch pocket also allows for pleats. This could take the form of box pleats, created by layering additional fabric above the pocket, or an inverted pleat that creates a small opening on the pocket itself. Both add further interest to the patch pocket and can be topped by flaps.

The country cousin to the patch pocket is known as a cartridge or bellows pocket. Typically reserved for hunting jackets it is similar to the patch, being built up with extra fabric until it becomes a three-dimensional pouch capable of holding more items, which traditionally meant extra rounds of ammunition for your duck or pheasant hunt.

Whether you know your way around a rifle or not, a cartridge pocket can be a useful way to add more country appeal to a tweed jacket, or simply to carry a few tomatoes home from the local farmer’s market.

Cad & The Dandy bespoke jackets start at £1090, suits start at £1400. For more information, email savilerow@cadandthedandy.co.uk, call +44 (0)20 7434 4344 or book a consultation online.

Written for Cad & The Dandy by Eric Twardzik, a Boston-based writer focused on food, drink and classic men’s style. His work has featured on Vice.com, Robb Report, InsideHook and Ivy-Style.com, among many others.

MORE
‘You’ Season 4 – Costume Design
Cad & The Dandy Whisky
What is Pitti? – our Guide to Florence and the people that attend Pitti Uomo

The post Bespoke Engineering: Jacket Pockets appeared first on Cad & The Dandy.

Florence has hosted this event since 1972, being conveniently held just prior to Milan’s fashion week, a trade-show for the world’s craftsmen and retailers to buy and sell their wares and for journalists to write about the latest trends.

Over the years Pitti was hijacked by the infamous Pitti Peacock, those loosely associated with the trade purely there to garner attention, wandering the streets of Firenze hunting photographers in the vain hope of being snapped through the Leica of those that hold sway in ‘Menswear’.

With the advent of Pitti 103 last week, we are pleased to report that the fair has been wrestled back by the sartorially elegant. With the rise of technology (yes something hard to imagine in the world of tailoring) it is now more a place to converse, debate and catch up with suppliers, friends, journalists and customers, as well as an opportunity to partake once more in the delights of Tuscan food and wine.

We decided rather than detail the latest trends in menswear – we can do this next time we see you in the shop – we would instead share our favourite places in the city to eat, drink and to meet our friends.

All’antico Vinaio
If ever a perfect sandwich was to be photographed, surely it would be here. The queues are testament to how a humble sandwich can be magnificent and so much more than we settle for in the UK. Oodles of options with fillings applied to look as good as they taste. It’s the perfect ‘grab and go’.

Pizza Gusto
Serving pizzas and nothing else, for when you perfect your art nothing else is needed. Also a great excuse to head south of the river for a slightly more relaxed atmosphere away from the tourist hoards.

Bulli and Balene
Hidden away in an innocuous square, this cicchetti spot serves quick and delicious snacks to eat standing or sitting. Matched with a small perfect cocktail or spritz, it’s an oasis of calm for pre dinner catch ups with friends.

Il Fratellini
A hole in the wall wine bar, served by well mannered and charming staff offering a great range of Chianti for pocket change. Returning time and again, not just for the wine but also conversations with those similarly seeking the bouquet of the grape. The sanctuary of an authentic Tuscan landmark.

Il Profeta
Our visits to Florence are never complete without seeing the husband and wife team who run this slightly out of the way restaurant. Never order from the menu, merely ask to receive what they would like to cook. With each course you are told of the maker of the oil, the origin of the squid or the vodka pasta sauce… you can’t fail to be charmed by meeting people who love what they do and are guaranteed to roll home in a state of contentment unmatched in every aspect. A reminder for us to share the love and passion we have for our own craft with our customers.

Some of our favourite Pitti people:

Photographers

Robert Spangle of 1000yardstyle
Mohan Singh
Arran cross
Luke Alland

Influencers

Andy of Styleafter50
Andreas of Flannels and Tweed
Matt Hranek of WM Brown magazine fame
Erik Mannby of Plaza Uomo magazine

Style Commentators

Simon Berg
Steve Knorsh

MORE
Smoking Jacket or Tuxedo? Discerning the Difference
Pocket Squares for Ukraine
Here Comes the Cavalry: Charging Forward with Cavalry Twill

The post What is Pitti? – our Guide to Florence and the people that attend Pitti Uomo appeared first on Cad & The Dandy.

In a bygone era, such a question may have determined whether you wished to light a Marlboro between your appetiser and entrée course. But in today’s tobacco-free world, its most relevant use may be differentiating between whether a formal garment is a smoking jacket or a genuine tuxedo (or dinner suit, as we know it in the UK).

To begin, we’ll state the most obvious difference: as the name would imply, a smoking jacket is a single item of clothing, while the tuxedo is generally a two-piece suit, consisting of a jacket and matching trousers. However, as we’ll discover the smoking jacket and tuxedo were once synonymous before going their own way.

As the eminent menswear writer G. Bruce Boyer recalls in his 2015 book True Style, the smoking jacket emerged in Britain in the 1870s as a hip-length coat men would don for cigar-smoking sessions following dinner, in order to spare their long tail coats from the noxious fumes (their lungs were not so lucky). The emphasis here being on “hip-length,” making smoking jackets considerably shorter than the jackets men wore as part of two-piece evening suits, at that time.

While some of these jackets were made from colourful velvets or silks, others were cut from the same black broadcloth typical of the Victorian age. They might have looked similar to the tuxedos worn today, but with one key difference — they were never to be worn outside of the home.

How and when the smoking jacket stepped out is a matter of debate, but the village of Tuxedo Park, New York, appears to have been its epicentre. While accounts differ, they all involve members of the Tuxedo Park Club attending a gathering in the UK where the Prince of Wales and other attendees sported short smoking jackets, inspiring the visiting Yanks to repeat the move at home, and in the process gave the garment its stateside name.

Further aided by the future King Edward VIII’s adoption of the style, the smoking jacket was soon triumphant on both sides of the Atlantic, replacing trouser and tails. In doing so, it was codified as a suit, made from matching fabric—typically wool or a wool-mohair blend, rendered in either black or midnight blue—becoming the tuxedo we recognise today. The uniformity of the two pieces that make the full garment was further expressed by its “facings,” the contrasting silk fabric that is seen on the peak or shawl lapels of the jackets or as a lengthwise stripe on the trousers.

The smoking jacket didn’t disappear but now stood apart as a single-piece garment that could be worn with contrasting trousers. In this way, it’s helpful to think that a tuxedo is a suit and a smoking jacket is a jacket.

And as such, you can have a bit more fun with a smoking jacket, with the opportunity to have it made in ivory silk for a tropical wedding, or in a bottle-green velvet for a holiday party. What’s worn below the smoking jacket is often a variation on tuxedo trousers, whether it’s the actual trousers borrowed from an existing tuxedo, or a pair of tartan wool trousers with a tuxedo-style silk stripe.

In closing, every man’s wardrobe should be stocked with a tuxedo, in the event of a late-breaking black-tie event or the sudden acquisition of opening-night opera tickets. The smoking jacket is not an essential—which is precisely why it can be so much fun.

Cad & The Dandy bespoke smoking jackets start at £1590; tuxedo/dinner suit jacket at £1290. For more information, email savilerow@cadandthedandy.co.uk, call +44 (0)20 7434 4344 or Vice.com, Robb Report, InsideHook and Ivy-Style.com, among many others.

MORE
Pocket Squares for Ukraine
Here Comes the Cavalry: Charging Forward with Cavalry Twill
Get in Line: Understanding Linings

The post Smoking Jacket or Tuxedo? Discerning the Difference appeared first on Cad & The Dandy.

Starting with collars, we focus on the casual end of the shirt collar spectrum, providing a bit of background on four of the more popular collar styles available across our bespoke shirting services: the button-down collar, the band collar, the Riviera collar, and the polo collar.

Button-Down Collar
Many icons of the male wardrobe owe their existence to sportswear, but few have been so widely adopted as the button-down collar. Its defining feature—a pair of small buttons by the collar bone that allow its collar points to be fastened to the body—was pioneered by polo players to keep their shirt collars from flapping in the wind during play.

While few of us reach for a polo mallet in our daily lives, anyone can benefit from the button-down’s unmatched versatility. The affixation of its collar points creates a “roll” that looks attractive with or without a tie and ensures that the collar sits neatly below a sweater.

How formal or informal a button-down collar appears depends on how much structure the collar has. Our button-down collars can be fused or unfused, made with an interlining, a light interlining, or no interlining at all. Fusing makes the collar firm, and interlining adds structure; a totally unfused and unlined collar will be soft in the traditional American Ivy style. Collar points’ lengths can also be adjusted – a more contemporary button-down collar point will measure to 3”, while those looking for a fuller roll may extend it to 3.5”.

Band Collar
Close to not being a collar at all, the band collar is simply a buttoned shirt that ends with the final button at the top. It is sometimes referred to as a “grandad” shirt owing to its history: until the early 20th century, shirts were made with detachable cuffs and collars, allowing separate laundering from the body of the shirt. Modern laundering and manufacturing eventually made detachable cuffs and collars obsolete, but some of the older generation continued wearing these “grandad” shirts, without their collars.

As a contemporary choice, this simple collar construction is inherently casual, cooler in warmer weather and looks most natural when crafted in spring/summer shirtings such as linen or cotton-linen blends.

Band collars can also be tweaked in terms of the collar’s height. Our typical band collar measures 1” high but can be extended based on neck length.

Riviera Collar
The “Riviera” collar goes by many names, including the camp collar and the Capri collar. What they all have in common is a soft, unstructured collar that spreads out flat across the shirt and includes a small gorge between its points. It’s a feature borrowed from the Cuban guayabera shirt, which, making the Riviera collar the most readily identified with summer, more likely to be worn for relaxation than work.

A classic Riviera collar shirt would be crafted in a linen or linen-blend, with short sleeves, worn above lightweight trousers or even swim trunks. However, those with a more dandyish streak might pair it with a linen sport jacket or suit, in which case its collar points may be laid flat against the jacket’s lapels.

Our standard Riviera collars measure to 2.75” at their longest point, allowing them to fall neatly above the top of a notched lapel. However, this can be amended based on the wearer’s personal preferences.

Polo Collar
The polo collar is not like the other collars listed above, as it is not found on a traditional buttoned shirt, but rather a “popover” shirt, featuring a placket with just three of four buttons. When fully unbuttoned, the popover shirt can be pulled over the head like a sweater.

What also distinguishes a polo shirt from the styles above is its polo collar: a soft spread collar that lays flat against the neck. To complement its more casual status and sportswear heritage, polo shirts are often made from naturally stretchy jersey fabric, lightweight knits or breathable, open-weave pique cottons.

When having a polo shirt made, particular consideration should be paid to its hem. It can be cut with a straight hem falling to an equal length on both sides, or with “tennis tails” that elongate the rear hem, allowing it to be tucked in more easily. Polo shirts can also be made with short or long sleeves: the latter choice being better to wear under tailoring.

Whatever your preference, our bespoke shirting services offers endless choice, for all seasons and occasions, in both fabrics and styles. Prices start at £150. For more information, email savilerow@cadandthedandy.co.uk, call +44 (0)20 7434 4344 or book a bespoke consultation online.

Our collection of ready to wear shirts and knitwear are also available to buy online or at our dedicated ready to wear shop, at 7-8 Savile Row, London.

Written for Cad & The Dandy by Eric Twardzik, a Boston-based writer focused on food, drink and classic men’s style. His work has featured on Vice.com, Robb Report, InsideHook and Ivy-Style.com, among many others.

MORE
CAD x House of Negroni : The London House
Linen to be Lived In: The Joys of Irish Linen
Concours on Savile Row

The post Bespoke Engineering – Part I: Casual Shirt Collars
 appeared first on Cad & The Dandy.

Today is one of those brilliantly, bright spring days that calls for strategic layering. What are you wearing?

Steve: My most recent commission, a bespoke 3-piece houndstooth suit. Having been on my wish list for a very long time, 2022 felt like the year to make it happen. It features a two-button, single breasted peak lapel jacket with 4 1/2” lapels, straight pockets and a ticket pocket. High-waisted trousers with a single inward facing pleat that I like to wear with suspenders, a 2’ inch waistband and turn-ups. The waistcoat is a six button single breasted style.

Coming out of a two year pandemic, this suit represented something of a reawakening, coinciding with our recent relocation to The Penthouse – a larger space in our original location, on W.57th Street. Breathtakingly grand, it reinforced the desire to dress up again and really look the part. Already a firm favourite in my regular closet rotation, proof that great things come to those who wait!

What inspires your personal style?

Steve: For me, inspiration comes in many forms. For my houndstooth suit it was a photo of myself as a toddler, wearing houndstooth trousers, and one of my favorite paintings “Le Cercle de la Rue Royale”, an 1868 group portrait by James Tissot, with two of the subjects wearing houndstooth trousers. Digging further into the cloth’s heritage, I was surprised to find that the oldest known occurrence of the houndstooth pattern is in the form of a cloak (The Gerum Cloak), found in a Swedish peat bog, dating back to 360-100 BC.

Coming from Belgium, we call the houndstooth pattern ‘pied-de-poule’. French for ‘hens-foot’, this is the shape you see in the cloth’s design. Close up it is very noticeable but from afar it’s surprising how muted the pattern becomes to the point that it almost looks like a solid grey suit.

What’s your general approach for putting together an outfit?

Steve: I always dress for the occasion. For work it’s a mix of suits and separates, incorporating a variety of ties and accessories to capitalise on individuality and flair. If I’m going out to a dinner straight after, then I’ll put together a look that will seamlessly cross over from daytime to nighttime.

However, a big consideration here in NY is the weather. Being so changeable, layering often plays a big part. When the temperature drops into the minuses, I’ll start with long-johns and end with heavy overcoat. I think winter is the best season to go for it sartorially, with the variations that three piece suits and layering offer, compared with the milder seasons, when jackets tend to come off and less is more.

Have you noticed a change in men’s dress codes since Covid?

Steve: We had one lockdown here in New York followed by a fairly informal summer. Then what felt like a shift back to formality after Labour Day (first Monday of September). The tie wasn’t there but guys went back to rocking the suits. Pocket squares with no ties was the trend I really noticed. A simple, crisp white silk or linen pocket square in lieu of a tie seemed to signal ‘back to work’.

Does the approach to suit wearing differ between London and New York?

Steve: I’d say there’s a split here between the expat community, who still dress conservatively – Oxford cap toe shoes, two and three piece suits – and the less formal American prep school of dress. It’s the footwear that gives it away. Roughly 75% of my customers wear loafers with their classic suits in navy, medium grey and the occasional glen check.

As well as being MD of Cad & The Dandy in New York, you also curate @thesnobreport on Instagram, which has a cult following. How did this come about?

Steve: I spent 23 years in a sales and marketing roles at corporate firms in Belgium. Being client facing I had to wear a shirt, suit and tie, and always enjoyed dressing the part. Friends, and colleagues would often ask my advice on dressing – do I need a pattern on this suit? what kind of suit is appropriate for this occasion?, etc. which coincided with a time when menswear was coming into its own on social media. I started dabbling with content creation which eventually lead to Instagram and finding a like-minded community, which continues to inspire me.

How did you start working in menswear?

Steve: In 2016 I left the corporate world, took a sabbatical and relocated to the US – a year to discover what I wanted to do. I was in New York and needed a suit for an event so I did a tour of Manhattan’s tailors. I ended up commissioning from P Johnson, and made some good friends there.

This lead to an offer to apprentice and learn the basics of tailoring. I’d always had a passion for both suits and customer relations. I was able to get off ‘the big corporate wheel’, while maintaining one-on-one relationships with customers, which was an aspect of my previous job I had always enjoyed.

A few years later I met James and Ian, founders of Cad and The Dandy, and the rest, as they say, is history……

Have you always loved dressing up?

Steve: Yes, from a young age. Both my parents loved dressing up too, for work and for events. I learned from them that when it rained there was proper attire for that. If it was snowing, there was another ‘dress code’. I became interested in these rules, reading lots of books and articles about them, eventually realising there’s more to clothes than ‘fashion’. Style and menswear evolve while fashion is cyclical. In your 20s, you discover your style, by your 30s you’ve hopefully figured it out. You know the rules and how to break them occasionally.

Were there any style mistakes along the way?

Steve: I went through a bold period when I started really getting into menswear – loud red pinstripes, purple overchecks. It was fun and I don’t regret it, but I learnt that the boldness can be tiring.

The switch from ready-to-wear to bespoke was definitely a learning curve, appreciating that there are more subtle way to express yourself, mostly through your choice of accessories. A beautiful navy suit will last you 10-15 years and is a good investment, but it’s in the accessories that you can really make a statement of style – striped shirt, pop up collar, a statement tie, bold socks. Others notice these subtle details and you get to have fun with the choices, without being stuck with an experimental suit you’ll grow tired of.

Who are your menswear style icons?

Steve: Oh that’s easy – Steve McQueen and Prince Michael of Kent. From morning to night, even in denim and a T shirt, they look impeccable. They always dress the part. They know the rules of dressing properly and they consistently get it right. Their clothes are fitted properly with styles that are very much their own. They wear their clothes, their clothes don’t wear them.

What advice would you give to someone looking to get into the world of menswear?

Steve: Open your eyes. There are so many visual stimuli out there. Start noticing people who’s style you admire and look at the choices, colours and fit as well as the things you are naturally drawn to. Don’t be afraid to get it wrong. And don’t be afraid to ask questions! There are so many interesting people in the menswear sphere, many of whom are happy to engage and converse about these things.

What’s your next bespoke commission?

Steve: Our cloth books are full of inspiration, with new seasonal arrivals being the most exciting. For the summer I’m looking at a solid seersucker suit, as opposed to the traditional striped or chequered kind. I’d also love a herringbone suit. The fact that the inside of the cloth is a different colour to the outside of the cloth gives me endless satisfaction. An unstructured buggy lined suit, that you can flash the inside of, looks beautiful. I’d go for something like this avocado green on the outside with a blue thread running through the inside.

In terms of construction, I like a structured shoulder with a little bit of roping – most guys need the help of structure! Towards spring/summer, a thinner shoulder and no roping gives quite a leisurely feel to a suit – easy to wear with a crew neck and sneakers. With seersucker, for example, I’ll go completely unstructured. That’ll be my ‘high summer in New York’ look.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. We’ll look forward to seeing you at the new showroom very soon!

Book a bespoke consultation with Steve in New York, online, via email nyc@cadandthedandy.com, call 917-400-4804.

MORE
Client Profile: Daniel Falcón
Client Profile: Eric Twardzik
Bringing Up Bamboo: Embracing an Earth-Friendly Fabric

The post Team Talk – Steve Knorsch appeared first on Cad & The Dandy.

C&D: How would you describe your background as an artist?
DF: I have enjoyed the arts and working with my hands since I was a kid. In my early teens I picked up my father’s film camera and was taught to work with pastels. However, I would say most of my learning came from the art books I would ask for at Christmas and studying their compositions. Working with my hands and staying tactile has always been key to bringing to those ideas that are constantly lingering in my head to fruition.

C&D: What mediums do you work in?
DF: At the moment, painting. However, I have worked in and experimented a bit with mixed media, pastels, photography, and woodcarving. The medium will continue to change as I find myself working on new projects. I always look for the medium that will best execute the concept for the work or project I am working on at the moment.

C&D: What are some of your key inspirations?
DF: My inspiration derives from many sources, as much I`d like to pin it down to just a few things. Some of which would be collectable objects, vintage print, historical references or pervious work as a reference of how it has evolved. However, the common elements most of those sources provide are a particular feeling, aesthetic and composition.

C&D: How does your interest in menswear intersect with your art?
DF: I have worked for various tailoring and menswear brands, specialising in made-to-measure. The practice of choosing fabric, details, taking measurements and fitting a garment with proportions in mind can sit side by side with composing a work.   

C&D: How did you go about the task of adapting your artwork to a suit lining?
DF: I wanted to tell a story yet keep it simple in balance to the bamboo fabric that already had a pattern. In this case, I tried to conjure a scene in which the person wearing the jacket could be found—caught between the abstraction of jazz and the details that make the attire.

C&D: What has it been like to see your artwork in wearable form?
DF: I have done shirts in the past with either imagery I`ve designed or painted and then had screen printed. However, as with working in different mediums, there is a different feeling and aesthetic that comes from having your work on a cotton shirt to having it on silk inside a bespoke garment. It’s definitely satisfying to see my work in a luxurious, handmade garment.

C&D: How would you describe your own style?
DF: I would say rustic and elegant. I love the outdoors and enjoy going camping as much as I can get around to, yet, I also naturally like to get dressed up. Given the opposites, I like to wear tailored garments in combination with more practical or worn-in garments or accessories.

C&D: What details did you choose for your bamboo jacket, and why?
DF: I decided on a wide notch lapel, pleated patch pockets and amber-coloured buttons. Given the qualities and versatility of the fabric, I wanted to pair it with details that would make it practical and easy to wear. Whether it be with a pair of tailored woollen or cotton trousers, a tie or no tie.

C&D: What has been your impression of bamboo?
DF: The bamboo collection is quite interesting and definitely sets the tone in its own category, with characteristics that make it feel and visually appear like silk. It’s a contemporary fabric that takes the essence of existing luxurious fabrics without losing practicality and wearability.

Cad & The Dandy bespoke bamboo sport jackets start at £1200 with 2 piece suits starting at £1600. For more information, email savilerow@cadandthedandy.co.uk, call +44 (0)20 7434 4344 or book a bespoke consultation online.

Photography by Rose Callahan.

MORE
Bringing Up Bamboo: Embracing an Earth-Friendly Fabric
Client Profile: Eric Twardzik
Chart a Course for the Peacoat

The post 
Client Profile: Daniel Falcón appeared first on Cad & The Dandy.

C&D: Where did your interest in men’s style come from?
I have been interested in clothing and style as far back as I can remember. As a young boy, that took the form of an interest in toy soldiers. I particularly loved the redcoat uniforms from The Revolutionary War. I loved getting dressed up and would refuse to get back into play clothes later. My mother recalls me insisting that I go to the playground in the seersucker suit I’d worn for my first school photos.

C&D: How did you come to write about men’s style?
My college years coincided with that “#menswear” era of Tumblr accounts and blogs like Ivy-Style and A Continuous Lean. At the same time, I was introduced to the works of Alan Flusser and Bruce Boyer, which provided something of a syllabus in classic menswear. In short, I wrote for anyone that would have me, starting with unpaid blog posts or work for brands in exchange for neckties and shoes. But all that early work gave me a platform and provided clips I could share when I was connected to editors at paying publications. Getting paid to write about my chief obsession makes me feel like the luckiest guy in the world. That being said, I’ll still write for clothing, because that’s just too much fun.

C&D: What inspires you?
I’m a history lover, so I enjoy delving into the (often disputed) origins of fabrics, types of garments, or style movements. But I’m also drawn to the human-interest side of things, too. if there’s a story behind why someone dresses the way they do or decided to establish a brand, I want to hear it.

C&D: What topics do you prefer to cover?
I suppose I’d say “classic menswear” in the broadest sense of the word. Everything from bespoke Savile Row suits to military surplus-inspired chinos. I like things with a past and a story, that have become so commonplace that we no longer think of their origins and wear them organically. And yet, I’m always kicking myself to avoid the trap of focusing too narrowly on my own comfort zone. If I did, I’d be writing about nothing but OCBDs and Barbour jackets. I try and keep an open mind so I can discover new stories, and perhaps learn something new about my own sense of style in the process.

C&D: How would you describe your own style?
Classic and casual, with a lot of texture. I love shaggy Shetlands, hearty tweeds, and wide-wale corduroy in autumn or winter; and nubby seersucker, crisp cotton and rich suede in summer. Tailoring is a passion of mine, but because my work never actually entails getting dressed up, I like to explore more casual fabrics and details.

C&D: What details did you choose for your bamboo jacket, and why?
In keeping with my love of all things Ivy I insisted on a 3/2 roll but embraced hacking pockets and a slightly roped shoulder in deference to Cad’s status as a Savile Row maker. You might call it Anglo-American, which is another good way to describe my style. But perhaps my favourite feature is the jacket’s silk lining, which features motifs drawn from the artwork of my friend Daniel Falcón.

C&D: What has been your impression of bamboo?
I didn’t know quite what to expect, but I’ve really enjoyed its silky softness and dry hand, and the way it drapes quite beautifully despite being a lightweight fabric. It’s something elegant for the summer months, though I’ve also worn in it comfortably in late autumn.

Cad & The Dandy bespoke bamboo sport jackets start at £1200 with 2 piece suits starting at £1600. For more information, email savilerow@cadandthedandy.co.uk, call +44 (0)20 7434 4344 or book a bespoke consultation online.

Photography by Rose Callahan.

MORE
Bringing Up Bamboo: Embracing an Earth-Friendly Fabric
Client Profile: Daniel Falcón
Chart a Course for the Peacoat

The post Client Profile: Eric Twardzik appeared first on Cad & The Dandy.

Yes, that bamboo: the one that belongs to the grass family of plants and can grow up to 910mm in a single day. Well, there’s reason to rejoice in its unsurpassable growth rate, as bamboo happens to make a wonderful fabric for tailoring.

This wasn’t always the case. While bamboo was first utilised as a textile in the 19th century, it didn’t gain traction until the early 2000s, when it was used to make bedding, shirting, and commercial fabrics. However, these early bamboo textiles didn’t quite take to the tailor’s needle. While rich in technical benefits and supremely soft, they proved limp and unstructured and not at all suited to making a suit.

This changed in the mid-aughts when the renowned fabric wholesaler Huddersfield Fine Worsteds began experimenting with its Italian weaving partners to build a better bamboo cloth. After re-working their processing, weaving, and finishing recipes, they managed to create a bamboo cloth that takes to the needle like a fine worsted wool.

“The quality achieved is the one still used today,” says Brad Herzlich, who serves as a Business Development Strategist at HFW. “It boasts a full-bodied tailorability and performance while maintaining an ultra-luxury hand-feel and a richness of colour.”

HFW’s bamboo cloth—which is now available in more colours and patterns than ever, thanks to the release of their Bamboo III book—is made from 100% bamboo plant cellulose, which is harvested and milled into a fabric suitable for weaving. Aside from its sumptuous, silky hand and drape, the fabric carries a wide range of technical benefits. It is wrinkle resistant, hypoallergenic, moisture wicking, temperature regulating, odour resistant, antimicrobial, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, biodegradable, and exceptionally breathable thanks to the small airways that naturally exist within the bamboo fibre.

Now that you’ve caught your breath from reading its utilitarian qualities, we can share that it’s as easy on the environment as it is on the eyes. The bamboo plant is an efficient and highly sustainable natural resource, which requires less rainwater, produces little waste, and has a much smaller land footprint than other textile plants like cotton. Even better, bamboo can be cultivated without the use of environmentally harmful insecticides or pesticides.

However, none of that would be worth a thing if it didn’t make for a fine-looking garment, which it does. Bamboo has the ability to hold vibrant and richly saturated colours, and recent books have featured the fabric in everything from conservative checks to muted pastels to intense jewel tones.

This veritable Crayola Box of colour possibilities has made the fabric a favourite for spring and summer jacketing, as has its 9.5oz weight, high degree of breathability and natural moisture-wicking properties. We’ve even seen it used as a year-round option for formal dinner jackets, taking the role that velvet might play in fall/winter and justifying one of bamboo’s more amusing nicknames: “California Cashmere.”

Before signing off, we’d be remiss not to mention that it can serve as a fully vegan alternative to wool. Benedict Cumberbatch, arguably the best-dressed abstainer of animal products on earth, elected to wear a three-piece bamboo suit to the Met Gala in 2019. We can’t predict if a vegan lifestyle or Met Gala appearance lies in your future, but we think there’s room for a fine bamboo garment, nonetheless.

Cad & The Dandy bamboo jackets start at £1200, with 2 piece suits from £1600. For more information, email savilerow@cadandthedandy.co.uk, call +44 (0)20 7434 4344 or book a bespoke consultation online.

Written for Cad & The Dandy by Eric Twardzik, a Boston-based writer focused on food, drink and classic men’s style. His work has appeared on Vice.com, Robb Report, InsideHook, Ivy-Style.com and more.

Photography by Rose Callahan.

MORE
Chart a Course for the Peacoat
Team Talk – Harry Highton
Great Expectations: Embracing the Greatcoat

The post Bringing Up Bamboo: Embracing an Earth-Friendly Fabric appeared first on Cad & The Dandy.

But let’s start at the beginning. The first print reference to a “pea jacket” can be found in a 1720 edition of The Boston Gazette. The word’s etymology is not entirely clear, but there are two theories. The first holds that it’s a bastardisation of the Dutch pijjekker, itself a portmanteau combining pij (a type of rough blue cloth) and jekker (a short jacket).

The other theory, endorsed by the U.S. Navy, contends that its name comes down from the heavy topcoats made from coarse “pilot cloth” once worn by American sailors. With time, the name of this heavy-duty fabric was shortened to “p-cloth,” and the clothing made from it came to be called a “p-jacket.” We think you can fill in the rest.

Whatever its etymological origin, the peacoat as we know it today—with a shorter length, a double-breasted front and wide lapels—became a standard issue item in 20th century navies. Peacoats made from heavy blue wool with anchor-motif buttons were iconic to the U.S. Navy, while German U-Boat commanders sported black leather versions.

As was the case with all things army surplus, the peacoat found practical popularity among the American working class following WWII, and in time earned countercultural cachet. It featured in the 1973 film Serpico, in which Al Pacino plays a whistleblowing cop whose virtuosity is signalled by an unkempt beard, knit cap, and peacoat.

Today, Cad & The Dandy offers contemporary peacoats in both bespoke and off-the-peg outerwear options. Compared to those specimens worn through the Battle of The Atlantic, ours are rather more tailored in appearance featuring a stronger collar.

Both off-the-peg and bespoke retain the shorter length—ending somewhere between the middle and end of the seat —and features side entry pockets. Bespoke options include adjustable button cuffs, in keeping with the garment’s heritage or plain cuffs for a cleaner look. There’s also the choice of having six or eight buttons: the former looks more chief petty officer, while the latter might mark you as the captain.

But just as vital is the cloth that makes the coat. Peacoats were worn to block the North Atlantic’s arctic blast, a role they can also perform on city streets so long as the fabric is substantial enough. For that reason, we recommend wools that are at least 20 ounces but won’t dissuade clients from going all the way up to 30 (as a bonus, outerwear made from this fabric can last a lifetime).

While navy blue remains the tried-and-true, we’ve been impressed with bespoke clients choosing brown and green wools instead. No matter its colour, the peacoat’s styling marks it as a casual item: best layered over smart, tailored separates such as flannel trousers and a simple cashmere sweater or jeans and a chunky cable-knit turtleneck.

Cad & The Dandy bespoke Peacoats start at £1200. Our Ready to Wear Peacoat is £895, available to buy online and from our dedicated Ready to Wear shop, at 7/8 Savile Row, London. For more information, email savilerow@cadandthedandy.co.uk, call 9020 7434 4344 or book a consultation online.

Written for Cad & The Dandy by Eric Twardzik, a Boston-based writer focused on food, drink and classic men’s style. His work has appeared on Vice.com, Robb Report, InsideHook, Ivy-Style.com and more.

MORE
Team Talk – Harry Highton
Great Expectations: Embracing the Greatcoat
White Tie Dress: The Experts’ Guide

The post Chart a Course for the Peacoat appeared first on Cad & The Dandy.

B: Let’s set the scene – we’re seated outside The Service, Savile Row’s favourite coffee shop, on a brisk, bright January afternoon. Talk me through what you’re wearing.

Harry: I’m almost head to toe in Cad & the Dandy Ready-to-Wear, shock horror! With the newly opened flagship Ready to Wear shop, at 7-8 Savile Row, I may have gotten a bit over excited… Mostly about this jacket – a silk, cotton, linen mix from Marling & Evans, in a classic tweed pattern.

This type of mixed cloth makes for the most versatile of tweed jackets, one we refer to as a 3 season jacket, ideal for wear in the UK, from spring through to autumn. I particularly love tweed and think a classic tweed pattern has its place in town, just as much as in the countryside.

For me, the best way to achieve a city tweed look is by pairing your jacket with a flannel trouser, modernised with a denim shirt, keeping things smart with a complementary tie. Remove the tie and pair with jeans for a more relaxed, off duty feel.

B: Do you tend to wear more separates?

Harry: I go for roughly half and half. The suit still has its place in formal business environments, but separates are great to break up the routine.

B: What got you into menswear?

Harry: My grandfather was a very stylish man. He had all his suits made at a tailor called Frank Hall of Market Harborough. He was a farmer and wore a shirt and tie every day and I always wanted to emulate that.

I started to collect vintage clothes when I was about 15, especially military dress, because of the quality and structure of the clothes. Then, when I moved to London, I got a part time job working in shirting. After that, I moved to a tweed specialist, which locked in my love of that cloth. Tweed is underrated. It’s completely and utterly the most versatile category / family of cloths. The everyman of wool cloth.

B: And now you’re a Tailoring Consultant on Savile Row. Is it as exciting as you thought it would be?

Harry: I wouldn’t describe it as ‘exciting’ but it is very rewarding. Savile Row has a hard earned and well deserved reputation for heritage, luxury and quality. London is the global capital of menswear and Savile Row is the epicentre of it all. It’s a little London village, where everyone knows everyone.

The most rewarding thing about this job, for me, is assisting customers to achieve their vision of themselves. For many, a bespoke suit is a once in a lifetime purchase. Helping to create something that is entirely unique to the individual is incredibly rewarding.

B: Do you think the pandemic has affected Savile Row’s bespoke houses more disproportionately than the Ready to Wear sector?

Harry: The fact that tailoring is a ‘hands on’ job has obviously made things more complicated on the bespoke side of things. Everyone has had to adapt and some of the tailoring houses have been better at that than others, pushing through to set a more modern tone for the street as a whole.

While online shopping worked in the favour of the Ready to Wear sector, I think there is also definitely a place for off the peg garments on Savile Row. That’s not to say this could ever replace bespoke tailoring, just that it’s entirely possible to make Ready to Wear to the same high standards of bespoke. Quality is key – if you sacrifice on the craftsmanship then you’re not adhering to the principles of Savile Row.

I think ultimately the pandemic gave Savile Row an opportunity to modernise, and whilst bespoke tailoring ultimately comes back to craft, quality and the heritage, with the right approach and outlook, the two sectors can evolve, hand in hand.

B: Who is your style icon?

Harry: Because I have curly hair and glasses, seeing Michael Caine in the original 1966 film, Alfie (and I guess Jude Law in the 2004 remake) definitely struck a chord. He wore his clothes effortlessly.

Hardy Amies once said that a well dressed man “chose his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care and then forgot all about them”… Your clothes are an extension of yourself, they are a second skin, a part of your persona. For example, for black tie, my grandfather never wore a dinner shirt. He’d wear a pale yellow shirt with a faint blue overcheck and he always looked smart and always stood out. It wasn’t any kind of protest or statement, it was just what he wanted to wear.

B: Do you think we still have tailoring rules?

Harry: Yes, and those rules are useful for beginners. But knowing the rules also allows you to break them. If you’re starting out and are not sure where to begin, the rules help avoid making obvious mistakes. However, it’s in the deliberate breaking of rules where true individual style comes out.

The rules that surround tailoring are to do with fit and apply to everyone. They’re not there to restrict you, they’re there to benefit you. For example, the reason for a half break in a trouser is that they lengthen the leg – this unbroken line all the way down the trouser crease only breaks where the trouser grazes the top of the shoe. A rule that exists to flatter the wearer. Other rules – like don’t mix patterns or no brown in town – are definitely outdated.

Cad & The Dandy’s approach to the rules – with the tradition of bespoke at its heart with an eye firmly on the future – is, for me, a true representation of modern ideas being brought onto Savile Row, which is what attracted me to the company.

B: What’s your advice to those who struggle to be inspired when dressing?

Harry: You’ve got to like what you’re wearing because if you don’t like it, you won’t look good. Within your budget, make sure your suit is properly adjusted. Make sure you ask your tailor for their opinion. Don’t be afraid to ask for guidance on colours to compliment your skin tone and styling details to enhance your silhouette.

Investment pieces are key, with cost per wear is also an important factor for some. A plain grey or navy suit will get lots of wear, as suits and separates, so represents a sensible and sustainable way of shopping. Pay more, buy less. You can only wear one suit, one shirt and one tie at a time.

B: What’s on your wish list?

Harry: A bespoke black suit, a true rarity on Savile Row. Very few people wear them, and most people associate them with the shiny, poorly made, Ready to Wear kind, worn by those in the service industry. I happen to think a bespoke black suit is unique – perfect for breaking up into separates.

I was told the other day ‘If you have a black suit, you’ll be the only man on Savile Row with one’ and I thought ‘Excellent! It’ll be a truly bespoke suit’. In terms of outerwear, it has to be the Greatcoat in Prussian Blue herringbone tweed. I also like our classic double breasted navy blue overcoat, but for me, the tweed has more character and individuality – I do love me some tweed.

Book a bespoke consultation with Harry at 13 Savile Row, or for assistance with our Ready to Wear collection, pop in and see him at 7-8 Savile Row.

MORE
Great Expectations: Embracing the Greatcoat
White Tie Dress: The Experts’ Guide
Black Tie Dress: The Experts’ Guide

The post TEAM TALK – HARRY HIGHTON appeared first on Cad & The Dandy.