Gentleman - A Timeless Guide to Fashion - Ullmannmedien · 2016. 3. 28. · Bernhard Roetzel GENTLEMAN A Timeless Guide to Fashion Photography Günter Beer 4943_Gentleman_001-011_G.qxd

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Bernhard Roetzel

GENTLEMANA Timeless Guide to Fashion

Photography Günter Beer

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INTRODUCTION10

One thing should be clear: clothes do not make a man agentleman; and, by the same token, a real gentleman is always a gentleman, even without his clothes. However, itwould be a mistake to conclude from this that our appear-ance is not important. Clothes are the visiting card of a per-sonality, and should therefore be chosen to match it.

This book is an attempt to provide a comprehensivedescription of the proper style of attire for a gentleman. Bythis we mean a dress code that has its roots in England, andthat is accepted around the world today as classic style.Anyone who dresses as described in this book can be surethat he will look well-dressed, whether he is in London, Paris,Brussels, Düsseldorf, Rome, Milan, New York, or Tokyo.

Dressing like a gentleman means mixing tailored gar-ments and mass products, exclusiveness and modest practi-cality. A pair of Levi’s jeans with a tailored, made-to- measuretweed jacket is just as acceptable a weekend outfit as good-value boat shoes from Sperry with chinos by Polo RalphLauren and a blazer from Gieves and Hawkes. Dressing likea gentleman is therefore not to be equated with a stubbornconservatism. Innovations which prove their worth and look

good gradually find acceptance in the international stylecanon of London, Milan, and New York. Jeans are a goodexample. Although it took a while, these blue cotton trouserseventually established themselves, and are now familiar andaccepted leisurewear items almost everywhere. Or there isthe Husky jacket, which was invented at the beginning of the1960s but only became well known around the world in the1980s. Or Diego Della Valle’s Tod’s shoes, which have onlybeen on the market since 1979. Combining pieces ofclothing and accessories of the most varied origins to assem-ble a harmonic, interesting whole demands a thoroughknowledge of the history of the individual garments. Natu-rally, this knowledge may also lead to the quite consciouscreation of new and unusual combinations, which may occasionally even be the products of intuition and chance.But someone who does not wish to rely on these imponder-ables should learn about the individual components of hiswardrobe. Only by doing so will he eventually understandhow to wear them properly.

Of course, it is not by chance that English clothes andEnglish style are discussed so much in this book. London

THE GENTLEMAN’S VISITING CARD


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THE SHIRT 51

GOOD SHIRTS AT A GLANCE

A good shirt has removable col-lar bones where required by theshape of the collar. This is partic-ularly the case with turndownand cutaway collars, but collarbones would be out of place inthe soft collar of a button-downshirt. Most collar bones aremade of plastic, but some gen-tlemen’s outfitters offer brass col-lar bones as well. Whateverthey are made of, they give thecollar the right curve and pre-vent the collar tips turning up.This can be particularly impor-tant when the shirt is worn witha necktie.

Traditional buttons made ofmother-of-pearl are obligatoryfeatures of a good shirt. Mother-of-pearl buttons are so hard thatthey will break the needle of asewing machine. The button fac-ing used to be an additionalpiece of material sewn onto theshirt, but today it is made byfolding over the material at theedge of the shirt. A placket frontfacing is more stable, but canalso look a little rustic, so morerefined shirts tend to have a sin-gle button facing.

A gusset, a triangular piece ofmaterial, is usually added forreinforcement in the cornerbetween the breast and theback. You will find this detail onall good shirts. However, there isonly one manufacturer that usesthis little detail as a marketingtool. The gussets on shirts fromThomas Pink are always pink.This is intended to remind theowner of the shirt of the makerevery time he wears it, andwould not work for Turnbull &Asser or T. M. Lewin.

On good shirts the cloth of thesleeve is pleated several timeswhere it meets the cuff. In addi-tion there is often a small buttonabove the cuff that prevents thesleeve opening up to reveal thearm in an unflattering way. Itcan also be unbuttoned to makerolling the sleeve up easier. Onvery good shirts this buttonholeis horizontal, and not vertical.On the very best shirts it is handsewn, of course, just like all theother buttonholes.

The origins of the split yoke lie intraditional shirtmaking. As peo-ple generally have shoulders ofdifferent heights, a split yokecan be used to adjust the fit of ashirt precisely to the customer’sstature. On ready-to-wear shirtsthe split yoke is just a detailwhich suggests more expensivework; it is a costly detail,though, because every addi-tional seam is a not inconsider-able cost factor when shirts areproduced in large numbers.Such details may be unimpor-tant for many, and an unneces-sary expense.

Unfortunately, patterns are onlymatched exactly on very goodready-to-wear shirts, though thisis always done on custom-madeshirts. For example, stripes orchecks should match exactlywhere the shoulder joins thesleeve. Raised (or “French”)seams are used on those partsof the shirt that are subject toparticularly hard wear. For araised seam the two pieces ofmaterial are sewn together,turned over, and sewn again.This procedure is expensive, butensures that the seam will bedurable.

The more stitches a seam has,the more durable it will be, withabout 20 stitches per inch (8per cm) on a good shirt. Seams,even parallel double seams, arealways sewn with a single nee-dle. The advantages of this arethat the seams are more precise,and the material in betweenthem does not go wavy afterwashing. On less high-qualityshirts a machine with two nee-dles is used for double seams.This can sew a parallel seam inhalf the time. Material is usedgenerously when good shirts aremade, so that they do not slipout of the pants at the back orsides. The back is usually cutsomewhat longer than the frontto ensure it fits well even whenthe wearer bends over. Thelength is right if the front andback parts can be broughttogether in the crotch. Shortershirts are best avoided, to saveembarrassment.



THE NECKTIE72

Many works discussing the origins of the necktie mentionTrajan’s Column in Rome as the earliest recorded evidencefor the predecessor of this item of ornamental neckwear.However, the cloth worn by Roman legionaries around theirnecks at the beginning of the second century AD bears onlya very distant resemblance to today’snecktie, being just a piece of fabric wrappedaround the throat. The real predecessors ofthe necktie are the neckcloths or cravats thatwere part of men’s clothing from the middleof the seventeenth century. Even the mostexpensive handmade necktie of our time ischeap compared to the lace cravat worn byKing Charles II of England in the year 1660.It cost 20 pounds 12 shillings – and that ata time when a couple of pounds sterling wasa good annual salary.

The first real prototype of the modern necktie is to befound in eighteenth-century America. It was called the “ban-danna” and was a large patterned cloth wrapped severaltimes around the neck and tied with a bow. Bandannas werepopularized by the American boxer James Belcher. In earlynineteenth-century England an entirely new mode was intro-duced by George Brian Brummell. A legendary dandy andstyle-setter, he condemned all exaggerated fashions and pro-nounced that a gentleman’s clothing should never be con-spicuous or over-elaborate. He created a look consisting ofa blue tailcoat, beige vest and trousers, black boots, and adazzlingly white cravat. “Beau Brummell,” as he was known,always had a large quantity of starched white linen cravatsready to hand. If he was not pleased with the knot he hadjust tied, he would take a fresh cravat and repeat the process,

continuing until he was satisfied. It could take a long time –and his stocks of linen cravats, like his laundry bills, were enor-mous. The modern necktie does not call for this kind of thing.

The immediate forerunners of today’s necktie were thefirst school and club ties. In 1880 the members of Exeter Col-

lege, Oxford, tied the bands of their strawhats around their necks with a simple knot,thus inventing the first club tie. On 25 June ofthe same year they ordered neckties in theappropriate colors from their tailor, setting anentirely new fashion that was enthusiasticallycopied by other English clubs, schools, andcolleges. The precursor of the patternednecktie was the “Macclesfield tie,” so calledafter the town in northwest England whereraw silk from India and China was woven.Around the year 1900 Macclesfield was

producing an unprecedented variety of neckties for membersof the expanding middle class, who wanted to announce tothe world, through their neckwear, that they had succeededin life.

The modern necktie has existed in its present form since1924, although neckties that look quite modern are featuredin photographs predating the First World War. Before 1924,however, they were usually cut in the direction of the weaveof the fabric and then lined with a different material. Madeby this method they soon wore out, and the knot left unat-tractive creases. Jesse Langsdorf of New York found the solu-tion when he cut cloth for neckties on the bias at an angle of45 degrees to the weave. He also cut the silk not in a singlepiece but in three sections that were then sewn together. Hepatented this innovation, and later on sold his invention allover the world. Most good neckties are still made in the sameway today.

The modern necktie is usually regarded as formal wear,but that does not mean it cannot be fashionable. Televisionpresenters and other men in the public eye often set the scenefor what is regarded as fashionable in necktie wear. Politi-cians, however, tend to be more conservative in their choicesof necktie, the better to suit the seriousness of their offices.

FROM NECKCLOTH TOORNAMENTAL NECKWEAR

Trajan’s column, in Rome, shows men wearing the focale, a neckclothor kerchief worn as protection from the cold.



THE NECKTIE86

Put the end on the left over theend on the right so that bothends cross at the narrow areabehind the oval curve.

Take the left end through theloop now surrounding your neck,and pull both ends to make aloose, simple knot.

Take the end now on the left inboth hands and fold it to theright in the middle of the oval.

Hold the folded end in the thumband forefinger of your left hand.

Take the right end and place itexactly in the middle of the leftend, which is held in your lefthand, so that the right end hangsdown over the knot. Hold bothends with the thumb and fore-finger of your left hand.

Now pass the right end of thebow under and around thefolded left end of the bow. Younow have a loop.

Take the right end around thefolded left end again and pass itto the left through the loop youhave made – preferably foldingthe part of the bow on the rightfirst. Press the part on the rightwith your thumb and fold it at thesame time.

Push the folded right end farenough through to stay in place.Now let go with both hands, andyou will see the final form of thebow materializing.

Hold the part of the bow on theright firmly in your right hand,and using your left hand take theend of the bow that is alreadyhalfway through by the fold in itand pull carefully. Now you willsee the reason for the curvedshape of the bow tie in its untiedstate.

To adjust the bow, take the endslying opposite each other – thetwo open ends and the twofolded ends – and pull carefullyuntil the bow is firmly tied.

The finished bow will lookslightly different every time, butat least the fact that it may notbe perfect shows everyone thatyou tied it yourself. But alwaysmake sure that in the first stepyou place the left end over theright end, or the operation willnot work.

Adjust the bow tie to the rightsize before putting it around yourneck. Unlike standard long neck-ties, bow ties need to fit the widthof the neck exactly.

TYING A BOW TIE



THE SUIT90

The suit is still the most elegant item of clothing a man canwear so long as its cut, color, and fabric are correct –meaning that they suit the occasion, the time of day, theseason of the year, and the climate. There are good reasonsfor listing cut, color and fabric in that order, since cut is reallythe most important factor. If you are in any doubt, then it isbetter to buy a well-cut suit in a fabric that may not be of thevery top quality than a poorly cut suit in a better fabric –although the suit above all is not an area where compro-mises should be made. By a good cut we mean the basicpattern that has been used again and again since the1930s, irrespective of fashions and trends, and is nowregarded as the international standard by all good tailorsand manufacturers of ready-made clothing. The cut of agood suit should look “natural,” that is to say, it should bringout the best in its wearer, resorting to corrective measuresonly with real problem figures. This is an especially impor-tant feature in relation to the shoulders of the suit. A ratherthin, small-boned man will look best in a suit with a narrowcut and little or no shoulder padding, narrow lapels, and

close-fitting trouser legs. An athletic, broad-shouldered manwill not need shoulder padding either, and again, the suitcan be cut to suit his natural measurements. If the wearer hasa corpulent figure, it is even more advisable to avoid any-thing in the cut of the suit that would tend to make him lookeven larger.

The traditional colors regarded as correct for a suit aredark blue, dark to very light gray, and black. It should cer-tainly be in one of those colors if it is to be worn for businessin such fields as finance, the law, commerce, or politics. Abrown or green suit will do only at the weekend or forsporting occasions – but more about that later.

Today’s suits are made in fabrics of much lighter weightthan in the past, when offices were either heated by coalfires or not at all. However, there are still considerable dif-ferences in the weight and thickness of the materials used,and you should start by thinking exactly where you will bewearing your suit: will it be in the chilly north or in a mildMediterranean climate? Will you be driving to a stuffy officefrom your comfortable home in a heated car, without feeling

STYLE IN THE SUIT

The two-piece suit is the most usual modeltoday. It has two buttons and two side vents,and trousers with or without cuffs. There arevariations on this basic model. It is possible tohave either three buttons and a center vent atthe back of the jacket, or three buttons andtwo side vents.

It used to be quite difficult to buy a well-cutsuit with a vest off the rack. Luckily for menwho appreciate this classic type of suit, sometraditional gentlemen’s outfitters such asGieves & Hawkes have begun offering themagain.

The double-breasted suit always has two sidevents, never a vent at the back of the jacket.In continental Europe it may have no vents atall. However, a jacket without any vents willhang well only when you are standing and ifyou do not put your hands in your trouserpockets. As this habit is regarded as badmanners in Germany, many German suitjackets accordingly have no vents.



SHOES182

AMERICAN CLASSICS – SADDLE SHOES

Anybody wearing saddle shoes is almost sure to bean American. Exceptions – such as German filmdirector Wolfgang Liebeneiner, pictured here – onlyprove the rule. These classic weekend shoes areparticularly highly thought-of in the USA becausethe closed lacing makes them look just a touch more“dressed” than loafers or boat shoes.

Saddle shoes are the classics both for a weekend in New England andfor the college look of the exclusive east coast universities. Professorsand students are equally fond of these shoes; with their characteristicreddish soles they have hardly changed for decades.

Those who know and love the saddle shoe wonder why ithas yet to make a breakthrough in Europe. Maybe it’sbecause it came into fashion with the youth of America –particularly the girls – at a time when Europe took no greatinterest in the latest trends from America; saddle shoes werede rigueur for Frank Sinatra’s female fans in the early 1940s.

Neither of these enthusiasms – for the singer or theshoes – has ever really made it across to Europe. After thewar there was no longer any particular youth movement withsaddle shoes as part of its outfit. The heroes of the 1950swore penny loafers or cowboy boots. And so saddle shoesremained what they had always been: casual Americanweekend shoes, popular with high-school and college stu-dents (and with the faculty as well), favorites with a tweedjacket and chinos. Otherwise they are worn at the weekendlike boat shoes or loafers, that is to say with a polo shirt,jeans, and a sweater or a windcheater. They also exist in aformal version for businessmen, and these go just as well witha dark suit as black Oxfords. Their closed lacing and plain,unembellished toecaps actually make them seem just asformal as a pair of plain Oxfords. But they only seem just asformal, because a pair of uniformly black saddle shoes willalways stick out like a sore thumb among Oxfords andbrogues, even if their wearer is not really improperly dressed.Devotees of the classic USA style as practiced at BrooksBrothers and Ralph Lauren should try combining a gray her-ringbone suit with horsehide saddle shoes. You can’t getmore American than that.

Some may say that if you can get away with wearingsaddle shoes in Europe, you can get away with anything. Itcertainly requires a great deal of confidence to wear suchshoes on almost any occasion.



ACCESSORIES 221

THOSE LITTLE DIFFERENCES

Tie pin, watch, cuff links, ring, orwriting equipment ought to beselected with the same meticu-lous care as clothes. This isbecause the things we use dailynot only say a lot about us, but,over and above the fulfilling oftheir function, are also capableof bringing beauty into our dailylives. In this connection, acces-sories provide the opportunity forthe biggest understatement, evenmore than suit, shoes, and shirt.After all, apart from you, onlythe jeweler knows that the tiepinperhaps cost a small fortune. Theselection pictured comes from thefirm of Peter Pütz in Cologne, theinternationally renowned special-ist in antique jewelry.

Man does not live from bread alone, and nei-ther does style depend only on clothes. It isthe small “minor details,” the “accessories,”that round off and refine the total look, some-times even adding a very special and per-sonal touch. We shall be concentrating in thischapter, therefore, on the subject matter ofaccessories, in other words, those items thatare carried around with us, either in thepockets of clothes, directly on the skin, or asa small piece of luggage. They can be usefulitems like wallet or pocketknife, decorativeitems like a dress silk handkerchief, or appe-tizing items, like fine tobacco. These areobjects with which we are associated andwhich enrich our daily lives. It is these verysmall and apparently minor details thatreveal so much information about theirowners. This is especially so if the meticulouscare devoted to the selection of their clothesleads one to suppose that this same meticu-lous care went into the selection of theiraccessories.

In films and literature it is minor detailsthat often serve to define the character of ahero, whether it be a certain cigarette brandthat he prefers, the way he arranges his dresshandkerchief, or his tendency to fold and cliphis currency bills together. You may debatethe importance of whether an accessory hasbeen consciously or unconsciously selected,and whether the unconscious selection of anaccessory makes a greater statement than aconscious selection does. Yet the total lookincorporating the accessory without failreveals whether it is a consciously plannedaccent, or more of a coincidence. If, forexample, a Belgian living in Brussels smokesthe Spanish cigarette brand Ducados, hethereby not only expresses his penchant forthe aromatic taste of this type of cigarette, butalso an obvious and probably somehow bio-graphically well-founded fondness for theIberian Peninsula. If a Spaniard smokes

Ducados in Spain, he is simply smoking thepopular strong cigarette. This is also makinga statement, but one which is totally different.And it is not only cigarette brands that makesuch powerful statements. Small nondescriptaccessories are often also a focus of interest,because they convey unique regional traits.These can thus also be kept alive, whereasone’s clothes are completely subordinate tointernational style. Irrespective of whetheryou are in New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong,London, Vienna, Cape Town, or Rio deJaneiro, you will find the same selection ofclothes and shoes in expensive shops every-where. Local specialties are practically of noimportance. It is a different matter with thesmall items. They have stronger associationswith our everyday lives, and from time to timeexpress different regional and national pref-erences or dislikes that have been nurturedby innumerable historical connections.

Accessories are like local cuisine,which courageously holds its own every-where against so-called international cuisine.It is thus the minor details that constitute thegenuine attraction of a journey – just like typ-ical regional specialties. When we leave ourfamiliar everyday surroundings, we want toexperience change and variety in well-calculated measures. The current interna-tional style of clothes leaves very little roomfor national variations; in this connection, it isaccessories that therefore often dictate thedecisive accent. Those who are familiar withthe language of accessories are not onlycapable of creating a more individual lookto this style, but can also interpret more fromthe outward appearance of those they areconfronted with. The attention we devote tothe relevant detail will improve our feel for thetotal look.

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ACCESSORIES228

In 1790 Abraham-Louis Breguet invented theshockproof safety device for the storing ofwatches, and the tourbillon, a device thateliminates the influence of gravity on theaccuracy of the watch, in 1795. These aremerely the most famous of his numerousinventions. Breguet’s clientele list reads like awho’s who in world history. It included MarieAntoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte, the Duke ofWellington, Arthur Rubinstein, and SirWinston Churchill, who all owned watchesfrom the famous factory. Even today you canstill recognize Breguet watches by the typical“pomme” hands (Breguet hands).

Audemars Piguet is famous for luxurywatches with numerous complicated bits –that is, additional mechanisms like stopwatchfeatures, supplementary time zone displays,chiming mechanism, and date or moon phasedisplays. Since 1972 the flagship model ofthe firm has been Royal Oak, a characteristicoctagonal design that is available in manydifferent variations.

William Baume, already a very success-ful watchmaker, joined forces with PaulMercier after the First World War. At the startof the 1960s they were joined by Piaget, whobrought fresh momentum to the traditionalcompany. Today Baume & Mercier areparticularly renowned for elegantbejeweled watches.

A pilot’s watch by Breitling is a well-known prestigious item. The popularity of thelabel often makes people overlook the factthat Breitling originally became famousthrough watches that met the high profes-sional standards of aviation. Anyone who isnot a pilot is for the most part totally unawareof the possibilities of his Breitling pilot’swatch. The famous Navitimer that came ontothe market in 1952, apart from displaying thetime and date, also displays ascending anddescending gradients, and enables determi-nation of fuel consumption and averagespeed.

The International Watch Co., IWC forshort, was founded by an American and aSwiss in Schaffhausen in 1868. The American,however, pulled out of the business in 1876.The most famous watch by IWC is withoutdoubt Il Destriero Scafusiae from 1993, the“war-horse of Schaffhausen,” a mechanicalwatch with 750 wheels and a total of 21 fea-tures, including chronograph with “Rattra-pante” (see page 231), moon phase display,perpetual calendar, and details of year,decade, and century. Only 1,625 copies ofthis watch have ever been produced.

Watch collectors treasure above all theold mechanical watches with the Americanmake of Hamilton. The firm was founded inLancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1892. Militarywatches from the Second World War are par-ticularly popular. At that time Hamilton wassupplying the armed forces of the UnitedStates with pilot’s chronographs, marinechronographs, and watches.

If there is a make of watch particularlyidentifiable with one single model, then it isJaeger-LeCoultre, which is always named inthe same breath as the Reverso. The Reversois a reversible watch; the case is mounted onthe base plate in such a way that it can befolded down 180 degrees, thereby protectingthe sensitive watch face from shock damage.Thus the Reverso was originally a sportswatch that has since become the term fora classically elegant watch. Apart from theReverso Jaeger-LeCoultre have otherlegendary watches in their range, likeMemovox, the wristwatch alarm clock,and many different highly complex chrono-graphs.

Longines rank with Breitling as the sec-ond biggest label in terms of pilot chrono-graphs. In 1927, flight pioneer CharlesLindbergh had the duration of his flight overthe Atlantic timed by a watch from Longines.In the same year, Lindbergh himself designeda special pilot’s watch for the Swiss company– the hour angle chronograph.

Cartier have been making watchessince 1898. Thus this make, that is synony-mous with jewelry, also has a long watch tra-dition. The Santos was launched in 1908, theTank in 1919, and the first Pasha wasdesigned in 1932 for the Pasha ofMarrakech. The most famous Cartier watch isprobably the Panthère, in gold and steel.Many men, however, find Cartier’s style toofeminine, although if you examine the Santosdesign closely you will notice it has a some-what warlike appearance with its screwed on,angular casing, and the modern Tank in steel or gold can be regarded as quite asports watch.

The Omega make of watch has so farnot achieved the reputation of the Rolexmake. Nevertheless, it would be unthinkableto omit Omega from the list of prestigious leg-endary watches, because when the AmericanNeil Armstrong took his first step on the moonon 21 June 1969, he was wearing aSpeedmaster Professional. Since that time,Omega watches have participated in allNASA’s space programs. Besides this,

Omega has particularly made a name foritself with diver’s watches.

Germany too has contributed in a mod-est way to the fame of watchmaker craftsman-ship for example through Ferdinand AdolphLange, son-in-law of the Dresden court watch-maker Gutkaes, who in 1844 set himself up inbusiness in the Saxon glassworks along with15 journeymen. From this there emerged anextremely successful watch factory that hadacquired an excellent reputation by theSecond World War. Since the reunification ofGermany the firm of A. Lange & Söhne hasbeen able to start up again, producing top-quality watches. A typical Lange watch is thepatented large-date display.

Patek Philippe has produced no morethan approximately 600,000 watches sincethe founding of the make in 1851.Nevertheless Patek Philippe is synonymousworldwide with supreme craftsmanship.Calatrava, Ellipse, Gondolo, and Nautilus arenames that express the entire broad range ofthe make, and can be elegant, luxurious, andcasual.

There is probably no other watch makethat is as controversial as Rolex, being simulta-neously adored and despised. Some reject itbecause, as every child knows, Rolex isexpensive and therefore is an unmistakableobject of prestige. Others love this makebecause of this tag. Rolex has indisputablyproduced timeless classics, particularly includ-ing the first ever waterproof watch in 1926,the Oyster. Its design broke new ground andis still an absolute classic today. The world-wide enduring success of Rolex proves thatwatch connoisseurs also look beyond theimage and see the quality.

Anyone wearing a watch by TAG Heueris mostly also interested in fast two or fourwheelers. There is hardly another manufac-turer today that has such close links withmotor sports. The make was founded in 1840by Edouard Heuer and acquired by the TAG(Techniques D’Avant-garde) Group in 1985.TAG Heuer does not have the same prestigeas Rolex and is not as well known as Omegaor Breitling, yet the design of these watches isunmistakable. Zenith became famous particu-larly as a result of their chronograph ElPrimero, although the watch factory hadalready collected hundreds of awards by thetime of the launch of El Primero in 1969. Thewatch mechanism of El Primero is an absolutepièce de résistance of Swiss watchmakercraftsmanship and is an established classic.

THE BEST WATCHES IN THE WORLD

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GLOSSARY348

GLOSSARY they are usually single-breasted versions of the navy-blue blazer.BlucherAn American-English term for a shoe with open lacing.The quarters of a Blucher are stitched onto the vamp.The vamp, the part of the shoe that covers the instepand the toes, is made of the same piece of leather asthe tongue.BoaterA hard straw hat with a flat crown and round brim.Boat ShoeA moccasin with leather laces and a non-skid plasticsole. The Sperry Topsider is the original boat shoe.Bowler HatA stiff hat developed in the workshops of the legendaryhat makers Lock’s, better known in the US as the “derby.”It was commissioned by William Coke, and intendedas a form of headwear for gamekeepers. It was origi-nally called the “coke hat,” and only became known asthe bowler when the company Bowler & Son beganproducing the new hat around 1850. See also Derby.BraidA silk stripe along the outer seam of the pants leg. A sin-gle braid is worn with a dinner jacket, a double braidwith tails.BreechesAn English term for riding pants.

British WarmA short, sand-colored, double-breasted woolen coatwith leather buttons and epaulettes. Originally a Britishmilitary coat.BudapestsWingtip shoes. A version of the British brogue devel-oped in Budapest.Buffalo HornA material used for the buttons of suits and sports jackets.Button-down ShirtA shirt with collar tips buttoned to the breast. The origi-nal version is the button-down shirt with a soft-roll collarmade by Brooks Brothers of New York.

CCanvasCanvas is used in traditional tailoring to give shape toa suit jacket. A custom tailor will sew it in by hand, butin industrial manufacturing it is stuck in with adhesives.Canvas that has been fused in stops the material of agarment falling loosely, reduces the breathability of the

suit, and is less durable than hand padded canvas.CashmereYarn or weave made from the fine hair found under thecoarse winter coat of the Cashmere goat.Casual SuitA suit that is not worn to work in the city, but for leisureactivities and days in the country. Casual suits are usu-ally made of rustic woolen cloths in natural shades,often checked. A casual suit could be described as asports jacket with matching pants.Cavalry TwillA warm, extremely long-lasting woolen material with acharacteristic diagonal structure. It is mostly used in thebeige and brown pants traditionally worn with sportsjackets and blazers.Chalk StripeA classic pattern used in suit-making, with white strips ona gray or blue background. It is often used for double-breasted suits.ChesterfieldA city coat with a fly front. Traditionally, a Chesterfieldis single breasted, comes in a gray herringbone pattern,and has a black velvet collar. The Chesterfield is alsoavailable in blue, black, or beige.CheviotA robust, but very coarse, worsted fabric made from thewool of the Cheviot sheep. A typical material forEnglish sporting suits.Club TieOriginally a necktie in the colors of an English club thatwas only available to club members. Today it is used asa general term for the striped necktie.CoatThe word used in Savile Row for a sports jacket or thejacket of a suit.Coat-makerA tailor who specializes in making jackets.Coke HatSee bowler hat.CordovanA term for horse leather, a rare and expensive rawmaterial used in shoemaking. Only the leather from thehind parts of the horse can be used. One hide suppliestwo round pieces of leather, just enough for two orthree pairs of shoes. The best Cordovan shoes are con-sidered to be those made by the North American man-ufacturer Alden.CottonThe most important textile commodity. Cotton is evenmore widely used than natural wool. Underclothes,overshirts, jeans, chinos, and Gabardine raincoats aretypical garments made of cotton.Covert CoatA single-breasted coat made of covert cloth, a mediumtwill, and reaching as far as the knee. Its typical featuresare a fly front and four simple parallel decorative seamsabove the cuffs and along the bottom hem.Crombie CoatA dark-blue single-breasted city coat with an open but-ton facing.Cuff LinksTwo identical objects shaped so that they pass throughthe button holes of the cuff to fasten it. They are securedin place with a bar, a chain, or an elasticized ribbon.CuffsA relatively recent invention, pants cuffs have only beenworn since the first half of the nineteenth century.

AAdjustable WaistbandA pants waistband with an adjustable device inside itthat can be used to vary the waist measurement. Pantswith an adjustable waistband do not need to be wornwith a belt. Adjustable waistbands are usually found onpants that are held up by suspenders.

BBalmoralIn America the Balmoral, sometimes shortened to “Bal,”is a shoe with closed lacing. The most formal of allBalmoral shoes, the Oxford, is called the “BalmoralOxford” in the USA.Bedford CordA thick woolen material that makes extremely warm,durable jackets, suits, and pants. It is often used in shoot-ing wear.BeefrollAn American loafer.BeltA strip of material, usually leather, that is fed throughloops on the waistband and is used to hold pants inposition. It should match the wearer’s shoes. Beltsreplaced suspenders as the favored means of holdingup suit pants after the Second World War.Bemberg RayonThe manufacturer’s name for a silky material made ofcotton and used as a lining.Bengal StripesNarrow stripes on a white shirt, usually dark blue, deepred, or dark gray. A classic pattern for business shirts.

Bespoke Tailoring An English term for what is known in American Englishas “custom-tailoring.” One definition is: “a garment cutby an individual, for an individual, by an individual.”Blazer1. A dark-blue double-breasted jacket with two sidevents and gilded brass buttons (the navy-blue blazer).2. A single-breasted club jacket, usually with sewnpockets and brass buttons. Traditionally, club jacketswere striped and came in the colors of a club. Today

Bemberg Rayon

Bowler hats

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GLOSSARY 349

EElasticized WaistbandThe elasticized waistband is typical of pants that areworn with suspenders. When the wearer is standing,the pants are held in place and do not get any tighterwhere the suspenders are fastened. When he sitsdown, the pants fit snugly round his stomach. Elasticizedwaistbands are also found on pants that can be adjust-ed at the side to suit different waist measurements.

FFishtailThe rear part of a pair of pants cut specially for wear-ing suspenders. The rear is divided and pulled upwardsso that the vest does not ride up onto the waistband ofthe pants when the wearer bends over.FittingIn modern custom-made tailoring three fitting sessionsare usual and sufficient to make sure the necessaryadjustments are made before a garment can be fin-ished. Trying on ready-to-wear garments is not fittingbecause the clothes are already finished.FlannelThe word comes from the Welsh gwalen, and meansan object made of wool. The soft, smooth feel of flan-nel is created by a special manufacturing process, inwhich the wool is fulled until it turns felty. A pair of pantsmade of gray flannel can be worn with a sports jacket,or a shirt and pullover.Four-in-handA simple necktie knot named after an English club thatexisted in the early nineteenth century.French CuffKnown in England as the “double cuff.” French cuffs areworn on traditional men’s shirts and fastened with cufflinks. A French cuff is the perfect way to finish off asleeve, and looks particularly good worn with a suit orsports jacket.

GGabardineA waterproof, wind-resistant cotton weave with a char-acteristic diagonal structure. A British patent was takenout in 1879 by Thomas Burberry, who retained theexclusive manufacturing rights for the material until1917. Gabardine is the material used in the raincoatsmade by Burberry and other manufacturers.GaloshesRubber overshoes that protect the shoe and footagainst wet and cold, and prevent the wearer’s feetskidding.Gingham CheckA fine checked material used in shirts. The word derivesfrom the Malayan word ging-gang, which means“striped.”GlencheckSee “Prince of Wales Check.”GuernseyIsland in the English Channel, home of the pullover ofthe same name that was originally worn there by fisher-men. A popular and extremely hard-wearing pulloverfor leisure activities.

HHacking JacketA riding jacket. The name derives from the verb “tohack,” meaning to ride. Its typical features are its close-cut, high waist, long rear vent, and slanted flappedpockets. The hacking jacket is one of the precursors ofthe modern sports jacket.Harris TweedOne of the most famous varieties of tweed. Only tweedwoven on the Outer Hebrides is allowed to bear thismuch sought-after label. It comes in various vivid colorsand is particularly suited to robust sports jackets.HerringboneA type of diagonal weave, in which the yarn is woveninto a diagonal structure. In order to create the charac-teristic herringbone effect, the direction of the weavingis changed at set intervals to create a zigzag pattern.Herringbone is used to make light and heavy fabrics.Fine gray herringbone fabrics are made into businesssuits, while heavy herringbone tweeds are used forsports jackets.HomburgA hat with a stiff, curved brim. It was discovered by KingEdward VII in the German spa town of Homburg. TheHomburg is now the most formal hat after the top hatand comes in black, gray-blue, and dark or light gray.HorsehairCanvas with horsehair is used to reinforce and shape asuit, usually at the breast and lapels.HoundstoothA casual pattern in two colors for woolen fabrics. Apopular choice for sports jackets and coats.House CheckA checked pattern that is only used by one brand andserves to identify their products. It is often used as a lin-ing material. The most famous house check is theBurberry check.House StyleStylistic features that identify very different garments asthe work of particular custom tailors. There is, for exam-ple, no mistaking the soft, rather shapeless jacketsmade by the Savile Row tailors Anderson & Sheppard.

Originally, pants really were rolled up to prevent thehem getting wet or dirty. Today most pants have cuffs.The pants worn with very formal clothes, such as themorning coat, tuxedo, or tails, are not made with cuffs.In British English cuffs on trousers are called turnups.Cutaway CollarAlso generally known as the “spread collar.” The tips ofthe collar are “spread” far apart on shirts that have cut-away collars. It is a classic among shirt collars, and issecond only to the broad turndown collar.CutterIn English custom tailoring the tailor who advises thecustomer, takes his measurements, drafts the pattern onmanila paper, cuts the cloth, and fits the suit.

DDeerstalkerA shooting cap with ear flaps. It is famous as the hatworn by Sherlock Holmes.DenimA blue cotton material used for jeans.DerbyA term that has never been defined conclusively. It iscommonly understood to mean shoes with open lacing,but is also the name of a brogue, or wingtip, shoe. Inthe US it is also the name for a bowler hat.Dinner JacketAn English term for what is known in the USA as a tuxe-do, and in Germany as a Smoking. In Germanspeak-ing countries Dinnerjacket is used to refer to a white orivory dinner jacket only.Donegal TweedA coarsely flecked Irish tweed.Double-breasted JacketA jacket with two rows of buttons, usually three pairs.The two upper buttons are purely decorative. A double-breasted jacket should always be fastened up whenyou are standing. Otherwise, the jacket opens out verywide, which does not look flattering.Dress ShirtA shirt to be worn with a tuxedo or tails. For a tuxedo itcan have either a wing collar or a turndown collar. Fortails it has to be a wing collar.Dress WaistcoatA white backless vest made of piqué and worn withtails.Dry CleaningA cleaning technique using chemicals that dissolve fatsand stains. Traditionalists reject it outright because itdestroys the natural moisture of the material. They preferbrushing, airing, and steam ironing. If clothes are to bedry cleaned, only the best specialists available shoulddo the work.Duffel CoatA short, single-breasted hooded coat with horn toggles.Dusty MadderA traditional technique for dying silk. It is also used todescribe necktie patterns with a dusty, powdery lookthat softens what are, in fact, glowing colors. DustyMadder and Heavy Dusty Madder neckties usuallyhave Paisley or foulard patterns. The most importantmanufacturers of Dusty Madder and Heavy DustyMadder are David Evans, a company based inEngland that supply all the major necktie manufacturersof the world.

House check



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