Francesco Smalto, pictured above, passed away last month.I once had the opportunity to examine one of the coats made in his Paris atelier, and posted a video showing some of the work being done. Those who fetishize hand work should absolutely love his stuff, though the styling may not be for everybody. Kirby recently reached out to me to offer another, more recent example of their work, Kirby of the Hanger Project, whose website sellsRead More
Year: 2015
Carpu65 posted a page from an issue of the Tailor and Cutter magazine from 1954. It is an article by J. King Wilson on his recollection of the drafts of Frederick Scholte, the “inventor” of the Drape cut. He admits that his memory may be a bit fuzzy, but this draft is interesting nonetheless, for several reasons. He gives the size as a 40″ chest. The half waist is approximately 21″, one can’t say forRead More
The shears I ordered in the fall finally came! Handmade in a limited number, these things are beautiful! Now to decide what I’m going to cut first with them… Thanks to Isaac for organizing this!
Zegna has closed its Padova factory, the one that was producing the Zegna Couture and Tom Ford products, both of which I thought were superbly made. 230 people were to be put out of work, with an offer of a transfer to other locations (production is being transferred to a plant in Novarra). On the bright side, that means there will be highly-skilled technicians available to be scooped up by manufacturers around the world whoRead More
The long-awaited revision of what is perhaps the definitive English-language textbook on traditional tailoring techniques (at least of those currently being published) has been released. Classic Tailoring Techniques for Menswear is a textbook published by Bloomsbury Publishing, and has been revised by Denis Antoine, a teacher of menswear at the Savannah College of Art and Design. While other publications may be more thorough treatments of the subject, books like those written by the late StanleyRead More
In this short video, Anthony Bourdain has a suit made by Frank Shattuck. Enjoy.
Vicki Vasilopoulos is bringing her documentary, Men of the Cloth back to Chicago. Advance tickets to the May 7th screening are required, as they will not be available at the door, and can be reserved here
The shears I ordered are on their way. And they’re gorgeous. Made in a very limited quantity, there may be a few still available. Email styleforummarket@gmail.com for info.
After years of men’s tailoring school programs being shut down for lack of interest, it’s nice to see not only renewed interest, but also to know that there still are training programs around. Located in Dublin, Ireland, the National Tailoring Academy runs an accredited post-graduate course in Bespoke Fashion Tailoring. An email from one of the instructors advises us that “It’s designed for students with fashion qualifications or industry professionals who want to go furtherRead More
At the suggestion of a friend (or rather, his daughter) I just finished reading Mary Blume’s The Master of us All: Balenciaga, His Workrooms, his World. I can’t say for sure whether it was the quality of the writing, the subject matter itself, or merely nostalgia for a time when I had it in my head that I would some day move to Paris to work in one of the great couture houses, such asRead More