Discover Top Posts Tagged with #steed tailors

The waning days of Wedding SZN.

Selling some stuff. If you like nice things, have a gander. Thanks, gang.

#Hermes #Loro Piana #Brunello Cucinelli #Steed Tailors #Edward Green #bespoke #Drake’s London

Six Months On: Steed Tailors

Since its inception #menswear has always been about rules. When to wear white shirts, brown shoes, and underwear are but a pledgeship that gives way to a fraternal order of pedantic, obsessive, neurotic men the world over. Some pillars of this (un)social club include:

Always, unironically refer to yourself as a gentleman, especially in instances where it is beyond pathetic and uncouth to do so

Quell the bitter taste of fervent, unrelenting vanity with a vermouth of quiet elitism

Live forever in a romanticized past that neither you, nor your ancestors, can actually relate to or understand

Instantly and incessantly post about your purchases

In keeping with that second virtue, I eschew the last. While I will admit to the occasional giddy twitter picture (the dickpic of the #menswear world), I generally abstain from gushing over anything until I can somewhat put it through its paces.

And so that brings us to my most recent bespoke commission, my first with the oft-praised Steed Tailors. I will begin by saying that Matthew and Edwin are consummate professionals - ever aware of their sartorial pedigree, without ever holding it over their customers - ready to meet your every need with an informed dose of reality. My two trips to see them, while far away (I drove from Atlanta to Nashville), were very casual, pleasant and illuminating.

The cloth I selected was a 100% bamboo from Huddersfield's Portofino bunch. It's at this point, if you were a true iGent, you'd be quick to point out that processed bamboo is technically rayon. From there you'd fall back on one of your pledging rituals: ardently demonizing anything that sounds remotely synthetic.

Take a deep breath, let go and break the chain of the cloth elephant walk.

The bamboo wears extremely well, resolving to more of a linen/silk/wool (heavy on the wool) combination when worn. It wears cool (though admittedly not as cool as my fresco pieces), holds its shape well, and quickly sheds wrinkles after hanging (much more easily than other linen or silk blends I've owned). In short it's a nice, unexpected warm weather cloth that can be worn in more conservative arenas.

Per the shape and silhouette, one of the reasons I wait to judge a tailored garment is because I enjoy watching it settle and slightly mold to my body. Admittedly this hasn't really happened in the six months I've occasionally worn it, but even throughout the day I can feel and see the extended shoulders gently settling at the edges, creating a more natural and aesthetically pleasing slope. The same can be said for the body and fronts. Given that the jacket is fully lined and seems to be constructed using a heavier canvas, it takes a while for it to look and feel natural (this is also exaggerated by the swelled chest of Steed's signature drape cut). However, by lunchtime it feels like a second skin, and each subsequent wear dulls the initial, foreign feeling.

In all I'm quite pleased with this jacket as a first commission. Subsequent projects will likely hone things a bit more (for starters a leaner chest and slightly less extended shoulders), but as first jackets go it's turned out very well. I'd highly recommend both Steed and the Portofino bamboo for anyone looking to enjoy a unique cloth from a proven tailoring house.

As you were.

#Steed Tailors #Portofino #bamboo #bespoke