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Daily lore: yet another interview with Alan Flusser, this time on Chicago Tribune, in which the sage dispenses advice on dressing the hand, shopping venues in Chicago and his personal must have top 10 -list (for the list-loving menswear blogeurs, you know who you are).

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-04-13/features/0304130201_1_alan-flusser-award-winning-fashion-designer-dressing

‘One of the most distinctive items of a gentleman’s wardrobe is his collection of ties. They are always of a quiet design with the exception of the MCC tie if he happens to have been a cricketer. This is the most vulgar of all club ties and he wears it with a certain amount of embarrassment when the Test Matches are on. He always has a black tie to wear on Armistice Day and there is, of course, his regimental tie and his old school tie. Etonians wear their school tie much more frequently and ostentatiously than gentlemen who went to other schools. There is the story of the socially ambitious young man who had not been to Eton, but wished he had, who spotted a man selling matches in the street wearing the coveted tie. To show off his knowledge to his girl friend he stopped and demanded: “What the devil do you mean by wearing an Old Etonian tie?” “Because,” replied the other equably, “I cannot afford to buy a new one.”

Although in the course of his life a gentleman is apt to collect a large number of club and other institutional ties, it is not really done to wear them except when attending the function to which they are appropriate. Bow ties largely went out of fashion with the death of Sir Winston Churchill, just as buttonholes declined in popularity after the Great Greenfly plague.’

~ Douglas Sutherland, The English Gentleman (1978)

I’ve been hunting for the elusive, so-called best boxer briefs available since 2005. The past eight years have meant dozens of makers, models and material mixtures, yet only last year I felt the best one might be at my fingertips. I needed one year to see and feel how use and washings might affect the pair before strinking down final verdicts. Looking for the best of anything ultimately leads to a few established factories, underwear being no exception. Zimmerli, Hanro and Schiesser are Makers with capital Ms and vast selections to satiate most needs. The first is certainly the most expensive but their mercerised, loomed cotton leaves my groinage lacking in softness. Hanro is fine but fit far too close with poor elasticity. The victor, after eight years of underwear wanderlust, is Schiesser’s Pima cotton boxer brief model with 90/10 mixture of cotton and elastane.

Its perks and superlatives are many. The waistband stretches comfortably, not too much, never too little; the cut is roomy enough without sacrificing support; the particular Pima cotton is the softest I’ve tried and hasn’t lost its handle; the model has not shrunk or pilled in a year; the seams never rub or drill into skin; the price is definitely right. The foremost point of interest is the elastane. Its elasticity lives up to the fabric’s name, giving plenty of comfort and support while moving or sitting. A three pair pack of this boxer brief model from Schiesser sometimes retails for 30 euros, standing peerless above any of Zimmerli’s or Hanro’s offerings. So far the best boxer briefs on the market — and the same holds true for Schiesser’s Pima Long Johns.

Picture: © Schiesser

https://www.best-underwear.de/europe/article.htm?cat=10&tit=Pima%20Cotton

Ars Sutoria (eng) from Marini Roma 1899 on Vimeo.

Promo Video Marini (sub.eng) from Marini Roma 1899 on Vimeo.