Keikari.com

‘Those new to the forum or who are fostering a newly discovered interest in style should take more away from the newly-created “veteran” threads than just the pictures or dismissive banter. What you need to realize is that everyone (for the most part) chiming in on these threads has had a VERY serious interest in getting dressed for a very long time. They have invested a great deal of time, money and thought into what their style means to them. While there are a few narrow rules that they all agree on, if you read the threads at length you’ll quickly realize they all have different ideas and opinions.

A prime example of this is Ed’s penchant for black longwings with khakis. Much to the chagrin of Manton and Foo, Ed openly stated that he appreciated the aesthetic, citing Thom Browne as the inspiration. There was a small hiccup and some ball busting, but Ed basically said “if you don’t like, fuck you” and the thread continued. While they didn’t like the look, Ed’s clear understanding and appreciation of what he was doing is worthy of respect.

New members should learn a great deal from this. Not only will you never get dressed to 100% approval, but you should never seek approval in the first place. You should study, learn and then make informed decisions on what you like. However, that is only the first phase and not nearly as important as having confidence in what you wear and not letting group think determine your every move.

Far too often this forum is polluted with those who immediately recoil when critiqued or criticized. “Well, if the dudes at SF don’t like it, it must be wrong” is the exact opposite of why this forum was started. It’s also a mentality that will never lead to any flavor of true style. Unfortunately, this seems to be the dominant opinion and so now we see buzz word and brand obsessed fanboys who are afraid to contribute for fear of going against “taste-making” internet strangers.

Investigate. Learn. Understand. Select. If you’ve done your due diligence and appreciate the process then you’ll never let “popular opinion” dictate your success.’

~ bourbonbasted

’27 years old, Apprentice Cutter to Mr. Thomas Mahon of English Cut, Savile Row, London. Secondary School. I joined the military aged 17, which means I missed the boat in terms of higher education. Currently no commitments, single with no children. Enjoying this situation for now. My mother was supportive, although my father and brothers were skeptical about a career in tailoring. I am not too sure of their reasoning, but I knew I would be following my passion, so the opinions of others did not affect my decision. My mother informs me that by the age of 5 I had an acute awareness of what I was wearing. If I wasn’t happy with an outfit combination, or an item of clothing had a small blemish, I would refuse to wear it. So my obsession with apparel must have always been in me.

After four years in the Royal Air Force, my passion for tailoring was able to become a serious interest in my early twenties. My trade in the RAF was Air Traffic Control and Flight Operations, which has lent itself very well to the discipline and organisation needed in the tailoring trade. My practical knowledge thus far has purely been gained from being an apprentice with English Cut. After learning the logistics of the business, I was taught to chalk in patterns, then progressing on to cutting myself. Learning to draft patterns will come later in my apprenticeship. I do own tailoring books for my own interest, the best and most comprehensive I have found is: “The Modern Tailor, Outfitter and Clothier” which consists of three volumes. I own the antique originals, but you can find re-prints out there.

As far as courses go, there’s nothing English Cut can’t teach me. Although sometimes it’s difficult to receive the dedicated time for my training, which means later this year I will be attending an advanced pattern cutting course in London. This will add to what I’ve learned thus far. Living in hotter climates such as Italy, and in affluent economies such as Germany, have undoubtedly given me a more international view on apparel and fashion culture. Travels to Sweden were also important in this respect. Outside of my profession where I am fortunate enough to wear mostly bespoke, I enjoy finding quality vintage clothing, and make my own alterations. My style is always classic but I try to have as much fun with it as possible. Living in Germany has certainly ensured hints of bold colour are apart of my look. The rest day to day, in terms selecting a coherent look, revolves around the jacket I’ve selected. I don’t have a need to purchase RTW makes. If I did, I would likely look for small boutiques where I can find something a little different.

Upon returning from the continent, I noted that English Cut had just moved workshops to my home town of Brampton. Given my passion for tailoring I spared no time at all in sending Mr. Mahon a persuasive letter, expressing my suitability as his next apprentice. Luckily for me, he was indeed looking for an apprentice at the time…and as they say, the rest is history. A house of Tom Ritson? Well, it’s of course very early day’s for me in the trade. And I can see a fantastic future here at English Cut, so I’m not sure I can see past this at the moment. That said, I already know I will have my own small-scale projects, which I will be exploring in my limited spare time.

My initial goals are to complete my apprenticeship, learning as much from my teacher as possible, ultimately reaching a point where I will be able take on more bespoke clients as well as the international travel commitments this brings. Mr. Mahon has made it clear to me that I’m to replace him within the next five years, providing I can develop the skills and experience required. Fortunately for me, a bright future lies ahead. During this time, purely as a side project, I would like to develop design ideas for both men and women, and perhaps produce a small collection in the future. Being able to design clothing purely for enjoyment and the need to create is something I very much look forward to.

Most cutters these days use a “block pattern,” a generic pattern that is manipulated according to the client’s measurements, taken from the first consultation. Rock-of-eye is an old cutter term for someone who does not draft a pattern for a client using a “block pattern”. They instead use the measurements and draft the pattern mostly free hand. There used to be many who cut in this way, although I think there are less of these gentlemen around these days. As I am learning this method, I can say that I am glad to be a pupil of it. The first time I saw Mr. Mahon use this method, as he has always done, I remember thinking “Wow, that will take 20 years for me to do that”…but with luck on my side, I’m aiming for less than ten.

Our house style is classic and understated. Relying on fit, quality of workmanship and the understated nature to speak volumes to the discerning gentleman. The only comparison to our house style would be Anderson & Sheppard. Given that Mr. Mahon spent years at Anderson’s as well as our coat makers, this isn’t really surprising. I am of course very much committed to our house style. With more years in the trade under my belt, there might be an opportunity for me to add some “tweaks,” but for now, I have much to learn. That’s true, there are a number of great tailors in England. We have a long and distinguished lineage. I think those who have decided they would like a bespoke suit, set out to do their research.

Other than personal recommendations from our existing clients, many have made contact with us after following our blog or spending lots of time scouring the Internet for reviews. Luckily, we have always done our best and though clients wait rather a long time, they always feel it was worth the wait, and are ordering again and again. I can’t really justify why someone should visit English Cut over other Savile Row firms, as at this level, you can’t go wrong with the top firms. The tailors and cutters I am meeting on London’s Savile Row and in our workshop are the main sources for my inspiration. These gentlemen have been making and cutting for decades and possess such unparalleled knowledge. Many who I meet have made for the most famous and influential gentlemen on the planet. It is really quite amazing how I have found my place in this incredibly special trade.

Setting aside what makes a style good or bad. I feel the common denominator in any style is coherence. For a style to be a style, it needs to be a coherent collection which naturally flows together. If someone “has” style, they have the ability to select individual garments that make up a coherent whole, of colour and flow, which are fitted correctly in accordance with the desired style of that individual. Style is like art, it’s completely open to interpretation. I see many people with great style but I don’t have to like it in order to appreciate it. Through developing a vision of how you would like to dress, and then having no fear when it comes to experimenting with how to get there, you will undoubtedly develop a style. Good or bad.

My hobbies are:

Horses – I’ve been around horses from a young age.

Fitness – Always had a strong motivation to keep myself fit and healthy.

Painting – I paint acrylic abstract paintings from my studio here in England. And I’ve completed two exhibitions so far this year. For more information please visit: www.tomritz.com

www.facebook.com/ArtByTomRitz

Fashion Photography – I’ve put together two show reels I’m currently distributing to two large retailers in the UK, here they are:

https://vimeo.com/64342072

https://vimeo.com/64957373

I guess what strikes me a lot of the time is the importance men place on brand name clothing. We produce some of the best quality hand made garments in the world, but clients don’t come to us because we are called English Cut. They come to us because of the high quality product we produce. In fact, we actually hide our label inside pockets to be completely discreet. My advice to anyone would be to select apparel on quality alone. Spend time to actually feel the material in your hands, and really study the fit (for a suit, read up on correct suit fitting). Examine in detail what you’re paying for and forget the brand, as brand does not necessarily dictate quality.’

http://www.englishcut.com/

Picture: © Tom Ritson

‘I am 38. These days, running Styleforum is my main occupation. I have a few related projects in the works, and I also hold a faculty position in Atmospheric Sciences. I went to Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, my hometown, and then went on to do a doctorate at Caltech in Environmental Engineering and Science, and a postdoc at Harvard. I’m probably highly overeducated for my accidental career – but from what I’ve heard, critical thinking is always useful. I am married – have been for nearly 8 years now, and I four kids – a 14 year old stepson, two daughters, one five and a half a and one three and a half, and a one and a half year old son. My wife likes fashion and style, though not to the fanatical extent that I do – she dresses in either a very simple, classic, elegant style, or wears things with a punk edge. I think that is part of my influence.

Mr Leung at his home in May 2013, sporting the rare,

masculine adhesive bandage accessory

My mother is a shopper on a massive scale – clothing and jewelry, with a penchant for diamonds. She’s a big bargain hunter though, and would probably say that I overpay for my clothes. My father has never bought any clothing for himself that I know of. He used to go to work with a sports jacket and tie, but was thrilled when this custom went away. His main criterion is comfort. I mean, sweatpants and loose shirts comfort. But my mother makes sure he actually wears clothes. Two of my brothers care about clothes. One knows the value of a tailor. He always says that he looks better than me. The other likes fashion, and I think has an account on Styleforum, but he is not that knowledgeable. The other brother mostly likes novelty tee shirts (mostly based around Star Wars and comedy shows) – but his wife dresses him.

My entire family used to think that I was overly vain. These days, they are mostly mystified and slightly impressed that I’ve kept at it this long.

I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in clothing. I remember going to Hong Kong from small town Ontario (Canada) during the summer between grade 4 and grade 5, and finding Polo was the biggest objective for me. During my trip to Hong Kong, and aunt told me that it would be hard for anyone in Kingston to know anything about fashion, and that was pretty much true, so I resolved that it would not be so. There were a few good, old fashioned, men’s stores – there are more choices these days – and I remember browsing whenever I had free time. And I would read GQ, Esquire, books, anything I could get my hands on. In the early 90s – I was really taken by the idea of the Grunge movement, and Marc Jacobs (women’s) collection for Perry Ellis in which he paired feminine dresses with Doc Martens. That type of style has colored what I like ever since.

I really started to learn about apparel and the fashion industry when I went to graduate school in LA. I did a short stint buying for a small boutique – or rather, I was with a girl (not my wife – don’t get me in too much trouble) who was a buyer, and I helped her. That was really my immersion into fashion – I moved to LA in 1997, and it was a revelation. I was immersed in places like Maxfield (though I usually had to wait for stuff to hit the outlet, Maxfield Bleu, to afford it) and Ron Herman at Fred Segal, and Traffic in the Beverly Center, and there were boutiques everywhere. American Rag was still a big deal then, though it was past its peak. It was designer style and vintage together in one store. There was Scott and Co., and Scott Hill. I just got to be very familiar with clothes and collections. I pored over every collection I saw, and what I saw on the racks. My memory is not stellar compared to some people – I think that I put all those mental resources into remember which designer did what, when.

From the beginning, I was most interested in styling, rather than garment construction itself, though I learned a lot about that just so that I would have that body of knowledge. I did some personal styling, and I figured that having a comprehensive body of knowledge would help me.

Me?  I have a uniform. Dark, slim, indigo jeans which become progressively more worn, and a pullover or cardigan of some sort over a tee shirt or henley. A leather or boiled wool jacket, depending on the weather, and a scarf and military cap. Boots, chukkas, or sneakers. And always an interesting belt. Belts were always in my budget, no matter the maker, and I love leather goods. And I lived in LA, so belts were the natural way to make my outfit a little special when it was sunny and really hot. I know that some guys say that you only need a brown belt and black belt, and that most of the time, the belt is hidden anyway. I say that those people are wrong. It’s the hidden things that make me most happy. Anyway, my uniform is a more grown up version of what I started wearing once I got out of my high school uniform.

These days, I wear a lot of S.N.S. Herning sweaters, which are rugged and handsome and unfussy. I supposed that that is how I would describe my own dress. A friend of mine, and part of the original Styleforum crew, once described my style as “Killer Cowboy”, which I really like, and which is somewhat accurate. Other brands I wear a lot of are Engineered Garments, RRL (Ralph Lauren’s higher end, “heritage” brand), Martin Margiela, Robert Geller, Dries van Noten, Wings+Horns.  For jeans, I like RRL, Jean Shop, and Triple Works, which doesn’t seem to be producing any more – hope they start again. My boots and chukkas are mostly by Trickers, and my sneakers mostly by Common Projects, though I’m really liking Buttero sneakers these days as well. I also have a lot of random pieces from any brand from Jil Sander to White Mountaineering. I have a closet full of tailored clothing, but I never use it. I also have a ton of stuff in storage, but most of what I wear comes from 2 huge piles stacked on top of an old steamer trunk. Some Styleforum members have these great, organized closets that look like a store installation.  I could never do that.

Styleforum was created by my business partner, Jeremy. A bunch of us were on GQ forums at the time, and it was terrible, so he made a site where we could discuss men’s clothing. My join date is about a month after that. At first, it was just a place to kill time talking about something about which I am passionate, but it grew and grew and grew. We were a little smart, and a lot lucky. These days, making sure that it runs smoothly, and that there is continuity in the community is pretty much my full time job. Like I said, it’s an accidental career, and one which I love. I’m constantly thinking about how we can do better – giving our members better tools to find interesting topics on the forum, making sure that it is a fun and not too ponderous and serious, making it a social place. Our unofficial motto – it’s actually printed on our business cards – so maybe it’s official now, is “Come for the clothes, stay for the company”, so we try to keep the company welcoming.

The founding posse is pretty much gone now, but it was a very chill group of guys, interested in all sorts of things. Jeremy was always interested in thrifting. I was interested in designer and contemporary, Manton was interested in tailoring. Brian (SD) was interested in designers and streetwear. RJ Man was always a classic menswear type of guy. There was a guy, pstoller, who had encyclopedic knowledge of sweaters who is no longer around.

There are lots of fine communities out there, but we are the largest men’s online community, (with over 130K members, and over 1.5 million unique viewers per month), and I feel, the friendliest. We like the idea of Styleforum as a big tent, with room for lots of different styles, and consequently, a lot of knowledge about all those styles. And we have the most fun with fashion. Sometimes people can be so ponderous about clothes…  If you don’t enjoy it, what’s the point? I like to say that we grew from a little “bar”, more like a neighborhood tavern, and we have always kept the mood the same casual, collegial, atmosphere. We also give opportunities for people to talk about things other than clothes. Their lives, the other fun things they do, the silly things that happen to them, funny internet memes. I hope that answers the original question adequately.

Well, I used to do MMA. These days, I’ll still practice a bit in the gym – kickboxing or jiujitsu, but I am too old and lack the motivation to take a compete. I do work out regularly. I also like to eat, and the competition between eating and working out is heating up as I get older. Also, after years of eating, I’ve learned to cook a bit. I’d call that a hobby though, and not a passionate one.

I wish that men would learn to love clothes. We are in 2013. With some notable and obvious exceptions – if you are in finance, you might need to wear a suit, and if you are not a stripper, you probably need pants – you can choose what you wear to work, and no one will blink an eye. It would be great if men would really embrace this. Women were excluded from the workplace for a long time, and so, as they have integrated into the workforce, they have brought with them a lot of difference styles of clothing. Men? We stick to chinos and a boring (and often cheap, and cheap looking) shirt. There is one professor I know who dresses like a pirate, and wears Yamamoto and Comme des Garcons. It’s not me, but it’s inspiring.’

www.styleforum.net

Picture: © Fok-yan Leung