Baldesar Castiglione’s definition of sprezzatura
0September 29, 2015 by Ville Raivio
“Therefore, whoever would be a good pupil must not only do things well, but must always make every effort to resemble and, if that be possible, to transform himself into his master. And when he feels that he has made some progress, it is very profitable to observe different men of that profession; and, conducting himself with that good judgment which must always be his guide, go about choosing now this thing from one and that from another. And even as in green meadows the bee flits about among the grasses robbing the flowers, so our Courtier must steal this grace from those who seem to him to have it, taking from each the part that seems most worthy of praise; not doing as a friend of ours whom you all know, who thought he greatly resembled King Ferdinand the Younger of Aragon, but had not tried to imitate him in anything save in the way he had of raising his head and twisting one side of his mouth, which manner the King had contracted through some malady. And there are many such, who think they are doing a great thing if only they can resemble some great man in something; and often they seize upon that which is his only bad point.
But, having thought many times already about how this grace is acquired (leaving aside those who have it from the stars), I have found quite a universal rule which in this matter seems to me valid above all others, and in all human affairs whether in word or deed: and that is to avoid affectation in every way possible as though it were some very rough and dangerous reef; and (to pronounce a new word perhaps) to practice in all things a certain sprezzatura [nonchalance], so as to conceal all art and make whatever is done or said appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it. And I believe much grace comes of this: because everyone knows the difficulty of things that are rare and well done; wherefore facility in such things causes that greatest wonder; whereas, on the other hand, to labor and, as we say, drag forth by the hair of the head, shows an extreme want of grace, and causes everything, no matter how great it may be, to be held in little account.
Therefore we may call that art true art which does not seem to be art; nor must one be more careful of anything than of concealing it, because if it is discovered, this robs a man of all credit and causes him to be held in slight esteem. And I remember having read of certain most excellent orators in ancient times who, among the other things they did, tried to make everyone believe that they had no knowledge whatever of letters; and, dissembling their knowledge, they made their orations appear to be composed in the simplest manner and according to the dictates of nature and truth rather than of effort and art; which fact, had it been known, would have inspired in the minds of the people the fear that they could be duped by it.
So you see how art, or any intent effort, if it is disclosed, deprives everything of grace. Who among you fails to laugh when our messer Pierpaolo dances after his own fashion, with those capers of his, his legs stiff on tiptoe, never moving his head, as if he were a stick of wood, and all this so studied that he really seems to be counting his steps? What eye is so blind as not to see in this the ungainliness of affectation; and not to see the grace of that cool disinvoltura [ease] (for when it is a matter of bodily movements many call it that) in many of the men and women here present, who seem in words, in laughter, in posture not to care; or seem to be thinking more of everything than of that, so as to cause all who are watching them to believe that they are almost incapable of making a mistake?”
— Baldesar Castiglione, The Book of the Courtier, pages 32-33, W.W. Norton&Company Inc. [2002].
Category Glossary, Italian Style, Reading
Hardy Amies on balance in clothing
0August 10, 2015 by Ville Raivio
“Balance is the ultimate test of a finished coat. It is really the hang, the look, and the feel of the thing all combined in the one quality that make it a success or failure — good balance. It should sit easily on the shoulders, hang evenly at front and back, look as though it belongs to you without fitting too closely. The list of faults that may throw a jacket, however well made, out of balance, is so long and varied that there is no point in trying to be techical about something so intangible. To this, as to anything else that is designed and made, the one golden rule applies: if it looks right, it is right. You can judge for yourself in the glass.”
— Hardy Amies
Category Arbiter Elegantiae, Quotations
Tailored Stories: An Oral History of Savile Row
0August 10, 2015 by Ville Raivio
Category Savile Row, Videos
The best of slim trousers
0August 3, 2015 by Ville Raivio
“The most slimming trouser is not the tightest, but the one that is trimmest without pulling. The lines must be smooth.”
— the man known as CrimsonSox
Category Quotations
Savile Row tailor slang and vocabulary
0July 25, 2015 by Ville Raivio
“The close community of the journeyman tailor was forged through generations of hardship, of long hours, miserable pay and discrimination of all kinds. Taking refuge among themselves, the tailors developed a private language almost incomprehensible to outsiders. Some of their expressions have survived in the daily dialogue of the tailor and his guv’nor.”
— Richard Walker in his peerless The Savile Row Story: An Illustrated History
* * *
Balloon, having a balloon – a week without work or pay.
Bodger – Crude worker. Common to other trades.
Boot – loan until payday. “Can you spare the boot?” – can you give me a loan? Dates from crossed-leg days, when a tailor recorded the loan by chalking it on the sole of his boot.
Bunce – a trade perk, like mungo and a crib (see below).
Bushelman – Journeyman who alters or repairs.
Cat’s face – a small shop opened by a cutter starting out on his own.
Chuck a dummy – to faint. Allusion is to a tailor’s dummy tumbling over.
Clapham Junction – a paper design draft with numerous alterations or additions.
Codger – Tailor who does up old suits.
Cork – the boss.
Crib – large scrap of cloth left over from a job, usually enough to make a pair of trousers or a skirt.
Crushed beetles – badly made button holes.
Cutting turf – clumsy, unskilled working.
Doctor – alteration tailor.
Drag, in the drag – working behind time.
Drummer – trouser-maker.
“Have you been on the board?” – are you experienced?
Hip stay – old-time name for wife.
Jeff – a small master: one who cuts out his garments and also makes them up.
Kicking – looking for another job.
Kicking your heels – no work to do.
Kill – a spoiled job that has to be thrown away.
Kipper – A tailoress. So called because they sought work in pairs to avoid unwelcome advances.
Log, on the log – piecework: the traditional and complex system of paying out-workers.
Mungo – cloth cuttings, which by custom the tailor used to retain to sell to a rag merchant for a little extra income.
On the cod – gone drinking.
Pig – an unclaimed garment.
Pigged – a lapel which turns up after some wear.
Pinked, pink a job – making with extra care.
Skiffle – a job needed in a hurry.
Skipping it – making the stitches too big
Small seams – warning call when someone being discussed enters workroom.
Soft sew – an easily worked cloth.
Tab – fussy, difficult customer.
Trotter – fetcher and carrier: messenger.
Tweed merchant – Tailor who does the easy work: a poor workman.
Whipping the cat – Travelling round and working in private houses: common practice in old days when a tailor would be given board and lodging while he made clothes for a family.
Category Glossary, Savile Row
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