There's great friendship but nothing bordering on love.

I have known him through university & remained friends over the years despite having been colleagues, collaborators & competitors in the professional sense. It seems that the remarks about him were uncharacteristic.

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Added on August 28, 2010, 10:16 am

Gshen,

Thanks for this detailed feedback. The root cause of the issue at hand is clear:-

1. He informed me that he wanted a jacket which would be used in travel around the region in warmer climates. The jacket has to have numerous pockets to carry the mobile devices that seems to be a growing part of today's life & yet adopt to situations where business casual is called for or allow him to put on a tie & look respectable in a club or restaurant with more stringent dress code. Part of his intent was communicated to your mutual tailor although the second part about the business casual use was not.

2. I understand that the swatch material booklet was not available at that material time. He prefers lighter fabrics in the 10 to 11 oz range -I have recommended him the W Bill linens & also the Harrisions both of which are good alternatives to the H & S linens .

3. He was trying to garner some understanding of your mutual tailor's capability & seems to be  comfortable with their previous dealings where she ( I thought it was a he ) has been reasonably forthright about his choice of options. The problem lies in his expectation of "soft" . He was expecting "Italian Soft" when "British Soft" would probably be more appropriate given the jacket's use. I think he has come to this realization after the recent interaction with your mutual tailor .

4. There appears to be some confusion over the "gorge" . What he wants is a high gorge but cut either in the same style as the Armani or the Brioni .I don't think he meant that the gorge position would be the same as these two jackets that was used as references. As far as cut of the Brioni is concerned his remarks are quoted verbatim:
"That gentleman never had to endure long meetings where one is expected to be fully suited. Being well tailored is one thing but comfort super cedes close fit in the final analysis"  .

5. He anticipated the potential lack of comprehension which is why he used pictures to help illustrate his point. Based on the samples he's seen in the shop  , he seems to be reasonably confident that your tailor will be able to deliver 80% of his requirements.

I think he needs to remember that he is not dealing with someone on the Row or Rome & with that in mind , I would proposed that he takes the following remedial action:-

1. Look at W Bill & Harrisons before deciding to go with the H & K Linens,
2. Provide greater detail to your mutual tailor on the use of the jacket so she acquires a better understanding of his needs
3. Clarify the issues regarding the gorge & jacket structure  . Go thought all his requirements again to ensure that there is some consensus with your mutual tailor.

There seems to be culpability on all sides but this episode serves as a good reminder that we need to be clear when instructing our tailors & the tailor's first task is to ask the client what & how he plans to use the clothes commissioned & provide suggestions .

On my part I would not mention your negative remarks about him ( with the exception of the Brioni ) least you encounter him on a professional basis. I apologize for my blunt demeanor and hard talk  - a habit picked up from attending reviews .

p.s. It is great to hear that your mutual tailor has a nice ambience much like a gentleman's club. It reminds me of the stories I've read about the late Douglas Hayward & his clients as well as my personal experiences with the smaller Italian tailors where a fitting is often accompanied with an offer of food or drinks thus adding to the congenial atmosphere.

The one thing that would most increase the perception of comfort is sufficient upper back width. Office workers slouch a great deal, and the back needs to be wide enough to accommodate this. If you do not see blades of drape at the back of the armsyce, the jacket will not be perceived as a comfortable one. This is further compounded when the arms are expected to be resting on the table in front of you. One would actually need pleats at the back for this.

The next problem to solve is the mass of canvassing , shoulder and chest padding on the front of the jacket. It makes for a voluminous obstruction to the slouch posture. Remove the volume padding and substitute the haircloth with hymo. To further allow the chest are to be compressed, the canvas should be soft, and cut on the bias. The chest pad should also not extend all the way into the armscye, but instead end an inch or so from it.

A mass of pockets adds substantially to the insulating properties of the jacket. A far cooler solution is patch pockets.

Armholes should be high to reduce the likelihood of the jacket vertically displacing itself when one is seated.

The buttoning point should be high.

Trousers should be fishtail, because with such trousers the waistband loosely encompasses the waist, allowing for the inevitable circumference increase of the gut when seated. If fishtails cannot be considered, an elastic braided belt would be a good alternative.

The trousers should be cut on the easy side, with plenty of crotch allowance.

I would not go with linen for the uses you mentioned. My first choice would be high-percentage mohair, because it is always crisp, always business-appropriate, yet is very cool especially in combination with a quarter lining in ermazine. Wrinkles fall out faster than anything I've seen. Featherweight mohair (8 oz) has all the shape retaining capabilities of a much heavier wool, so the jacket is lighter to pack. (Do you really want to pack a 15 oz linen?) Also worth considering are tropical wools from the Italians and of course fresco, but these do not have the light weight and drape properties of high-percentage mohair.

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Added on August 28, 2010, 2:36 pmYet another feature that makes for a cool jacket is the single button silhouette with very open quarters. This kind of silhouette is one step away from wearing the jacket unbuttoned.

I need an 'ultimate sb navy blazer' for work. Any suggestions? I was thinking of starting a new thread but since this one's already here ...

My last suit jacket has bubbled and puckered I've decided to splurge a bit and go all the way - hand canvassed. Question is, who can do it? ALT is closest to my office. I noticed that he was working on something that looks hand-canvassed.

Anyway my idea is for a single-breasted, notched lapel navy blazer, blue worsted serge. Buttons will be brass. 2 x 1" front buttons and working cuffs with 3 x 3/4" buttons. I opted for 3 and not 4 on each cuff due to the size of the buttons. The USBNB will be used regularly with odd trousers in khaki, navy or gray.

It's done. But too lazy to go pick it up.

I'm dropping by this evening. Need me to take a few pics and post it here on your behalf?