Bespoke The Black Suit “Black became the predominant color of men’s clothes on the Continent of Europe after the third decade of the nineteenth century. The funereal fashion (which survives in our contemporary evening, morning, and dinner clothes. . .) came from Britain. . .The wearing of the black was neither a foreign imposition nor a sign of mourning. It was a spontaneous homage. . .The black suit was merely a symbol, a tacit admission of British supremacy in almost all fields, with the exception of abstract philosophy, music, cuisine, and love-making. . .” (Luigi Barzini, The Europeans). Writers get carried away sometimes, but it can be said that the black suit flattered a man by creating a body-slimming silhouette. It was practical since it concealed dirt. It was helpfully versatile, handling business meetings, journeys, dinners, weddings, funerals, even espionage, sometimes even lovemaking. Despite declining in numbers, there are two other things the black suit does today. First it is egalitarian. A man of modest means dressed in a black suit can feel fairly confident of his armour. He would never have had the money to buy the colours, brocades, velvets and brocades of the rich, which fell by the wayside when the black suit took over. Second, he can make a subtle but powerful personal statement with his selection of a tie. Men knowledgeable about such things will know whether a suit is Savile Row. A bespoke Savile Row suit is draped and tailored on a man. The Savile tailor, employing legendary professional secrets, can disguise the human imperfections of a man's physique. One of the points of Barzini’s essay is that British style reflected substance. Unimpressive men wearing a black suit did not impress. Barzini tries to understand the secret of British success, and finally concludes “They all had a few ideas firmly embedded in their heads.” He thinks it may have been seven ideas, but he isn’t sure what they are. We think 21 ideas contributed to the success of British men and women, and will contribute to your success. You can find them here. When you contribute to this website,
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The preferred cloth is English Wool Worsted, woven in Yorkshire, Northern England and the English West Country. Wool worsteds are usually made from Merino wool (usually Australian and New Zealand Merino sheep) and are very popular for a reason - they make up very well, and with a little care they can last for years. Avoid the Super 120s if you want your suit to last.
Most men who want a bespoke suit order the classics - blue and grey birdseye, plain worsted, pin stripes and chalk stripes and classic Prince of Wales checks. English Cut will give you the details.
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