Yes, I've seen this ad. It's full of bad information. The company didn't deliver good pants; they simply moved to stretch materials. This is common with a lot of tailoring nowadays. Will run through some of the points in this ad. 🧵
First, and again, I have no malice to the person in this ad or anyone in this thread. I don't know who is the person in this ad, but assume they were paid to be in this commercial. I am only addressing the information in this ad, as well as the company's work.
Men with a prominent seat (tailor speak for "big butt") need certain trouser adjustments. But nearly every problem mentioned in this ad is a result of the person wearing clothes that are too tight. Such issues are only made worse by the company delivering tighter clothes.
For instance, the ad rightly notes that hockey players have big butts, big thighs, and small waists. But then they deliver these absurd pants. See how the side pockets are flaring out and the back pocket is gaping. This suggests the pants are too tight through the hips.
The irony is that the same ad shows the right image as an example of "pants that don't fit." But they actually fit better! The idea that you shouldn't be able to grab fabric is insane; you have "slim fit mind virus." The prob with those pants is excess material at waistband.
If there is too much fabric at the waist, it will bunch up in a bad way when you belt the trousers. One way to fix this is to remove the waistband and add two darts at the back, and then take in the waist. Here is an example of the technique done on jeans.
Back to the ad. The person says they like pants to taper, but then find the thighs are too tight. Again, this is a common issue for athletic men. But one problem is that the person simply likes pants that are too tight. These barely cover the opening of his shoes!
They say that when they bend down, they feel like they're about to bust through the seams. Yes, that's because you wear suction fit clothes! The company didn't deliver good pants for you; they simply moved to stretch materials. See how the side seams here are still stressed
I don't have a photo of a hockey player in good tailoring. But here is an athletic build with a prominent seat. The waist fits cleanly around the person's body (no bunching); trousers also fall cleanly. They have enough room to bend down without stressing seams.
On their own, you may think the trousers feel old fashioned. But it's all about how you style them. With a suit jacket, the trousers have to be cut a certain way to work with the jacket's silhouette. With casualwear, you can also wear them with clothes in the right proportions.
This company, State & Liberty, approaches every problem with "make it slimmer and use stretch fabric so seams don't bust." IMO, this does not look good. Outfits have no shape. Clothes still exhibit fit issues because of the poor tailoring.
When you have an athletic build, you have unique fit challenges. One is getting the jacket to fit cleanly over the shoulders and arms. This company makes suction-fit stretch suits, so as soon as the person moves, a divot appears at the sleevehead.
IMO, would look better if they extended the shoulder line beyond the shoulder joint and allowed the sleeve the sleeve to fall cleanly. Similarly, the problems with this jacket reveal themselves once he tries to fasten it. Jacket is too small, so lapels buckle away from his chest.
Many companies nowadays are not run by real tailors. They are run by business people who draft up business plans to make money. Then they partner with factories abroad to create trendy blocks. The people who measure and fit you are salespeople, not tailors.
This is how you end up with all these clothes that don't fit very well. The move to stretch suits doesn't solve the issue, it simply lowers the chance of suction-fit clothes bursting at the seams.
The ad is correct that athletic men face unique fit challenges. But the company doesn't deliver proper solutions. To solve this problem, you first have to get it out of your head that clothes are supposed to look like they've been put on with a vacuum seal.
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Let's first establish good vs bad ways to think about style. The first pic is correct — style is a kind of social language and you have to figure out what type of person you are. The second pic is stupid bc it takes style as disconnected objects ("this is in" vs "this is out").
I should also note here that I'm only talking about style. I'm not here to argue with you about ergonomics, water bottle holders, or whether something accommodates your Dell laptop. I'm am talking about aesthetics.
Watch these two videos. Then answer these two questions:
— Which of the two men is better dressed?
— How does each come off?
I think Carney is better dressed, partly because his clothes fit better. Notice that his jacket collar always hugs his neck, while Pierre Poilievre's jacket collar never touches him.
The level of craftsmanship that goes into a lot of Japanese menswear simply doesn't exist in the United States. You can do this for many categories — suits, jeans, hats, etc.
In this thread, I will show you just one category: men's shoes 🧵
For this comparison, I will focus on Japanese bespoke shoemaking vs. US ready-to-wear. The level of bespoke craftsmanship shown here simply doesn't exist in the US, so a Japanese bespoke vs. US bespoke comparison would be unfair. US bespoke is mostly about orthopedic work.
So instead, I will focus on the best that the US has to offer: ready-to-wear Alden.
On a basic level, top-end Japanese shoes are better because they are handwelted, whereas Alden shoes are Goodyear welted. The first involves more handwork and can be resoled more often.
In 1999, a group of Haitians were tired of political disorder and dreamed of a better life in the United States. So they built a small, 23-foot boat by hand using pine trees, scrap wood, and used nails. They called the boat "Believe in God." 🧵
In a boat powered by nothing but a sail, they somehow made it from Tortuga Island to the Bahamas (about a 90 mile distance). Then from the Bahamas, they set sail again. But a few days and some hundred miles later, their makeshift boat began to sink.
The men on the boat were so dehydrated this point, one slipped in and out of consciousness, unable to stand. They were all resigned to their death.
Luckily, they were rescued at the last minute by the US Coast Guard.
After this post went viral, I called Caroline Groves, a world-class bespoke shoemaker, to discuss how women's shoes are made. I normally don't talk about womenswear, but I found the information interesting, so I thought I would share what I learned here. 🧵
Footwear is broadly broken into two categories: bespoke and ready-to-wear. In London, bespoke makers, including those for women, are largely focused on traditional styles, such as wingtip derbies and loafers. Emiko Matsuda is great for this.
In Paris, there's Massaro, a historic firm that has been operating since 1894, now owned by Chanel. Their designs are less about creating the women's equivalent of traditional men's footwear and more about things such as heels or creative styles. Aesthetic is still "traditional."
Earlier today, Roger Stone announced his partnership with a menswear company, where together they've released a collection of tailored clothing items.
Here is my review of those pieces. 🧵
The line is mostly comprised of suits and sport coats, supplemented with dress shirts and one pair of odd trousers (tailor-speak for a pair of pants made without a matching jacket). Suits start at $1,540; sport coats are $1,150. One suit is $5,400 bc it's made from Scabal fabric
Let's start with the good points. These are fully canvassed jackets, meaning a free floating canvas has been tacked onto the face fabric to give it some weight and structure. This is better than a half-canvas and fully fused construction, but requires more time and labor.