By Aleks Cvetkovic.
For much of my career I’ve felt like an anomaly, especially at the likes of Pitti or industry events. Principally this is because I’ve always chosen to wear structured tailoring, largely from London tailors, over the unstructured, Italian style that’s dominated menswear for the last 10 or 15 years.
Italianate tailoring is lighter, comfier and more casual than its British or French equivalents, or so the prevailing wisdom tells us. While unstructured tailoring is undoubtedly light and comfortable – and to be clear, I’m absolutely not disputing this – I’ve never bought into the notion that it’s the only solution for men who want to wear tailoring that feels natural on the body.
Perhaps it’s my innate pro-London bias, but I’ve always preferred to wear jackets with structured shoulders and firm, canvased chests. When I first got into tailoring, it was ‘olde worlde’ Hollywood glamour that drew me in, suits with ‘shape and drape’; it irks me that much of the menswear world discounts shapely, drape-cut tailoring as impractical and uncomfortable.
In order to illustrate my point, Simon has asked me to photograph a couple of outfits that demonstrate the principles of shape and drape, and why they work for me.
First up is one of my all-time favourite pieces, a jet black wool-and-cashmere double-breasted blazer from Edward Sexton, cut with a little extra volume in the chest compared to a conventional Sexton garment.
This jacket was cut for me by Sexton’s Cutter, Nina Penlington, and is her evolution of a pattern that Edward drafted a few years ago.
Back then, Edward used to create garments for me that he called ‘semi-drape’ in style, inspired by the prevailing cut he learned to draft in the ‘60s under the legendary Fred Stanbury at what was then called Kilgour, French & Stanbury. I don’t really remember how we came to the decision that the look was right for me, but somehow it clicked.
In this semi-drape style, the tailor creates a generous, roomy jacket that emphasises the shoulder, chest and hip without putting much suppression into the waist. It’s purposely cut with room to move, not close to the body.
It’s the style that prevails in a lot of 1930s fashion plates (above) – those illustrations we all love of square-jawed men with squarer shoulders, Herculean chests and only a little pinch through the waist.
It was also a style that Cary Grant gravitated towards in the early 40s. See how the jacket below combines built-up shoulders and broad lapels with a great big chest running into the sleeves?
Essentially, the garment is big and therefore comfortable, but also sharp because of its silhouette, which is more architectural than full-on drape coats from the likes of Anderson & Sheppard.
It’s tricky to capture the blazer’s subtleties thanks to its plain cloth, but the chest is by some way the roomiest I own, designed to complement an elongated, softly padded and roped shoulder line.
The lapels are generous, but not over the top, and the pocket flaps are a good 2.5 inches deep. Nina did a superb job balancing the blazer’s proportions, all round.
The large chest and shoulder add gravitas to the coat, which I like, but it doesn’t feel stiff. It’s big but not rigid. On the body it feels easy-going, almost slouchy.
It’s a different kind of softness to a Neapolitan or Florentine garment, and I think rather more glamorous. At the same time, it feels loucher and less ‘proper’ than garments from tailors like Huntsman or Chittleborough & Morgan.
A roomy coat like this also suits a full-cut trouser, but doesn’t feel like a period piece. These cavalry twill trousers are Saman Amel’s ‘Amo’ style, which has a contemporary rise and well-placed single reverse pleats – they’re a forward-looking style, not at all nostalgic.
The second look is firmly out of season, but I’ve dressed it how I wear it in summer, with an open-collar linen shirt and soft loafers (horsebits from Horatio).
It's a double-breasted suit from the ever-reliable team at Whitcomb & Shaftesbury, cut in a breezy wool, silk and linen plainweave from Solbiati. There is only the thinnest layer of canvas in the shoulders, creating minimal weight or bulk, and while it’s made without domette, the coat is canvassed through the lapel, chest and foreparts, for a lovely rich shape.
It’s a design that Suresh and Mahesh call their ‘Air Jacket’, which was first designed to wear in the heat of Chennai, home to Whitcomb’s tailoring workshop.
The jacket is almost entirely unlined, and unusually the sleeves are also unlined, bar a thin band of lining around the cuff. The result is a jacket with a dead-straight shoulder line and three-dimensional chest that is absolutely featherweight – impressively so.
It’s not quite as soft as an Italian jacket, but it’s every bit as light. And, in a professional or evening context in particular, I find this suit much more appropriate than something with no shape and slouchy shoulders. It’s neater and cleaner all round.
Incidentally (and I know I’ve made this point before) this suit is a great example of working patiently with a tailor over the long term. My pattern is so good from Whitcomb & Shaftesbury that every time I now slip on a new garment it’s staggeringly clean. We had to do almost nothing to this suit and the team did an excellent job of getting it ready for a warm-weather business trip in record time.
Another of the benefits of a roomier jacket is that its generosity gives you license to enjoy other styling details.
The gauntlet cuffs on this suit (a Whitcomb signature) would look odd on a Florentine jacket, for example – which is all about soft lines and curves, rather than confident shapes and angles – but they suit a jacket with a classical silhouette. The same applies to the lapels, with their breadth and horizontal peaks.
It’s purely personal preference, but I think garments like these are more flattering and more elegant than their unstructured cousins. They capture something of a bygone era but feel modern too. They disguise more sins, flatter more attributes and present an all-round sharper impression to the world.
There will always be a place for unstructured tailoring, and I expect it’ll remain the prevailing choice among stylish men but, for those of you who are feeling adventurous, or seeking something different, don’t write off a structured style. Seek out and experiment with tailors who celebrate the concept of ‘shape and drape’ and you might well be pleasantly surprised.
This is a sublime and beautiful article on lightweight jackets as I’m looking for inspiration for a beautiful dark navy jacket.
Right up my alley with this post!
Good to read about ‘structured tailoring’ given how much about the comfort of ‘unstructured tailoring’ (almost an oxymoron) is talked about .
I’ve been following AskOkey who seems to be a convert from Italian to full drape tailoring and the point you make about not wanting full drape to look like a period piece is very relevant to what he does.
P.S.
Alex’s, any thoughts on the AskOkey cut ?
Haven’t seen any independent reviews of his stuff but it seems to be very different from anything else out there and making quite a social media presence at least .
I also would like to see an independent and educated review of AskOkay. I like drape cuts, but I’m not a big fan of the way they do it. They do it more in the Hollywood tradition rather than the A&S way, but it doesn’t have the shape of the Hollywood drape cut either. I’m not quite sure what they’re going for.
I am a bit sceptical of remote fittings. I seem to remember that Simon has had some done without much issue, but I think those were guided, and this AskOkey website doesn’t make that clear as far as I can tell.
This is why I’m curious to see a real review of a suit and the process. The fit I’ve seen lacks the same attention to detail we see on Aleks’ jackets here. But are full cuts but very different. Alex has the drape that Okey speaks of, while Okey’s suits are more 1940s Zoot suit than drape suit.
plus his strange narcissistic behaviour on Styleforum has put me off rather
This article comes roughly at the same time that Suitsupply has introduced a new DB cut with defined shoulders, and from what I hear, also a looser waist, which is pretty much the opposite of the rest of the Suitsupply DB offering:
https://suitsupply.com/en-dk/men/suits/dark-grey-striped-milano-suit/P6842.html
I’m actually waiting for this one to show up in the local store so I can give it a try.
I was wondering if this means that structured suits are going to be “in fashion” again, what do you think?
Personally, Dario, I think they’ve been having a resurgence for several years now, particularly around tailoring as evening or party wear – for occasions.
However, I think the way trends work has changed – I’m not sure there will ever be the dominant fashions we had in the past, and so structured tailoring will never dominate as soft tailoring has done. The world and its media are too fast and fragmented.
Yes, it’s been there for a while and Suitsupply seems to catch up only after a few years with the #menswear sphere. It’s not so long ago that they started offering higher waisted, pleated trousers with a wider legline. I was wondering if this will eventually be seen in high street shops like Hugo Boss for example.
The first look is epic! Also nice to see an article on more structured tailoring
Love the Whitcomb one. Do you remember price?
Really enjoyable article and I like your argument and also tend to dislike unstructured jackets. The only thing I’d add is lightweight I associate with summer – I’d be more tempted to go with lighter colours?
The lapels on the W and S jacket are exquisite. Interesting read, I’m all in on Italian-style tailoring at this stage and happy with how it looks. Perhaps this is due to my already quite angular, boney, neck and shoulders which I feel look worse with structured shoulders. However Aleks wears his style so very well and it’s always a pleasure to see pics.
A different but worthy take indeed. I also find my Neapolitan-style sportscoats with their unstructured shoulders and lapels a bit too casual for informal business meetings. Alex’s lightweight suit jacket from Whitcomb & Shaftesbury seems to be a good option to consider.
This article made me recall and search Simon’s feature on the lightweight Dege & Skinner jacket, available here at https://www.permanentstyle.com/2022/06/dege-skinner-lightweight-summer-jacket-review.html
As opposed to W&S where a semblance of structure is kept on the chest and lapels, and does away with it on the shoulders, Dege approaches it the other way around, keeping a wee bit of the structure on the shoulders but ditching it altogether on the chest and lapels.
I haven’t had the fortune of trying both W&S and Dege to compare which works better for informal business meetings. I do have a made-to-measure from Trunk Clothiers which was intended to be soft and lightweight, with light canvassing on the chest and shoulders, and I ended up having the light padding on the shoulders removed. It looks much better for that, and still apt for business meetings.
I wonder if others have their own take.
No offense meant, and of course my personal subjective view, I think this style looks anachronistic.
Firstly, padded shoulders don’t look good to me. They look too broad, like you’re wearing a jacket that’s too big. Also, there’s a bulge at the shoulder that doesn’t blend into the arm and therefore looks like sloppy work (which of course it isn’t).
Secondly, while the slim fit has gone too far, the shape of the jacket looks bulky and makes you look bigger than you are. I think most men want to avoid that. But even if you are very slim, you would look lost in such a large jacket.
Thirdly, at the moment it seems questionable whether the separate jacket will stay at all. I’ve often heard well-dressed men in their mid-40s (my age and the age of most of my friends and acquaintances) say that it’s a look for old men (interestingly, this doesn’t apply to suits, which will probably be common in formal settings – court proceedings, conferences – for a long time to come). This applies less to casual unstructured jackets (I am a big fan of Boglioli‘s K-jackets), but even they start to look old fashioned.
I have to say, these were pretty much my exact thoughts after reading the article. The jacket might be excellent quality-wise, but it looks like something you might find at a vintage clothing shop for 50 bucks. The cut just makes it look like it was made for somebody else entirely, and the shape of the lapels looks rather out of date.
And contrary to what a lot of “10 essential clothing items for men”-lists might say, I think a blue blazer isn’t versatile at all. What can you wear it with? Beige chinos and grey wollen trousers, that’s it. And both combinations look both tired and decidedly ‘old-man’ to me. It might work with washed denim, but only if it’s an unstructured jacket, which this one isn’t.
Suits will (thankfully) always be around, but as far as sport coats go, I’ve sold most of mine off and only kept the ones that go with denim and suede shoes (mostly dark brown/olive/greige Boglioli and Windsor jackets).
Well, just pair a blazer with olive coloured trousers. Or a nice shade of medium brown. On a summer’s day with a lighter blue or sand or a lighter grey. On a promenade perhaps with a dark yellow or if you dare with salmon coloured trousers. Plenty of choices! It all depends on the context, the weather, the texture of the cloth too and your own mood 🙂 The thing here is that once you have a tailor made blazer you can pair it with so much because of that navy colour on your torso. Yes, grey and beige trousers compliment it well. They are a safe, but certainly not the only choice. Safe, because they already give you a wonderful platform to experiment with a multitude of looks. E.g. a green/white striped bengal shirt, a coloured polo shirt… just use your imagination.
Funny that you can ask whether or not the look will remain, given the enormous menswear resurgence occurring now. Just take a look at any brand selling menswear to ask whether or not their are still sports jackets being bought and worn.
Jackson is on the money. It’s all about the styling. The odd jacket will remain in civilian life for longer then the longue suit, since suits are now thought of as more ceremonial. Separates with sneakers (questionable from a sartorial stand point) will remain for the rest of this century with all likelihood
I never understood the claim that structured tailoring, at least high-end structured tailoring, would be uncomfortable. The structure should work WITH your body, not against it.
Unstructured tailoring looks amazing if you’re fit, but as a post-pandemic desk warrior, I’m grateful for a little help to accentuate my shoulders.
While the choice between a more structured English suit and its softer Italian equivalent is framed here as a matter of aesthetics (which it certainly is), I’m curious as to how body shape may factor in, too. I’ve never liked roped, built-up shoulders on myself personally, because I have very high and broad shoulders and begin to look like an NFL player with any padding. Conversely, I have a good friend with sloped shoulders who is complemented very well by the roped and padded jackets he prefers.
Structured English does not require roped shoulders, and broad shoulders is not the converse of sloped shoulders. (Most bodybuilders have both a broad and sloped silhouette, the latter due to large upper traps.) A good English tailor can certainly make a good structured suit for a muscular guy. A recent example that comes to mind is Henry Poole’s stuff for Jason Momoa.
Hi Eric, a very good point and perhaps something to address in a future article. Structured tailoring isn’t for everyone, but it certainly can help to flatter with sloped or slightly less square shoulders.
I can only speak of my own context but I rarely see anyone wearing a suit or sports coat in in my business sector or my friend groups.The only time when dressing up is called for is for events such as weddings. And when the event calls for it, people are usually eager to dress up. In that context why not opt for something with a bit more personality? The soft tailored look is so ubiquitous when you look at tailoring in stores that the structured stuff feels more exiting. At least to someone who was too young to wear suits back when structrure and full cuts was the norm. To me my slim navy Saman Amel suit makes me feel more like a banker than a loose fitting, strongly structured 2000s grey pinstripe from Zegna that probably used to belong to a banker 😛
Love these examples by Aleks, especially the first look. Very chic.
Thank you, Simon. And you’re absolutely right, the business suit is increasingly becoming an endangered species. One of the benefits of both the jackets / suits in this article is that I often dress them up for events; dinners, date nights, parties, etc.
Really love Alek’s style. Simon, would any of the South Korean tailors you’ve looked at recently be able to cut a jacket in a similiar fashion?
Hey Luke. The closest would be Tranquil House, as he trained in the UK, but I’m not sure how structured he would be – perhaps similar to Whitcomb, not as much as Sexton
I can’t say why, exactly, but I’ve always preferred the structured style to the less structured one. Both are beautiful, though. It’s impossible to say I like one and don’t like the other.
Thanks, Jack. Variety, as they say, is the spice of life.
I agree that Nina Penlington is a superb cutter. She cut a wonderful suit jacket for me in the classic Sexton/NSR style. Strong shoulders, heroic leafy lapels, balanced with deep pocket flaps. Structured and architectural, but very comfortable. I too prefer the athletic, masculine silhouette, and the elegance the structured jackets from Sexton provides
Nice, Sean! Sounds like textbook Sexton to me.
I appreciate this article as this has been my favourite style of tailoring. Lightweight with structure. It’s not often talked about when people usually focus on the more well-known military and drape Savile Row styles. This sounds like what Italian tailoring often used to be before everything went the softer way it is today. I have a Canali blazer that’s 16 years old, and it’s soft and lightweight but very shaped. The shoulders are too big for my taste, but the concept is the same. I prefer the English approach to it.
Totally get your point and well stated.
hi
Beautiful looking jackets.
i have never understood the difference between padding and wadding.
I mentioned once at A and S that the jacket they made for me seemed padded as the shoulder extended just beyond the anatomical shoulder and the shoulder felt bulky. I was told it certainly was not padding and that the A and S shoulder is the lightest. Personally the bigger shoulder suits me even as a short man, something people may not expect
Structured tailing can be quite comfortable, but it has to fit correctly! A structured jacket (or even heavy overcoat) can feel surprisingly light and mobile when the fit has been nailed. Unstructured jackets are a bit more forgiving in this regards – even if the fit is a bit off, they can still feel quite comfortable.
I’ve been wondering where you’d been, Aleks!
Good to see apiece from you. I agree with almost everything you’ve written in this article. I haven’t had anything cut by Nina, yet, but the two jackets I have that Edward cut feel very similar to me to what you describe as the qualities of your jacket. Structured, with an unmistakable silhouette, and very comfortable to wear. My preference has always been and remains for that structured shoulder, sharp silhouette. From time to time I think to myself that I should try an Italian tailor, but I always seem to talk myself out of it.
I have what may be an odd/outside-of-scope question. I’m mid-forties and recently went through a significant career change. I’m an accountant by trade and spent the last fifteen years as a n executive working in oil and gas. I knew how to dress then.
A couple of years ago I decided that I’d rather do my own thing and after getting my ducks in a row, I gave up my day job. For the last year, I’ve been a small business owner-operator. It’s been a great change, but I am starting to feel a little scrubby. My days are pretty varied, I’ll go where I’m needed. Sometimes that’s sweeping the floor, sometimes it’s schlepping boxes in the warehouse, sometimes it’s talking with a customer, sometimes it’s sitting in a meeting. My default has become some decent boots, usually rough out, a pair of jeans, and a t shirt with a tailored flannel overshirt (it’s cold in Canada) or a sweater.
I’m not particularly imaginative and so I’m wondering if I’m missing something. Are there some other options I should be considering? I’d love to see an article or two on light work-wear, or clothes that are versatile enough to sometimes unload a truck or pack a box (i.e. smart outfits that could handle getting a little dusty once in a while).
Thanks Nicholas, I like the idea and there are certainly possibilities. Eg slimmer more elegant boots from still tough materials (eg cordovan), lambswool sweaters (eg Rubato) and perhaps a nice jacket that can be taken off when manual labour is required.
Nicholas, also see our piece on weekend clothing, which contains references to a lot of the workwear we have covered.
To each its own… But this look is not for me. The jacket looks boxy despite you being slim – it’s not even that it’s unflattering, just looks like taken from bigger brother. Second point is that I personally think DB jackets are generally more formal. Blending them into casual look, appears off to me and too contrasting vs trousers.
For most men, a good structured jacket is more flattering to me than a good unstructured jacket. If the art of bespoke is about creating the most beautiful silhouette on a given body—and I submit that it is—then structured is the way to go.
But if you’re going to wear a structured jacket, embrace the structure. Fasten those buttons. That full-body shot of the W&S looks terrible and doesn’t do any justice to the skill of its makers. (Hosebit loafers definitely not the way to go there either.)
Milanese style middle ground
A nice read!
Though I am fond of my structured jackets, I can’t help but lean into the unstructured ones for my 4 most recent commissions.
I reason that since I am so fond of weightlifting, I have the muscle/frame to “Fill it in”.
That has resulted in me being slightly shy in my constructed pieces as of late. This article has awoken my appetite to wear some full canvas tailoring again.
Cheers!
That Sexton jacket and overall look is brilliant! I would love more articles from you Aleks.
Hi Aleks,
What.a great relief upon reading your post! I hope many readers would find it very useful when pondering how to inject at least a bit of sharpness into their wardrobe.
John
Your advocacy for structured tailoring amid the dominance of Italian unstructured styles is both refreshing and insightful. Your personal experiences and detailed examples effectively challenge the prevailing norms in menswear, offering readers a compelling case for embracing ‘shape and drape’ in tailoring.
i am afraid i like the DB with casual approach, eg, OCBD , casual loafers, chinos. it has always struck me as stylish for no reason than gut feeling .
This is a nice discussion. Personally I do not wear my structured jackets casually, I much prefer unstructured jackets with jeans and chinos, and pictures here tend to reinforce my views. I find it much easier to dress up an unstructured jacket than the opposite. But I am fortunate enough to work in an environment in which wearing a tie remains acceptable (even if we are becoming a minority…) and I must confess that I have never been more happy to wear ties since it puts you on the anti-conformist side…
Nice Eric, pleased to hear it
Does anyone have any experience with Blugiallo or with their Traveler Midnight Blue Hopsack suit that is made of a high twist fabric from Loro Piana? I am looking for a navy jacket for the Spring and Summer, and I live in the US South so lightness and breathability are paramount. I am new to the work force and so have some budget constraints.
I really appreciate the articles and site, Simon.
Cheers TJ. I don’t myself I’m afraid
Simon and Aleks,
i wonder whether i can ask a shoulder question here
when i look at the old films and TV serials of the 40’s, 50’s and even 60’s the eyes are always drawn to the shoulders of the men’s jackets .
the top seam always seems to run backwards towards the back of sleeve.
the modern makers seem to have forgotten this . I assume the seam running straight laterally is a modern construction . I know A and S do it the old way but still in a subtle way.
Just how did this change come about? Seems radical to me.
It’s something tailors would mildly disagree about, as to how beneficial it is practically, whether it looks worse aesthetically. But it certainly used to be more prevalent – of nothing else, far more people were wearing bespoke, and it is a hardee thing to do non-bespoke