Survival of the Fittist

Clothing companies, take note: If you’re going to call something “the ______...

Fri, 03 May 2013 12:25:30 -0400

Clothing companies, take note: If you’re going to call something “the ______ reimagined”, then it should probably be functionally, aesthetically, or even marginally different from every other one on the market.

I’m looking at you, Everlane.

I need to try taking in the waist on a pair of Uniqlo jeans that I've had for awhile. (They're great, by the way!) I'd love to see a photo of the inside of a pair that you've worked on. Do you basically just fold, stitch, then cut out the "v" of excess fabric on the inside? Thanks. This blog is great.

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 12:20:54 -0400

Yeah…I suck. I’m sorry that it took me so long to get back to you.

When I take in the waist of jeans, I avoid going straight up the middle, because not only will you lose a belt loop, but you’ll also lose the middle seam and it looks real weird. Instead, I go above the back pockets, dividing the amount you need to take out by two. You can see in the picture where I took mine in.

First, make sure you won’t run into your leather patch, if you have one. Just make your fold to the side. Second, I really wouldn’t suggest taking out too much fabric. The more you take out, the deeper the V will be, the further down it goes, and it’ll start to make the back pockets balloon out. I guess you could fix that with detaching the pockets and reattaching them, but that would be a pain.

I’d definitely recommend pinning this job first, just to make sure you are happy with how the pockets look. And make sure to use a denim needle.

Good luck!

Just a quick reader poll: How many pair of shoes do you have?

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:27:43 -0400

Just a quick reader poll: How many pair of shoes do you have?

Sometimes, you can go months and months without finding anything...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:20:00 -0400

Sometimes, you can go months and months without finding anything too great.
And sometimes, you find two pair of Alden tassel loafers on two separate days at two separate stores, both in your size.
(The one on the right I think is shell cordovan)

The shirts you're describing sound like short sleeved sport shirts, rather than short sleeved dress shirts

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:53:33 -0400

Yeah, I was actually thinking about that the whole time I was writing that up. But I was also wondering how much of a distinction the person who asked the question was putting into it. I know when I first started, I read the whole “no short sleeve dress shirts” as also including sports shirts.

putthison: Q & Answer: The Short-Sleeved Dress Shirt Jon...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:08:43 -0400

putthison:

Q & Answer: The Short-Sleeved Dress Shirt

Jon asks: Can a gentleman wear a short sleeve dress shirt to work and still be considered a gentleman? It’s getting hot, so I thought I’d ask. Thanks for any help, Jesse!

The short-sleeved dress shirt is a bit of a fashion anomaly. It became popular in the 1960s among men who had to wear a dress shirt, but didn’t want to - think engineers and other men in horn-rimmed glasses. Or Michael Douglas in Falling Down. As dress restrictions eased, and the fashion faded, they passed out of vogue for all but their most ardent adherents: Mormon missionaries.

In the past few years, they’ve had a bit of a resurgence as a semi-ironic element of “geek chic.” The new versions are typically worn very slim, without a coat, and often combined with the top-button-buttoned-but-no-tie look.

Can you wear that kind of thing to work? Well, you know better than I. If you’re looking to dress classically well, the answer’s pretty much no. If a trendy casual look’s what you’re after, you’re probably fine, though the style is on the downward slope there.

If you’re looking for an alternative, try a shirt in linen or a linen-cotton blend, an open weave, or simply roll up your sleeves.

I’m actually going to disagree here.

First off, I should say that my office is pretty lax with its dress code. We can’t wear jeans or t-shirts, but polos are fine. And I find that the few short sleeve “dress” shirts I have act much more like polo substitutes.

First, I’d never wear a tie or coat with them. Second, I avoid any shirting that I think is too similar to a “normal” dress shirt. No solids, no regular stripes. Instead, I opt for bold fabric and color choices. I have one that’s made of seersucker, and the one I’m wearing right now is a bold madras print.

Treat them like polos (if your office allows those) and they’ll be fine.

Photo

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:59:03 -0400

Back on the grind. (Lands End Canvas Chambray shirt Banana...

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:42:30 -0400

Back on the grind.

(Lands End Canvas Chambray shirt
Banana Republic blazer
Vintage black knit tie
J. Crew chinos)

putthison: Do I Really Have Ten Blue Blazers? This morning, I’m...

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 22:05:48 -0400

putthison:

Do I Really Have Ten Blue Blazers?

This morning, I’m spending a bit of time switching cold weather clothes for warm weather clothes. It’s a time of reckoning. And I reckon I’ve got a lot of blue blazers.

To my credit, I’ve only purchased one of them new, and most came from thrift shops. And what they say about blazers, that they’re the most versatile garment you can own, is true. But still… ten?

Here’s the rundown:

Classic Brooks Brothers. This is the blazer you think of when you think of a blazer. Brass buttons, the whole nine. Bought it at the thrift shop, and I rarely wear it… I’m not a brass button guy.

Classic Brooks Brothers (White Buttons). Another thrift store find - but I replaced the brass buttons with mother-of-pearl.

Kiton Double-Breasted. This one’s all cashmere. I bought it at a thrift store, and I think it may at one time have been the jacket of a suit. Since it’s so soft and unconstructed, and Italianate in style, it works great as a blazer. Replaced the buttons with light horn ones.

Chester Barrie Double-Breasted. I bought this one for $75 or something on eBay a week before I found the Kiton at the thrift. Put smoke mother-of-pearl buttons on it. It’s a little lighter than the Kiton, so it gets more warm-weather wear.

Polo Corduroy. This one gets out a lot when it’s cooler - and it was $30 or so on eBay.

Brooks Brothers Unconstructed Flannel. This one I found at a thrift store in Orange County. It fit perfectly off the rack, and one of the best-dressed guys I know, Elvis Mitchell, once told me it was gorgeous. Has brown horn buttons. Great for knocking around in cool weather.

Cantarelli Summer-Weight . This one’s very blogger approved - patch pockets all around, partial lining, open-weave wool. Got it from eBay for $50 or so. Couldn’t resist.

Custom Fresco Blazer. This was my first ever bespoke garment, from High Society Tailor in Los Angeles. It’s something prohibitively expensive off the rack that, living in LA, I wear all the time.

Vintage Flecked Blazer. This one’s from the late 50s, maybe the early 60s. I bought it at a thrift many years ago, and it’s a great going-out coat. Add a knit tie, a button-down shirt and grey flannels and you look like the big man on campus.

Freeman’s Sporting Club Shacket. Is this a blazer? Or a shirt? Or a shirt-jacket? It’s solid navy, so I’m calling it a blazer. A perfect thing to throw in the bag for a casual trip. Warm, fits a sweater underneath, looks great with jeans and chinos. Another $50-ish eBay purchase.

So what does it all mean? Am I a crazy person? Or do I just have the right tool for every job? Maybe the latter. Maybe the former.

(Edit: just took out my summer clothes. Blue Polo linen. That’s eleven.)

Damn, I’m slacking. I only have nine.

Buying stuff is a sucker’s game. (For anyone wondering,...

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 00:37:29 -0500

Buying stuff is a sucker’s game. (For anyone wondering, the shell is a 14 oz Japanese selvedge denim in an army green).

Hi there, I stumbled on your blog via a reblog from Put this ON. As a seamstress/tailor/"alterationist" myself I am delighted that you are doing your own alterations and exploring sewing. I'm saddened when guys can't even re-sew a simple button. In any case, I've subscribed to your blog and am looking forward to future posts. Margaret

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:57:54 -0500

Thank you for your kind words! Glad to have a new follower.

I’m working on something currently, and hopefully I can get it up and running soon.

A Fistful of Style: A Fistful of Style's Top 5 Things That Will Make You A Better Thrift Shopper

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:17:24 -0500

A Fistful of Style: A Fistful of Style's Top 5 Things That Will Make You A Better Thrift Shopper:

afistfulofstyle:

As someone who grew up in thrift stores there are some things that come really naturally to me that I see people doing “wrong” all the time when I’m in the racks.

Also, though thrift blogs have started to proliferate, they typically focus on the “what” rather than the “how”. I think how you shop…

Great advice, and well, as a thrifting blog myself, I pretty much have to reblog.

By the way, have you visited his Etsy Store yet? Go for the clothes, stay for the funny descriptions.

Meatball Tailoring in Practice

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:05:10 -0500

I know that I’ve not been posting very much lately. A combination of other hobbies, a lack of thrifting, and honestly, a lack of drive to do alterations have collided and resulted in very little in terms of fit pictures or articles. I haven’t stopped caring about what I wear; I still make sure to dress well, but I just haven’t bought or done much in terms of new material for you all.

As I alluded to Monday, I have been working on a little project to get my creative juices going again. Just so I don’t get too long winded yet, I’ll just tell you what I did.

I made a denim jacket. Out of a pair of pants.

Two weeks ago, I was out thrifting when I came across a pair of jeans that looked nice in terms of color. The denim was a deep blue. I could tell that they were far too big for me, but my curiousity was piqued and when I looked I saw the selvedge line. When I looked closer, I saw that while the denim itself was great, the jeans were not: They were about 6 sizes away from my waist size, they were designed to be baggy jeans, and the details were pretty bad. I didn’t get a picture of them as they were, but they were very similar to these:

The differences were that the pocket stitching was fully red, the contrast stitching was red and yellow, and there was a weird, random fold/contrast stitch at the knee. Normally, I would put these back but the selvedge called to me and I plopped down the 5 dollars to buy them.

I knew that I couldn’t just slim them down, as I still didn’t like the stitching and a job like that would be basically impossible. So, looking at how big the legs were, and how…not big I am, I realized that there could be enough denim there to make a jacket. I knew it was crazy, but hell, this Tumblr is founded on crazy.

This is one of the first times I’ve ever made anything. Sure, I’ve done lots of alterations, and even experimented with dyes and bleach, but creating clothes out of (essentially) whole cloth is something I didn’t really try. It’s very intimidating for those who know what they’re doing, so for someone who just delved into this hobby without any training, it’s downright terrifying. The only times I’ve tried to make something was with my wool bowtie (which worked well) and a dress shirt (which went disastrously and ended with me ripping it apart in frustration).

This time, though, I told myself I wasn’t going to rush. The shirt fiasco happened because I tried to do it in one sitting. 8 hours later, all I had to show was a lot of frustration and shredded cotton.

This isn’t going to be a tutorial, but to briefly cover what I did, I first took the pants apart completely, unstitching every piece and ironing it flat. The worst was unstitching the logo on the back. Once I had all the pieces, I took the patterns I had from the shirt project, laid them out, and once I discovered I had enough material, cut out my pieces. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough for everything to be whole, so there’s a seam up the back of the jacket (which worked out, as I used selvedge for the inside so there’s a nice detail).

This project was different from just buying the fabric, because I knew going in that I had limited resources. What I had was what I had. I couldn’t buy more. This was a bit of a godsend, because it forced me both to go cautiously, and also explore options creatively.

I didn’t have enough material for a placket, so I skipped it. I repurposed the waistband to be the bottom of the jacket, removing the button and cutting off the excess. In true Survival of the Fittist fashion, I painted SotF over the leather patch on the back.

The biggest obstacle was that there was no way for me to recreate the stitching that is common with denim: the chainstitch. If you’ve ever tried to get denim altered, you know that normal lockstitches look slightly off and that chainstitching requires a specialized machine. Chainstitching provides a specific look and strength to the final product.

In terms of strength, I decided to just double up on the stitching. I used black thread to provide the groundwork, as it remained relatively invisible against the dark denim. Over that, I put the golden threads as mostly decorative stitching, but also the second set of threading provides additional strength.

To duplicate the parallel lines of stitches, I used a twin needle. I actually think that this detail, more than anything else, is what makes this jacket work. There’s a fine line between homemade and custom made, and using little details like perfectly parallel stitches can make your work look professional.

I’m really glad I undertook this mission. First, I don’t know how many people can say they’ve made a pair of pants into a jacket. Second, it helped boost my confidence to undertake more sewing projects that aren’t strictly alterations.

Am I here, telling you that you should follow my example? No. This was pretty crazy and I kind of just wanted to be able to say I did it. Am I saying that I’m done buying clothes, and am ready to move towards total self-sufficiency/abandoning capitalism? Also no. This was a lot of work and while I want to do another project, I also know I need time before I start again.

I’m probably not finished with the jacket yet, either. I actually ran out of contrast stitching last night, so there’s still the arm seams to finish. I’m also not terribly happy with the positioning of the pockets, and the collar is a little too stiff. But that doesn’t mean I’m not proud of what I’ve done, or that I’m not going to wear it. It only means that I’ve taken my first step towards evolving my skills. I look at this jacket for what it is: a prototype.

I’ve been busy lately. Full post by the end of the week,...

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:19:00 -0500

I’ve been busy lately. Full post by the end of the week, early next week.

Gonna be busy today, so I gotta do the classic elevator shot.

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:37:54 -0500

Gonna be busy today, so I gotta do the classic elevator shot.

Photo

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 22:47:10 -0500

#Menswear

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 15:43:50 -0500

#Menswear

The Pantalones: Navali x The Pantalones Give Away:

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:51:38 -0500

The Pantalones: Navali x The Pantalones Give Away::

mypantalones:

What was that? You lost your old card case, the one in which you used to store your six Amex Centurion cards? You’ve got no place to hold your solid gold access card to the eye of The Statue of Liberty and the numbers of the four Victoria’s Secret models you just ran into?

Well you happen to…

Photo

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:26:02 -0500

Photo

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 18:59:52 -0500