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A quick guide to: "Buttoning Etiquette"

26/1/2020

Wishing all here in India a Happy Republic Day!
We hope you enjoy this sartorial post on “buttoning etiquette”.

Jackets - The rules to follow when buttoning are shown in the grapic above “Always, Never, Sometimes”. A lot of men prefer not fasten their jackets, however you are comfortable.
Do note that following the above rules for your jacket fastening even if only when entering a room will help accentuate a V-Shape or conceal love handles.
Of course when you sit down please unfasten your jacket and give yourself room to breathe. And all the above can also be abandoned in cold or windy weather, wrap up & button up so you do not catch a cold!

Shirts: Needless to say when wearing a neck tie all buttons need to be fastened. A sure fire sign of a cheap/ill fitting shirt is one where to wearer has the collar button unfastened when wearing a tie.
If you opt to not wear a tie, you can button the shirt to the top for what millennial's now call the “air tie” look - also known as the “mod look” to those over a certain age. Nowadays this still looks smart enough for the office or a function and can work particularly well with shirts that have some detail on the collar.
Nowadays wearing your top collar button unfastened is acceptable for day wear, still not for a formal meeting or event. For a casual/weekend look you can unfasten another button for comfort, this works particularly well if you have requested a slightly higher buttoning from your tailor.

Waistcoat:

The etiquette when wearing a waistcoat is to keep the last button unfastened.
This dates back over 100 years to a rather fat king of England, George VII. His voracious appetite and ever expanding waistline made it difficult for him to comfortably fasten his bottom button, so he simply didn't. So as not to make him feel bad all the men at court followed suit and started wearing theirs unfastened. And so this slightly odd fashion trend began and to this day is followed religiously by tailoring affectionados.

Interestingly and lesser known, the "sometimes, always, never" rule for jackets also dates back to King Edward VII.
It was during his time that the modern day lounge suit started to appear, originally as a 3 button single breasted jacket as a more comfortable dress for riding. As it was a riding jacket the bottom button had to be undone as it fell below the waistline. This new style of jacket became hugely popular during Edward’s reign and he decided that it “looked common” to wear with the top button fastened, thus leaving just the middle button to fasten his coat.

And so began another trend that goes on to this day.

For more fun facts, suiting advice & impeccable tailoring book an appointment with one of our tailoring experts today!

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Vanguard Bespoke now weaving epic tales

17/1/2020

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Through the ages storytelling has taken many forms; including the written word, song, dance, painting, couture looks and designer collections. Every human culture has a method of storytelling, each is uniquely special and beautiful in a myriad of ways. Nearly all share a common theme, passing on the history of a culture to the next generation.

To share a couple of interesting examples:
Native Hawaiians passed their values, traditions, history and cultural practices through chants, song, hula and verse. ‘Mele Hula’ meaning song and dance are chants performed with dance and/or musical instruments. What is really interesting here, is that the Hula dancers don’t dance to the beats of music but to the words of tales of mythology and creation. Without the words the dance means nothing.

The Bayeux Tapestry in all it’s beauty captures a historical event that changed a country, the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Interestingly it is neither tapestry nor was it made in Bayeux.

It is eight strips of linen with embroidery work in different coloured woolen threads (to be a tapestry it would need to be woven not embroidered). The tapestry depicts a military invasion from the perspective of the victors, (history is always written by the winners!) It is a spirited telling of the story featuring nude figures & corpses, blood & gore, birds & beasts as well as scenes from fables, agriculture and hunting. No wonder it has been imitated by cartoonists in recent history, especially by political satirists.

After relocating Vanguard Bespoke’s HQ to Delhi, Mighel has been fascinated with the rich Indian culture that uses textiles and surface ornamentation to tell stories; from everyday scenes to epic tales. The techniques used themselves are as diverse as they are marvelous.

From the royal city of Lucknow, Zari Zardorzi is one such persian technique brought to India centuries ago. It uses metallic bounds threads, sewn into the fabric or embroidered on fabrics creating elaborate designs.

Supporting local craftspeople Vanguard Bespoke are now creating unique and modern scenes to adorn our suits and Bangladhalas. Rich in colour and decoration these fabrics create special pieces for special days, that will be cherished for a lifetime.

The pictures below will end up making a wedding tuxedo jacket. In midnight blue velvet, (made ever popular for tuxedo's today by Daniel Craig's James Bond) the jacket will feature an intricate scene in black and black metallic embroidery. This colour combination is a classy option for someone who wants to show an appreciation for this fine art form but still abide by some suiting norms; such as colour codes in tuxedo's.

In work with Vanguard Bespoke's craftspeople is another piece which has a little more pazazz. Based on an Indian safari theme it features lions, tigers, peacocks and cheetahs in a rich colour palette. Individually designed for one of our patrons this cloth is heavy with Zari-Zardosi hand embroidery, a single jacket can take up to three months to create. Once finished our talented tailors will sculpt the fabric into a perfectly fitted Wedding Bandhgala.

Should you wish to create such a special bespoke piece get in touch with our tailoring experts. As with every Vanguard Bespoke piece we will create something truly unique for you, just leave plenty of time for our the craftspeople to create their magic!

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Welcome to the 20's, a century in suits

11/1/2020

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As we move into 2020 let's look back at 1920’s, the fashions and more importantly the suits that defined the era.

The roaring twenties, as they are known, had a lot going on; economic growth, jazz, art deco, androgyny and women's rights movements. A period of decadence between two world changing wars, the 1920's were one of the most influential in changing the fashion scene. Men and women started abandoning century old norms and embraced more comfortable styles.

Suits men wear today are still very similar to those worn in the late 1920’s. The increasing influence of sports stars in the 20’s and the more relaxed tailoring they wore introduced new suit styles to the 1920’s man. Thus men’s style in the twenties embraced this new inspiration while continuing to uphold a traditional and classical elegance.

A high point and great reference point for 1920’s fashion was and continues to be The Great Gatsby.

A classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald that was turned into a film, first in 1974 the again in 2013; an epic movie by Baz Luhrmann. The movie particularly exhibited the best of both casual and more formal twentie's styles. The formal diversity of men’s twenties style DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby showcased the best of neutral tailoring. Joel Edgerton’s (as Tom Buchanan) style displayed the sporty influence of the twenties and Toby Maguire’s (as Nick Carraway) hinged on a more playful aesthetic.

The 1920’s was an even bigger turning point in Women’s fashion. Ditching corsets, women started adopting the straighter lines of men's apparel and androgyny re-defined elegance for women.

Along with the Suffrage movement & shifting Victorian values came pants, button-up shirts and suits.

It was in 1923 that was the launch of the first ladies suit by designer Coco Chanel. The Chanel Suit was a collarless, boxy jacket and a straight or A-line skirt; the suits would often be decorated with braid trim or metallic buttons in jersey or a tweed made of boucle yarn which has a distinctive nubby appearance. Coco herself started sporting trouser suits in the 1920's but it took two more decades for trousers to become everyday acceptable wear for women.

One century on we find ourselves at a turning point in suiting norms not dissimilar to what we saw in the 1920’s. The 2020 modern man continues to embrace this formality but with playfulness of textures and colours and always keeping comfort in mind.
In 2020 Women’s equality and parity in the workplace is still not where it should be. Yet as more women break through the glass ceiling, the Women’s Power Suit is still a wardrobe staple, continuing the legacy started a century ago by the suffragettes & Coco Chanel.

So in 2020, what roaring bespoke pieces will you be adding to your wardrobe?
Discuss it with our tailoring expert today

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A quick guide to: "Buttoning Etiquette"

Vanguard Bespoke now weaving epic tales

Welcome to the 20's, a century in suits

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