Class war

Brize

scrumhalf said:

Everyone over 40 should wear a belt with trousers. When nature begins to make things sag you need help.

A proper suit will have buttons for braces and a waistband adjuster for those who prefer not to wear braces, e.g. Sean Connery in this picture:




The quickest way to get laughed out of Savile Row is to ask for a suit with belt loops.

Sporky

Brize said:

The quickest way to get laughed out of Savile Row is to ask for a suit with belt loops.

You might want to tell that to - for starters - Hardy Amies, Gieves & Hawkes and Jasper Littman, all of whom include belt loops on their suit trousers.

Its not 1953 any more.

Brize

Sporky said:

Brize said:

The quickest way to get laughed out of Savile Row is to ask for a suit with belt loops.

You might want to tell that to - for starters - Hardy Amies, Gieves & Hawkes and Jasper Littman, all of whom include belt loops on their suit trousers.

Its not 1953 any more.

Of the three you mentioned, only Gieves & Hawkes are proper Savile Row tailors and they're more mass-market than the other tailors on the Row.

It doesn't matter what year it is - the whole point of a suit is an uninterrupted line from top to bottom. Bisecting that line with a belt defeats the object.

I agree that it's become normalised but it's still jarring to the eye and trousers worn with a belt never hang properly - they generally require frequent 'hoisting' to avoid puddling around the ankles.

If you are going to wear a belt stick with a two-piece suit - a three-piece suit with a belt peeking out from under the waistcoat is a dreadful look.

Brize

@Sporky ;

From the mouth of Mr Littman:

scrumhalf

Not everyone over 40 looks like Sean Connery.

Ande given that he was born in 1930, he was very probably below 40 when the film from which the still you have posted was made.

Anyway, he had a belt full of bullets or sovereigns or killer sharks or something like that in From Russia With Love.

Brize said:

I agree that it's become normalised but it's still jarring to the eye and trousers worn with a belt never hang properly - they generally require frequent 'hoisting' to avoid puddling around the ankles.

I would suggest that if you have puddles around the ankles then whether or not to wear a belt is way down the list of problems.

JezWynd

bingefeller said:

Really

Sporky

Brize said:

Of the three you mentioned, only Gieves & Hawkes are proper Savile Row tailors and they're more mass-market than the other tailors on the Row.

I had a suspicion that you'd go "no true Scotsman" on that one. They are on Saville Row, they are suit makers, they are therefore Saville Row Suitmakers.

Brize said:

@Sporky ;

From the mouth of Mr Littman:

You can't dismiss him as not a "proper" SR tailor, then use him as an example.

Particularly given that the website is very clear that belt loops are an option they're happy with:

http://www.jasperlittman.com/our-suits/styles-options/trouser-options/

In any case, my point stands. If a pair of trousers has belt loops then you should be wearing a belt with them.

Brize

@Sporky said:

I had a suspicion that you'd go "no true Scotsman" on that one. They are on Saville Row, they are suit makers, they are therefore Saville Row Suitmakers.

Sorry, but you just don't get it. Anyone can set up shop on Savile Row, but it doesn't make them a Savile Row tailor. A Savile Row suit is made entirely by hand, fully canvassed and made to the customer's unique pattern. The costs involved are such that the final product typically costs between £4k and £6k and no one's going to pay that without some proper pedigree.

@Sporky said:

You can't dismiss him as not a "proper" SR tailor, then use him as an example.

I'd say that makes for an even stronger argument.

@Sporky said:

In any case, my point stands. If a pair of trousers has belt loops then you should be wearing a belt with them.

Now that I can't disagree with. Whether you should be buying a suit with belt loops in the first place is another matter.

lloyd

Brize said:

lloyd said:

I wore a blue suit and brown shoes to a wedding this summer, I looked cool as fuck like a right spiv.

Fixed that for you.

Spivs were always dapper, no matter what else they were.....

lloyd

Business casual for me in work, which is chinos, shirt and brogues.

Dress down Friday is great, jeans, t-shirt and trainers-wish we could wear what we wanted every day-no clients ever in our building and no customer facing staff, so the dress code is a bit daft-you can wear a polo shirt but I don't like them.

Sporky

Brize said:

Sporky said:

In any case, my point stands. If a pair of trousers has belt loops then you should be wearing a belt with them.

Now that I can't disagree with. Whether you should be buying a suit with belt loops in the first place is another matter.

Let's stick with that then.

(I'm getting myself a belt with a HUGE chrome buckle with "SAVILLE ROW" written on it) (and rhinestones) (lots of rhinestones)

Sporky

lloyd said:

you can wear a polo shirt but I don't like them.

Polo shirts are awful. I wore one once and swore it'd never happen again.

I don't mind other people wearing them, though I don't understand how they can.

Evilmags

Polo shirts are horrid. Downdress in the city was just a case of how unsackable you are. When I worked in ayfair shorts and a T shirt were fine in summer. We all kept proper suits and shirts in the office and had a shower so it took 15 minutes to look smart for a client. I must admit though, if your smoking a spliff outside a Mayfair pub, then Paul Smith or Armani is the way to go.  

stickyfiddle

+1 on polo shirts. Horrible things. But for some reason very popular. 

Im also not at all a fan of brogues. Just silly fussy looking things.

Brize

Sporky said:

(I'm getting myself a belt with a HUGE chrome buckle with "SAVILLE ROW" written on it) (and rhinestones) (lots of rhinestones)

Don't forget to wear it with a three-piece suit.

By the way, Savile Row only has one L.

Sporky

stickyfiddle said:

Im also not at all a fan of brogues. Just silly fussy looking things.

Normally I'm with you, but I do love the blue swede brogues I bought almost specifically to wind up the MD at the last place I worked.

Brize

stickyfiddle said:

+1 on polo shirts. Horrible things. But for some reason very popular. 

Slightly more flattering than a t-shirt for those with a gut.

bingefeller

JezWynd said:

bingefeller said:

Really

What part?  Got that belt in TK Maxx for £10, bloody bargain.  I was wearing my red, white and blue prod shirt today.  

Sporky

Brize said:

stickyfiddle said:

+1 on polo shirts. Horrible things. But for some reason very popular. 

Slightly more flattering than a t-shirt for those with a gut.

Henley.

Or a casual shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

I think it's the short-sleeves-and-collar thing.

Brize

Sporky said:

Or a casual shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

I think it's the short-sleeves-and-collar thing.

Yep, I prefer to wear long-sleeve shirts with the sleeves rolled up over short-sleeved shirts. You're right - there is something off about short sleeves and a collar.