Author Archives: Fok-Yan Leung

About Fok-Yan Leung

Fok is an owner of Styleforum. He abuses his authority regularly. Once, he persuaded Arianna to eat a chalupa, something she will never forgive. He wears heavy leather and denim, just in case the zombie apocalypse starts when he is writing an article.

Styleforum endorses: Grenadine ties

Posted on by

If there is anything that Styleforum community – an opinionated and sometimes grumpy group – agrees on, it is that grenadine ties are excellent.  If you look in the Styleforum WAYWT or WAYWN (“What are you wearing today/now”), you’ll see ties made of grenadine, a open, nearly gauzy woven fabric that used to be worn as (black) lace in France,   in many of our members’ outfits, often in muted colors.

Grenadine ties certainly work with traditional business suits, they also work really well with more “fashion” oriented suits.  In any grenadine tie, whether it’s a “large” or “small” weave,  there are lustrous yarns and a three dimensional, textured, surface.  This combination ensures that all but the cheapest grenadines will look rich.

In the Classic menswear section of the forum, subdued ties with small, repeating patterns, are considered integral to the wardrobe.  This is in part because many of the discussions are geared not just towards classic menswear, but more specifically, towards business attire.  In the Streetwear&Denim section, suits are seen as a starting point for a fashionable outfit.  In the relatively few outfits posted that include ties, feature minimalist, solid colored ones.

Vanda Styleforum burgundy bourette grenadine ties

Vanda x Styleforum burgundy bourette grenadine tie to benefit The Ronald McDonald House of Spokane

Grenadine ties, because of their highly textured weave, do not require a pattern for them to be suitable for business ready outfits which makes the grenadine time one of those rare moments when the classic agrees with the modern.   Sean Connery’s James Bond regularly wore grenadine ties as well.  In our “Menswear Advice” forum for all of those pesky questions you are not sure where to ask, the answer “wear a burgundy or navy grenadine tie” is nearly always going to be an adequate answer.

This is one of the reasons that when we decided to the first Styleforum tie in the good part of a decade, earlier this year, we went with a burgundy with navy grenadine tie with Vanda (the majority of the profits of this tie went to support the Ronald McDonald House of Spokane.)

Here are a few of the forum’s other favorites:

Vanda Silk and Cashmere Grenadine tie: because you don’t get much more luxurious for fall.

Vanda navy silk and cashmere grenadine ties

Vanda navy silk and cashmere grenadine tie

 

Drake’s “Petrol” grenadine tie: Drake’s has been a perennial favorite with menswear enthusiasts both on Styleforum and beyond, for years, now.  $155 via MrPorter

Drakes Kingsman Petrol Silk Grenadine tie

Drakes Kingsman Petrol Silk Grenadine tie

Chipp neckwear Wine grenadine tie – because a grenadine tie can also be had on a budget.  $55

Chipp wine grenadine tie

Chipp wine grenadine tie

Our Pick: Norwegian Rain Mixed Denim Raincoat

Posted on by

My birthday marks the beginning of the school year, the end of summer, and the opening of glorious fall. That wonderful season when you are not freezing, but at the same time, it’s not so hot that you wish that you had better abs (truth time – abs, period) so that you could just hang out with no shirt on all day.

With fall comes rain, and I’ve suffered many a shower in a leather jacket because it’s always been really hard to find a cool-looking, but breathable, rain coat.  Last fall, my suffering came to an end with the discovery of T. Michael’s expertly designed Norwegian Rain coats.  I spent a summer in Bergen, Norway, from whence Norwegian Rain comes, and having lived in a city where it rains over 250 days of the year, I can understand why T. Michael decided to create Norwegian Rain.

My only question is “where have you been for the last 30 years or so?”  The Japanese waterproof textiles are breathable and come in a variety of colors and weaves which absorb light, giving the coats a rich depth and making them great outerwear general, rather than merely coats that are nice to wear when the skies are pouring down.

Normally, I write these product recommendations with mixed emotions, because it means that the product is much more likely to be gone by the time I have enough money in my discretionary budget to indulge myself. This time, I do so with light heart, since my wife has imposed a strict spending budget that does not accommodate this coat, and the best that I can hope for is that a benefactor send it to Styleforum HQ for me (size Medium, please). Or, barring that, that someone cool buys it and posts cool pictures of it on the forum.

The “Single breasted” coat is one of Norwegian rains standard models, and looks good over both suits and jeans.  The real appeal to this particular example is the rich “denim” color, a complex blue with a variety of low tones that allow it to complement most type of blue jeans, grey or black pants, and even moss greens.

Norwegian Rain mixed denim raincoat, from www.nomanwalksalone.com, $605.

Norwegian Rain mixed denim rain coat,

Norwegian Rain mixed denim rain coat,

Norwegian Rain mixed denim rain coat,

The Charcoal Suit is Still a Wardrobe Essential

Posted on by

“The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit”, released in 1956, follows the life of veteran Tom Rath (Gregory Peck) in post war America as he attempts to make it in the corporate world while dealing with a variety of personal issues.  It touches, as most great films do, on many themes – among them PTSD and the conflict between family and corporate life.  In the movie, the ubiquitous grey flannel suit of the post WWII workplace serves as a symbol of the demands of the corporate workplace.  A man becomes subsumed by his corporate role when he puts on his corporate suit.  The movie, like the book it was based on (published just a year earlier), was hailed by an audience standing on the precipice between postwar America and Rock and Roll.  Sixty years hence, while the word “suit” still carries with it many negative connotations associated with corporate drudgery, most workplaces no longer demand a suit for every day wear, and a suit has become for many a special event item.  A suit is, for many, a contemporary form of regalia.  A man who puts on a gray suit is more likely to stand out than to recede into the background – the suit says “This guy is about to do something special”.

charcoal suit styleforum wardrobe essential

Styleforum member “Pingson” does the dark grey suit justice.

A few years ago, a Styleforum member named “@Manton,” started a thread called “If you don’t own the following items, you are not well dressed”.  It’s a good list, if any one is building a classic business wardrobe.  We saw arguments about what belonged and did not belong in the list.  The dark grey (or charcoal) suit was, and is, one of the very few items that remains inarguably necessary in a man’s wardrobe.  If your job is one of the rare ones that requires that you put on a suit and tie every day, charcoal suits are a staple.  It says that you are a sober man, a serious man, which is usually the effect you want to affect in those rare professions where suits are still the norm.  If you are not a habitual suit wearing man, if you only need a suit once every so often, the dark grey suit in classic proportions is the suit you need if you are a guest at a wedding, a mourner at a funeral, or a victim at a job interview.

This is not a tutorial on what to look for in a suit, nor an infographic on how to wear one, but here are a few points to start you off:

  • The suit should “cut” your body into approximately two equal parts. The jacket should cover your bottom, but not go much below that.
  • Always make sure that the suit fits across the shoulders. Most other things can be adjusted.  This is a hard facet to alter.
  • In the same vein, make sure that the angle of the arm matches that of your “natural” stance.

And more about styling your suit:

  • A “normal” lapel width is less likely to date your look than a very narrow or very wide lapel. A “normal” lapel width ranges between 3” and 3.5” at the widest point, with the exact width depending on the style as well as the size of the suit.
  • There are three common button configurations for suit jackets: a two button jacket, a three button jacket, and a “two-roll-three” jacket – a three button jacket that is designed so that the top button is on the roll of the lapel, and not to be used for any reason.
  • If you are at a loss on what to wear with a charcoal suit, go with a plain white shirt with a semi-spread collar, a burgundy or navy grenadine tie (or a knit tie for more casual occasions, or a wool tie for winter), and a plain white pocket square.

I’d argue that a white oxford cloth shirt and a few solid or small pattern ties are other “should have” basics, and we’ll discuss those in the future. For now, if you’re starting out on a business-appropriate sartorial journey, or looking to pare down your wardrobe, keep in mind that a dark grey suit is an eternally appropriate choice in clothing. It’s worth having one in your closet, and making sure that it fits you properly – you’ll certainly find continued use for it.

10 Years of Styleforum–we celebrated in style

Posted on by

On May 4 and May 5, we had a celebration for our 10 year anniversary, at the W San Francisco.  Over 400 people took part in the event, which included a screening of O’Mast, our vendor showcase, and a party.

We kicked it off Friday evening with cocktails and a sneak preview of the next installment of Put This On, a video series by Jesse Thorn about dressing like a grownup, followed by the featured screening of O’Mast, an acclaimed film about Neapolitan tailors and traditions from Gianluca Migliarotti, who traveled from Milan to be with us.  From there, we proceeded to dinner at Credo, in the private dining area, where translucent walls surrounded us with statements of belief from leaders around the world and throughout time. I had the scallops, and I know that they were delicious. The night concluded with port and espresso at The Wingtip, a private club owned by the proprietors of On The Fly, a San Francisco haberdashery which also participated in our vendor showcase the following day.

On Saturday, I was up at 8 a.m. to start setup for the vendor showcase, which started at noon, sharp.  I was nervous about the turnout, but we had a  steady stream of shoppers from the moment we opened the doors.  Fifteen vendors traveled from as far away as Hawaii and New York City.  The range of vendors reflected the diverse readership of Styleforum.  Goorin Brothers, hatmakers, a San Francisco institution whose goods are sold nationwide, brought a large sample of their heritage hats. Greg Walton of Louis Walton, a one man show, demonstrated how his hand makes the ties he sells.  Yuketen, shoemakers and leathermakers, brought their famous outdoor shoes, as well as bags (always sold out, everywhere,) and accessories, from Hermosa Beach.  On the Fly and A Suitable Wardrobe, Bay Area haberdashers who adhere to impeccable standards, brought fine ties, apparel, and gentlemen’s accoutrements; and A Suitable Wardrobe brought a shoeshiner to boot.  Jimmy Au’s for men 5’8″ and Under, from Beverly Hills, brought many suits, shirts,  and jackets to serve men from just below the national average to very much under the average.  Sette ties, from Washington, D.C. showed off substantial sevenfold ties.  Epaulet, from New York City, brought a full range of their own sportscoats, shirts, trousers, and accessories, made in the USA or in Italy, as well as Carmina shoes, for whom they are the sole stockist in North America.  The Brooklyn Circus also brought its brand of urban dandyism from New York City.  The Hanger Project, a business born of Styleforum, from Texas, came with shoe care products and accessories in addition to their signature hangers; local San Francisco retailers Taylor Stitch brought shirts, jeans, and belts; and Revolver, which proprietor Robert Patterson describes as “a little hippy,” featured a DIY scarf dying booth as well as goods from anyone from Yuketen to Reigning Champ to their own line of casual clothing.  Jack Knife Outfitters took measurements for custom jeans; and Joe Hemrajani of Mytailor.com took measurements for custom suits and shirts.  Leathersoul brought an extensive number of Aldens all the way from Honolulu, as well as examples of bespoke shoes from St. Crispin and George Cleverly, rarities anywhere.

As dusk settled, we settled into eating some snacks and having an immoderate number of drinks with a few hundred of our best friends.

 

SF10: the philosophy of Revolver San Francisco.

Posted on by

Robert Patterson runs Revolver San Francisco, a shop and gallery that has stocked plenty of the lines Styleforum joneses for: Yuketen, Monitaly, Creep, Crate, and Journal Standard, among others. Revolver’s stock and atmosphere are very Pacific—somewhere between the Haight and Japan. But Revolver is just one among several successful projects that Robert is involved in in San Francisco. Ahead of Styleforum’s 10th anniversary events, in which Revolver will take part, Fok-Yan Leung talked with him about his philosophy.

Fok-Yan Leung: Robert, could you tell me a little about the history of your store and projects?

Robert Patterson: Experimental geography. We run lots of small, interesting projects that intersect. From Revolver, our first retail store in Lower Haight, to Voyager on Valencia, to our ramen restaurant in the Mission, to our upcoming Japanese sweet shop Suica—everything builds on an exploration of geography.

Each of our projects is built up from prior things. It’s fun to build things and see them grow. Different places require different things. Revolver was first. Revolver is sort of fancier and homier, cosy and neighborhood like the Lower Haight—off the beaten and hidden. Voyager is more exploratory and collaborative.

Ken Ken Ramen is food based. It grows out of our love of Japan and ramen. Taka, my business partner and head chef, and I met at Revolver over a shared interest over some Japanese brands, specifically Yuketen footwear. Today they all intersect in our commitment to quality service, attention to customers, and having fun! [Editor’s note: Ken Ken also serves Boba Guys, a project from a Styleforum/Superfuture member]

FYL: How do you go about buying for the store?  On the phone, you told me that it was a neighborhood store. How has that affected your decisions when you are in NYC, or LA, or LV, or at some other tradeshow?

RP: Again, geography comes into play. We’re really rooted in being part of Northern California and finding wares that are practical, fun, a little bit off and strange. Pieces that reflect the climate, people, and place that we live in.

And while do sell unique and fashion-forward items from emerging brands, part of the reason I think people like Revolver is that we are very focused on a meeting a local demand and reality. At Revolver customers find jeans that suit everyone, like those jackets in herringbone tweed that thirty year olds buy to spend Saturday afternoons with their girlfriends at the bar around the corner. This local reality is a stranger to many trendy boutiques that aim for an international clientele and find that the most appealing customers are those that come from far away. We’re a general store in that respect and really enjoying selling to a wide range of people from cool kids stocking up on the new threads from emerging brands like Hixsept to more classic tailored pieces from old brands like CP Shades that just work on everyone.

 

 

FYL: How do you differentiate yourself from the competition?

RP: Service, our staff, and collaboration. We’re pretty proud of the service we provide to customers and aim to meet almost any requirement they have. Again without support from local everyday customers we wouldn’t have any place in the city to have fun. Also we have an excellent growing team. Nearly everyone who works at Revolver makes interesting product and partakes in our 20% rule—which allows them to spend 20% of their paid time on any project that they find interesting. Valerie, our manager, makes a beautiful line of jewelry. Julia, another staffer, makes home wares and crafts; another curates our vintage collection; others make and manage our growing in-house collection, etc. Their passion for their own products that we carry differentiates us both in staff and product and allows them to focus on bettering the stores for customers.

Lastly we’re all about collaboration. We love working on unique strange projects. We’ve worked with guys at Upper Playground to surfy kids at Mollusk Surf Shop to perfect gals from Spartan in Austin on store pop-ups, events, other items, etc. We love working with other people on fun projects to get our batteries recharged and to see things from different angles. Always a good thing in our opinion.

FYL: Could you tell us a bit about the lesser known brands you carry.

RP: We love exploring brands from around the world—especially ones that lend to our unisex aesthetic. Denham the Jeanmaker—men’s/women’s denim line with technical outerwear and jackets. Super well-respected and based on a combination of heritage research and forward design.

Hixsept/Etudes from France is just the perfect unknown men’s brand, with great tailoring, quality, and fit. Sort of a surfy Engineered Garments. Really beautiful, simple, but still forward.

Sifr from Singapore/Indonesia is just awesome. They make really amazing men’s wear, simple jungle pants, great relaxed blazers, and wonderful chukkas.

Satcas is awesome basics line from Indonesia that just sells out every season. Great nylon hooded fisherman jackets, jungle cloth jackets.

Workers from Japan. Like Roy of Self Edge—one guy on a mission to create a huge growing reproduction line. Always out of stock but beautiful reproduction pieces using amazing fabrics. Hard even for us to get—these are just standout products that are amazing.

CP Shades—wonderful linen wear that reminds you of Kapital/45 RPM but more accessible. Flowing wrinkled grey linen dress shirts and stranger wool vests. We worked with them on slimming everything down for our store. True Bolinas / California relaxed hippie wear.

FYL: Could you tell me about your house brand?

RP: Dillon Montara—named after two beaches we love in California. It’s a growing collection – all made in San Francisco. Tapered jeans, unisex dress shirts in heavy Japanese fabrics. We’re working with an ex-Levi’s guy on fits and patterns. Our dress shirts have a great slim but classic block and the jeans have little details, but we’re still having fun. It’s nice having a retail outlet to explore and we have a great relationship with a garment factory to produce small quantities of pieces.

FYL: Could you tell me a bit about your ramen place (I’m sorta hungry right now?)

RP: Revolver is where I met Taka Hori, one of the other owners of Ken Ken Ramen—our ramen restaurant in the Mission. Taka loves Yuketen and always came to our stores to check out new drops. Having lived in Japan myself, a friendship emerged and we started working on our ramen project together. Just like many of the brands we carry—we make everything in-house using premium products and passion. We love ramen and strive to make a beautiful, lovingly produced product.  Similar to Revolver—at Ken Ken we aim to please both our customers and staff to make good product that are made of local parts but part of a larger whole. It might sound strange, but these all collate.

FYL: How did your experiences in Japan (aside from the ramen) affect your approach to retail?

RP: Service and quality. We only wish we could be as good as some of the stores/restaurants in Japan.  Having lived in Japan there is a real commitment to quality and service.

FYL: If you were to give advice to someone starting a clothing store, or a ramen house, what would you say?

RP: Find a passion and explore it in your own way. Don’t over plan or worry about failure. Start with a step and just enjoy the ride and where things go.

SF10: Jack Knife Denim

Posted on by

I met John Alburl and Nick Kemp of Jack/Knife Outfitters in their SOMA (San Francisco) workspace when a friend of mine was getting his jeans finished.  Tailors for the well-known SF shop Unionmade, and former tailors for Levis, John and Nick create custom jeans from paper patterns for individual customers.  While the styles I saw were in the “heritage” and “workwear” vein, they stand the idea on its head. Denim was originally an industrial garment, made purely for utility, and the very idea of unsanforized “shrink to fit” jeans was that a uniform garment could be customized post production.  The trend to buy raw denim, and watch it become personalized with wear, is a natural extension.  This is in stark contrast with the bespoke garment, a piece made for a specific customer, a one of a kind.  Jack/Knife Outfitters makes bespoke versions of uniform garment.  I got to ask John some questions.

Fok-Yan Leung: Could you tell us a bit about how and why you started Jack/Knife Outfitters?

John Alburl: Jack/Knife came about as a desire for us to be professionally involved in a space where the only focus was on quality.  In an age of instantaneous education, the modern consumer has become more savvy than ever—consumers are interested in the “story”; the who, what, where, and why of a piece made are questions the market demands answers to. Companies tend to make up a gimmicky story that ultimately, over time, loses dimension, but with Jack/Knife our pieces are the story.

All the pieces that have ever received a Jack/Knife stencil were constructed for a reason. The use of heavy selvedge denim came not because the blogs thought it was cool, but because it was the only material that wouldn’t keep ripping on motorcycle rides. Bandannas also were constructed for dusty trips on the motorcycles. Bags came to carry tools, and it grew from there. Consumers are losing interest in the workwear/heritage/vintage trends, but luckily Jack/Knife does not technically lie in any of those categories. The influence from decades past for us comes not in fit or design, but more in the quality of construction and materials used.

Now we operate in a work studio in the old garment district of San Francisco. We take pride in doing everything ourselves and taking our time to aim as close as possible for perfection. These days there are very few operations left that design, draft patterns, and construct all in-house like we do at Jack/Knife.

FYL: Could you bring us through the process of how you work with a customer to get him the pair of jeans he wants?  How do you get him to the right denim, the right cut, the right details?

JA: Describing the entire experience for being fitted for a pair of Jack/Knife jeans would be a bit overwhelming to take in all at once. So I’ll give the “cliff’s notes” version:

The process for being fitted for Jack/Knife custom jeans begins with the first visit—a tour of our operations, a showing of our selvedge fabric selection, the machines, etc. The goal is to knock out fabric selection, thread color, rivets/buttons, pocket shapes, etc. There are myriad details to go over and each client is given the opportunity to bring forth their individual detail requests as well. Measurements are taken, and we also discuss with the client the desired fit of the finished jean. There is much more that goes into the first fitting, and overall this stage is the most comprehensive.

After all the necessary information has been gathered from the client during the first visit, we begin drafting by hand the pattern for the jeans. The pattern-drafting phase by far is the most time-consuming step of the overall process. Once we have your pattern, we construct your jeans, which you’ll try on during your second visit. When you come to try on your jeans in the second visit, there is no waistband yet. Trying on jeans with no waistband can be a a bizarre experience, but the second visit is simply for us to see how the jeans are fitting up to that point. Based on how the jeans fit during the second visit, we either adjust as needed or move on to the next phase.

Past the second visit, all that is needed is a waistband, belt-loops, and a final hem. We attach the waistband and belt loops once we are past the second visit phase. The final visit from you will be to try the jeans on one last time to confirm that you are happy with the fit now that the waistband has been attached. We also take a final measurement for your hem. The final hem is done during this last visit, as it only takes Nick about 10 minutes or so to hem a pair of jeans. And lastly Nick dates and signs the jeans at the very end.

FYL: Could you tell us a little about the details that sets your jeans apart?

JA: Aside from being completely custom—the entire manufacturing of Jack/Knife jeans is done using hand-worked, single-needle construction. All of our patterns are individually hand-drafted by us in our studio. We use a cotton twill binding on all our raw seams, because in our minds we would be cheating if we used over-lock or cover-stitches. We hand-hammer all of our USA-made hardware to Jack/Knife jeans. The fabric we offer is all selvedge fabric from either Japan or Cone Mills out of North Carolina. We also incorporate the use of selvedge details in the waistband, belt loops, out seam, and coin pocket. Each pair of jack/Knife jeans is hand inscribed, dated, and signed. Oh, and our jeans come with a lifetime warranty.

FYL: What if I have some really specific details I like on my pair?  If they are really dumb, how would you tell me?

JA: The only time I would intervene in someone’s design is if the idea lacked a functional purpose. We are all very honest at Jack/Knife, you would be able to tell if we thought an idea fell short of making sense.

FYL: On the other hand, there are guys who probably don’t really know exactly what they want.  How do you guide them through the process?

JA: Through a series of dialogue we can guide just about anyone through our custom experience. We try in every way possible to make this this process simple to understand. It is during that first visit that we take the time to play host and develop a sense of understanding of the individual’s lifestyle. There are basic design details that can alter the feel or styles of jeans. An example would be that dressy jeans are different in styling than workwear style jeans.

FYL: Everyone I know loves their Jack/Knife jeans.  What would you say is the secret of your success?

JA: Our unwillingness to sacrifice quality. We will always go the extra mile to make the best product possible. In these early days of Jack/Knife we have done everything possible to ignore the standard industry prompts of “selling out.” We have never outsourced. For Jack/Knife, we could never trust an outsourced entity to follow through on a project with the same passion as is practiced in our shop.

FYL: What vision do you have for Jack/Knife going forward?

JA: To continue growing. The introduction of Jack/Knife for women, a series of reproductions from the old mine finds of Mike Harris and Gang (author of Jeans of the Old West), a collaboration with Tellason, Jack/Knife limited edition pieces, and more are all happening just within the next 6months for Jack/Knife. For those coming to the Style Forum 10th Anniversary event, Jack/Knife will be unveiling a yet-to-be-seen limited edition cotton/hemp Japanese chambray shirt.

Thanks John!

Jack/Knife Outfitters
372 Ritch St.
San Francisco, CA 94107
[email protected]

 


SF10: Talking shop with Tom Park of Leather Soul

Posted on by

Leading up to Styleforum’s 10th anniversary showcase and party, we’ll be talking to some of the people who’ve helped make Styleforum what it is today. First off, Tom Park, owner of one of the world’s finest footwear sources: Leather Soul. With locations in Waikiki, Hawaii and Beverly Hills, California, Leather Soul puts Aldens, Edward Greens, Saint Crispin’s, and others on the most discerning feet in the world. Tom and his Leather Soul colleagues will be bringing shoes from Alden, George Cleverley, and Saint Crispin’s, as well as select accessories, to Styleforum’s 10th anniversary event.

Leather Soul owner Tom Park and LSW General Manager Takuya Hoshino. Photo by Ryan Plett.

Fok-Yan Leung: Could you tell us a little about how you started Leather Soul?

Tom Park: I’ve always loved shoes, I can remember my first pair of Air Jordans back when I was five. I grew up in an entrepreneurial family; my grandfather owned a company and my mother had and still has a florist’s shop here in Honolulu. While in college I worked at a high-end shoe store very much like Leather Soul and learned to love high end men’s dress shoes. From that time I wanted to open my own store and knew one day I would. When my grandmother passed away she left me some money and told me to follow my dreams. I quit my job, sold my car, took out credit card debt, and opened LS back in 2004.

FYL: Could you tell us a little about the evolution of the store and about the products you carry? It’s been quite a success story.

TP: My original concept was to open a classy, comfortable shop where local businessmen could stop by during their lunch breaks and pick up a pair of shoes. I had zero aspirations of opening a location on the mainland or even in Waikiki. I started out selling everything from $75 Sebagos to $500 Aldens. As time passed, my product mix evolved and eventually when I opened in Waikiki, LS evolved into a higher-end specialty shop. Aldens, which had once been my most expensive line, became the lowest priced line in the shop. To this day, we are still growing. I went from being a one-person operation to having a staff of 10. Our next move is to broaden our offerings to include more leather goods, vintage timepieces, and a small selection of clothing. I also plan to open another location here in Honolulu later this year to serve my local customers better.

FYL: How did you find Styleforum? What made you stay? Did you participate in any other forums?

TP: Back in 2004-2005 I found Ask Andy and became very involved there. Members were extremely friendly and I was happy conversing with other shoe lovers and giving any advice and information that I could. Styleforum was always a bit scary to me because I was not into clothing back then and had zero knowledge about clothing. As I became more knowledgeable and enthusiastic about clothing, I started posting more on SF and found the crowd to be more serious and better suited for my evolving business. To this day I check SF daily and really credit it for providing me the knowledge of clothing and footwear I have today.

FYL: You have a very successful (and really, very stylish) blog. What is the traffic like?  Do you ever envision having a webstore?

TP: We average about 3,000 visitors a day on our website. I have no intentions to have a webstore. I think web checkout is too impersonal for the products we sell. The website is blog based and the purpose is really to let our customers know what’s going on. I still write all the content for the blog and take all the pictures. It’s really meant to be very casual and intimate, more like I’m talking to you about the shoes. After people check out the blog, they can visit us, call us, or email us if they want to order something. I get emails every now and then complaining about instant sell outs, accusing me of being all smoke and mirrors. What people don’t realize is that we have about 15,000 customers in our database, thousands of eyes watching our website daily, 40 people visiting LSW alone per day, and 10 salespeople all trying to sell shoes. Of course we sell out quick. Our typical Alden size runs are only 66 pairs. Why not order more? We simply cannot order more and keep the same kind of selection going. We are limited by production issues as well.

FYL: You certainly taught us a lot about shoes. Did the influence ever go the other way?

TP: Of course, I learn every day from Style Forum. If I have a shoe-related question myself, I can often times find the answer on SF.

FYL: Forum people love minutiae, whether it’s about shirts, or jeans, or shoes. Any questions that you’d like to answer once and for all? This is your chance.

TP: Shoes are never perfect. Do not expect them to be. They go on your feet and touch the nasty ground all day. The stitching does not need to be perfectly straight. If there’s a missing perforation, who cares.

FYL: Could you tell me a little about the Leather Soul specials for Styleforum? How did they come about? What were the end products? Things you would have changed if you went back in time?

TP: When my business was smaller, I often times took suggestions from my best customers for new models. For instance, we were the first to do a shell cordovan Indy Boot back in 2005, which was a suggestion from a customer of mine. After successfully doing a collaboration for Ask Andy, I wanted to do one for Styleforum and after a lot of discussions on the forum, the SF Boot was created. We ended up doing an SF Shoe as well which was essentially a low-cut version of the shoe. I really enjoy doing this kind of collaboration with the forum members but it’s becoming very difficult due to production lead times. Also, there are so many limitations that are difficult to explain to people, especially when they are so passionate about the brand. Passion tends to overshadow reality sometimes and people often do not understand why we can’t do this or why we can’t order that. Of course I wish I could do anything and everything people desire, but ultimately I’m just a retailer and I have to go by what the vendor can and cannot do.

The OG Styleforum boot from Alden and Leather Soul.

FYL: You told me that you’ve met a lot of people on the forum. Any memorable stories?

TP: Well, I’m always happy to meet SF members in person. I love to meet people at LSW especially because I love to show off the shop and I appreciate their visit so much. My most memorable meeting was probably meeting Mark (yfyf on the forum) and Parker at the LSBH opening. I remembered Mark (yfyf) being kind of distant and not so friendly (haha!). This was before he opened the Armoury. Now, we are close friends and do business together. He is such a great easygoing guy and I really feel blessed to be his friend. The Armoury is probably my second favorite store (other than LS).

FYL: Could you tell us a little about the latest projects you’ve done in collaboration with Styleforum members?

TP: My collaboration with Kiya and Self Edge was actually about 2 years in the making. We met in Tokyo (with Johan of 3sixteen), ate ramen, drank beers, and decided we wanted to do something together eventually. We have very similar backgrounds and think very similarly. We have become good friends over the past few years. Look for another Leather Soul x Self Edge collaboration in the future.

FYL: Anything else you’d like to tell us?

TP: See you at the W.

Leather Soul rolls deep.

Saint Crispin's 316 in red 076 Inca grained calf from Leather Soul.

 

Edward Green Top Drawer Lichfield at Leather Soul.

 

Alden Norwegian Split Toe boot in Chromexcel at Leather Soul.

Leather Soul x Self Edge boot by Alden.

 

 

Coffee with Mariano Rubinacci, Redux.

Posted on by

As Pete wrote earlier, one of the calmer moments we had at Pitti Uomo was our morning coffee with Mariano Rubinacci.

Mariano met us at the Westin Excelsior on the Thursday morning, the last busy day of Pitti Uomo before people start packing it up on Friday in preparation for the long season ahead.  Milan, Paris, and New York are upon you in quick succession after that, making it a very long month ahead.

After introductions, and a brief tangent on the Excelsior’s stunning lobby and cut flowers (I only noticed them when Mariano pointed them out), he suggested that we get a cappuccino.  He explained that he would be going to Pitti after coffee, and asked if we would like to share a cab with him.  Although he seemed politely amused by our presence, he was a gracious host, and patiently answered all of our questions, most of which I’m sure he had answered many times. Where was Luca? How often do they come to the United States? Etc., etc.

Rubinacci spoke of his son, Luca, who was vacationing in Aspen—but Mariano would soon be fitting clients in London.  He went to London to meet clients more often and to New York, less frequently.  A fluctuation in your size?  Within 4 kilos, a garment could be adjusted.  Four kilos was a full size though, and you might need a new garment for further expansion after that.  “Not for me,” he pointed to his own jacket, which I thought looked impeccably tailored, “I don’t change this, to remind myself that I am fat.”  Yes, Rubinacci would be doing some ready-to-wear, but only accessories.  I joked that I might have to steal a jacket he’d once made for a friend.  “No, no, no, that wouldn’t work, since that garment would have been made for someone else.” No, he does not consider himself a tailor—he could not cut a jacket himself.  What he is, “It’s a difficult question.”  But he does tell people what will work for them.  And he does a classic style, which doesn’t change so much.  About Fabio Borelli’s tight suits and high-water pants, “It’s very modern.”  He was very happy that many of the 45 tailors in his workshop were under 50 years old.  He wanted to leave something for his son, he explained, and if everyone was old, that was not much to leave.

Coffee in Italy was good.  It was, according to Mariano, not the water, as some claimed.  He had the same coffee in London, and it tasted the same when made with British water.  He gave us a recommendation for a good seafood restaurant in Florence, something of a rarity; Florence is better known for its enormous steaks (prices are per 100g, often with a 700g minimum).  Next time I go to Florence, I will have to get myself to Fuor d’Aqua.

Outside, while we waited for a cab, he greeted an older gentleman whose car service had just arrived.  “The owner of Kiton,” he told me.  On the drive to Pitti, I asked him for recommendations for leather goods—I needed to get something for my wife.  “There are many good leather goods in Florence, but I am not so much an expert,” he explained.

We walked together to the entrance of Pitti, and then he had to go.  Not sure where tailoring luminaries go.  We were on for another day taking notes and photos at booths.  Although I am unlikely to ever have the opportunity to commission a garment from him, I understand why his clients are so loyal.  He gave us a peaceful hour in the midst of a week of chaos.  Thank you for that, Mr. Rubinacci.

Pane e Panno Casentino at Isaia

Posted on by

Standing around in Panno Casentino

One of the standout pieces for FW 2012 season was Isaia’s peaked lapel, camel topcoat in Panno Casentino fabric, the yarn of which, as was explained to me, is roughly brushed before looming, so that the dense woven fabric comes off the loom with a rough, pre-pilled, look.

The mark of Isaia

The Isaia crew had a great strategy.  When you are being plied wine and really great food, including some some of the best pickled mushrooms in olive oil I’ve eaten in a while, you are going to inspect every piece very carefully, especially when the alternative were overpriced Italian “toast” sandwiches, essentially a single, thin, slice of meat between two pieces of bread.  Even without all the help, I would still have noticed this piece, the texture of which immediately jumps out.

Isaia had the best spread in at Pitti Uomo on Tuesday, January 10, at around 11 a.m.

Later in the day, we saw the fabric again in a green coat with a much more conservative cut and turnback cuffs at Liverano&Liverano.  While Pete was busy talking to Taka in the back, Stephanie (the Styleforum sales rep) and I took a load off in some very comfortable chairs, and chatted with Mr. Liverano’s daughter, who had been working at the shop for 20 years.  “My father told me, either I go to school, or I work.  So I work.  20 years.”  I suppose that it’s as good a way as any to choose a career, especially when your father is one of the foremost tailors in Florence.

Liverano & Liverano #ogflorence #turnbackcuffs #pannocasentino

She told us that Panno Casentino was a very famous material from Florence.   It is known for its durability and natural water resistance.   Tuscany being one of the cooler, wetter, regions in Italy, it’s nice to not be soaked.  Very practical, and though Italy doesn’t really get winter except in the far north, I suppose that 50 degrees (F)  would be cold enough for me to enjoy the awesome Italian tradition of a coffee and pastry eaten at the bar, in the late afternoon, while wearing my Panno Casentino coat.

The next day, we saw the same fabric in a coat from Our Legacy, a brand from Sweden, where clothing that holds up against winter is actually necessary.  I suppose that this might be a microtrend in the making.

Firenze via Sweden in Firenze - Our Legacy