TENDREL

If you're interested in bespoke tailoring and based in the United States, I have some trunk show announcements to share with you. A hundred years ago, the average person who used a bespoke tailor was a man who needed clothes for certain situations, such as tweed sport coats for leisure or dark worsted suits for doing business in London. Today, dress codes are far more relaxed, and bespoke tailors are more likely to serve clients who choose to wear tailored clothing, rather than being forced into it as a kind of uniform. This helps explain Nina Penlington's business. To be sure, she can cut a conservative dark worsted suit that will look at home in any business setting. For nearly two decades, that was her bread-and-butter, as she worked as a cutter on Savile Row, making such clothes for clients at Gieves & Hawkes and Dege & Skinner (companies that dress the British Royal family). However, since becoming an independent cutter running her own tailoring business, Penlington has taken greater creative license. This includes making velvet jackets inspired by Paul McCartney, which you can pair with jeans and a band t-shirt in the afternoon. And the black twill Western suit you see above on @urban_comp (it's hard to see in the photo, but that has a Western yoke, smile pockets, and arrowhead-shaped tacks). Penlington's house style can be described as a fusion of 1970s opulence, Laurel Canyon Americana, and Westernwear. This makes her uniquely suited to people who love traditional bespoke craft but see themselves as a bit more free-spirited and creative. It also helps explain why Penlington has made suits for various musicians, such as Jarvis Cocker and Emma Richardson (the bassist for The Pixies). Consider Penlington if you need traditional business suits or if you want something a bit more rock 'n roll. Regional stereotypes about tailoring rarely do the subject justice. Still, if you had to draw a rough distinction between British and Italian tailoring, it wouldn't be wrong to say that the latter is generally softer. That contrast helps frame the work of Fred Nieddu, a London-trained bespoke tailor who incorporates elements of Italian construction into his practice. Fred's jackets typically include minimal shoulder padding, along with a full body canvas and just a bit of laptair near the collarbone to keep the jacket from collapsing. Despite the soft construction, his jackets have a ton of shaping. You can see this in the photo above of Ralph Fiennes, who is wearing one of Fred's creations. The minimal padding results in a softer, more natural shoulder line, while the fuller chest keeps the jacket from being too slim fit. The result is a man who looks beautifully dressed but also at home and natural in his clothes. I feel I can always spot one of Fred's coats because he often uses a very straight lapel with a larger collar. This gives his jackets an angular, almost Art Deco appearance. That said, he's also one of the most flexible tailors in London. Given his extensive experience making clothes for films — The Phoenician Scheme, Mickey 17, Midas Man, and over a dozen others — he's capable of making a variety of things. Still, generally always a good idea to stay relatively close to a tailor's house style. Oh, and he makes fantastic overcoats, as you can see above in the photo of Douglas Cordeaux, co-owner of Fox Brothers. That specific overcoat is made with set-in sleeves, but Fred is one of the few who can also easily execute a raglan-sleeve construction (a much more difficult design that not all tailors are willing to take on). My usual disclosure: this is not a paid tweet, as I never do paid tweets. I don't get anything in return for making these announcements — no kickbacks, discounts, freebies, or whatever else. I make these announcements simply because I love real tailoring and it's my pleasure to help real tailors. If you have questions, please contact them directly, as I'm not their representative.

@dieworkwear For being so working class in your sensitivities, you promote an aesthetic unattainable to that demographic. Not a criticism, just observation.