looking for a slim fitted blazer

[BoardC3]

Check out APC.fr I just bought one from there for $375, black cotton pretty plain very nice.

[kiteless]

Edited by kiteless on Oct 2, 2005 at 12:36 PM

[kiteless]

Quote:

Pretty much EVERY designer makes a slim fitted blazer. Now my favorite pinstripe blazer is from a company I don't always support: theory. It's a wonderful 2 button black with white pinstripes. If I were you I would check out Paul Smith, the label is all about pinstripes right now and the fit is slim like you requested. Please don't go for a blazer made by a jeans company, those are usually crap and overpriced for the quality level...

Edited by Fuuma on Oct 1, 2005 at 10:07 AM

--- Original message by Fuuma on Oct 1, 2005 10:06 AM

i share your ambivalence towards Theory. I ended up buying some basic items like their unprinted, plain and solid t-shirts, silk/wool sweaters etc whenever I was in Tokyo from the Hankyu department store - while the items i found in the US or at Selfridges in London is pretty awful, and below par in both fitting and materials. It pretty much looks like what you'd find at Target. as you'd presume, i would never consider buying their jackets - even less a suit - unless i was going to a fancy dress party as a retired miami giggolo. if this means they're doing parallel collections for japan and elsewhere or Hankyu having superior purchasers, i'm uncertain.

however, the women's wear seem to be a good basic wear in the same way Agnes B is for parisien women. theory's own store in upper west side is quite pleasant - far better than going loose at barney's or bergdorf.

i beg to differ on paul smith -- first, they'll fit you very well if you're tall. don't even consider it if you're under 5'11 or 6'. however, their new collections (london, luxury or ps) and the pinstripes look like shit. every once in a while, paul smith just completely gets lost and everything looks like floor carpeting and you'll look like a has-been who just walked into the groucho club trying too hard without a clue.

[Fuuma]

On theory: agreed, you look for specific pieces that stand out and don't touch the rest

On Paul smith:

1)I'm 5'8" and a lot of the pieces (blazers/suits) fit me perfectly. Of course I'm very slim and wear a size 36 (even in the tight fitting designs of Paul Smith/Prada/DH/etc.) without any alterations for casual and maybe a slight shortening of the sleeves for more "formal" suits (of course the pants are altered). I need to watch out for shirts and especially some pants as the cut is often made for taller guys, but that is true of most labels. I personally think bigger guys should stay away from Paul Smith altogether anyway, it definitely doesn't suit them.

2)I agree some of the pieces are definitely out- there or retro kitsch but you don't have to dress in a full Paul Smith outfit and look like a runway reject. Like most flashy collections the trick is pairing them with more down-to-earth or basic pieces. I never wear all comme des garçons either...

[kiteless]

i said tall, not necessarily slim (although it helps). i'm 5'11 and their jackets in EU46/UK36 are at least two inches too long. I took them all to Westbourne House to have them adjusted a few years ago. They're all designed with a tall person in mind, probably something to do with PS himself being a tall person himself.

i haven't bought anything from paul smith in years, perhaps because he hasn't brought out anything wearable for years.

[wild_whiskey]

The APC one is really nice. APC tailored clothes are top-notch. So are Jil Sander's jackets (sniff, sniff).

[stickykrylon]

went to APC today (my dad bought a pair of new standards haha!) but yeah, their blazers are indeed nice - think i might buy one, but they are quite a bit - around 495 for the nicer ones - i just might hold out and buy a cloak one. we'll see!

dig.

[mouko]

I checked out the APC blazer for someone a while ago. I thought I'd give a little comparison to other high end blazers.

The APC blazers have a nice construction, top quality. This seasons are a bit heavier wool, obviously for the fall. Upon checking again, they have a 6 panel construction, with two panel sleeves. (which means better fit in general and better fit if you were to get it tailored)

Compared to a Dior blazer or other blazers, its a tad bigger. I have a Dior blazer in 38, which is considered a size small. I tried APCs smallest size, Small, and it fit like a Dior 40 (medium). Compared to a cloak, it fit like a Cloak Large (Cloaks run small). Compared to Helmut Langs, theyre about a Helmut Lang 38.

For $500.00, it is not a bad choice, I would spend the bit more on getting it tailored to fit better. If you can hold out and save up though I would definetly go for a Dior or even a Cloak (and if you can afford it, Cloak bespoke). In my opinon those two seem to be the most fitted in the business at the moment.

Quick Reference guide (compared from pieces I own)

APC Small =

Dior 40 =

Cloak L =

Helmut Lang 38

[aipume]

Hey Mouko,

pardon my ignorance, but what is "front darts" if you have pictures that would help even better but just wanted to know what their function was and what they looked like, thanks

[mouko]

If you take a look at the first picture of the coat hanging on the hanger, you will notice a line that runs above the pockets. Those are darts. A lot of blazers have them, but the dior coats side panels are also curved in, for a better fit.

Darts are basically folds in material that are sewn, to pinch the fabric and make a better fit.

[aipume]

hey thanks for clarifying

also a US 38 = a EURO 48 right? gahhh...hate it that America has its own measurement system and the rest of the world has a more standard one.

[mouko]

Yes, 38 US is 48 everywhere else.

I too hate the american sizing system. We need to conver to metric already. All my pattern books (the good ones) are from europe and are in metric, much more precise!

[Fuuma]

Mouko I understand what you're trying to convey by comparing sizing but you're not reflecting reality; an APC small might have the "body" of a large cloak for exemple but they both have shoulders suitable for people that wear the size written on the tag....In other words if you wear a large in cloak you probably can't buy an apc small because various parts (like the shoulders, maybe the arm and coat lenght) won't fit you.

[ngbetter11]

just need some clarification..

so for dior, etc... blazers on like, lets say..eluxury and other sites... do they use euro or us sizing?

i was always confused about that..

and how do you convert? add, subtract 10?

[mouko]

Quote:

Mouko I understand what you're trying to convey by comparing sizing but you're not reflecting reality; an APC small might have the "body" of a large cloak for exemple but they both have shoulders suitable for people that wear the size written on the tag....In other words if you wear a large in cloak you probably can't buy an apc small because various parts (like the shoulders, maybe the arm and coat lenght) won't fit you.

--- Original message by Fuuma on Oct 9, 2005 12:33 PM

i know the proper way would be to measure it. But a lot of people have been asking me "If I wear a 38 in helmut lang, what would I get in dior?" etc..I do advise taking the info with a grain of salt and just use it to get an idea of the fit in comparison to something else you might have.

[mouko]

Quote:

just need some clarification..

so for dior, etc... blazers on like, lets say..eluxury and other sites... do they use euro or us sizing?

i was always confused about that..

and how do you convert? add, subtract 10?

--- Original message by ngbetter11 on Oct 9, 2005 04:15 PM

I'm not sure about eluxury. It depends on the store though. The Dior Boutique uses Euro sizes, Barneys uses US sizes. And yes, basically what you want to do is subtract 10 from the EU size to get the US size. (48EU=38US)

[Fuuma]

Mouko: I got a PM for you about your cloak trench...

Regards