[Watchman]

Yes, I have followed Antonio Centeno. Great guy and very personable. I once spoke extensively to him via telephone. He gave me some excellent advice concerning a semi-bespoke garment I had made by one of the Asian tailors.

Did you know he once operated a bespoke tailoring house in Wisconsin? “A Tailored Suit” I believe was the name…

 

[Tim Correll]

Yes, I have followed Antonio Centeno. Great guy and very personable. I once spoke extensively to him via telephone. He gave me some excellent advice concerning a semi-bespoke garment I had made by one of the Asian tailors.

Did you know he once operated a bespoke tailoring house in Wisconsin? “A Tailored Suit” I believe was the name…

What about Ashley Weston and her male colleague? Kirby Allison, Antonio Centeno and the guys at the Gentleman’s Gazette are fans.

And what is your take on Ash Jones? Please check him out if you haven’t yet? He’s another great, stand up and very personable guy, for what it’s worth.

I recently found out about Antonio Centeno once being a bespoke tailor.

 

[smmrfld]

What about Ashley Weston and her male colleague? He’s gay, by the way.

She’s straight, though. Mrs. Weston (I don’t know her maiden name but Kirby Allison’s a fan) is happily married to a straight man. And what is your take on Ash Jones (check him out of you haven’t yet)?

I recently found out about Antonio Centeno once being a bespoke tailor.

What on earth does sexual orientation have to do with this thread?

 

[TheJoker932]

Per Gentleman's Gazette, a tuxedo should never have a single-vent. I got a used Samuelsohn tuxedo in eBay for about $200 with a centre vent. I took it to a tailor and asked him to close it. He pointed out a lot of issues with the tuxedo and said he'd take three weeks, but insisted to keep the vent.

If I keep the vent, am I sinning against the style gods?

I like to wear a leopard print tuxedo jacket with double back vents to annoy the old folks XD

 

[BluestoBlacks]

Per Gentleman's Gazette, a tuxedo should never have a single-vent. I got a used Samuelsohn tuxedo in eBay for about $200 with a centre vent. I took it to a tailor and asked him to close it. He pointed out a lot of issues with the tuxedo and said he'd take three weeks, but insisted to keep the vent.

If I keep the vent, am I sinning against the style gods?

I don't think so, there's absolutely no issues in it as of now you should focus on what you have, don't get worried about such things its totally fine gentleman.

 

[Watchman]

So, I really did not want to derail this thread. However, I remember some years back when someone posted here on AAAC regarding an article/video from Gentleman's Gazette making a fallacious claim there was a difference between a Derby and a Blucher.

This poster was saying said resource made the claim there was a difference between a Derby and Blucher...something about a piece of leather sewed to the vamp...an audacious assertion, unfounded and baseless. A rather passionate discussion ensued IIRC.

For the record, according to what I know, there is NO difference between a Derby and a Blucher. The English refer to open throat lacing as "Derby" and here in the US we say "Blucher". I know this seems like "hair splitting" but I do not fancy when folks try and be novel for the sake of novelty...

Derby and Blucher are the same thing. Edward Green, Crockett and Jones, Gaziano and Girling...all of these makers use Derby and Blucher interchangeably because they are the SAME THING...

This is why I have trouble respecting the opinion of "Gentleman's Gazette". Now, this is not an "unpardonable sin" (to keep with the theme of this thread) and I think overall GG has redeemed themselves in more recent times by giving some solid advice. This is just why I shy away from what I would consider to be "secondary resources". My sartorial foundation is built upon AAAC and Styleforum. So, I am a classicist generally, who enjoys high quality denim from time to time.

Cheers!

 

[Tim Correll]

So, I really did not want to derail this thread. However, I remember some years back when someone posted here on AAAC regarding an article/video from Gentleman's Gazette making a fallacious claim there was a difference between a Derby and a Blucher.

This poster was saying said resource made the claim there was a difference between a Derby and Blucher...something about a piece of leather sewed to the vamp...an audacious assertion, unfounded and baseless. A rather passionate discussion ensued IIRC.

For the record, according to what I know, there is NO difference between a Derby and a Blucher. The English refer to open throat lacing as "Derby" and here in the US we say "Blucher". I know this seems like "hair splitting" but I do not fancy when folks try and be novel for the sake of novelty...

Derby and Blucher are the same thing. Edward Green, Crockett and Jones, Gaziano and Girling...all of these makers use Derby and Blucher interchangeably because they are the SAME THING...

This is why I have trouble respecting the opinion of "Gentleman's Gazette". Now, this is not an "unpardonable sin" (to keep with the theme of this thread) and I think overall GG has redeemed themselves in more recent times by giving some solid advice. This is just why I shy away from what I would consider to be "secondary resources". My sartorial foundation is built upon AAAC and Styleforum. So, I am a classicist generally, who enjoys high quality denim from time to time.

Cheers!

We’ll talk more in private messages, so as to not derail the thread any further.

And for a mere $200 for something that was probably $2,000 retail new, the original poster should just have his dinner suit coat altered for proper fit and function. He shouldn’t give a damn if it’s single vented.

If the single vent is that much of a bother, just have it sewn shut. It’s not a big and difficult a job for a decent alterations tailor to do, and, therefore, inexpensive.

 

[Vecchio Vespa]

My Georgetown University Shop dinner jacket is shawl collar and single vented, dating to the late sixties. It never bothers me. It's black, it's sack, it's comfortable. I always feel sorry for the guys who look uncomfortable and unhappy in their evening clothes. One cannot exude panache if one feels stiff, constricted, or otherwise uncomfortable from head to toe

 

[Tim Correll]

By the way, a center vented dinner coat is far from a sin.

 

[ShaneCrawford]

Per Gentleman's Gazette, a tuxedo should never have a single-vent. I got a used Samuelsohn tuxedo in eBay for about $200 with a centre vent. I took it to a tailor and asked him to close it. He pointed out a lot of issues with the tuxedo and said he'd take three weeks, but insisted to keep the vent.

If I keep the vent, am I sinning against the style gods?

I agree, single vent is not a good look! It may show a flaw in your trousers (😄) If you have a double vented jacket that would be way better! That tailor isn't any good if he says "Keep the Vent (single)"

 

[karljosef]

Just show up at the event wearing your dinner jacket and riding a horse. Tell everyone you had to have a vent added to your DJ for your horse.

seriously you don’t provide enough information to really provide good advice. What type of lapels does the dinner jacket have? How much are the other alterations? How does it fit? Why did the tailor insist on not closing the vent? If you are spending a small fortune having this jacket altered you’re probably better off not doing so and just doing the minimum to get by and waiting for a better jacket to come along. For a dinner jacket I was going to wear for the foreseeable future my priorities would be 1) fit 2) traditional details… proper lapels (PL or Shawl), no vent, etc and 3) quality of construction and materials.

A high quality garment that fits you poorly is not good.

 

[Harvard'10 Summa]

Just show up at the event wearing your dinner jacket and riding a horse. Tell everyone you had to have a vent added to your DJ for your horse.

seriously you don’t provide enough information to really provide good advice. What type of lapels does the dinner jacket have? How much are the other alterations? How does it fit? Why did the tailor insist on not closing the vent? If you are spending a small fortune having this jacket altered you’re probably better off not doing so and just doing the minimum to get by and waiting for a better jacket to come along. For a dinner jacket I was going to wear for the foreseeable future my priorities would be 1) fit 2) traditional details… proper lapels (PL or Shawl), no vent, etc and 3) quality of construction and materials.

A high quality garment that fits you poorly is not good.

The lapels are peaked. I would never buy notched lapels on a dinner jacket. The jacket fits well but the trousers are too tight. The alterations are $400. The tailor said that ventless jackets go in and out of style.

 

[Vecchio Vespa]

The lapels are peaked. I would never buy notched lapels on a dinner jacket. The jacket fits well but the trousers are too tight. The alterations are $400. The tailor said that ventless jackets go in and out of style.

You can get a nice new pair of trousers for much less. Haspel has them for $250.

 

[Harvard'10 Summa]

Haspel

I think they only sell seersucker, not for black tie. In any case, the tailoring covers the pants and jacket.

 

[Matt S]

The lapels are peaked. I would never buy notched lapels on a dinner jacket. The jacket fits well but the trousers are too tight. The alterations are $400. The tailor said that ventless jackets go in and out of style.

Ventless jackets do indeed go in and out of style, but ventless dinner jackets have never gone out of style.

$400 is a lot in alterations. I live in New York City and I spent about $250 last year on a suit that needed basic alterations. I can't imagine Boston would cost as much as New York (it didn't when I lived there), so that's a lot of alterations. Your dinner suit may not have been right for you in the first place.

 

[Harvard'10 Summa]

Ventless jackets do indeed go in and out of style, but ventless dinner jackets have never gone out of style.

$400 is a lot in alterations. I live in New York City and I spent about $250 last year on a suit that needed basic alterations. I can't imagine Boston would cost as much as New York (it didn't when I lived there), so that's a lot of alterations. Your dinner suit may not have been right for you in the first place.

It was custom-made for somebody else (again, bought secondhand), and the tailor-made a lot of mistakes with it. The alterations are less to do with sizing and more to do with such tailoring errors. Try as I might, I could not find a decent tuxedo of my size at a cheaper price. Most of the ones at Keezer's were centre-vent with notched lapels (shudder).

 

[TomKnighton]

I think they only sell seersucker, not for black tie. In any case, the tailoring covers the pants and jacket.

Nope, they sell for black tie, too, apparently.

Formal Tuxedos, Dinner Jackets, & Accessories

Haspel is also well known for making men's tuxedos and formal wear. We also specialize in those hard to find lightweight linen suits perfect for that destination wedding or winter resort vacation. We've got you covered no matter where you're headed.

www.haspel.com

I only knew because I'd been looking at seersucker for fun and saw the offerings. There's also a listing for pants, FWIW.

 

[Matt S]

Nope, they sell for black tie, too, apparently.

Formal Tuxedos, Dinner Jackets, & Accessories

Haspel is also well known for making men's tuxedos and formal wear. We also specialize in those hard to find lightweight linen suits perfect for that destination wedding or winter resort vacation. We've got you covered no matter where you're headed.

www.haspel.com

I only knew because I'd been looking at seersucker for fun and saw the offerings. There's also a listing for pants, FWIW.

They don't sell a full traditional dinner suit. The trousers on their own are only good if you plan to wear a contrasting dinner jacket, which they sell plenty of.

 

[Vecchio Vespa]

They don't sell a full traditional dinner suit. The trousers on their own are only good if you plan to wear a contrasting dinner jacket, which they sell plenty of.

When I needed a new pair to match my black tropical worsted dinner jacket, these were my pick. If the match is less than perfect, I cannot see it.

 

[medhat]

$400 is a lot for alterations. Personally I'd save the money on closing the vent and spend it elsewhere.