[Haute Bourgeois]

I was a member here many years ago (I had to create a new account, as I've totally forgot my login credentials).

I recall old threads which evaluated recent J Press offerings. I just wanted to mention that there is some decent stuff in the latest edition. If you view the online photos, the "trim suits" do not look that great--they have this quite wide split under the jacket button. I took a flier on one of them, and I found that it wasn't so: the jacket looks great. the bottom comes together nicely, just like any other suit. If you like an intensely natural shoulder, you'll dig this. There is absolutely no padding. At all. The suits are likely of Asiatic origin, which is kind of a shame, but I have a hard time complaining, given how nice looking it is. They are not terribly formal looking, though, so if you are seeking a Wall Street look, there are other options you should consider. They're perfect for a country lawyer like me.

Also, the pinpiont button down dress shirts are nice. They have that fine, long collar that we like. And a "fruit loop". I bought a few last year, and they were mis-sized as to sleeve length. Not so this year.

Finally, the "Pennant" line doesn't suck. The oxford shirts are quite nice, though (again) of Asiatic origin. They have a fruit loop and a button on the back of the collar, along with a flap pocket. Is that all too much? I don't know. My wife (who has excellent and restrained taste) digs them.

 

[drpeter]

If you really like all of the features of the suit and it is just the thing for your own professional wardrobe, why not accept their Asiatic origin? I think standards are improving continuously and the quality of clothes and shoes coming from Asian countries is now far superior to what it was like even a few years ago. I myself have a number of Brooks Brothers OCBD shirts made in Malaysia and I cannot find any fault in them, even in a side-by-side comparison with older Brooks OCBDs made in the United States. High end Japanese shoes, like Yohei Fukuda, are now as good as any made in the West. And don't forget, that bastion of Trad clothing and style, J Press, has, for some time, been owned by the Japanese firm Onward Kashiyama. There seems to be more of a market for Trad styles in Japan now than in the US.

On the other hand, if you are concerned about lack of US-made clothes, consider who or what has caused this turn of events. We did it ourselves, by George! Because of corporate greed for more profits (and corporate unwillingness to pay a decent wage to skilled American craftsmen), we began outsourcing manufacture to overseas locales where labour was dirt-cheap, and workers toiled under awful circumstances. As long as it cost these companies pennies on the dollar, they did not care, although they are now beginning to change a bit because of public outcry. I have said repeatedly in these fora that you can find fantastic craftsmen in Asian countries who will produce goods that stand up to the most stringent standards and exhaustive examination -- provided you hire the right craftsmen at much, much higher wages. As long as our firms are unwilling to pay that cost (and the public is unwilling as well), we are going to get shoddy clothes made and sold to an uncaring American public, who only want cheap clothes (which they don't realize will cost them dearly in the long run).

 

[Vecchio Vespa]

i noticed that in their spring offerings, their summer sport shirts have shifted pretty much to popovers. I have never worn a popover. So I have questions. Are they as comfortable as shirts that button all the way? Are they harder to iron?

 

[Haute Bourgeois]

If you really like all of the features of the suit and it is just the thing for your own professional wardrobe, why not accept their Asiatic origin?

Oh, I totally accept that it's made in Asia. I just recall from years past that participants on the site always seemed to lament it. I wanted to point out to them not to fear--the stuff is great. You and I are in total agreement.

 

[Haute Bourgeois]

Oh, I totally accept that it's made in Asia. I just recall from years past that participants on the site always seemed to lament it. I wanted to point out to them not to fear--the stuff is great. You and I are in total agreement.

Wait a minute--I went back and read my post and see that I lamented the origins. Ok, I take it back!

 

[drpeter]

Wait a minute--I went back and read my post and see that I lamented the origins. Ok, I take it back!

LOL, to lament is human, to understand these things is my policy...No worries.

I too used to insist that I wanted only goods made in the US or UK or Western Europe -- chiefly because quality was generally better. Also because I have had things made in China and other Asian countries back in the old days fall apart quickly. But as time went on, I noticed that quality was improving and I began to try some of the Asian items again. I buy a lot of vintage and thrift shop items, and at those prices, it is easy to experiment with clothes made in other countries.

 

[Vecchio Vespa]

LOL, to lament is human, to understand these things is my policy...No worries.

I too used to insist that I wanted only goods made in the US or UK or Western Europe -- chiefly because quality was generally better. Also because I have had things made in China and other Asian countries back in the old days fall apart quickly. But as time went on, I noticed that quality was improving and I began to try some of the Asian items again. I buy a lot of vintage and thrift shop items, and at those prices, it is easy to experiment with clothes made in other countries.

While quality may have improved for MIC, but there are other very sensible reasons to buy goods made in the country in which you live. Since goods made in countries other than mine that are of comparable quality generally cost about the same, I see no reason to show my financial support, including the resultant tax revenue with other countries until mine has its own budget in hand. If I cannot find what I want here, I look for goods from a country I admire, for whatever reason.

 

[drpeter]

While quality may have improved for MIC, but there are other very sensible reasons to buy goods made in the country in which you live. Since goods made in countries other than mine that are of comparable quality generally cost about the same, I see no reason to show my financial support, including the resultant tax revenue with other countries until mine has its own budget in hand. If I cannot find what I want here, I look for goods from a country I admire, for whatever reason.

Point well taken. However, I think there are many areas where we are beginning to find that there are fewer and fewer items of a particular style that is being made in our country. Also, as our companies have outsourced manufacturing, fewer items are being made by American craftsmen. Trad clothes are being made in the US by three major companies, as far as I know -- The Andover Shop, O'Connell's and J Press. Compare this state of affairs with the state of the clothing business in the 1950s and 1960s. There are a few others that make a single item in Trad style (e.g., Mercer and Sons, for OCBDs). I am not certain, but I daresay that there are more makers of Trad style clothing in Japan now than there are in the US. For quality shoes, Alden and Allen Edmonds are just about the only ones, and even the latter has shifted at least some of their manufacturing to the Dominican Republic.

My great fear is that the skills for making fine trousers, shirts, jackets, suits and shoes (whether Trad or not) will start to disappear because there are fewer people entering those professions. There will always be a very few artisanal craftsmen who will continue the tradition (a Lobb or a Vass, a Sexton or a Huntsman) but they will be in the stratosphere as far as prices are concerned. I don't know if there is a general solution to this problem. In another post, I compared it to a much grander shift in history: The disappearance of the knowledge of ancient Greece and Rome as Europe entered the dark Ages. But Arab civilization protected, nurtured and extended that knowledge, eventually to pass it on to Renaissance Europe. Maybe something like that might happen in the sartorial realm.

 

[Haute Bourgeois]

Trad clothes are being made in the US by three major companies, as far as I know -- The Andover Shop, O'Connell's and J Press.

We likely ought to start a new thread on this (above). These guys don't actually MAKE the clothes, right? They're just putting their (swell) tag on Gitman, Southwick, Samuelson, etc, right? I don't know who makes those really cool twill chinos I buy, but I know I've bought them from J Press and O'Connell's and they are absolutely identical. J Press doesn't have a factory, do they?

 

[drpeter]

I am pretty sure that the O'Connell's flannel trousers that say Made in USA have been made by Hertling for quite some time. I just bought a pair of grey flannels and another in stone blue in January, both made in the US and so likely Hertling. The Canadian maker for their more recent trousers is very probably Samuelsohn. It is also possible that both these makers are the same ones used by J Press. As far as I know, Andover Shop has an in-house operation, but they could also be getting items made by others. Southwick has closed down now, and so they are probably out of the picture.

As for starting a new thread, there have been such threads before -- I may even have started one, although I am not sure. I do recall writing about the issue in multiple postings. Do feel free to check on the topic and see if you can find some threads. If not, perhaps you can start one.

 

[Mike B]

Does anyone here own a cotton poplin suit from J Press? I've been thinking about buying one for a long time and this year might be the year.

I'm considering either the olive or tan suit. Any opinions on which color is more versatile for a Spring, Summer, early Fall lightweight suit?

 

[Vecchio Vespa]

Does anyone here own a cotton poplin suit from J Press? I've been thinking about buying one for a long time and this year might be the year.

I'm considering either the olive or tan suit. Any opinions on which color is more versatile for a Spring, Summer, early Fall lightweight suit?

In the south the olive is a very popular choice because it can go well into autumn and come out fairly early in spring. I like poplin suits in oyster, myself.

 

[eagle2250]

i noticed that in their spring offerings, their summer sport shirts have shifted pretty much to popovers. I have never worn a popover. So I have questions. Are they as comfortable as shirts that button all the way? Are they harder to iron?

Several years back I went a little crazy over 'popover' shirt designs and purchased versions from BB, J Crew, O'Connell's, J. Press and I think a few others. In my experience they wore comfortably, looked pretty darned good and were no more difficult to maintain than other shirt designs. Although, to put things in perspective, Mrs Eagle launders and irons them. She tells me that she found them to be a bit easier to iron, but she thought they looked less dressy than buttoned shirt plackets. She also tells me that they looked like I was wearing a three or four button tent, covering my upper body Hope this helps.

 

[Eligius]

We likely ought to start a new thread on this (above). These guys don't actually MAKE the clothes, right? They're just putting their (swell) tag on Gitman, Southwick, Samuelson, etc, right? I don't know who makes those really cool twill chinos I buy, but I know I've bought them from J Press and O'Connell's and they are absolutely identical. J Press doesn't have a factory, do they?

All of these places use the manufacturers you mention (I believe exchanging Hickey Freeman for Southwick for their made in the USA suits). But I believe they procure their cloth on their own and work out the patterns to their specifications. This is what distinguishes them (and a few others) from more general MTM mens stores. When I had a jacket made at the Andover Shop, the cloth from a mill in Scotland was sitting in a bolt on the wall, and they sent it to Samuelsohn to put together rather than me selecting from a Samuelsohn book. The pattern they used is not unique to them, but my local place does not offer that pattern on their own, only through a trunk show I believe.

 

[Vecchio Vespa]

Several years back I went a little crazy over 'popover' shirt designs and purchased versions from BB, J Crew, O'Connell's, J. Press and I think a few others. In my experience they wore comfortably, looked pretty darned good and were no more difficult to maintain than other shirt designs. Although, to put things in perspective, Mrs Eagle launders and irons them. She tells me that she found them to be a bit easier to iron, but she thought they looked less dressy than buttoned shirt plackets. She also tells me that they looked like I was wearing a three or four button tent, covering my upper body Hope this helps.

Much appreciated!

 

[drpeter]

Does anyone here own a cotton poplin suit from J Press? I've been thinking about buying one for a long time and this year might be the year.

I'm considering either the olive or tan suit. Any opinions on which color is more versatile for a Spring, Summer, early Fall lightweight suit?

Yes. I have two 100% cotton poplin suits, one in tan and the other in olive, but they were purchased years ago from J Press. Indeed, after retirement, I have not had occasion to wear them except for a handful of times. I still hang on to them since they are in the classic Trad style, and they would be very hard to replace.

I would also not buy a suit from J Press now unless I could try it on and examine the cut and style. Their cuts may have drifted towards the current fad for short, tight jackets and drainpipe trousers. I have zero interest in that style!

 

[Vecchio Vespa]

Yes. I have two 100% cotton poplin suits, one in tan and the other in olive, but they were purchased years ago from J Press. Indeed, after retirement, I have not had occasion to wear them except for a handful of times. I still hang on to them since they are in the classic Trad style, and they would be very hard to replace.

I would also not buy a suit from J Press now unless I could try it on and examine the cut and style. Their cuts may have drifted towards the current fad for short, tight jackets and drainpipe trousers. I have zero interest in that style!

You can just get both colors at Hunter and Coggins and still pocket some change.

 

[fishertw]

You can just get both colors at Hunter and Coggins and still pocket some change.

And buying from Jim Hunter at Hunter and Coggins puts money in the pocket of a local merchant who is one of a few remaining better independent mens stores. I second VV's recommendation.

 

[peterc]

I bought 2 J. Press shirt and 2 ties in November 2021 in NYC. All were USA made. All very nice. Came back home and ordered an OCBD in white with the pocket flap. Again USA made and very nice. Finally, about 2 weeks ago, ordered and have received a "trim" fitting black/ecru herringbone blazer. USA made and on sale. It is just beautiful. My tailor loved it too. No padding at all and the 46R in trim fit me better than the 44R in the classic cut. Very nice job J. Press! Plus, it felt like 1986 in the store. ALL (!) the customers and staff were appropriately dressed. I could live there.

 

[drpeter]

Perhaps J Press might still make those poplin suits in the classic style, after all. I suppose it's worth an email or a call to the firm if you're in the market for poplin suits.