Fall/Winter Season
Some Fun! Socks |
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Greetings!
Thanks, again, to all who wrote in to me
about last
issue's Part
II of A Treatise on
Custom-Made Clothing. In response to your
overwhelming interest,
I have
expanded this series. This issue contains Part
III. More will come in the next few
issues.
If you missed
Part
I or Part
II, you'd be wise to read them
before trying to
digest Part III.
Again, take me to task: Write back to me with
your
thoughts, positive or not. I'll answer them
(anonymously, of course)
in our upcoming issues.
Finally, for those who have asked about the
basis of my expertise in this field, I have
written a short history of Kabbaz-Kelly &
Sons Fine Custom Clothiers. It appears
below.
Our new 2008/2009
Fall/Winter and Holiday items are still coming in
virtually every day. Our three stockrooms are
simply bulging! A bit more of a
look-see is over there on the left. Look for
the new Zimmerli Pajamas or Seaward & Stearn
Ties next week (whichever we finish
photographing first)! Preliminary (rough)
advance photos are available on our What's
New page.
Best regards,
Alex Kabbaz
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Caveat Emptor
A Treatise on Custom-Made Clothing
. . . Part III |
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by
Alexander S.
Kabbaz, Master Shirtmaker
Copyright © 2003-2008 Alexander S. Kabbaz, All
Rights
Reserved
Last issue's Part II included an
in-depth discussion of Collars, Sleeve
Placket Buttons, and Hem Gussets. If you
haven't read Part II, or Part I about quality
shirtmaking philosophy, you should.
Part III delves into:
- Cuffs: Styling and Appropriateness
- A Short History of Kabbaz-Kelly Custom
Clothiers
Shirt
Cuffs
Button ("Barrel")Cuffs
The Button Cuff is acceptable in most
circumstances from corporate to casual. That
is not to say that it is a formal cuff. It is
a utilitarian cuff, serving a purpose and
purposefully without flash. As accompaniment
for a button-down collar it is the only
acceptable cuff.
Photo - Top: The author showing Single
Link "Joelle" Cuffs; Bottom: A
Square-Cornered Single Link Cuff with 1/4"
block monogram
Barrel cuffs come in a wide array of shapes
and, though the single-button style
predominates, two and even three-button
varieties are not uncommon. Most popular of
the shapes is the rounded style. This serves
a number of purposes which can be seen by
contrasting it with others. The
square-cornered cuff, second in popularity,
tends to fray more easily due to the sharp
corner and inevitable lump of corner fabric.
The diagonally cornered "hexagon" cuff has a
bit more style but suffers the same
corner-fraying deterioration as the square
corner. It is said by many, however, that the
square-cornered style has a bit more elegance
than the round.
French Cuffs
The French Cuff is, of course, much more
formal than any button cuff style. Demanding
the wearing of jewelry in the form of cuff
links which are mandated from boardroom to
ballroom ... and at the mid to upper
eschelons of corporate culture as well.
Shapes, again, are varied. With the folding
cuff, though, whatever corner treatment is
selected will - except in one circumstance
unavailable to most - not be seen. The
square/round/angled corner is at the top of
the cuff. Most elegant is, again, usually
taken to be the square-cornered variety. Most
utilitarian is the round as, when the suit
jacket sleeve raises above the cuff when
bending arm, it tends to catch on the square
corner rather than dropping down over the
shirt cuff. A tug is often necessary.
Photo Top: Blue Linen "Italian" Collared
sport shirt with Two-Button Cuffs in "Joelle"
style. Bottom: Traditional One-Button Round
Cuffs shown on 2x2 140's Blue Twill shirt
with blue antique pearl buttons
The round variety is often referred to as
the "English" cuff. Absolutely unacceptable
for casual wear, the French cuff is bulkier,
heavier, and cumbersome to close.
Nonetheless, it remains the choice of
preference for those who consider clothing to
be an important factor in their lifestyle.
Oh, yes. What's that "unavailable to
most" option which permits seeing the corner
treatment? Certain very skilled shirtmakers
are capable of making a ten-sided cuff. In
this cuff, a "V" is cut into the cuff on each
side of the fold. Extemely difficult to sew,
this "V", when folded, shows as a diagonally
cut cuff at the folded edge.
Single Link Cuffs
Saving the best for last, the final cuff
option is known as the Single Link Cuff. This
cuff has two holes rather than four, requires
cuff links, but does not fold.
The author, making a buttonhole, wearing
square-cornered single link cuffs
It is actually the oldest cuff style,
preceding the use of buttons anywhere on the
shirt. It is also the most formal of cuffs,
being the only acceptable cuff for use on a
Full-Dress (White Tie and Tails) shirt. Its
showing corner can feature any of the
treatments previously described. It can also
be enhanced by making the diameter a bit
greater and moving the cuff link holes inward
to create a "flair" effect. It is and always
has been my favorite cuff for a number of
reasons. Its degree of formality can be
widely varied by propitious choice of cuff
links. For example, a more humorous link like
the popular "dice" pair can make it
acceptable for casual nightlife whereas the
well-known "Tiffany knot" style of links
raises the formality level to a great degree.
In addition, lacking the bulk of the French
cuff, it is certainly much more comfortable
to wear.
Cuff Sizing
Cuff Sizing is a matter of personal
preference with certain necessary
considerations.
Please excuse the torn 'n tattered look.
We've been around for a while :-)
Cuff diameter should be great enough to fit
comfortably over a watch if one is worn. The
diameter should also be great enough to
permit the cuff to fall to protrude a half
inch from one's jacket. The length of the
cuff, for dress wear, should fall between
2.5" and 3.5". The average cuff is from 2.75"
to 3" in length with the showing flap of
French cuffs being one quarter inch longer.
Your decision as to cuff length should be
made in keeping with the proportions of your
height. The 3" cuff is appropriate for men
roughly six feet tall. Longer or shorter
cuffs can also be used to make a
"statement".
Cuff Stiffness, Monograms, and
More
Along with Cuff Sizing goes Cuff Stiffness.
Good shirtmakers all stock various weights of
interlinings and should inquire of your
preferences. Stiffness can vary from buttery
soft - in which case no interlining except an
additional piece of cloth is used - to
board-stiff. There are many ways to create
stiff cuffs. Some will use a single very
stiff interlining. Others will double a
softer interlining. It should be considered
that French cuffs, due to the doubling effect
of the foldback, will not need as stiff an
interlining as a barrel cuff to feel stiff.
Because they have to support cuff links which
can be heavy, single link cuffs should be
made relatively firm in contrast to button
cuffs.
Cuffs are also one of the most popular places
for wearing an initial monogram. Cuff
monograms should be small and not of a serif
typeface. Block letters, or similar
variations such as Avante Garde, are
preferred. Of overriding importance is that
cuff monograms should be small - usually from
one quarter to three eighths inch high.
In addition to the basic three cuff styles
and their usual shapes discussed above, there
are also a few unusual cuffs used for sport
or casual wear ... but I'll save that for the
upcoming article on casual & sport
shirts.
Thank you for reading. See you next time ...
and please ... keep those letters and
questions coming!
The History
of Kabbaz-Kelly & Sons Shirtmakers
It has been correctly noted by some that some
of my writing seems to be based on the
experience of making thousands of shirts
weekly yet other articles cite our work to be
10-15 shirts each week. In order to
understand, and to gauge my ability to answer
shirt questions from a wide perspective, you
need to understand our shirtmaking history.
I began as an apprentice during the 1970's at
the 57th Street workrooms of Pec & Co.
learning virtually nothing from its owner
except that the concept of quality was
foreign to him. Frustrated by his poor
teaching and the continual rejection of my
attempts to improve the shirts, I decided to
strike out on my own and bought a small
custom shirt company founded by Carlin Poster
and Jules Holden in 1937 on Wall Street.
Poster had died a few years previously and
his wife was failing in her attempt to
continue the business. Under her stewardship,
the firm had gone from 1000 to well under 200
clients.
By the mid 1980's, I had rebuilt Poster Shirt
to around 1200 clients. At that point, I
returned to 57th Street and purchased the
larger Pec & Co. I was now serving some 3000
clients. At that time, many of my clients
were asking why I was retaining the Poster
and Pec names. Heeding their advice - and
joining forces with my now wife Joelle Kelly,
we changed the name to Kabbaz-Kelly Fine
Custom Clothiers. And then to Kabbaz-Kelly &
Son. And then to Kabbaz-Kelly & Sons. But
that's another story.
 After
making Michael Douglas's trend-setting
shirts for the movie Wall Street, a
number of offers were made to us. In Rapid
succession, we purchased Denhof Shirts and
the Rhodes
Shirt Company. Denhof made a cheaper
made-to-meaure shirt, mostly for stores such
as Alan Flusser and designers like Tommy
Hilfiger.
Rhodes was serving almost 25,000 customers
nationwide with mail-order shirts made to
measurements taken by the customers
themselves. We now had three factories in two
states and were making almost 1000 shirts
weekly.
I was then approached by Alexander Julian,
for whose retail stores Denhof had been
supplying made-to-measure shirts. He wanted
us to expand even further and take over
production of all of their upscale
ready-to-wear shirts as well. And we did. Our
production now reached its zenith in the
range of 1200-1500 shirts each week.
And I absolutely, positively hated it! I
spent my days supervising some 70 employees -
50 in Connecticut and 20 in New York. I never
got to touch a pattern, feel the fabric, or
cut a shirt. After a couple of years of this,
I looked at Joelle and said, "Let's close it
down". Knowing how I felt ... and aided in
part by Alexander Julian's bankruptcy which
stuck us for a high six-figure loss ... she
agreed. Within a year, we reduced ourselves
back to only our "baby", the top-end custom
shirt business. We moved from 57th Street
over to Madison Avenue and contacted our best
300 clients with our new location. I returned
to making patterns and cutting, Joelle to
sewing and finishing.
Now, although the business constantly tries
to grow itself, we've become very adept at
kicking it back down to the size we want:
10-15 shirts each week. And, by the way, we
don't consider them shirts. They are our
children. Though they may leave for a while,
they always come home for a bit of TLC, a
nice bath, perhaps a new collar. And that is
why some of my thoughts are based on the
ability to make 1000 shirts a week while
others are based on our preference to make
far, far fewer.
Next Issues: Coming in Parts IV, V, and
VI
Oft-Asked Shirtmaking Questions and
(Opinionated)
Answers including:
- A Primer on Fabrics for Shirts & Blouses
- Split-Yoke vs. One-Piece Yoke
- Hand Sewing vs. Machine Sewing
- Selecting Your (Mother-of-Pearl) Buttons
Dan Lufkin, accompanied by his lovely
bride Cynthia, shows a bit of fun that can be
had with buttons as seen on this Swiss 2x2
180's blue shirt
Darts: Bespoke Hallmark or Shortcut?
Fused vs. Traditional Collar
Construction
The Ethical Considerations of Pricing
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A Quick Look:
Zimmerli ExtraFine Merino Sweaters in Six Styles
What's Hot!
CustomShirt1.com
What's New Page |
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Zimmerli's ExtraFine Merino Sweaters
are among the best-selling items we stock.
With four light/medium weight styles
including Sleeveless and
Sleeved V-necks, Long Sleeve Polo Collar, and
even a Mock Turtleneck, these are always
available in the eight colors below.
Additionally, Kabbaz-Kelly commissions
special colors each season available in a
limited range of styles. This year we feature
Burnt Orange, Mushroom, Purple, Heather
Green, Heather Blue, Off-White, and Light
Heather Grey in addition to the eight
standard colors.
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FYI: Forward
Sartorial
Excellence News to
a friend. Email
us their
name. When
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receive a $100 Gift Certificate.
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