February 2011                  MensWear


Men and Their Clothes 

 

The world is very personal now and more often our clothes reflect our values -- not just our aspirations. Conforming to social expectations or rebelling against them is now too restrictive, thus, male originality is showing up everywhere, expressed in style, in beliefs, in priorities -- unique looks are emerging.  The pressure for men to 'be like' the co-worker, the team, the gang or the social class is evaporating and in its place there is a new respect for what is personal and individual.   Menswear designers are offering fabulous choices and guidance on how to, whether dressing up or down, young or not so.  There is new attention to the honesty and clarity of work wear; new appetites for color, texture and subtle detail; new pride in the visual expression of one's occupation and new understanding of men's ethnic dress.  So how come?  It is about value and if there was ever one constant thing, its that men's clothes were always and ever the best deal for the  

dollar.  So naturally as we spend more wisely now, we look to menswear for what it has always delivered -- clothes for the long run.  It's a lesson.  Enjoy this sampling of the new view of men and their clothes!  (photo: Calvin Klein) 

 

First, A Word From Us

  • New Tour:  Chicago, Vancouver and San Francisco.

1. Chicago, Illinois Institute of Art, April 8, 9, 10:  

 Shingo Sato, coming in from his design house in Milan, will offer two Master Classes on his incredible TR technique.  Transformational Reconstruction is a combination of flat pattern design and draping (done primarily on the table) which creates expanded and convoluted structures from basic blocks.  It is other-worldly!  See his YouTube videos!. 

 

 2. Vancouver, BC, Canada, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, April 15, 16, 17: This event will feature BOTH Shingo Sato doing 2 Master Classes, Transformational Reconstruction in Pattern Design, and Timo Rissanen (the zero-waste pattern design genius currently teaching at Parsons NYC) who will also lead 2 Master Classes, Zero-Waste Fashion Design, on his innovative techniques.  It will be a block buster weekend for pattern fans in Canada! Here is the poster for Timo's NYC show and his book, Shaping Sustainable Fashion,  is just out!  Pre-order on Amazon.

 

3. San Francisco, CA, California College of the Arts, either April 1, 2, 3 or April 22, 23 -- decision soon.  Shingo Sato, teaching TR, will teach his 2 TR Master Classes in the fabulous CCA space in the City by the Bay.  This tour will be Mr. Sato's first time in the US -- those who see his work will be forever changed. 

Online registration for all events will be on our website in March  -- save dates! 

  • New Books:   
  • Shingo Sato: TR. To go with Shingo Sato's classes, his first book on TR will be available in April.  Included with the book is a CD of the techniques covered in the Master Classes. A companion CD of all his YouTube videos will be available also.                       
  • Coming up this summer:  Harry Simons -- A 2 Volume set.  Harry Simons was the  New York guru of men's wear pattern design in the 1920's and is credited with 'perfect methods for perfect fit'.  The amazing part is that he applied to work wear the very same high standards of fit that he applied to dress wear -- that's what makes his books so valuable today.  If you're a guy who longs for a good fitting pair of overalls, cut exactly to fit you for comfort and appearance -- this book has the how-to -- also has shirts, pants, all kinds of work wear, and underwear!     
  • Our Menswear Products:   



 

 

   

 

  • Casual Outerwear Pattern Cutting by Martin Shoben.One of the very few how-to books out there on unisex jackets for everyday wear -- hoodies and other cool styles.
  • The Essential Shirt Workbook by Martin Shoben.  The best way to get lots of fabulous shirts for next to nothing -- forever!
  • Menswear Block Patterns:  Menswear Jacket Blocks, Trousers Blocks and Outerwear Blocks.  Just so you know, block patterns are professional basic patterns, perfectly sized, trued and tested.  One traces them off like a template and then uses flat pattern techniques to change the styling.  The finished product will have very little error as a result.
 
  • New Class:  Draping Series: Andr� Courr�ges, March 5, one day only (Sold out! Photos in the Gallery the week after) Courr�ges was the one who invented THE LOOK of the 1960's -- short, space-age modern, sculpted lines, cool synthetics and no fitted waist.  This will be our first adventure into more tailored designs and a great runner up to the Balenciaga weekend at CCA on May 20, 21, 22 and the St. Laurent Le Smoking class on June 25 & 26 -- all three focused on a more architectural approach to design.
  • Our New Look: 

    We are developing a new look for our website so it will be easier to use and quicker to get around.  A new logo is part of the plan so 'stay tuned' as we launch the latest 2011 version, coming along in the next few months.  Thanks to all for following us through the years and letting other pattern people know. 

*And this is a good place to let you know that for businesses like ours, competing with Amazon is no longer a good idea, so we will only offer books that we know for sure will not be found on Amazon, namely those we publish and/or can obtain from obscure sources.  We can and do refer people to Amazon to find suggested books in the field but if you are wondering why we do not carry some of the commercial pattern books, there is just no way we can compete with the buying power of Amazon, alas . . .   

 

Menswear Books & Magazines 

 

  • Jeans of the Old West: A History.

    This book is just packed with wonderful design ideas for denim -- jeans, shirts and jackets.  It goes through all the early manufacturers with detailed diagrams of their identifying design details.  Everything in there begs to be put on a modern pair of jeans -- immediately

    gives the guy wearing them serious star power.

    The best place to get this book is from The Fashion Bookstore, run by Bill and Linda Brand in the California Mart in LA.  The place is magic and they are wonderful! 

    Go there! 

  • Stanley Hostek. Rarely do we get to have the best still with us -- it always seems to have resided in the past.  Stanley is famous in Seattle, older now and retired.  He was a graduate of the Tailor and Cutter Academy of London, retired instructor of the Apparel Design Program, Seattle Central Community College, author and custom pattern maker. I should add that Stanley is 92, so his work is the real deal, learned when the clothes did 'make the man'. He, like his tailoring methods, is classic and traditional. Judy Barlup of Unique Techniques (the only place to find Stanley's books) says -- his work is of such high quality that I am offering his instruction material via my website in order to keep his art live. There are 4 books:  Men's CustomTailored Coats, Men's Custom Tailored Pants, Men's Custom Tailored Vests and Hand Stitches.  
  • Harry Simons.  So one day I get a call from Jim Christianson, somewhere in the wilds of Canada, who is desperate for a copy of Drafting Mens Work Garments in 24 Lessons by Harry Simons, which I had; so we traded -- he had Drafting Mens Shirts and Undergarments.  CFPD will reprint both this summer. Jim is a terrific artist, goes to the core of anything he does and assures me that workwear is cult.  So your summer now includes bespoke work clothes -- no greater luxury!  Lesson #10 ----------------------> 
  • Magazines.Five to have -- all authentic, realistic, keen on fine fit and craftsmanship --  some east coast, some west, but all bring together the most current influences of the US, England and Japan, leaders of the global menswear revolution.  Read and then be.  

              Bespoken             Men's File                Monocle              Inventory              Menswear 

  

 

 

Where to Find the New Guy

Just in case you want to check out either the competition or the potential, here's some good places to start:

  • Self Edge:  They have 3 stores -- SF, NYC, LA --  and the work wear clothes are fabulous.  There is a whole philosophy operating here, summed up in in the word craft.  Attach to it everything that gives working with your hands dignity and honor and then apply it to both the products and the customers. Recall the poem, The Deacon's Masterpiece, and know that when these clothes wear out, they are so perfectly done that they wear out completely, everywhere at once!   Here are their brands: 

  A selection:

    • Roy Jeans:  This guy is in Oakland, CA and makes every pair himself on the machines original to the early jeans -- praise this man!  Every detail is correct ------------------------------------------> 
      Watch him work!  Roy's Jeans - Video by Self Edge.

    • Real Japan Blues: All the textile heritage of Japan served up for daily life -- just plain fine.  Including shoes: 
    • Flat Head Shirts:  All kinds and jackets too! --------------------->


 

  • Proper ClothShirts online. This was the easiest thing in the world -- perfect fit, affordable, great fabric choices, made in the US and quick -- we bought a shirt for for a glassblower's body (not an easy fit - the shoulders) and were delighted.
  • Bonobos. Pants online.  The kind of khakis you wish your date was wearing!  THEY FIT.  Again, the cut of the pattern comes to the rescue and all kinds of guy-bodies look amazing in Bonobos' contoured styles.  

The Man to Know - Alan Flusser 


He's an east coast guy but he KNOWS IT ALL.  You can go to Off The Cuff and get ANSWERS.  To quote, he runs 'an award-winning menswear and lifestyle consultancy and online resource. . . we don't encourage a more-is-better approach to life; rather, OTC is about thoughtful and stylish editing of possessions, clothing and the things of life.'   

 

'OTC is the social media arm of BeSpeak, a menswear iPhone app.   BeSpeak provides individual dressing advice directly from the expert. The difference between looking presentable and looking incredible lies in having a style personalized for you and you alone.'  And that's exactly what the BeSpeak app does!    

 

And so
In this Eleventh Year, the world is getting serious about changing old social orders, systems, governments, lifestyles and roles. Fashion, as the most universal mirror of the times, never remains defined by the last generation and the next one is showing us what matters now.  Denim, the timeless and symbolic fabric of the people, and their social creativity are the common denominators to the 'liberation' of late. Free and validated people make societies rich.  Experiment, design, invent and dream up what you want to look like but take the time to do it with care and craftsmanship.  
Sandra Ericson

 

Next Month:  Knits

Center for Pattern Design

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