Bookster Three Piece Tweed

[BellyTank]

MK-

This is what I think.


I think that your (and a lot of people)build, proportion and height dictate that an off-the-peg suit (not sure of your intentions re: manufacture/Tailoring)will always have fitting issues. And to think that all of the fit issues of a "shop suit" can be solved by altering it may be pure folly.

After being exposed, even superficially, to the finer points of suit fit and Tailoring, the complexities of clothing construction seem very evident and almost prohibitive when considering alterations for a "good" fit.

A generically cut suit is what it is.

I said that a bad fitting Tweed is a spectacle, maybe it can also be said that it can dwarf a man, cut, colour weave pattern and details can add up to too much, if it is not "just so".


B
T

 

[Alan Eardley]

Agreed. Fit aside it looks like a good quality modern off the peg British country suit with fairly typical features. I like traditional features like hacking & ticket pockets and throat latches and wouldn't attempt to turn this kind of garment into something else.

I feel similar comments to the thread about covert coats (see Outerwear) are appropriate. This type of suit is indigenous to people who lead (or perhaps more accurately used to lead) a particular lifestyle in a particular area of England. To take such an item out of this context is to remove its purpose.

By its features, we could place this style of suit somewhere in a band across 'middle England' from the Welsh marches to the Norfolk Broads. If we wanted to be really specific we could place the 'epicentre' by calling it 'Pytchley-style'. Bookster is situated to the west of this band, Phillips and Piper (the best-known of the few remaining English tweed purveyors) to the east.

The tradition that this type suit represents is dying out for reasons I don't need to go into here (politics and the rule of law) but IMO the style deserves to be kept alive.

Alas, most of the remaining tweed wearers for whom such suits are made today are... er... somewhat aged and portly and the cut of the style as a whole is bound to reflect that. However, the cut of sporting tweed clothing made until the recent past was 'razor sharp'. Look at this example from 1926 of a Derby Tweed hacking jacket - yes, it is a man's jacket...

I try never to express an opinion about how someone else's clothes fit them as it is a personal matter, but since MK asks me about the fit of the example he is wearing, I would say that is it at least two sizes too big.

The ticket pocket is for Hunt Ball tickets... (actually, its only a 'ticket pocket' on town clothes, Micawber has the correct purpose on a hacking jacket).

Alan

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

Look at this example frm 1926 of a Derby Tweed hacking jacket - yes, it is a man's jacket...

Now THAT is what I'm talking about! I wish I could find close-fitting coats like that today in size 35 regular. I like how it has an almost military cut to it.

 

[FATS88]

Hello MK,

I recently purchased four traditonal country tweed jackets,
and wore them this past Fall/earlyWinter.
I received several complements on the material and cut.
I decided to respond to this thread, because I wanted
to share some points with you;
I was fortunate to have the jackets fit me,
off the rack, only the sleeves being a bit long,
but not noticeably so.
My opinion is that the waist is to be tapered,
and the shoulders loose.
The four all have action back pleats, which is the main
reason I bought them.
Also the bottom hem is longer than the bottom hem,
on say a blue blazer.
You've matched your shoes, and necktie well with it
lookin' sharp!

Cheers FATS88

 

[Micawber]

You can see definite echoes of the fitted waist and full skirted hunt coats there Alan. As an aside I might take issue with your 'used to lead' comment but feel that is not an appropriate discussion here.

 

[Micawber]

You can see definite echoes of the fitted waist and full skirted hunt coats there Alan.

I see (and wear) clothes similar to what MK illustrates being worn all the time. Visit to many an equestrian show, country or gamefair in the UK during the summer will see racks and racks of sporting tweed jackets, suits and coats of various qualities.

As an aside I might take issue with your 'used to lead' comment but feel that is not an appropriate discussion here.

 

[Alan Eardley]

Yes, I was perhaps being overly pessimistic.

There's still a reasonably good domestic market for tweed.

I hope that the traditional styles persist.

Alan

 

[Micawber]

Yes, I was perhaps being overly pessimistic.

There's still a reasonably good domestic market for tweed.

I hope that the traditional styles persist.

Alan

I hope so too. As you know also near the epicenter and close to me are Gurteen and Wensum / Bladen

 

[Alan Eardley]

I hope so too. As you know also near the epicenter and close to me are Gurteen and Wensum / Bladen

True - I should have mentioned them. A roll-call of English tweeders would possibly restore my spirits!

Alan

 

[MK]

?

I don't see anything remotely like the tweed suit above on those sites. Am I missing something?

I get the impression that a few of you are suggesting there are better choices. If that is the case please post them.

 

[MK]

.

Peter and I have been e-mailing back and forth. A couple of points I think should be known:

1) Thier suits are not off the peg. I get the impression that his suits are made once an order is made. He offers many adjustments for the customers needs. That to me is a major advantage to most of the off the rack options.

2) He is interested in creating a whole new design/pattern for the Fedora Lounge customer.

3) His cloth is excellent.

4) Their price is very good.

Based on the above I think this is the best option currently before me...short of going to a bespoke tailor.

Neverthess I am always open to learn of a better way.

 

[Micawber]

I don't see anything remotely like the tweed suit above on those sites. Am I missing something?

I get the impression that a few of you are suggesting there are better choices. If that is the case please post them.

The conversation had broadened somewhat but both companies above are well known here for off the peg tweed garments both casual and sporting.

 

[Feraud]

Peter and I have been e-mailing back and forth. A couple of points I think should be known:

1) Thier suits are not off the peg. I get the impression that his suits are made once an order is made. He offers many adjustments for the customers needs. That to me is a major advantage to most of the off the rack options.

2) He is interested in creating a whole new design/pattern for the Fedora Lounge customer.

3) His cloth is excellent.

4) Their price is very good.

Based on the above I think this is the best option currently before me...short of going to a bespoke tailor.

Neverthess I am always open to learn of a better way.

Those are convincing considerations for a custom tweed outfit!

 

[MK]

.

The conversation had broadened somewhat but both companies above are well known here for off the peg tweed garments both casual and sporting.

Are their tweed offerings on the internet?

 

[Micawber]

Are their tweed offerings on the internet?

Gurteen are manufacturers not retailers as are Wensum / Bladen. Their sales are outfitter based, not internet.

As I say the conversation had broadened and my mention of these (local to me) companies was as a result of Alan's 'Pytchley-style' & 'epicenter' observations. 'Pytchley' being an old company based in Ipswich, Suffolk specialising in both equestrian and sporting wear . Gurteen is also a Suffolk company, the Bladen arm of Wensum are based near Norwich, also not far from me.

 

[BellyTank]

Peter and I have been e-mailing back and forth. A couple of points I think should be known:

1) Thier suits are not off the peg. I get the impression that his suits are made once an order is made. He offers many adjustments for the customers needs. That to me is a major advantage to most of the off the rack options.

2) He is interested in creating a whole new design/pattern for the Fedora Lounge customer.

3) His cloth is excellent.

4) Their price is very good.

Based on the above I think this is the best option currently before me...short of going to a bespoke tailor.

Neverthess I am always open to learn of a better way.

Well this sounds like an interesting proposition...
I was unsure of the arrangement.

Sounds very promising.

B
T

 

[Alan Eardley]

Bookster gives all this information on his website, including details of options and prices!

Personally, I prefer to buy tweed second hand (tweed acquires character as it ages) and I usually aim to pay around ten percent of what a new suit costs. I also prefer to buy in a shop rather than on the web.

There is a lot of second-hand tweed out there, often by famous names (I bought a really nice Bladens jacket today for 12 GBP). One day perhaps Bookster will be a famous name and his stuff will appear in second-hand clothing shops. I'll be looking for it.

I would certainly recommend Bookster as a source if loungers are seeking to (and can afford to) have bespoke tweed suits made - his stuff is good and his service is first class. I know a number of people (including myself) who have been very satisfied, as his OFAS feedback indicates.

Just my opinion.

Alan

 

[Jovan]

2) He is interested in creating a whole new design/pattern for the Fedora Lounge customer.

:eusa_clap

I think small fitted armholes should be standard, though. Interested to see what he cooks up.

 

[MK]

:eusa_clap

I think small fitted armholes should be standard, though. Interested to see what he cooks up.

That was issue number one. Matt Deckard has changed the way we look at coats forever.

 

[Alan Eardley]

Vintage Irish and British tweed jackets generally have small. well-fitted armholes. often reinforced by some form of articulation such as a gusset or 'action back'. The reverse is a recent phenomenon and is to be resisted.

I think that some of the tweed discussions above go beyond someone wanting to buy a suit. Is there are a case for starting a new thread on vintage tweed, perhaps on General Attire and Accoutrements?

Alan