Jon Green: What Bespoke Means

OTC is honored to welcome guest contributor Jon Green. Jon is best known as one of the finest bespoke clothiers to be found anywhere. Jon is also a remarkable teacher, formally trained musician and a stellar arbiter of sartorial wisdom. We are more than happy to call him a friend.

There are those who believe that to be a credible custom clothier one must actually be a tailor and make the clothing. It recently occurred to me that what I do with my bespoke clothing business is much like what I did, and sometimes still do, as a conductor.

Although the vast majority of conductors play at least one orchestral instrument and/or compose music, (I am a pianist, a singer, a percussionist, and an orchestrator and arranger by training and experience), the conductor usually does not compose the piece or make the sound.

The conductor’s responsibility is for those who do produce the sound. In the aforementioned assessment the fact that I am not a tailor misses the point. My understanding of patterns, pattern making, how garments should be made, fit, and look, offers benefits for my clients that complement and enhance the efforts of the person who actually cuts and makes the garment.

To me it is impossible to be a great craftsman responsible for making the clothes and a ‘front’ man responsible for sales, marketing, and administration. Artisan craftsmen have very special skills, but they are not all encompassing. However, there persists a tradition in New York of custom tailors who “do it all.”


A Jon Green Suit in Process

That tradition, it would seem, developed after WWII following the immigration to the U.S., specifically to New York, of European tailors, many of them Italians. At that time in Europe, most men wore suits every day (there was no sportswear) and young men in Italian villages apprenticed to a tailor at age 8 or 9, as one told me, to keep him off the street and out of trouble after school. (He understood then that his choices were to be a tailor, a butcher, a barber, or a mobster.)

Nino Corvato, an Italian-American New York tailor featured in the documentary film “Men of the Cloth” said, “It is impossible to train young tailors in the States. When young people come to me to learn tailoring after they have completed their basic education at 18, they have adult responsibilities and expenses and cannot make enough money to live on in NY as an apprentice.” I would add that, like an instrumentalist, if it is “not in the fingers” at age 14 it is too late for a major career.

In the global economy of today many of my clients require an international look that functions well wherever they go around the world; others want something more personal, or both. The background of an artisan tailor does not usually provide the breadth of expertise to be of use to these clients. My clients depend on me to coach them and to make for them what they want and need.


The Finished Lapel

In a recent advertisement for a museum show in New York featuring the work of Leonardo da Vinci, the headline “Genius is Timeless” reminded me of what many call the ‘timelessness’ of our look.

If there is genius in what we do, it shows up in our clothes. We respect what our clients want their clothing to be for them. In distinguishing what they have not distinguished for themselves, we collaborate in the creation a personal expression that functions so well that it does not become dated. Fashion is fleeting, but (individual) style is for life.

J.Crew + Monocle = Perfect Fit

The crew from Monocle, one of OTC's favorite global culture magazines, has joined forces with J. Crew, one of OTC's favorite menswear labels.

In the latest issue of J. Crew's catalog, Monocle's editor-in-chief Tyler Brûlé and several of his editors and staff are seen in Monocle's London offices, styled through the eyes of J. Crew.

It seems that Brûlé and J.Crew CEO Mickey Drexler have know each other for years, so the collaboration - and Monocle is the master of pitch-perfect collaborations - is, well perfect. The outfits chosen by J.Crew's sylists seem to fit each man just so, highlighting, or least alluding to, some defining aspect of their personality.

Though J. Crew has done several of these "real people" mash-ups, this one is particularly inspired because Monocle represents two key elements that fit well in J. Crew's world - and visa versa. Monocle endorses the benefits of creative societal impact, something J.Crew has pioneered with its increasing emphasis on the "craft" aspects of it's Men's offerings. And the magazine also champions the importance of unique, independent brands, again, something that J.Crew has successfully married to it's own giant corporate brand.


Monocle's Tyler Brûlé

Check out the Monocle/J.Crew collaboration HERE. And always make sure to visit Monocle's exceptional website and its daily Monocolumn. If you are an iPhone devotee like me (or Blackberry, one of Monocle's collaborators), I also heartily endorse the Monocle weekly podcast.

Jack's New Bag, Courtesy of Ralph Lauren

As most of OTC's readers know, I am a bag guy. I commute to work by train, which of course necessitates a good bag, but I also have a thing about carrying too much stuff on my person.

The search for the elusive perfect guy bag has been, and continues to be, a mission of mine. I have had some successes - Jack Spade's Canvas Day Bag is a great option, as is Ghurka's classic and pricey Examiner.

I have also written on the most famous of all man bags, Indiana Jones' modified British Mark VII gas mask bag.

Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland), of the television show "24", has done a lot to bring the man bag back to the forefront. The original "Jack sack", as Bauer's varying bags came to be called, became a cult hit. Inexpensive and readily available, it's also a great bag in real life; roomy, good pockets, durable and classically functional looking.


The original Jack Sack

I received a number of requests to track down the identity of the current season-eight bag. This one is leather and a bit more fancy than Jack's typical military inspired bags. So, I went strait to the 24-obsessed experts at The Jack Sack and now have the answer. It's from Ralph Lauren.


Season 8's bag of choice

The bag is the Double RL leather Mail Bag and based on the classic American letter carrier bag. Only a few months ago I had this very same bag in my hand while on a visit to the Ralph Lauren store in Georgetown. I really liked it, but at nearly $900, I gave it a pass.

Ralph Lauren also makes a more elegant version of the bag in the form of their Deerfield Leather mail bag, but that one is priced around $1,200. The leather on this one, however, is amazing.


Ralph Lauren's Deerfield

The original reinterpretation of this iconic work satchel was made by J. Peterman and is still available at less painful $300. A few years ago I tested this bag, a gift to me from John Peterman, and it's still one of my all-time favorites.

The Third Place: Kennedy's All-American Barbershop

Whatever happened to the barber shop? The kind of place guys went to – not a salon, not a day spa, just a good old barber. Instinctively, men do know about these things, because real barber shops are guy places.

They have a certain smell, a certain feel; other guys hanging out before or after a shave and a haircut. Ultimately, they are a sort of a grown up clubhouse. It's not home, not the office - it's the "third place."

Think of Al Capone in the opening of the classic movie “Untouchables.” He was not getting an avocado and pear facial; he was getting the hot towel treatment prior to a straight edge shave. And he was wearing a tie. That’s what guys do.

Kennedy’s All-American Barber Club is all about that. It’s a place for guys that both harkens back to the local barber shop, but also infuses that model with a more modern flair – a lounge with flat screen TV, it’s own branded magazine and depending on the franchisee, a host of inspired layouts.

Yes, Kennedy’s is a franchise; surprising to some, but wholly logical to Chris Hurn. Chris is the CEO of Mercantile Capital Corporation, the parent company of Kennedy’s and entrepreneur extraordinaire. While that corporate framework takes some of the wind out Kennedy’s small-town nostalgic sails, Hurn is genuine when it comes to what Kennedy’s means for men. He want's to see Kennedy's everywhere, not only because it's great for business, but also because he wants men to get back to being men.


Chris Hurn (3rd from right) and the Kennedy's crew

Chris Hurn recently sat down with OTC and we chatted about Kennedy’s, haircuts and men’s clubs. Hurn is a self described serial entrepreneur and came across Kennedy’s predecessor in the new urbanist town of Celebration Florida.

A couple of British guys had developed and executed a membership-based version of an American barber shop, but its business model was sorely lacking. Hurn, who as a member himself, saw enormous potential and offered to by them out. After a two year process, the deal was closed and Hurn had his newest company.

Hurn told me that he liked the idea of a membership-based operation, which is a great franchise model. While anyone can walk in and get a haircut or shave, members are afforded various all-inclusive packages based on their tier of membership – unlimited haircuts or straight razor shaves, shoe shines and, at some locations, massages.

The target audience is the mass-affluent guy pulling in around $75,000, who sees this as a well-deserved treat to himself. It's a small but regular luxury that lets him relax and hang out with other guys.

“It’s a men’s club that happens to cut hair and give shaves, “Hurn said.

And the shave part of that equation is no small matter. Most states regulate who can actually give a straight razor shave; some don’t even allow them. Shaving in this manner is akin to an art form that only experience can provide.



In Maryland, for example, only certified Master Barbers can use a straight razor. After fine tuning the model, Kennedy’s was re-launched in August of 2008 and business is going strong. Currently, there are eight locations with several more coming on line in the immediate future. My location, in Rockville, Maryland, is number seven.

Owners Dave Gagner and Jeff Bochner invited me in for a complimentary shave and haircut which I promptly accepted (it had been a least a month, so the timing was perfect.) While their location, then open only a few months, was still a work in progress, the vision was obvious: your grandfather’s barber shop updated for today – along with complementary coffee, bottled water, soda, snacks.

At some shops you can even kick back with a nice cold beer. As Jeff told me, each franchisee works off a standard floor plan template based on the footprint of their space. However, there is enormous flexibility limited only by zoning regulations. Some owners expand their lounge areas into full-blown private club type spaces – one franchisee is even planning to include a full service bar.

In Jeff’s case, as an entrepreneur himself, he and his business partner opted to relocate their own offices into the shop’s space and construct a separate boardroom that is available for member’s to use. This means that members can hold meetings and receive clients at their “club.” It’s a great selling point, member benefit and marketing tool.



My haircut and shave were excellent and the experience relaxing. I have to say, that shave is reason enough to come back – I nice old school neck massage helped round it out. In fact, I’ll probably join and take advantage of those unlimited shaves and haircuts.

Kennedy’s is moving full speed into the lifestyle/branding market, as one would expect from a guy who created a rather massive holding company based on entrepreneurship and franchising. Kennedy’s branded grooming products just launched and should be filling the shelved of a location near you and they already have their own in-house magazine - a good one at that.

OTC Exclusive: Jon Green

Jon Green loves to talk about clothing. Actually, he just loves clothing. In fact, I would suggest that Jon is obsessed with clothing and given his profession, that's definitely a good thing.

As one of New York’s finest bespoke clothiers, if not the country’s, Jon Green is privy to the wants, demands, preferences, problems and personal trivialities of some of the wealthiest people in the world.

I try not to throw around such dramatic language too often, but in Jon’s case it is simply the truth. Jon’s suits start off at about $7,500 and go straight up from there. Add in some of the more luxurious and rare fabrics to which he has access and you’re looking at something touching $25,000.


Jon Green

Had you asked me a few weeks ago what I thought about dropping the cost of a new car on a single suit, I probably would have said something both unflattering and dismissive. Not only is that a lot of money, what possibly could go into any garment which warrants such a ridiculously high expense?

Then, as fate would have it, I was recently invited by Mr. Green to visit him while on a trip to New York. Let me just cut to the chase: I’ve drunk the Kool-Aid and joined the church of bespoke.

Past the deceiving simple paper sign on the building's front door, the elevator took me up to an elegant salon and tailor's workshop. It is a place of business but also of consul; a comfortable lounge filled with mannequin forms sporting suit jackets in various stages of completion and bookcases filled with fabric books. Up front is the tailor's workshop fronted by a bank of large windows overlooking Madison Avenue and capturing all the natural light.



Jon won me over without even trying. Unfortunately, I won’t be wearing a Jon Green suit anytime soon, but that’s not remotely the point. The world of bespoke – certainly at this level – changes how you think about clothes. As Jon noted, "The price of what we do is directly related to our costs of cloth, workmanship, location and the one-on-one personal attention we prefer to provide our clients. This includes the requisite number of fittings needed to 'get it right,' not just 'get it out the door.' The real value in bespoke clothing is enhanced by taking the time to get it as good as it can be. But then forgetting about it. After all, it is possible to polish a diamond to dust."



As an added bonus, I visited Jon at the same time as Dougal Munro and Malcolm Campbell from Holland & Sherry, the Rolls Royce of fabric makers. Dougal is the president of H&S's North American operation and Malcolm is Managing Director of Joseph H. Clissold, H&S's premier fabric mill. Our discussion about English fabrics, their role in the world of bespoke, and H&S's remarkable innovations was fascinating and one that a that I will document separately, along with some excellent H&S material covering fabric education and the impact of color on one’s wardrobe.


Malcolm Campbell (t), Dougal Munro (b)

A formally trained musician and clothing salesman, Jon is every inch the courtly clothier. He is not, however, a “yes man” arbiter to wealthy power players. As he said to me regarding a client whose requests were not representative of a Jon Green suit, “it's my suit until I hand it over to him.” Translation: we’ll work it out, but I have a reputation to uphold and there is an expectation of what a Jon Green suit means. No animosity, simply a standard of excellence and detail that is not quickly, or easily, bent.

However, Jon rarely needs to take such a stand. His clients are lovers of clothing and dress for themselves. They come to Jon because he is the best and that is what they want; they have found a friend and confidant who will do anything in his power to meet their needs and will also not hesitate to gently redirect an errant choice in fabric or customization.

As he explained on several occasions, Jon is not a tailor - he is a clothier. While the tailor with whom he works is clearly one of the finest, Jon brings to the engagement the vision and execution of a head coach or chief strategist. He has created a brand known to those for whom exceptional service, privacy and collaboration are paramount.

Jon is, at heart, a teacher. While we never really discussed the cost of his clothing (honestly, it just slipped my mind), he indirectly explained why his suits cost so much. Every inch of a Jon Green suit is hand cut and assembled. Pockets are fully fitted into the canvas body which itself is carefully formed to your body’s curves.



The entire jacket is basted until the final assembly – no finishing stitches anywhere. This means that throughout your initial fittings, often six, the suit is completely disassembled and re-cut to match your evolving pattern. And your pattern, hand drawn by the way, is hand updated by the tailor at each step. It will take months and once completed will fit you as well as humanly possible.

Will it be perfect, probably not to Jon. But that is part of the beauty of bespoke – it is hand crafting in every sense of the phrase, not a single shortcut or prefabricated piece of anything. And all that hand stitching! That alone is worth half the cost right there.



Overall, the entire process is so laborious and detailed that I can only describe it as art. Jon and I could have talked for hours; he’s a fascinating and incredibly knowledgeable man.

Jon has been selected to by Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey North America, as part of a celebration of American craftsman, to create a bespoke suit for its chairman, Renaud Dutreil. I’ll be updating you on this remarkable process as it moves along, the only menswear blog to have such remarkable access.


Msr. Renaud Dutreil

I am also happy to say that I’ll be working with Jon to periodically bring OTC’s readers the kind of insight and expertise normally reserved for captains of industry and the kind of men who hop thier private jet from Houston just to do a suit fitting. Jon is a wealth of information and OTC is both honored, and a little humbled, to call him a friend.

Stay tuned…

Cool Weather Style: The Rumpled Look

To my mind, the cooler months are to men always the kindest when it comes to getting dressed in the morning. That's when we get to pull out the fun clothes and really take advantage of the many options that make classic menswear great. We get to layer.

I'm talking about stuff like chunky longwings, cords and a well worn jacket, topped it off with a warm cashmere scarf. The sheer variety of cold weather clothing is something many guys look to as the temperature drops.

For those of us with the flexibility to move between business dress and corporate casual, something I call the “Rumpled Look” is a nice middle alternative to being strictly dressed up or dressed down. Originally an offshoot of the American Preppy aesthetic, the rumpled look has come into its own. It's not an attempt to be sloppy, instead it is an homage to worn in classic comfort.



The basic idea behind this look is the allusion to old money, classic taste, and timeless style. Newer or continental styles don’t lend themselves to celebrating beat up and handed down clothes quite like the preppy culture does. The unspoken message of the slouchy khakis, un-ironed oxford shirt and slightly beat up shoes is that you have old money, an Ivy League education, a summerhouse in the Hamptons, and you sail a lot.

Or at least you dress like you do.


Lapo: Master of the Stylish Rumple

This really is a fun look which is not hard to carry off well as long as you don’t try too hard. It's sort of the antithesis to the recent “critter” trend, which left every inch of pants, ties, belts and coats adorned with embroidered animals and icons of every sort – from dogs to martini glasses. Instead of sartorially hitting people over the head with your East Coast airs, stick to a less-is-more aesthetic. One creative article of clothing at a time is nicely ironic, more is overkill.


Simple but Classic

For most men, wearing this look at the office can be a bit tough, but depending on your company’s culture, distressed chinos matched up with an un-ironed button down under a crew neck sweater should be just fine. For a younger look, don’t tuck in the shirt but rather let it hang out under the sweater - just make sure to choose a short bodied shirt. I've found that J. Crew button-downs are often just right. Wear a washed tweed jacket over the whole outfit. This kind of layering effect is another signature of the rumpled look.

Additionally, make sure to opt for clothes that actually fit well. The rumpled look is not an excuse to go baggy or oversized, it is more of a toned down and worn-in take on being well dressed.


Uncomplicated but still Detailed

One of the best things about this type of style is that you can effectively mix high and low to meet int he middle. For example, to meet up with friends for drinks, try pairing a permanently wrinkled (read, make a point of not ironing it) Thomas Pink dress shirt with dark but worn-in jeans and a sport coat. The juxtaposition of classic and casual is a key balance to this look.

Like any other style you want to incorporate into your own, stop and look in the mirror before leaving the house. What's most important is that you are happy with the overall feel and proportion of your outfit. The goal should be to look like you’ve had everything for years and don’t think twice about getting dressed.

Cifonelli House: Bespoke in the 21st Century (Part II)

OTC is pleased to present the second of three contributions by guest blogger Hugo Jacomet of the outstanding site Parisian Gentleman. To read Part I, please click here:


INTERVIEW WITH LORENZO CIFONELLI

Parisian Gentleman:
In 2003, you and your cousin Massimo took control of the family business after starting in the workshop in 1993. Have your customers changed over the years?

Lorenzo Cifonelli:
Of course. When I started my career in the family workshop, we were known as a classic, serious, discrete, almost confidential house. At that time most of our clients were 50 year olds who dressed in bespoke, whether because of family traditions of because of their body shape.

Back then, we made a lot of suits, but we had much fewer clients. For instance, we often made 10 or 15 suits for one single order. Nowadays, even though we still have a few very loyal clients who order several suits, our clientele is much more diverse in terms of age and income.

PG:
Who are these new clients?

LC:
They have been getting younger every year. They don’t choose bespoke out of necessity or because they can afford to, but because they want to. By the way, 80% of our clients could easily go with ready-to-wear.

Unlike our traditional clientele, our new clients are around their 40s and only order a few pieces every year. However, they are much more demanding in terms of sartorial awareness and education.



Some guys in their 30s even come to us for their first bespoke suit. Very early on, these guys are trying to create their personal style and venture into bespoke very thoughtfully. Their demands in terms of style and customization cannot be compared with what we have seen in the '90s.

PG:
Do you think this new and different type of clientele emerged from a natural market trend or was it more directly triggered by Cifonelli being open to a more contemporary style?

LC:
There really is a trend for customization and gentlemen are more and more aware of all aspects of personal style.

However, I think that the progressive decline in our clients’ average age has more to do with us becoming more open to bolder and more modern lines, and more aware of the new needs of modern gents.

When my cousin and I took the business, we started to travel a lot to expand our client base in Japan, the United-States and in some European countries. Neither of us were 35 at the time. At that age, you’re always more sensitive to trends and, most importantly, to the needs of your new clients. They are demanding, always on the go, and not willing to compromise on elegance, no matter how, when and where they wear their suits.

This is how we gradually modified the cuts and the lines without touching the fundamental elements of our reputation: quality and precision. Unlike trends, some things don’t change and cannot be compromised, like an impeccable line. The only way to get perfection is through bespoke and traditional stitching. Trends come and go, but the line remains.



PG:
Style often aficionados wax poetically of the Cifonelli line. Is it a product of your Italian background?

LC:
I think that the Cifonelli style is original because it was born out of the best elements of three sartorial traditions:

• Italian tradition of course, with a strong accent on style, flowing lines and softness (sometimes at the expense of quality of assembly)
• British tradition, with its military heritage that inspires its very structured design (at the possible expense of comfort)
• French tradition, including Claude Rousseau whose career ended with us and who contributes another aspect: precise detailing, quality finish, topstitching, arrowheads, buttonholes…

I think Cifonelli has, from the start, been successful in bringing forward a very original blend of the best aspect of the three approaches to masculine style. My grandfather was trained in cutting in England at the beginning of the century.



Very quickly, he learned how to blend the British technique and his Italian sensitivity. Soon after he moved to France, he added a French touch to his style, and the Cifonelli signature style was born. By the way, we still take all the measures in inches.

PG:
Let’s get into details. Part of the Cifonelli signature is the shoulder. Karl Lagerfeld says he can recognize it 100 meters away…

LC:
Without going into details, we didn’t even know about Karl Lagerfeld recognizing our shoulder before an American client told us about it. He had read it in a newspaper in the United States; without him, we never would have known of this “tribute” that was widely relayed in the media.

It is true that the shoulder is very important to us and that ours is quite particular. It is very bold and forward, to streamline the silhouette without losing the masculine and manly aspect.
To make this type of shoulder, we have to use our own construction technique, that we have been using for decades (the sleeve is wet-felted with an iron before stitching, editor's note). Although it is the most famous hallmark, there is a lot more to the Cifonelli style.



Our suits have a rather small chest, and the jackets are cut smaller at the front than at the back. The line is always our ultimate priority. It must streamline the body and be very masculine. Details and finish are equally important: we always stitch the buttonholes with Milanese rolled thread (difficult to use) and we are also quite particular about lapels: we position the notches quite high.

But remember that all these details are linked to our clients’ body shape and that the Cifonelli style is first and foremost about listening, seeing and talking to those who give us the wonderful mission of making them as elegant as possible. We may have our own style, but let’s never forget that we are traditional tailors first.

PG:
What piece are you most proud of?

LC:
I can’t think of one in particular. In our line of work, pride has everything to do with our clients being 100% satisfied.
Right now our 35 workers (editor’s note: the largest bespoke team in France) on Rue Marbeuf make about 800 suits every year. Our clientele is a lot more diverse than it used to be. For a bespoke house, every suit is a creation in and of itself, because we continually pursue the ideal of the perfect line.

So I can’t tell you which suit is the best. It’s not about the most beautiful suit, because succeeding in making the most beautiful suit to date is a must for any tailor worth his salt. However we recently developed a line of very original sport jackets that have brought us a completely new clientele which is more open to bolder pieces.

PG:
In 2007, you reopened the store below the bespoke workshop on rue Marbeuf. It offers traditional ready-to-wear and made-to-measure. What prompted this decision and what makes it offering so special?

LC:
The idea of renovating and reopening the store was simple: to access a broader clientele and offer high quality traditional pieces at quality-based prices.



Even though, of course, it’s not bespoke, it is the same Cifonelli quality and the standards are just as high. We draft the patterns for suits and coats that are then assembled in Parma in an excellent traditional workshop.

The close proximity of the boutique and the bespoke workshop gives our clients access to a wide array of fabrics and offers them very qualitative alterations and finish that meets our standards and that are in line with the quality that made us famous. So for about 2,000 euros, they can get a quality traditional suit and get a taste of the Cifonelli experience.

We are also seeing a connection between the boutique and the bespoke workshop. Some clients move on to bespoke from our high-end RTW line. So there is a genuine consistency in the approach, even if the two client bases remain fairly different. It takes money to move up to bespoke but more importantly, you need a lot of patience… a rare quality in the 21st Century!

PG:
We know you are a star in Japan: it’s an event whenever you go! Do you have any other overseas project?

LC:
We now have a worldwide (Japan, United States, Europe) bespoke client base. We achieved this through a very simple model: I go to some countries, Massimo to others, and we measure and do the fittings.



Also, in the last few years, we’ve been working very successfully in Japan with Isetan, a top luxury Japanese chain, in which we have several corners.The Japanese are very educated on masculine elegance. And it seems that the most demanding Japanese gentlemen love our label.

This success has made us consider the possibility of setting up a bespoke workshop in Japan. We would manage it ourselves from Paris (through a very precise remote photography system). The suits would be assembled on site by a team under our supervision. It is still just a project, but chances to make it happen are good because of the very high quality of our Japanese partners.

In the United States, we have been working for quite a while on a very original project, among others, in a Manhattan apartment. I hope to be able to keep you posted on it during the upcoming months.

Because of the increasing international media attention on our brand (Vogue, The Rake, GQ, Monsieur, Uomo Japan, Men’s Ex), we are also thinking about ways of improving.