10 Best Dressed Men in the 86th Academy Awards: did GQ get it right?

Some comments on the GQ link shared by my friend Łukasz Doskocz.

No 1. Bradley Cooper.

Agree, pretty sharp. Nitpick? Coat sleeves and trousers a tad too long. Sleeves should show a bit more cuff, and the trousers, when shorterned, a fewers breaks.

No 2. Michael Fassbender.

Seriously? Maybe its the photographer angle, but he looks like an ape. Trousers again way too long. Old Hollywood glamour, as personified by Cary Grant and Fred Astaire wear their trousers with just a hint of break, the front of the trouser leg barely caressing the shoes.

No 3. Zac Effron.

Suit fits. But this is not black tie. Black tie calls for a black bow tie. Shirt collars too narrow, and barrel cuffs are not what Black Tie mandates.

No 4. John Legend.

Suit fits ok, but button point is too low, looks like its below his navel. The button point of a coat is critical to balance of the look. It needs to be his natural waist, which is perhaps at least 4 inches higher. Both shirt sleeves and coat sleeves are too long.

No 5. Ethan Hawke.

Not bad, but black tie mandates either a cummerbund or a waistcoat, so the unsightly white shirt does not show below the button of the coat. Awful.

No 6. Chitweel Ejiofor.

Ah...not bad. Coat sleeves a tad too long, need to show some cuffs. But nice silhouette.

No 7. Jared Leto.

OMH. This is just plain aweful. A white coat is allowed for black tie, but must be worn with black bow tie, and only on hot summer nights. Fail.

No 8. Kevin Spacey.

Looks ok. But seriously blue suit? Looks at odds with the regulation black tie, black shoes and black lapels. Again, trousers too long.

No 9. Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Smooth look. Beautiful silhouette. But coat sleeves a tad too long, no sleeves showing. The amount of shirt sleeves showing under the cuffs of the coat should be about the same as the amount of collar showing above the coat collar behind the neck.

No 10. Leonardo DiCarprio.

Nice silhouette too. Good call with nice pocket square. Again sleeves and trousers too long. And notch lapels? Black tie coats should be peak lapels or shawl lapels. Not di rigeur.

Only 3 men thought to wear a pocket square. And I am not sure how many of them would have a single stripe down their trouser leg. And I doubt any of the men had either a cummerbund or a waistcoat.

Gentleman dressing at the Concorsa D'Eleganza della Villa D'Este

Attending a premier vintage car event is also an opportunity to observe well dressed gentlemen and beautiful ladies mingle with the exotic vintage cars. I was a guest of A. Lange & Sohne attending the Concorso, the premier vintage car event held annually in the shores of Lake Como in Italy at the Vila D'Este grand hotel.

I am hoping I will have time to cover several well dressed gentlemen as examples to dress for spring. First, an older gentleman, looking wonderful in his white/beige suit, and beautiful shoes.

Beautifully tailored linen suit, with a flashy checked bow tie on a wing collar, and panaman hat. With his horn rimmed glasses, he certainly looked the part of a well dressed gentleman at his favourite pursuit of enjoying his motor car in the beautiful Como sun. Love the sprezzatura look of his wind blown hair too.

Note the sleevehead...just beautiful how the tailor...I suspect Neapolitan, fits the large sleevehead into the smaller arm hole, resulting in ripples across the top of the sleeve, creating this magnificent cascading effect.

And love the beautiful two tone saddle shoes

I wished I had worked up the courage to talk to him and discuss his clothes, but I didn't. I don't quite remember if he was the gentleman, but if I am not mistaken his good taste also extended to his watch...a Roger Smith Series 1 strapped on his wrist.

Bespoke suits in Singapore: Kevin Seah

It excites me to find artisans who live, and work in Singapore...especially passionate young ones. I said that before. Then I was writing about Edwin Neo, and now I am writing about Kevin Seah...a comrade in arms with Edwin, so to speak...as they share the same premises together at Dominic Khoo's indescribable white space.

Talking with Kevin, I sense the passion he has for fine and beautiful clothing...in particular, bespoke cloths. He carries a bewildering range of fabrics...well, like many tailors, he doesn't actually carry them as stock, but he carries the books, and can supply the cloths. From illustrious mills like Fox Brothers, W. Bill, JJ Minnis, Harrisons...these books are available for your bespoke choice.

Below a selection from the W. Bill tweed...Kevin is a big fan of tweed...as I am.

He also carries Nackymade...a quirky, Japanese bespoke spectable frame house. And the magnificent Gammerelli and Mazarin socks. Shown below, Kevin's immaculately dressed foot with Cleverly shoes:

I took a quick inspection of his work..impressive! Here on his own coat. A double breasted 6x4 with very light coloured, natural horn buttons.

The back...smooth and clean, note how the collar hugs his neck.

The hand made button holes...and beautiful buttons And the shoulder line. This shoulder is a little exaggarated. For my personal taste, I would have preferred a more relaxed shoulder. But Kevin wanted to build up the shoulder to show the mini-pagoda-esque shoulder. Note pocket square.

Examining another customer's suit hanging on the rack...to show the hand work. The blind stitching of the floating chest piece as it connects to the lapel. View of the lapel inside as it is turned out.

The hand made button holes, and the roll of the lapel's belly:

The melton used in the collar...again evidence of a great deal of handwork

The interior of the suit also shows a significant amount of hand work...hand stitched seams joining the lining to the shell. I believe Kevin uses silk for linings. Many colours and patterns are available.

And for the all important sleeve...hand stitched with a stretchable silk thread. Note the wriggly and uneven stitch lines. Though this may seem to be untidy, this is evidence of handwork, and indeed allows the sleevehead to stretch and move a bit within, allowing for a more comfortable fit. And a quick look a the inside of a pair of bespoke trousers, showing the label and hand work within.

Very interesting fellow, this Kevin. Knowledgable of fabrics...even the more traditional fabrics, as he prefers English mills (hurray!!) to Italian ones. These days, many tailors are more interested to push the high tech fabrics by Zegna and Loro Piana, and neglect the magnificent mills of England, Wales and Scotland. I have a few suits made from the beautiful materials of Lovat Mills in Scotland, as with Fox Brothers flannel from England, and have had bad experiences with the expensive cloths from Loro Piana and Ermenegildo Zegna.

Fine taste. Great workmanship. I might be tempted to spring for a bespoke suit by Kevin to see how he fits. But with an active stable of probably 20 suits...many made by Gordon Yao and WW Chan, I think I might have to endure the temptation a while. Maybe my son's first bespoke suit....:-)

I will recommend those in Singapore seeking a bespoke tailor to check out Kevin and see if it works for you. As I have mentioned in this blog...working with a tailor is sometimes a lifelong relationship. The relationship blossoms after a few suits, and then if the tailor is any good...perfection. Once you reach this stage, as I have with Gordon...you stick to your tailor...possibly for life. Kevin Seah Kevin Seah Bespoke Dominic Khoo's 28th Fevrier 5 Jalan Kilang Mobile: 91884681 kevin@kevinseah.com.sg