Bigger guys 1:00 - Go custom 3:10 - Avoid oversized patterns 4:15 - Be aware of your posture 5:00 - Be careful with belts 5:30 - Try suspenders/braces 7:15 - The question of shoulder padding 7:50 - Waistcoats/vests are for you 9:05 - Colours 10:25 - Neckwear 11:40 - Consider hats 12:00 - Consider trouser pleats Skinny guys 13:30 - Avoid skinny lapels 14:25 - Avoid stubby collars 15:40 - No drainpipe trousers 16:25 - Try bigger trouser legs 17:30 - No superhero fit 18:00 - No pointy shoes 18:30 - Consider double breasted jackets 19:25 - Give a three piece suit a chance 20:15 - Especially three pieces with texture and interesting fabrics 21:00 - Just don't go too far 21:45 - Use lapel accessories 22:00 - Odd waistcoat
@@SARTORIALTALKS It would be superb, if you could add this to the description of the video. You just have to add "0:00 Introduction" and then all the viewers can skip through the video and see the exact parts they are interested in.
A video made for a short skinny 5'3" bloke like me! Wonderful as always! Also, big congratulations team! I know Kirby Allison does black tie events whenever his channel breaks a viewer record and I think your milestone also deserves a video special of some sort too. Also, using Steve Buscemi as a benchmark of high-class men's style is rather revolutionary. Steve is an excellent actor but is perhaps unfairly the butt of many jokes and memes. He's a wonderful person in reality. I recall reading that when the twin towers in New York fell, he immediately volunteered as a fireman to help douse the flames.
Smart reply---we want to debut a "live" after the US election if we can get Kosmas our director from Greece here, in adherance to November guidelines in France. Thank you for the motivation. Hugo and Sonya
Hi Hugo and Sonya, I'm eagerly looking forward to your future video on suits for women. I have been following your channel for some time, absorbing all of the knowledge I am able in order to develop my own sartorial style. As a "tomboy" woman based in the UK I have found the high street difficult to navigate for suiting. Yes, ready to wear suits are available for women but I don't like them because they often don't have working pockets, they tend to either be styled as "cropped" or "over-sized" and, of course, are constructed with fused canvas. In the early days I have even worn children's sized 13 years suits which didn't quite fit right. It is fair to say I have learned from my mistakes. I feel I have finally reached the pinnacle on my sartorial journey for where my budget can take me (I've looked into bespoke which starts at £2.5k and is out of my budget). I buy my women's shirts from T.M.Lewin and Hawes and Curtis as they have the chest darts and are therefore a good fit. Hawes and Curtis collars are bigger and look better with neck ties whereas T.M Lewin collars are the silly little ones. My suits are from Moss Brothers, they now do a made-to-measure service called "Tailor Me." It is aimed at men so although they take my measurements the garment is cut to the smallest of a mens measurement and I need further alterations by a local tailor which costs just over £200 for a three piece suit to be adjusted for me. I think the service itself is good because you can pick the fabric and lining and I always opt for the half canvas. There is software on their website which allows you to view the garment online with the options you have chosen. You can also read the percentage on fibres for the fabrics listed. The negatives I have from these suits are that the arm holes are too big and because I am a skinny woman of a size 6 in UK women's wear the further alterations are expensive so I would advise that to any women looking to buy mens made-to-measure or off the peg suits. The shoulders are a little bit big for me, if I'm honest, but this is the best I can do and most people who don't know about sizing don't see the errors that I am aware of. Another negative to women's tailoring is I can't find a woman's collar bar shirt anywhere! I have requested it from said shirt makers via email and am still waiting for its appearance come every season. I've recently invested in women's shoes from Joseph Cheaney and Sons. Loake and Barker also do women shoes however I went with Joseph Cheaney because their women's shoes were traditional in style and never before had I seen women's Monk Strap shoes than before Joseph Cheaney. Apologies for the essay, I wanted to share with you both my experience in hopes you might have some advice for me to improve on what I have learned. Again, looking forward to your next video, many thanks. Heather
congratulations for 100k subs..i saw all the videos..and i continue ..i like when Hugo become tough.. THESE IS NOT NEGOTIABLE...YOURS SHOES HAS TO BE IMPECCABLE
I was very proud to see my name as a supporter for the first time today! Enjoyed the program as well! I’m neither heavy nor skinny. I’m lucky to be tall but muscular. I can wear anything I choose. But the tip on turning your hands out was an excellent tip! Continue the wonderful work!
Hello Mike, A huge "Thank You" for being a Patreon. You have no idea how our Patreon members have freed us to create more and better content & be more direct in expression. Cheers to you ! Hugo and Sonya
And thank you. For the good advise as always. I still can't help but feel the most important point is getting clothes that actually fit, and that means made to measure or bespoke. I hope you will keep expanding on the budget MTM in the future, as I'm also on a fairly tight budget.
One reason for the narrow lapels (aside from the theory that they make the chest look broader; I've seen that claim made for both narrow and wide lapels) is that if your chest is very small, your lapel may cover a lot of the pocket, creating a rather cramped effect with disappointing results if you follow the suggestion to wear a pocket square and your lapel hides half of it.
Congratulations on the 100 thousand subscribers, it is only the beginning. By the way, James Bond has a nice dress style but he passed away today Sean Connery.
eugh, there's a student at school that i see wearing those stubby collars. ever since you guys pointed it out a few years ago i've noticed it on some people!
I came across ur channel by happenstance when u started it. Great find for me. This occurred for me during that transition period for men (probably a little late for me lol) when they come to the realization that they're wardrobe has to become more age appropriate ( I am currently 53) , to become more mature. But how to go about doing this? Well u came along and the information that u provide has helped me shorten the learning curve. Ur unpretentious , amicable and approachable style has made it not only entertaining but helped to alleviate the reticence/fear most men might have in making such changes. Thank you both for sharing ur knowledge and passion with us. Please continue the great work and wish u continued growth and success with the channel.
Another suggestion - you may also consider coat buttons, that is what material (horn etc) and how many on the sleeves. I have noticed that your coats have various combinations (three, two, four buttons). Stay safe, thank you
Good episode and adding women into the mix is “great” news. Both my wife and I are retired and would like to invest in quality clothing and shoes. For me that’s relatively easy but for her, not so much. So thank you!
YES!!! Advise for women!!! I am 63 and 5'11" (180 cm) with broad shoulders, long muscular legs...and wear a long narrow 42-43 shoe. (My dad is 6'5" and my daughter is 6'2"...yes, really!)
Thank you Hugo & Sonya. Without you I would be lost! My neck and face are skinny (but my shoulders and chest are ok thanks to sports), causing all kinds of issues with collar gaps and finding shirts with elegant collars. I'm gonna try Napoli collars now! Do you have some affordable recommondations? With collars who fit nicely underneath the jacket?
I am 72 years old and had been trying to get back to my proper weight of 185 lbs for over a year when, just as I was very close, Covid-19 shutdowns happened, causing me a lot of anxiety, which led to comfort eating, where I put back on all the weight I had struggled so hard to lose. My plan was to start buying made-to-measure clothing when I reached 185 lbs: shirts, sport coats, pants. Now I don't know how to proceed. My weight has stabilized now and I will probably lose a few pounds, but I don't see putting myself through another year of concentrating so hard on weight loss. What can a man who wants to dress better do about his changing weight (a fluctuation of 20 or so pounds)? I am retired. My budget is small. I need to make smart decisions. Thanks for any help.
Hi and thank you for writing. Change usually requires motivation & you never know what will motivate you. Plus, the answer to your dilemma could be different for someone else. Release self-judgement and keep your heart where you believe it should be and the rest may follow. If you want to dress custom, do it now if you're able. First you deserve the experience (and will be more elegant) and second, sometimes feeling better about yourself translates into action. Either way there is no guarantee of tomorrow so move forward now, if that is what you'd like to do. Cheers to you ! ~Sonya
@@SARTORIALTALKS My issue isn't motivation. I have a great diet that, when I'm on it, my weight slowly levels down toward my ideal weight. It's all good nutritious food and normally requires no will power. But when I have medical issues or great stress of any kind I turn to comfort foods. My life so far suggests that is unavoidable, although I keep forgetting that; I have bought thousands of dollars worth of off-the rack clothing in my lifetime, giving it all to charity when it no longer fits, and rarely getting my money's worth. That level of expense is no longer feasible. But I think your advice to begin my sartorial journey now anyway makes sense. I will begin with a quality made-to-measure shirt and go from there. Thank you, Sonya.
Great video as always.. Monsieur can i request a video on style techniques for a lot of us working from home these days and going on video conference calls
Thank you for yet another brilliant episode. Now that I know your thoughts on lapel size, I would love to know about your opinions on tie widths. What would you suggest ? Thanks.
Very welcome and thanks. In our opinion, you may want to own varying widths of ties and use your eye to sense which tie width goes best with different jackets/suit & sports coats (some jackets with more 'open lapels' favor more formidable tie widths and others with more closed lapels may favor a standard tie width). Cheers, ~Sonya & Hugo
"Big" as discussed here is big all over . These big guys have choices as there are OTR stores (in the USA anyway) for them. However if your a big muscular - then made to measure is the way. Also 4 inch lapels for any big guy.
Appreciate you both. Thanks you for this video. I love the way you worked on this session/discussion: you both 'riffed' off each other and it was balanced - respect. I, myself, am 'packing a little timber' ;-) and you've reinforced the best approach if you are larger (or skinny). Thank you, again x Tony
great tie Hugo. I sell upscale Mens' Suits and this is so helpful. Helps me to present the theory of how the suit or jacket should fit or type they should wear. thank you
Do you have any advice abot hem opening? I'm 173cm and don't like "drainpipe trousers" as you called them but being kinda short I also wanted to avoid going to far with the hem width. Thak you a lot, fantastic channel!
For bigger guys and even skinnier and shorter guys I was hoping you guys would touch on higher waisted pants as they give a better silhouette, more comfortable and they make you seem taller as they add more length to the legs
My upper body is somewhat larger than my lower body (broke legs, still working on getting the mass back). I'm guity of wearing superman fit for the upper body to try to 'blance' out my proportions. Do you have any style advice for someone with my body shape? Are their any types of patterns I should avoid? P.S. Excellent video.
I love this style when you two sit together and chat and I just watch you two with beautiful pictures popping up as examples. Edit: Personally I think skinny lapels killed the suit in my country, so many people wore the suit wrong and they look horrible in it, yet people without the knowledge about tailoring would think that YOU need to FIT into the SUIT! It's ridiculous! Since I've embarked upon this journey I now learned that the suit should fit to me and anyone can wear suits with extreme elegance and beauty! And I have been very happy with my looks ever since and my wife agrees. I love generous lapels as well :P P/S: I've never worn skinny lapels in my life, there was an event that I was required to wear a suit that they provided and it was so ugly that I ended up refusing to participate the event.
Comments which include personal experience are really helpful here---Thank you for taking the time to reply, and we greatly appreciate your opening words. Glad your wife is happy, always good news. Cheers, ~Sonya & Hugo
I brush and air out my suits and take them on occasion to my tailor to be professionally cleaned. Ties are not washed (many can be steamed clean). Pocket squares often can be washed, but be careful with silk. ~Sonya & Hugo
Do you think your core (lower back & abs) could use some strengthening? "The hand turnout" correlates mostly to the upper back. Your comment reminds me of small core-strengthening habit from my 'trainer days: 1 minute of crunches at night & 1 minute of the 'superman' exercise = 2 minutes a night. I used to sleep better when doing this. The above is only a guess as to why your posture is not responding to the motion. If you have any sort of scoliosis or bone structure anomaly in your back, it could also explain a lot. Thanks for your comment and glad you're here--Cheers ! ~Sonya
Fantastic tips both of you sir and madam !! Just would like to comment one thing - the model you showed in 2 dresses after the mark ziko was very distasteful , Lots of odd colours in a single one
@@SARTORIALTALKS , of course ! Totally agree at that . The pocket square and lapelnpin thing suggested for skinny people was great input by Sonya Mam 🙏🏻👍
Hello Hugo! I have a question regarding a brand I have recently discovered. What do you think about "Albert Clothing"? I found this instagram page that advertises this brand and I have found that their style is very nice! Do you think they have a good price/quality ratio? Best, Louis
I had to clarify because sometimes Hugo says "color" for collar. He say color perfectly, it's "collar" he has to practice. but hey, his English is amazing. ~S
As a skinny guy, finding decently fitting clothing was horrible. I hated going in and out of shops being disappointed all the time. Now I have everything made on commission, turning clothing from a nightmare subject into a passion. Thanks for the tips and keep it up!
Agreed, I am very tall and broad shouldered with a barrel chest and once I went custom for most of my clothes I never looked back. Gone are the days of having shirts that are too short or ties that only reach my belly button. Suits are also much better. If it means I have to have half or a quarter of the clothes in my wardrobe then so be it. The quality is what counts and it stands the test of time much more than something off the peg that won't fit me even with tailoring.
When Hugo was born he finally stopped crying when the nurses put him in a Bespoke Onesie, wrapped him in a 100% Cashmere Blanket, and put Woods in his Baby Shoes. All jokes aside. I'm just starting my Sartorial learning curve, and I'm learning so much from both of you. ~Cheers~ Hugo & Sonya
This is a fantastic guide. The hosts are so passionate and educated about the art of dressing, which necessarily makes them sensitive about the “idiosyncrasies” of clothing extraordinary figures. It is fun to develop a signature style when you cut a different image, because you get an opportunity to play and experiment with people’s expectations. Thank you for sharing your passion. I’m just a hobbyist tailor but I point people to your channel all the time.
I’m 5’11 225lbs I have a strong build. Big legs. Big waist too. I do have a bit of a belly which I’m working on losing. I wear a 44R coat with 36”-38” waist. I get disheartened because I want to wear sport coats and blazers but I just look silly! I look as if my upper body isn’t as big as my lower body. But my shoulders are wider by a good amount than my waist. I feel I just need to lose the gut and lose a couple inches off the waste. Also, I don’t have a long neck so a shirt looks like it’s almost touching my chin (doesn’t help I have a well maintained beard)…. I don’t know if I’ll ever win!
Inspiring conversation, and wonderfully informative from Sartorial Talks as always. However, it needs pointing out that women do not need to don suit clothing or low-heel comfortable well-made shoes "to keep up with the men" if you're out with them. Utter nonsense. One wears such items because they are comfortable and they are you. Such a silhouette has both a feminine or masculine elegance.
No, no, no - I must object, I am sorry. At 12:00 you both agreed that Hugo could not wear hats because of his big head. I think he’d look outstanding in a cowboy hat. The next time you are back in Georgia perhaps you will go Stetson shopping and post a video?
A very useful video indeed. Thank you! I wear a size 44 jacket and I almost always need tailoring to have a good fit. If I may, I'd like to point out that while hand gesture while speaking is a good thing, too much of it can be distracting and sometimes displeasing.
"Big Guy" here, love the way it sounds with the French accent. At this point in my style journey I cannot afford bespoke, so getting off the rack clothes tailored is my best option. Pleats and high rise trousers are my friend as well as a Tailor. The ways you can restructure one's silhouette through these methods is amazing. I use a very neutral base through my shirts and pants. Most of my shirts consist of striped, solid and checked shirts. I would avoid both too large and too micro of patterns. I also use monochromatic tones, and avoid high contrast. Light blue and grays for cold colors and browns and olives for warmer colors. I use my accessories for accent colors in my ties where I am bolder, such as eggplant colors, burgundys and yellows.
"Big guy" here as well, but also short. My brother in bulk, you might want to consider going made to measure, there are some rather inexpensive options available online. Of course, these won't provide you with the most high-end choice of fabrics or construction, but will help you to get a hang of things and provide you with some highly wearable clothing - because a well fiited suit or jacket of "lesser" quality will still make you look a million times better than the highest quality fabrics in an ill-fitting garment. If you have a tailor you trust, have them take your measurements and don't feel bad about it - you will take the suit there for final adjustments, anyway. I think the biggest asset of made to measure is that you can also influence the height of the closing button - for us large guys, this should be ideally placed at our widest point, and contemporary cuts off the rack just won't provide this.
Brilliant tips as usual. Everyone is different when going in to get a suit .Personally I love wearing a waistcoat with a suit and matching handkerchief. Living in Scotland. At every wedding we dress in kilts .And to hire a skinny piper without a beard .just know .haha. Love your podcast. David..
Ethan from Bryceland's, whom you also featured in this episode is one of the best examples of stouter guys dressing well. I guess, for that reason the RTW at Bryceland's should also be scaled in a way that is flattering to more body types than most RTW. Great episode, Sonya and Hugo! Greetings from your chubby german fella. ;)
Thanks for the kind words and for being here, Nigel. We're celebrating 3 years of work (1 year start-up and 2 years solid production) so it's incredible to realize 100K, especially while refusing gimmicks and refusing to purchase even one follower, All clean ! ~Sonya & Hugo P.S. Let's see what the future holds
Dear Sonya, dear Hugo, as usual I tremendously enjoyed your talk. It's such a soothing and relaxing format while also providing insight, even if in this case, it's just the validation that I'm doing it right as a "big guy". Keep up the good work and keep up your good spirits in these trying times. EDIT: I feel like I need to add a crucial point for my "fellow fatsos" - the wider our gut, the more important the buttoning point becomes. Ideally, it wil be place at or near where our girth is the widest (but not too far down, either, unless we want to look like an 80's Bond villain). An inch above the navel, maybe two if you're tall as well. This will help the jacket drape better, and contempary cuts usually won't allow this, as they place the closing button rather high up. This advice goes a bit against the general rule that an "hourglass" shape is favorable, but we generally won't achieve that, anyway - so our better bet is to avoid the jacket spreading out like a circus tent.
Tall collar styles video please 🙏.. Also I always wanted to ask whether it is good to have pocket square pocket on odd waist coat or not, what about keeping pocket square on your odd waist coat worn separately!
Hi, I appreciate tall collars when height is on the back of the neck (for a good fit), but prefer shirt collars not to be so high in front that the cloth rubs against the bottom of the face & gets the shirt dirty. As for wearing a PS in your waistcoat, why not if it is something you consider your own style signature! Cheers, ~Sonya & Hugo
Hugo, I am a short portly gentleman and perfectly satisfied with my "as is" body. I don't care that there is a bias toward fitness in our society. I love rich foods, French wines (Cote du Rhone especially) and smoking delicious cigars. I am Epicurean in my lifestyle and will never try to lose weight or to change my physical body or indulgent habits even if these shorten my beautiful life. My preferred style is English and I am now considering travelling to London to be fitted for my first set of bespoke suits. Could you please recommend three houses on Saville Row that I might consider? I do not know any other portly gentlemen who wear English style bespoke suits. Certainly, there must be English tailors that especially cater to "round" men who also, are not tall but short like me (164 cm). Thanks so much. I would greatly appreciate a response if you can find the time. BTW, Sonya wrote back to me on a comment that you never wear an Ascot. With your handsome silver hair, dark stylish sunglasses, an open collar in the Italian or French style, I think you would look absolutely stunning in an elegant dressed up casual style reminiscent of Hollywood icons and film directors! I can see you in Italian loafers (no socks!), cuffed Khakis, blue striped white shirt, Cobalt Jacket (silver buttons) and a Paisley Ascot that compliments your hair. Of course, a non-matching pocket square goes without saying! Please, please forgive me for suggesting all this; I couldn't help myself but I greatly appreciate that a gentleman's style is absolutely his own! Again, thank you and Sonya for your wonderful sartorial videos. I learn so much from you!
Bravo, I understand your sentiments. Savile Row's Henry Poole can be of interest (strictly bespoke) or for less $ for one's first bespoke suit---in Naples, Sartoria Ciardi has extensive experience fitting larger bodies (Master tailor Enzo is said to be better than his famous father + you can ask for more structured shoulders). So many different options. Cheers, Hugo
Another fabulous episode! I am tall and very thin (always have been) so am very careful about everything you mentioned, but would like to add one or two more thoughts. For the larger gentlemen the collar spread should be more narrow and longer, it will give more length to the overall silhouette, especially if the individual has a round face. Example, the shirt Hugo is wearing would not look good on Winston Churchill - more width to a wide silhouette. On thinner individuals a more structured shoulder (a bit of padding) will create the illusion of more substance. Pinstripes and/or striped shirts are many times not the optimum for tall, thin people, they exaggerate the height. Finally, the knot of the tie in relation to the shape of the face. For me, I generally wear a shirt with a bit mor of a spread to the collar and a double Windsor knot. Hugo, one more for your style icon list - Cary Grant! Wishing both of you all of the very best. Be well, stay safe.
As a fitter myself, I enjoy fitting the B&T gentlemen. My first recommendation is to have an in-depth MTM three-piece made for him. Depending on the shoulders, I suggest strongly padded for the slopey-type. The challenge is balancing the shoulder and coat seat to accentuate the waist. If the shoulders are too soft, then it gives a pear-shaped silhouette. The expanded coat seat (maybe only an inch) has the added benefit of concealing the love-handles, which is very unsightly when seen through the coat, even if said coat is not overly tight. For the very rotund man, he MUST wear his trousers at the level of the navel with braces, whether it sits low or high. In a two-piece, wearing the trousers below the belly requires a comically short rise, and leaves a giant expanse of shirt, which is made worse whether solid or patterned. With a waistcoat, no one will know. Pleats are only necessary if the stomach drops low and hangs rather flat, as this is an area that needs to be concealed. The comment about the braces under the waistcoat struck me as odd. I have been doing it like that for years without even thinking about it.
Colour pronounced Culler with hard syllable on the C and soft syllables for consonants. Collar pronounced Call Her with both the C syllable and E being hard. If you place that H into collar you should be able to feel it's difference.
There is a theory I've seen which associates the popularity of the skinny/slim fit, with the skinny lapels, short trousers and short jackets, to an attempt by the fashion industry to simply increase their profits by huge amounts. The vast majority of people have never had sartorial education and are mostly led by marketing and what is available off the rack by the big fashion brands. By promoting these skinny fits they save a lot of material for manufacturing while keeping prices the same, leading to bigger profits. It is unfortunate, but it is no different to many shoe brands silently moving overseas and reducing the quality in invisible ways. We can only be glad that the internet is a great resource for those who want to learn from educators like you and many others especially here on youtube.
Curious if you have solutions for the crotch wearing out because big thighs rub together. I’m not a big guy, but built more like a rugby player. Even the crotch on my MTM suit wore out.
Guys, you’re awesome as always... and that SUPERHERO term makes me laugh... i have many Customers lately like that and as always ain’t easy to educate people, especially the stubborn ones hahah I’m happy to see both of you on the screen whenever time allows me. Tailor Nick
Great video. I guess I am blessed to possess proportions that fit most clothing very well. That said, there are still some excellent insights here into morphology and how various design elements will effect silhouette; even for those of us lucky enough to possess a figure for which most establishments design their clothing. Or is 38/48L considered skinny these days?
