^^ Huntsman definitely uses the Islay Woollen Mill. This year's tweeds are much better than last year's - http://www.h-huntsman.com/huntsman-tweeds IMO they are more tasteful than the Dashing Tweeds too. Stunning when paired with the right colour of cords.

this thread hits upon two contradictory forces working within mens dress. On one hand there is the paradigm of an elegant man using a v simple palette of colours to show refined taste, anything in your face is considered vulgar, especially by an old money crowd where subtlety is everything. on the other, there is a dandyish impulse to attract attention (esp from the opposite sex).

now most people i consider to be fantastic dressers try and resolve this contradiction by staying in the first camp and restraining 95% of their outfit, but then drawing on the ideas from camp two to add a spash of colour into the overall look often using the tie, or dare i say it a pocket square .. or perhaps an interesting shirt or even perhaps an bright overcheck on a suit.

the story of icarus is pertinent, you need to fly the course between the two ideas or you face either looking boring & bland or alternatively an effiminate dandy who likes to play dress up. an image which sticks in my mind is a picture of jeremy hackett (dont care for his shops clothes, but the man himself knows how to dress)! will try and find & post below .. a ruby red polka dot bow tie, with the peak lapels, to me it conveys a message of restraint with flamboyance, just class.

i think FNB makes some really intersting comments about why the brash patterned suits are becoming more popular. i would also add that people wearing tailored clothing have a complex these days in the uk at least as the consensus amongst the plebs is that suits & ties etc and boring and old fashioned, so men buying tailored clothing are perhaps overcompensating by chosing non traditional bright in you face colours and patterns to overcome this idea. i also think that the prices of bespoke clothing have accelerated faster than inflation, therefore the financial aspect forces men to think along the lines of wanting to make a piece of clothing really 'worth it' by standing out & saying to the world its special. i have to say that i really like some of the huntsman tweeds in themselves, but i cant think how i would combine a bright pink tweed jacket lets say with shirts, ties without the whole thing becoming a v mixed up juxtaposition of ideas, with each piece competing ofr attention (unless you tone the shirt and tie down to very staid moncromatic colours, which would be turning classic mens dress on its head where the suit itself is usually the background and everything else enhances the look)! 

fruity

Last edited by Oldfruit1 (2012-11-03 10:32:28)

Definitely,i prefer a more quiet pattern and cut:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w32YM5jMM28/Tz9u9PhmK8I/AAAAAAAAApU/F6aNV2LlpBk/s1600/016.JPG

But if i have to be flamboyant,well,therefore i want be he:

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6lt1k6smB1qald0uo1_1280.jpg

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ma1c3fS0Yr1rf1jvro1_1280.jpg

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4jsmjLKTK1qhv5sho2_1280.jpg

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m41mjdMyy21qga0oyo1_1280.jpg

There are a few reasons I avoid garish flamboyancy. A couple have been mentioned by previous posters e.g. advancing years, personal ambiance.

The most important reason, though, is this: I much prefer the results of an imagination constrained by a few boundaries. In so many creative endeavours when an artist is limited in some way then the effort required to achieve transcendence tends to propel towards excellence. Inspiration thrives in it's efforts to overcome rules.

Each to their own, but for my part, garish clothing would remove the thrill of dressing. Trying to achieve something wonderful with more conservative garments is the skill I admire.