Put a Lid on It

Introducing the Laureate Fedora by Matt Deckard Apparel.
This is the prototype. All the details have been hammered out to create the highest quality production felt hat on the market.


I've gone with a high crown and somewhat medium in scale brim in order to accommodate the face shape of most men. Too often do I see dress hats with crowns too low and brims too wide creating an affected look when worn. A dress hat should look natural with a suit and tie, not comical.


I've been studying what's currently out there for years and with that knowledge have worked out what you see below.

There is no powder in this felt so no discoloration or color rubbing off on your hands should occur. The felt is all beaver and has as little stiffener as possible. Over time it should make for a nice soft companion of a hat.

Russet colored roan leather sweatband and white satin liner.

This is the prototype. More info to come as time goes by. 

Looks rich, yet can't be comfortable.

The anti low waist and anti belt posting.


Bit of a diaper look with the low waist and the forward pleats that are slightly too tight and bow out, watch the movie (Wall Street), and then watch a movie from the 1930s with men wearing forward pleat trousers and you'll see the difference. If I were him I'd go 5 inches higher with the waste and have a little more room in general for the seat and the crotch.

The waist and the fit of trousers is a science that depends upon tailors that study anatomy and each and every body type. I go very high with my waist bands because I want comfort and style, not just style... it's also where the narrowest point of me is. I need trousers that can stay up without issue if made to fit without a belt. I wear suspenders because gravity sometimes contests my decision. If I wear a belt I tend to be adjusting all the time like when I have on a pair of trousers without one. Bottom line, suspenders suspend, belts just belt.

Why can't Gordon be comfortable? Well if he's got money he's eating, and if he's really a broker he hasn't time to workout... which means he has a belly. If his waistband is cutting across his belly rather than sitting above it at his waist, it cuts into his belly when he sits. Many men opt for the look of putting their belly above their waist in these situations, I advise to go above. In the end it's just more appealing.

Presented by Matt Deckard Apparel
www.mattdeckard.com

There comes a time in life when friends, a cocktail and tweed are the only things between you and a night of being cold and alone.

The First Annual Los Angeles Tweed Pub Crawl

Thursday November 11, 2010
Starting at 8:00pm

Wear your tweed. Whether it be a suit, a sport jacket, a cap, a scarf a skirt or a tie, put it on and let’s go out!

We’ll meet at the bar at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles and stroll to downtown’s finest purveyors of cocktails and ales. From 8pm ‘til we’re through.

Hope to see you there.

A jacket should be hard to put on and easy to wear, not easy to put on and hard to wear.

When it comes to clothes, and clothes that are meant for utility and looks, anatomy and fit should always come first. Fashion having an all powerful steel grip on the design of clothes isn't why I went into business, durability and fit is.


For a starter in leaving bits on here about good fit and bad fit -- the armhole. 


There are a lot of preferences when it comes to styling. You must decide the lapel widths and jacket length and pants drape. But when it comes to the armhole and your suit there is a good and a bad.

Bad Fit

The standard armhole you see at shops today is created by using a ratio to determine how people's bodies are shaped. Because the armhole is so big, you end up with a batwing effect that makes the suit hard to wear. The fabric pulls around with you as you move.


A fit like this always tends to ruin my day, especially when I decide I want to crawl under a train when escaping from an assassin that has recognized me on a trip to Prague. 

Good Fit

With a more fitted armhole, you have more mobility and the fabric doesn't drag around your body, it moves with your body.


Now with this armhole cut, not only could escape with ease, I also have a chance of winning the fight that might ensue on the top o the train car. I wouldn't have to remove my jacket. It would move with me and I'd look less disheveled in the end.

Company Update

Some writings I need to clean up and post.

Fit and the Human Anatomy

Comfort and Dress Shoes
How much abuse should a suit be able to take?
What's really timeless in menswear, and what takes you over the edge into costume?

Keep your fingers crossed if you are interested, and I'll keep my fingers pounding as I find all the information that makes those articles truly informational.

But first, updates.

I put out a hat last year that augmented my companies retail lineup. Selling custom clothes is fun yes, but what's really fun is when you can outfit a man from head to toe in a balanced looking outfit. And everyman that exposes himself to the sun should, unless going to the beach for a head to toe tan, wear a hat.

There are a lot of hats on the market right now, some good some bad. I wanted to put something out there that was just a little bit better than any mass produced hat you can find on the shelf of your local haberdasher. A hat that was balanced to the face that didn't look too retro or too costumey. A hat that was just a hat that went well with a nicely tailored suit.

The MD-1 Phantom Gray fedora was a success and I'm doing more, yet this time I'm going to upgrade the quality of the fur felt. They will be in another limited run just like the originals, but they will be in a completely new color that I will showcase here when the prototype is available for photographing. As with the original MD-1, I'll be taking pre sale orders when I've settled on the prototypes specs and know my manufacturer can do it without any hiccups.

Phantom Gray MD-1

MD-1 specs for upcoming run
100 percent beaver felt for flexibility and durability in the elements
Roan Leather sweatband for soft comfort that molds to your head
Satin lining to protect the felt from oils or hair goo you may use

I'll release the price of the upgraded MD-1 when they are available.

Spats. That's right I said spats. The kind you button over your shoes. There aren't enough companies in the world making them and when A client asked me if MDA could make him a pair I said of course. They are now part of the lineup, and when one of our tailors comes to your town all you'll need is an ankle measurement and your shoes size on hand to place an order. Since they are custom, the price is around $130.00 at the moment, they are hand cut and tailor made.

Here is one for a left shoe.

MDA Spats

Isn't it beautiful?

Now the suits. I've been hunting for heavier weight wools like those used in the 1930s and 40s. Cloth you can abuse without really worrying about damaging it too much. Not tweeds, but regular suiting that wrinkles little and can take a tumble so you're ready to show off your chalk stripes at the business meeting the next morning. As you know, I'm all about a suit that you can wear doing just about anything, and that starts with the cloth. More on that in the next Company Update.

There is a new schedule of where you can be measured across the US over the next few months. I'll be adding images of clients in their custom designs so you can see how smashing a well tailored suit can look when it's made to your anatomy without compromise.

Matt Deckard
www.mattdeckard.com

Ask Andy and the Belt Back

Tailoring isn't just fashion and draping goods over a human form, it's anatomy and knowing how to make the wearer feel as though they have nothing holding him or her back.


Which leads me to Andy's new belted back bi-swing jacket. Made inside and out like those of the old days. 


Got to catch up with author Andy Gilchrist of www.askandyaboutclothes.com before he headed off to New York. Thankfully I was able to get some pics of his bespoke Matt Deckard Apparel sports jacket over lunch at Cole's French Dip in Downtown LA.


Andy asked Matt Deckard Apparel to make him a sports jacket that could take him anywhere, meaning from the countryside to the modern boardroom and then out for a night on the town.


Andy's Bespoke Sport Jacket
Three button front with tab collar for full closure at the throat if desired. 
Button through box pleated pockets for carrying any daily needs.
Belted back for waist suppression detail (always looks cool).
Bi-swing back for complete ease of movement, after-all, the jackets for complete functionality... can be taken hunting or to the office without a qualm.


Very classic Hollywood in style, harking back to the days when the stars were as tailored as they were talented.