Men's Second Style

A fine formal suit is one of the absolute essentials in any man’s wardrobe. A man may feel that he needs just one, or one for each of any variety of occasions; this choice is best left to each man’s discretion. But every man needs at least one. This last is an elemental truth and can be neither ignored nor denied.

The need thus established, let us turn our attention to the issue of selection. While I’ve certainly featured worthy formal suits from other designers in the past, and will do so again in future, I find myself irresistibly drawn to the creations of edo Tone, again and again, as a moth to a flame. His new classic tailcoat suit is no exception, and well worth your consideration. edo reminded me that Dior calls this style a “Parisian tailcoat”, and its styling is indeed vividly evocative of a glamorous evening in La Ville-Lumière.

Smoothly shining fabrics, elegant lines, truly fine detailing—all these and more work beautifully together in service of a tuxedo that is itself most handsome. I have waxed eloquent more than once before regarding the top-of-the-line texture work that characterizes edo’s clothing; here, I think I need say no more than plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. Instead, allow me to direct your attention to the exquisitely sculpted shirt collar, bowtie and jacket lapels. Wing collar and silver bowtie are integrated in a single attachment, easily moddable for proper size and fit. The lapels are subtly curved and properly shaped to play well with one’s avatar, and I found it not at all difficult to achieve a close, natural fit. The curve of the jacket’s lapels in back accommodates perfectly the shape of the shirt’s sculpted collar. Taken together, the two assemblies are a model of understated elegance. Jacket, vest and snowy white shirt are provided in a flexible array that can be worn in any desired combination. Sculpted cuffs for the jacket and pants are also included. As well, you’ll find a version of the suit jacket that can be worn without the sculpted lapels, if you prefer.

My only reservation with this ensemble lies with the flexi tails: they simply aren’t as beautiful as the sculpted components of the jacket and shirt. The flexi tails themselves are quite fine, with clean edges in the alpha-channel transparencies, but the “belt” prim is a bit chunky and doesn’t allow for easy, close fitting. I was able to make more detailed adjustments (by using Edit Linked Parts) to fine-tune the belt prim on its own. However, I’m still not entirely happy with the result, and this may well be more than many will want to undertake. On a suit as fine as this, I would love to see a gracefully sculpted, close-fitting belt piece like that on (of all things) these sweat pants from Zanzo. Still, one has to look fairly closely to see the exposed straight prim edges against the dark fabric texture. The tails are certainly good-looking and more than serviceable, and they may well work better on other shapes with different proportions.

All in all, even keeping in mind this one caveat, this is a very fine-looking suit—vraiment très beau. Unfortunately, no demo is available, so you’ll have to trust me or step out on faith. If the construction of the jacket tails works for you, there’s no reason for you to be less than satisfied. Sartorially thus equipped, you will be more than ready for drinks at Experimental Cocktail Club, dinner at Le Meurice, and a magical late-night walk along the Seine, all in the company of someone very special indeed.

The Tailcoat Tuxedo for 2011 by edo Tone is available in Black, Navy and Gray. L$1000 at Styles of edo (Tyche 115, 133, 55).

Inspired both by Dior and by Woody Allen’s sweet, wonderful new film, “Midnight in Paris”, I took pictures for this post at Mont Saint Michel (Mont Saint Michel 81, 31, 21). This is a fantastically detailed build that must be seen and experienced to be believed…rather like Paris herself.