Jan Tong of The Armoury Hong Kong gave us a look at some of his favorite custom commissions from over the years.
Many of my style inspirations come from old photos, illustrations or vintage pieces from the 1930’s. I love the idea of people wearing linen suits while on holiday, they are casual yet very elegant. Many of the jackets from the 30’s were ventless, paired with full cut trousers. Ueki-san’s house style was a good match and an aesthetic that I love for this suit. Another detail I requested are the patch pockets, not common nowadays, but a popular feature on many suits from the 30’s.
The Model 6 has always been one of my favorites from The Armoury house cuts. I ordered via our made-to-order program, specifying the new wool seersucker from Vitale Barberis Canonico. Compared to traditional cotton seersucker, wool seersucker makes for a more breathable, wrinkle resistant option that also holds a sharp trouser crease. It’s good holiday or travel suit. Our Model 7 seersucker suit is made from the same cloth in a different color.
We hunt for fabric each season and happen upon some special swatches. I found this check cloth by Vitale Barberis Canonico whilst at the fabric shows of Milano Unica and ordered it through our made-to-measure program. I love wearing one of our polo shirts with it as the collars to stand up properly under a jacket and the solid color works perfectly with the strong pattern.
This is one of our favorite suiting fabrics from VBC, the four-ply wool. The high-twist yarn makes it a perfect cloth for Hong Kong’s warm weather. As a four-ply weave is a slightly heavier it provides a nice drape to the suit. I also like the idea of having a heftier cloth made with Ueki san’s soft tailoring, which gives a structured, comfortable fit. In terms of color, I went for a monotone palette to emphasize the different patterns.
Another piece from Orazio Luciano, this time made from a heavy linen cloth inspired by a vintage jacket from 1930’s. This quality of linen is more commonly used in furnishing rather than jacketing. The thick linen yarns give the jacket added texture and help it wrinkle less. A cream jacket is a great option for summer, reflecting light and heat rather than absorbing it.
