The Journal

Notes on cloth, construction, occasion, and the art of dressing well.

Trouser Style Types: Pleats, Creases, Stripes, and Everything In Between

While many trousers look the same on the surface, there are subtleties that can either complement or detract from an outfit's overall formal appearance. The same goes for pants that might be needed in more casual contexts. The aforementioned differences are obvious, but what about pleats, creases, cuffs, or stripes? In this article, we'll seek to refine these details in a way that makes sense in the context of style and comfort without needing to resort to anything seemingly out of the ordinary.

Style

Style Tips For Matching Trousers and Sport Coats

It's easy to think of a sport coat as somewhat of a half-suit, as it is meant to be worn as a way to beef up any semblance of formality without going that extra distance a full suit would provide. Since sport coats are not meant to exactly match the rest of your outfit in the same way a suit is expected to, it ends up being one of the most versatile clothing items out there.

Style

Dress Code Ambiguity: What To Do When You're Not Sure Formal Wear Is Appropriate

As it goes with formal wear, there's no on-and-off switch that gets us from our everyday casual clothes into rigid black-tie attire. Rather, it is a continuum, full of nuance, variation, and individual deviations largely dependent on personal style preferences and regional customs that determine one's outfit for any given evening.

Style

Skinny vs. Standard Ties and Everything In Between: Determining The Right Size For Your Suit and Body Type

While neckties come in many different colors, patterns, and styles, they're offered in almost as many size variations, as well. Although the effect tends to be subtler than a given tie's pattern or color, its length, width, and the degrees to which it tapers can all have a profound impact on rounding out a person's individual style.

This month, we’re thinking about the difference between a suit that fits and one that belongs to you. Notes on cloth, construction, occasion, and the quiet details that make it personal.
— ENZO

Cloth

Trouser Waistband Types and How To Determine The Right One For You

The trouser waistband is not only vital from a functionality perspective but also from a stylistic one. This central component can determine how your dress shirt fits with the rest of your ensemble, how comfortable you are while you wear it, and how proportional the entire suit looks up close and from afar.

Construction

Suit Pockets: A Quick Guide and Keeping Your Formal Wear Functional

In both formal and casual realms, pockets have been standard features on most articles of clothing, and as a result, even if we don't realize it, we tend to take them for granted. The ease at which we carry our personal items with us today, however, was not always a given.

Style

Suit Care For Pet Households

While we're always ecstatic to greet them after a long day at the office, we might not be so thrilled all the time with how much pet hair and animal dander can get stuck to not only our clothes but also pretty much everything. But these extra considerations are well worth the companionship, and in this article we'll iron out what you can do to keep your formal wear looking neat and sharp if you're one of the lucky ones who happen to live in a pet household.