The Journal

Velvet corduroy is one of the most textural and most specific fabrics in the tailored wardrobe. It occupies a unique position: too casual for formal suiting, too distinctive for anything generic, and exactly right for the kind of piece that makes a room stop and look. Vestium NY uses velvet corduroy specifically for its artist collaboration bomber jackets and certain sport coat commissions — garments where the fabric is part of the statement.

A silk shirt is one of those garments that most people have never owned and many people don't know they're missing. The difference between a silk shirt and a fine cotton shirt is not subtle — the weight, the drape, the temperature regulation, and the way the fabric moves are all categorically different. For the occasions where it's appropriate, a well-made silk shirt is one of the most refined pieces in a wardrobe.

Gabardine is one of the most practical and underappreciated fabrics in tailoring. It is the cloth that powered the modern trenchcoat, the preferred material for the cleanest-looking trousers, and the fabric that provides a smooth, slightly hard-wearing surface for a range of tailored pieces. Unlike the more obviously luxurious suiting fabrics — the flannels, the cashmeres, the fine wools — gabardine does its best work quietly.

Windowpane check is the most legible pattern in suiting. Where glen plaid and herringbone are subtle from a distance, where birdseye requires proximity to resolve, the windowpane announces itself at ten feet. A single thin line of contrasting color runs in both horizontal and vertical directions across the cloth at regular intervals, creating a grid that resembles — precisely — the muntins of a window.