last week, I wrote about it Why Stofa My favorite designer brand. They are designer to the extent that they create less-classic apparel, and are based on design (especially clothes). Yet they still have many of the characteristics we value in enduring style, such as quality, craft and authenticity.
That was an opinion piece. Today I’m going into more product detail, using a try-on session I did with Agyesh (Madan) and Nick (Ragosta) to talk about what makes certain pieces special, and also talking about Stofa.
I hope this will be a useful extension and nice geeky description for all you product lovers. Note that the pieces are intentionally from different seasons, so some of them are not currently online (I’ve linked to those that are). But those that are not available are made on order.
taupe wool/silk/linen
This piece, to me, is a good example of the use of scale in stofa. I like the style of this shirt and its unique material, but when I tried it on, the length was too short and the body was too A-line. This often happens on looser shirts, as I’m slim and taller than average for my chest size.
However, unlike other places, I could make one to measure and add a bit both to the length and to the body. Interestingly, Nick said that people actually sometimes get these shortened because they want to look bigger – they go up a size or two for a really loose, ’90s style, but don’t want the length to their knees.
What’s also interesting is that Made to Measurement is not being used here to achieve precision – as you typically do with sewing – but rather to create a different style, a different expression of the piece.
suede popover
fig suede
This popover is most useful as an illustration of the Stoffa style formation. But the ingredients are also revealing.
Regular readers will know that I have a hermes popover Whom I worship. But despite its orange color, that piece is more classic than this Stoffa version. The Stoffa piece has a large collar, deep opening, no buttons and a blouseier fit, making it dressier/sexier/more expressive.
That style goes into the Stoffa range (knitted polo are similar – larger opening, no buttons) and this is something you really shouldn’t try to measure and change (a mistake I talked about) part One). But that doesn’t mean other pieces won’t be for you – I probably wouldn’t wear popovers, but I would wear polos, for example, or shirts that also have a big collar.
As for the materials, our conversation revealed a lot of the work and thought process that went into them. “We wanted the lining to be soft enough to wear on the skin, but also slippery enough to be easy to get on and off,” Nick said. “You want it to be breathable, so it’s not too sweaty, and also not too heavy; you can’t use a yarn that’s 200 grams or more because it ruins the point of having a lightweight suede. It took a while to find the right suede, but we got there.”
Most brands will just choose a standard lining (I know, I’ve been in those conversations) and they definitely won’t use wool/silk for the rib.
Chocolate Tropical Wool
As you would expect, this is the one I found particularly interesting as it was closest to sewing. However, when speaking to Nick and Agyesh about this, they emphasized the shirt side of things, as well as how the material can create two very different versions.
“We call it the shirt jacket on purpose,” Nick said. “Yes, it’s shown in a beautiful way, but it’s not the idea you have in mind of a tailored jacket. It has no side panels, no darts, and it’s completely unlined. It’s made like a shirt.”
And yet, that’s the first thing I want to measure, because style is as complex as a jacket – length, volume, where the waist sits. Folding a shirt is a simple thing, but a jacket is more complicated. Apparently most agree, as most of these shirts-jackets are MTM ordered in stores.
The second point was that the design is done in such a way as to fully express some of the clothing. Wool is chosen because it is soft and fluffy, while a particular wool/silk is chosen because it is slippery and has a lot of shine. Much of the issue of apparel is about clothes, not in the way we are used to thinking about things.
This is actually a problem I know readers face when they commission things like overshirts from tailors. They use sewing materials because that’s what’s available, but those materials aren’t always suitable for something completely unstructured. This is one area where design-based brands almost always fare better.
raglan coat
anthracite silk/cotton/linen
If a coat isn’t that warm, and it’s not waterproof, what does it mean? I know this is a question readers often think about (and ask). Like this coat, I think the answer is style. During in-between seasons, some people prefer something three-quarter length like a field jacket, while others prefer something a little longer.
In fact, London is the kind of place where a middle coat is most useful – where it can be cold in the morning but warm in the afternoon; Where you have to layer up often; Where New York is more likely to experience brief showers than storms. That’s exactly what this week has been like in London.
It was also interesting to talk to Agyesh about waterproofing, as it’s a subtle topic that often boils down to ‘is it waterproof?’ Is limited to. He doesn’t use treatments, but he does choose a material that is more water resistant – it makes a big difference if the material is a tighter weave, has a slightly brushed finish, wool rather than cotton, etc. This type of thing means that water does not penetrate the material immediately, and therefore creates a natural resistance.
Finally, I don’t own any of the above existing pieces, but I do have several pieces that I wear frequently, so for more reference they are:
- Spread collar shirt in cotton/silk slub (sand with ivory)
- Cashmere (Walnut) U-Neck Vest
- currently available in cotton but not kashmiri
- Field Blouson in Wool/Hemp (Sand)
- Made available to measure in various materials
- hooded sweatshirt in cotton terry (bone)
They are all pictured below. If anyone has any other questions about these or other pieces, let me know and I can try to answer from this experience, or put them on Nick and Agyesh.
