The Clotheshound

March 16, 2010

$300 Jeans – Are they worth it?

Filed under: Business Casual, Care and content, Fashion Industry, Fashion Trends — Tags: Agave, Caitac wet-processing, designer denim, jeans, Jeff Shafer, Men's Health — The Clotheshound @ 9:30 am

Walmart sells jeans for peanuts. Household brand names, like Lee’s or Levi’s, retail for under $50 and make a lot of noise about it. So is it possible to defend jeans that sell for as much as $300? Men’s Health writer Sandra Nygaard thinks a case can be made.

She says “Spending $300 on jeans sounded crazy to me before I arrived here with Jeff Shafer, the owner and designer of the California-based premium-denim label Agave. Agave is one of a dozen high-end brands that use Caitac to finish (or sometimes rough up) jeans that can cost as much as $250. “High-end jeans are like microbrew beers,” Shafer says. “Sometimes a Bud is great, but if you’re someone with discerning taste, then you’ll know why the good stuff is worth it. There’s a passion for what’s behind the finished product.“

Read the entire article here: http://www.menshealth.com/style/jeans/in-defense-of-300-jeans.php#ixzz0iLhXEqiB

For Spring 2010 Tuttle Distinctive Sportswear presents Agave’s Luxe Touch Waterman Jeans in three colors … by the way, they don’t sell for $300.

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March 2, 2010

How to select a polo shirt?

Filed under: Business Casual, Golf — Tags: Bugatchi Uomo, Dunniing Golf, golf shirt, Lacoste, polo shirt, tennis shirt, Tuttle Tailored Collar Polo — The Clotheshound @ 5:11 pm

What is a Polo Shirt?

First, let’s establish what is a polo shirt? According to ApparelSearch, a clothing and textile industry database, a polo shirt is a T-shaped shirt with a collar, with 2 or 3 buttons and a slit (placket) below the collar, two small side slits on the bottom of either side and an optional pocket, like Tuttle’s Tailored Collar Polo.

Tuttle Tailored Collar Polos

Common fabrics for these shirts include pique, jersey or pima cotton with or without stretch components. Names for this type of shirt may also come from sports with which they are associated , ie golf or tennis, True polo shirts have a “tennis tail”, which is a bit longer in back than in front in order to stay tucked in during activity. The original 1929 design by tennis player Rene Lacoste called for a thick pique collar that one would wear turned up in order to block the sun from one’s neck.

How to select the right polo shirt in 4 easy steps?

1 Decide what the use of the polo shirt will be. If the polo shirt is to be worn for a golf game choose a shirt made from breathable or “technical” fabric such as Dunning’s Pique Performance Polos, or TailorByrd’s 4 button placket with pocket style. Women can choose from Sport Haley’s cotton polyester spandex polos, Tail, Bette & Court or EP Pro. For business casual wear in the office or off-site meetings choose a polo with more detailed styling, such as the contrast collars offered by Bobby Jones, the contemporary patters from Bugatchi Uomo or Ben Hogan’s tipped contrast collars. Women can choose from the Bobby Jones Women’s Collection with tipped placket styling.

2 Decide whether you want a short sleeve or long sleeve shirt. Choose a short sleeved shirt for warmer days or under sweaters. Choose a long sleeve polo shirt for brisk fall days. Remember you can layer polos and still look fashionable with the shirt collar sticking up through. Tuttle’s tailored collar is unique in that it similar to the collar of a dress shirt or sport shirt and looks alone, layered or with a blazer or sport coat in both short and long sleeved styles.

Bugatchi Uomo

3 Choose a better quality polo shirt. There are cheaper polo shirts at super stores and mass merchants, but the quality will also be less than acceptable. The shirts will lose their shape, size, color and stitching quickly. The cheap polo shirts will fade and they will become less acceptable with each wash., eventually turning into your “change the oil” or “work in the garden” shirt. Choose high quality polo shirts and they will last twice as long.

4 Buy a polo shirt from a reputable reseller that will stand behind its merchandise. Buy from a company who will exchange or do something for you if your shirt gets stretched out or loses its shape within just a few wearings. Tuttle has been selling high quality polos for over 20 years.

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December 23, 2009

What’s behind a Designer Label name?

Filed under: Fashion Industry, Fashion Trends, Golf — Tags: Blue Willi's, designer label, Dore Dore, Dunning, Geiger, Magnanni, Saint James — The Clotheshound @ 2:27 pm

The term designer label refers to clothing and other personal accessory items sold under an often prestigious marquee which is commonly named after a designer. One interesting trend concerning designer label garments is that although in the past they have been regarded as elitist and generally the province of the rich and wealthy, the deep recession that started to bite in the United States in 2008 saw thousands of women’s designer label fashion items making their way into recycle stores online. Labels like Ralph Lauren, Zac Posen and Chanel were now affordable to the general population.

An additional business trend within the ‘designer label’ industry has seen the general accessibility of the brands increase through increased affordability. This creates a paradox for the labels in question: By reducing their prices and increasing their market size, they increase their profit and customer base. However, in doing so, they alienate their extremely affluent customers who appreciate the social status accorded to them by the designer brands. This causes many of the more affluent customers to continually seek out new brands and rely less on those that are excessively commercialized – thus eventually leading to new designer brands. The rise of the internet has provided customers access to a designers and brands that they would have otherwise not known about through online commerce.

Tuttle has consistently offered “designer label” apparel, more by dint of their specialized focus, i.e. golf or resort wear, or by dint of unique style and limited distribution. This underscores the demographic attributes of the designer label customer – unique, quality oriented, active and focused. Currently we offer the following designers among others:

Currently we are offering these and other designer label items at a 15% savings off retail. This is an ideal opportunity to obtain these unique and limited items at substantial savings.

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December 11, 2009

Cotton-Viscose Blend Sweaters from Bolivia

Filed under: Fashion Industry, Fashion Trends, Sweaters — Tags: alpaca sweater, cashmere sweaters, cotton sweater, cotton viscose yarn, designer sweater, women's sweater — The Clotheshound @ 11:12 am

There are two basic types of yarns from which sweaters are made: naturally occuring, such as alpaca, cashmere and various types of wool and synthetic, or man-made. Tuttle offers some of the most interesting and beautiful Bolivian knit cardigans which feature a 60/40 cotton/viscose yarn. A cotton-viscose blend produces a beautiful and distinctive luster and drape that cotton alone cannot replicate. Adding to shape retention and durability as well, viscose is also known as “artificial silk” and dates from its invention in 1891. It is the first and most highly refined member of the family of man-made fibers.

Viscose, or the founding member of the rayon family,is <ital>not a synthetic fiber. </ital>Rayon was the first man-manufactured fiber. Unlike most man-made fibers, rayon is not synthetic. It is made from wood pulp, a naturally-occurring, cellulose-based raw material. As a result, rayon’s properties are more similar to those of natural cellulosic fibers, such as cotton or linen, than those of thermoplastic, petroleum-based synthetic fibers such as nylon or polyester. The qualities of rayon are quite different than nylon and explains why it is used in higher end garments.

Adding to the quality of our cotton/viscose cardigans is the fact that the exacting specifications of knit stitch and intricate designs, including beading, coloration and finishing, follow the best traditions of single-piece, hand crafted creations. Our sweaters are a combination of fine-machine knits assembled and finished by hand, creating a garment of intrinsic beauty and value. We welcome you to shop and select from our current offerings.

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November 30, 2009

Cashmere Sweaters for Men and Women from Tuttle

Filed under: Care and content, Fashion Trends, Sweaters, Uncategorized — Tags: cashmere hat, cashmere scarf, cashmere sweaters, Kashmir, men's cashmere, women's cashmere — The Clotheshound @ 12:18 pm

Cashmere sweaters are made from the luxuriant wool of the Cashmere (Kashmir) goat and are experiencing strong demand this Holiday Season. These sweaters’ silken feel, feather-light weight, and appreciable status make them highly desirable.

Garments made of cashmere were once only available to royalty because the rarity of the wool increased its value. Napoleon is said to have popularized the use of cashmere as shawls or wraps when he gave his second wife, Empress Eugenie, seventeen of them. Despite the glamour associated with cashmere, its roots are humble. Cashmere is the wool or fur of the Kashmir goat, originally raised and sheparded by mountain nomads. Kashmir goats are primarily raised in Mongolia, but many are bred in Iran, Tibet, India and China. American herders have also joined the international cashmere production market in recent years.

Cashmere is harvested from the goats during their annual molting season through the shedding or the shearing of their down. In the frigid high desert climates where most of the goats are raised, the dense inner coat guards against harsh winter weather, but once seasons change, goats begin to lose the protective layer of down.

The finest cashmere comes from the underbelly and throat of the goats, but a lesser grade is also taken from the goats’ legs and backs. Longer fibers from the belly and throat area make the wool especially soft and cause less “pilling” when the fibers are woven into garments such as sweaters, shawls, capes, dresses, and coats for both men and women. The shorter fibers from the backs and legs are heavier and less expensive, making it easier to afford a luxury garment. Cashmere comes naturally in white, gray and brown, but the wool is easily dyed.

Quality cashmere wool sweaters provide a luxurious feeling and comfortable warmth as well as style. Pure, quality cashmere is unavoidably pricey, but the resulting high quality garments makes it a worthwhile purchase. Tuttle offers only the finest quality cashmere sweaters, scarves and (even) socks and hats for men and women.