Before you know it, it’s there for life’s important moments, too.
I think a jacket is a garment that inevitably makes you feel a little formal.
More polished than a shirt, and more refined than a blouson.
That is precisely what makes it convenient, but at the same time, you need at least a little of the mindset of “I’m going to wear a jacket today.”
I have always found that feeling somewhat difficult.
Good evening. This is Matsushima from cantáte.
<cantáte>
"Linen Unstructured Tailored Jacket"
¥313,500 TAX IN
The jacket we made this time appears at first glance to be a refined tailored jacket.
It has lapels, hair canvas in the chest, and a small amount of fullness at the sleeve caps.It is properly made like a jacket.
But when you put it on, it is far lighter than you might have imagined.
It looks neat, yet you do not need to feel formal in it.
This time, I would like to begin by explaining why.
Can you see the hand-padded hair canvas?
When you hear “light jacket,” you may imagine removing the interlining, simplifying the inside, or otherwise making the construction lightweight.
But this time, it is not so straightforward.
The necessary tailoring is properly included where it matters.
It also uses a hair canvas.But only as far as the chest.
There is no interlining below the waist; while retaining the construction needed in the upper body to create the jacket’s character, unnecessary stiffness is reduced toward the hem.
That is why it looks proper, but feels light when worn.
It looks structured, yet air can pass through it.It is made to retain as little of the tension characteristic of a jacket as possible.
A so-called unstructured jacket, with lining only in the sleeves.
The inside is treated in the same way.The structural seams are finished with enclosed seams.
By finishing the seams in a wrapped manner without exposing the seam allowances, we not only keep the inside looking clean, but also minimize the presence of the seam allowances themselves.
That said, it is not simply a matter of making everything soft.
Hand basting is used in areas prone to stiffness and in places where we want the garment to settle neatly. Rather than pressing everything down at once by machine, we secure only what is needed by hand.
It is only a small detail, but these details accumulate and change the way a garment moves.
Generous hand-gathering at the sleeve caps
A modest amount of fullness is also given to the sleeve caps.
The sleeves are not exaggerated; the difference is almost imperceptible at a glance. But this small amount of ease allows the arms to move naturally, while the shoulder points settle quietly along the body’s curves.
Clothing is not shaped by its visible parts alone.
In fact, garments that feel most natural when worn are often carefully adjusted in small ways where they cannot be seen. This jacket is made in that same way.
The reinforcement method is the same as that used for slacks.
The areas of the out pockets that bear stress are reinforced with hand-sewn bar tacks.
What we use is a fabric woven from two strands of thick-count linen held together.It is then dyed with sulfur dyes.
When new, it has body for a suiting fabric.The color is deep, with a slight stiffness.
It is somewhat different from the soft, lightweight fabric people imagine when they hear the word linen.
But this is where the interesting part of this fabric begins. Sulfur dyes gradually fade through repeated wear and friction.
The cuffs, elbows, and pocket edges. The character gradually changes from the areas that come into frequent contact with the body, and a vintage-like fade begins to appear.
At the same time, the linen itself loosens and relaxes the more it is worn.
The buttons are made of water buffalo horn and attached by hand, one by one.
This is not only for appearance; the thread tails are left slightly longer so fingers can slip in easily, and adjusted to a height that makes fastening and unfastening easier.
The fabric, which is stiff at first, gradually softens as it is worn, moved in, and given time.It is not only the color that changes, but the texture as well.
It is not finished when it is new.
Rather, at first, it is fine for it to feel just a little unfamiliar. As the wearer’s movements become part of it, creases remain, the color fades, and little by little it becomes that person’s garment.This fabric was made to include those changes as well.
Pea-pod-shaped armholes, along with hand-sewn sleeve lining attachment
The sleeve lining is gathered with pick stitching at the sleeve bottom so it does not bunch up inside.
When the excess lining gathers or twists as you put your arm through the sleeve, it feels surprisingly uncomfortable. So we secure only the necessary points precisely, allowing the sleeve lining to settle naturally.
Linen is inevitably thought of as a summer fabric.
Well, in practice, summer really is good. Air passes through, and even when you sweat, it is less likely to cling to your skin. There are countless reasons to wear it on a hot day.
But if you ask whether that means you cannot wear it the moment September arrives, that is not the case.
Autumn is good. Winter is good. Spring is good. In other words, I think it is good all year round.
That said, not just anything will do.
Only properly tailored clothes earn the right to let you wear linen all year round.
The collar is a one-piece collar without a collar stand.
In turn, we shape it with thorough ironwork so that it follows the line from the neck to the shoulders naturally.
The area around the collar is also finely secured with pick stitching. Not to hold it rigidly in place, but to properly preserve room for movement.
Not a decorative collar, but a meaningful collar gorge, along with a hand-sewn collar canvas.
If you wore a thin, lightweight linen jacket that unmistakably said “summer” in December, I would be a little concerned, to be honest.
But when the shoulders sit properly, the chest has structure, and the garment stands properly as clothing, there is no need for the season to be limited simply because the material is linen.
If anything, linen worn in winter looks stylish.
I think anyone who works in clothing will probably understand this.
People in clothing shops really do like linen in winter.
Amid materials that settle naturally into the season, like wool and cashmere, the slightly dry texture of linen enters the picture. That incongruity is what makes it good.
Linen worn in summer is the obvious choice.
But linen worn in winter has a little twist to it.
Clothing shops are vulnerable to that feeling of being just slightly out of step.
Besides, not everyone in the world can simply wear a T-shirt because it is hot.
Some people have to dress properly even in the height of summer. There are evenings when, if you are going to a restaurant, you think it would be better to wear a jacket today.
And above all, we are a clothing shop.
It is 35 degrees outside. The cicadas are singing. And yet the shop floor is already showing autumn and winter.
By the latter half of August, we are already displaying wool and leather. In a shop like that, the staff cannot exactly be the only ones wearing shorts and sandals.
Clothing shops have their own seasons, separate from the actual temperature.
Linen tailoring is just right for those slightly unreasonable periods, too.
It looks proper. But it does not feel oppressive in the heat. Even beside autumn and winter clothes, it does not feel as though you are carrying summerwear over from the previous season.
You can wear it as it is when spring arrives, and of course it works in summer.
By autumn, the color will have faded a little, and by winter, it will be softer than it was at first. When I think of it that way, this is not so much a garment to wear according to the season as one to spend the seasons with.
That is why I do not want you to treat this jacket too carefully.
Rather than worrying about wrinkles or avoiding the slightest abrasion, I want you to wear it normally. It will become a little softer and fade a little more each time you wear it.
But this fabric suits it better when you do not stop that change.
Tailored jackets are often thought to be best kept in pristine condition. Of course, some clothes are meant that way.
But this time, I wanted to make the opposite.
The shape is proper. The tailoring is proper, too. And yet, you do not need to dress properly in it.
For work on hot days, slightly more proper restaurants, and clothing shops where you have to get ahead of the season.
And for people who have an unusual fondness for linen in winter, too.
After being worn for several years, the color fades at the sleeves and elbows, the linen softens, and the garment becomes slightly worn.
I think they look better at that point than they did when new.
When I was younger, there was a time when I thought clothes looked better when they were clean.
I used to think you should wear clothes carefully so they would not get dirty, preserving as much of their new condition as possible. I think young Matsushima probably thought that way, too.
But now, I find myself drawn to clothes that clearly bear the marks of having been worn.
How its owner has treated it. How long they have worn it.I find it more interesting when even those moments remain in the clothing.
It is proper, but you do not need to feel constrained. You do not need to worry too much about the season, either.
Before you know it, it will surely be there for the important moments in your life.
I want you to wear it until it is completely worn in.
This jacket will finally be complete by then.
cantáte 松島 紳
