People saying the shoe is the first thing people notice about a person. In my case, especially when saying a male, it’s often the shirt collar that catches my eye in the first place.
Take a stroll in the National Portrait Gallery’s 17th-century room, probably the most prominent feature one can notice is those sophisticated shirt collars & cuffs.
From the 16th to the 18th century, the shirts worn by the European male royalties are no less flamboyant than today’s most delicate Haute Couture designs for women.
The shirt, survived from “the Great Male Renunciation” period through the 18th century, remains an essential garment in men’s wardrobe.
Up until the mid-19th century, with the overwhelming influence of George Bryan Brummel and the dandy culture, wearing a white linen shirt shows the prestigious social status of the gentleman. As Alan Flusser noted: “The shirt, more than any other male garment, has served to distinguish a man’s wealth and social class.”
Been through the ups and downs of fashion, the shirt never lost its position in modern citizens’ wardrobe. Nowadays, the importance of shirts is even higher with the revival of tailoring culture.
In the late September, I met Bo Yang, the Canadian former investment banker and commodities trader, who had joined the army of reviving tailoring culture since a few years ago. Being a style enthusiast, Bo soon befriended with Hugo Jacomet, a men’s style writer and the founder of the Parisian Gentleman. Bo was looking for opportunities to peruse his passion into tailoring and fine craftsmanship back then. As one of the most well-informed men in the sartorial area after visiting thousands of ateliers and factories, Hugo introduced Moral, a family-run shirt manufacture from Bologna, Italy, to Bo……
bravo.
I would be so grateful if Mr Yang could answer to a simple question: does he think to pay salaries of people who worked for him in Marol, this wonderful company?