An American shirt is cooked by the Italian way of thinking.
HOUYHNHNM's has picked up a London stripe fabric and two checks with different patterns to make this shirt. . It is not a B.D. shirt, but a regular collar.
Kaneko: From catching up with HOUYHNHNM's editorial team, we thought that stripes would be a good place to start. . The idea was born. Plain broadcloth would be too dressy, and many of our readers wear casual bottoms such as military pants and chinos, so we thought it would be a good idea. London stripes are a typical American traditional pattern, and I thought that would somehow fit the mood.
. This is also a fabric that is generally distributed, isn't it?
Kaneko: Yes, that's right. However, this time it is a pattern, not a solid color, so it was difficult to find a good one among them. . I knew I had to use a fine count yarn, otherwise the pattern would not come out beautifully. While digging around, I found an attractive striped fabric, and in the process, I also found two plaid patterns.
These two checks are somewhat delicate to the touch. Are they special fabrics?
Kaneko: The fine checks are from "Monty" and the large checks are from "Thomas Mason". There are only a few of these fabrics, and we can only make a very limited number of pieces, so they are good fabrics, but we have offered them at a special price. It is interesting to have this kind of check as an extension of the London stripe, and since our foundation is an American traditional shirt, we felt it would go well with that.
. Each of them has a different look, but I feel that they are strangely cohesive.
Kaneko: . I felt like it was very realistic. It's not too overdone, and if you respect the mood of the moment too much, you may not be able to wear it next season. I think the pattern is universal, not too current, and hits the perfect spot where it feels good. It's the kind of pattern that, if you had it in your wardrobe, you would want to take it out and wear it again and again.
. Perhaps it's due to the tailoring, or perhaps it's not so much a "cozy America" as it is a "cozy America," despite the traditional foundation.
Kaneko: It has an indescribable sense of balance. The collar is also sampled from the shape of the good old American B.D. shirt. It is a shape that fits in well, but in a good sense, it is not dull.
The silhouette is a box, isn't it?
Kaneko: The balance between length and width has been slightly rearranged to make it wider than the original shirt. Originally, the length of the shirt was set longer in order to be tucked in, but since we now live in an era where people wear shirts without tucking them in, we have re-edited the shirt to make it more modern.
And you make them with the best tailoring.
Kaneko: . The tailoring was made with Neapolitan tailoring in mind. For example, the arms are sewn by hand, but you can see the stitch lines under the armpits are not aligned. This is because the sleeves are sewn so that they are in the front. This is the Italian way of thinking, and since the sleeves of jackets are all fitted in the forward direction according to the structure of the human body, we decided to do the same with the shirts. The base of the shirt is an American shirt, but it has been cooked according to the Italian way of thinking. That is the most distinctive feature.
Kaneko: Also, at the buttonhole, I added one detail like a bartacking, which is called "glycan". The back side of the front placket is made of a flimsy folded fabric, so I think this is to prevent it from playing with the fabric. . That's how you incorporate European ideas.
Do you think there are only a few factories in Japan that can sew these arms in this way?
Kaneko: Yes, it is. Naples was originally a poor city, and the culture of hand-sewing developed because of the lack of machines. But in Japan, there are machines, so there are not many people who have the same skills as the Neapolitan craftsmen. There is such a difference in background between Japan and Naples, and the technology born from poverty has realized beautiful craftsmanship.
When sewn with a sewing machine, puckering is created and it looks as if it were sewn by machine, but when sewn by hand, it gives a very soft impression. I find it sexy.
It is curvilinear rather than linear, and has a warmth to it.
Kaneko: Italian shirts are clearly sexy and fluffy. No matter how they are made, they do not look stiff. I think that is what attracts Japanese people to Italian shirts. I wanted to incorporate that element into American traditional shirts.
. Does the fineness of the needle also affect the visibility of the watch?
Kaneko: . I think you have done quite a bit. I know it is hard to see the stitches because of the pattern this time, but I guess the beauty is different when it is stitched in detail.
I feel that such subtlety also influences the "sex appeal" that you speak of.
Kaneko: . I think so. The shirt has a very loose shape, so if it were sewn in a normal way, it would be too casual. However, by creating this form with beautiful tailoring and sewing, an interesting and sexy look is created.
