A leading men’s fashion writer has penned a forensic Twitter thread detailing where formal tailoring goes wrong for so many famous faces – but says King Felipe VI of Spain frequently offers a masterclass in ‘perfect proportions’.
California-based Derek Guy, who writes the Die, Workwear fashion blog, examined photos of the Spanish monarch at the Men’s Singles final at Wimbledon this weekend, saying the 55-year-old royal looked ‘great’ and that it was ‘very rare to see this level of tailoring nowadays, even on the wealthy’.
King Felipe, who watched his countryman Carlos Alcaraz come through a five-set thriller with Novak Djokovic on Centre Court, was spotted wearing a light grey suit jacket over a white checked shirt, paired with black tailored trousers and a navy and white patterned tie.
Clearly a fan of the Spanish king’s collection of suits, Guy’s thread explained exactly what Felipe, who stands at 6ft 5′ tall, gets right.
King of tailoring! King Felipe VI received high praise from menswear blogger Derek Guy after his appearance watching the Men’s Singles Final on
Why does it work so well? Guy says there are three things that the king’s tailor sticks to with his suits; the collar always hugs the neck, there’s no pulling anywhere and his suit jacket lapels end about halfway from collar to shoulder bone
In the same thread, he also pointed out, illustrating with photos, some of the major suit fails that high profile stars have made including Daniel Craig – whose apparent fondness for a short coat can leave him looking like his suits are ‘sausage casing’.
The vast majority of world leaders at the NATO Summit in Vilnius last week also suffered trouser fails, according to Guy, who said many of the male presidents pictured in a group photograph had trousers on that were cut way too long for them.
The sartorial guru pointed out all of the ways in which King Felipe’s tailoring sings, discussing precise proportions, lapel rolls and sweeping ‘quarters’.
The Spanish royal used the same tailor, Jaime Gallo, until the artisan’s death in 2015 – having been dressed by him since he was an 11-year-old boy, according to Guy.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain pictured in April this year at the Royal Palace in Madrid: Guy says the king’s ‘coat’s lines flow into the trousers, making the outfit a coherent whole’
He wrote: ‘King Felipe consistently looks great, and it seems that all of his suits are cut by the same tailor.
‘Some basic points: 1. Collar always hugs the neck 2. No pulling anywhere. Things hang cleanly 3. Lapels end about halfway from collar to shoulder bone (nice proportion).’
A rolling lapel also helps Felipe’s look, says Guy, saying a slight curvature to a jacket’s lapel suggests ‘very fine tailoring’.
He praised his jacket ‘quarters’, referring to how the front of a jacket, below the buttons, sits, saying the King’s quarters ‘sweep away, creating a more dynamic line.’
However, Daniel Craig didn’t fare so well, with Guy saying the star often wears jackets that are too short and tight, saying they leave sleeves riding up
Sleeve appraisal: Guy said of Craig’s ensembles: ‘His right sleeve is often two inches too short. I suspect this is because his bicep is too tight and he is right-handed.’
The world of politics got short shrift too, with NATO leaders meeting in Lithuania on July 11 falling foul of trousers that are too long, says Guy
The writer added that his jackets have ‘a very classic and flattering proportion’, with the coats ending ‘halfway from the collar to the floor’.
Turning his gaze to those who haven’t quite got the same tailoring prowess, he said many male stars wear jackets that are too short, publishing a photo of Daniel Craig at the 2012 Skyfall premiere, and in the striking velour pink jacket he donned at the No Time to Die premiere.
He wrote: ‘Craig often wears clothes that are too tight for his body. This causes the buttoning point to strain across his waist, the lapels to buckle away from the chest, and the coat’s collar to lift off his neck.
‘His right sleeve is often two inches too short. I suspect this is because his bicep is too tight and he is right-handed. When he waves or shakes people’s hands, his tight sleeve is prone to riding up on him, leaving him with too much shirt cuff. Happens often at press events.’