Interview with Laszlo Vass (Claymoor)
“The most classical model with the greatest tradition, the Budapest model, is made with the classical Budapest design and with the classical Budapest last. The Budapest model is also available on different lasts; our latest last is a result of cooperation with Roberto Ugolini. Some more traditional and some new models are designed by our designers. The people likes good shoes for good price. We need to find the best balance. We are not afraid to sell shoes for good price. But we need to focus also on quality. If there is a good balance, then everybody is happy and they’ll wear the shoes with good feeling. This is our goal.”

The Charm of Tassel Loafers (Put This On)
“Tassel loafers came into being in the post-war period of the 1940s, right when tweed jackets, Shetland sweaters, and penny loafers dominated prep schools and Ivy League campuses. As college students graduated, they wanted something as comfortable as their slip-ons, but were a bit dressier and more sophisticated for their new life in the business world. It was around this time that an actor named Paul Lukas came back from Europe with a pair of oxfords. They had little tassels at the end of their laces, which Lukas thought made them look more lively. So he took them to a couple of New York shoemakers to see if they could make something similar, and they in turn took the job to Alden. The company’s president at the time, Arthur Tarlow, came up with tasseled loafers and they were an instant success.”

What’s a $4000 Suit Worth? (The New York Times)
“Growth of 40 percent over seven years is mediocre for many businesses and could get a C.E.O. fired from a large apparel firm. But for the bespoke industry, it’s close to miraculous. As Rowland explained to me, even with a century-old reputation and a profoundly loyal customer base, it’s nearly impossible to get ahead. “There’s no scalability,” she explained. “Whether we’re making 50 suits or 1 — each unit costs the same.””

A Four in Hand is worth Eight in the Bush (Dress Like A Grownup!)
“Fortunately, the long tie has a trump card, and that is its unique flexibility. The same tie can be made to fit just about any collar shape extant, on account of the great variety of knots that have been developed for its use. The long tie once was called a “four-in-hand” tie to differentiate it from a bow tie, but four-in-hand refers to a specific knot style, and is only one possible knot that can be used.”