What’s the point of wearing a tailored jacket in the 21st century? It was given up long ago as the normal day-to-day clothing men were expected to wear in public life; white collar workplaces have steadily abandoned it; and increasingly even formal events like weddings have no use for it either. A pandemic accelerated remote work trends, meaning the opportunities to go out are greatly diminished while leaders wrestle to get infection numbers down. In other words, many of the reasons to wear a suit or sport coat before—respect for others in certain occasions through a sense of decorum or class in your dress—no longer apply. So what’s left?
For Buzz Tang and Andy Chong, co-founders of The Anthology, the answer is that it’s an attitude. “That’s exactly how tailoring should be molded in modern lives—it’s a matter of choice, of attitude,” Buzz told me during a recent interview. “If I had to choose an era to live in, it would be now. If we were living in the 30s or 50s, us tailored menswear geeks wouldn’t be cool cats. We’d just be normal people because men all had to wear suits in public life. If couture and streetwear didn’t exist, tailoring people wouldn’t be cool. There’s no need to overthink. It’s just another form of garment, simple as that!”
In just two years, The Anthology has quickly gained a serious following. Impeccable branding, an instantly recognizable design ethos and a consistency in social media presence like any good millennial-run Internet business, The Anthology has the look and feel of a company much older than their true age.
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They recently launched their first collection of ready-to-wear (RTW) tailored clothing in the form of two sport coats, after having focused exclusively on bespoke and made-to-measure since their founding. I inquired and they graciously sent me one of them on loan for a week to try out, photograph and write about. Read on for my opinion on the garment and an interview with Buzz and Andy.
Design
It’s a great time to be a fan of tailored clothing as the Internet is awash with good-enough-quality tailoring that’s accessible and well designed more now than even 20 years ago. However, with that globalized supply and accessibility in pricing comes a certain homogeneity of design. The kind of menswear brand starter kit of check boxes to mark off as you design your house cut: soft shoulder (check), patch pockets (check), lightweight canvas (check), spalla camicia (check), barchetta breast pocket (check), shorter length (check). The result is a sea of well made clothes in nice fabrics without much to make any of them stand out.
The Anthology has created a garment they’ve clearly put some intentional thought into. The vibe I get is 1930s Old Hollywood glamour, but remixed with modern sensibilities to make it more wearable in the less formal context of today. In contrast with mid-century tailoring, which embodied industrial, mass production through its austere proportions and boxier fit, this jacket’s low gorge, slightly convex inward-curving lapel, that barchetta chest pocket and curvaceous patch hip pockets evoke something more humanist. Humanist design is evidenced by curves rather than squared off and straight lines—and indeed virtually none of the seams are straight on this jacket. To the untrained eye, of course, it looks just like another suit jacket or blazer, but these details do matter and I appreciate what they’ve done here.
Thankfully, the construction and proportions make it very wearable today. No strong, padded, super wide shoulders here. It’s made with a soft front canvas that means it’ll look and feel right at home dressed down with denim. Other details that help in that vein are those patch pockets and a contemporary length (not super short, but not super long either). The buttoning point is right where it should be at the natural waist. They have eschewed the ever popular “shirt sleeve” shoulder (spalla camicia) for a roped shoulder, which they say is to help counteract all these other sensuous design decisions and make it appropriate in business environments.
I personally feel it works best dressed up with a tie and tailored trousers. The proportions with that lower gorge and the roped shoulders make it feel dressier to me. However, it’s not completely out of context with jeans and an open collar shirt. I think the best formula for success if you were to wear it that way is to choose higher-rise jeans in a vintage-inspired straight leg. My contemporary slim-straight medium-low rise preference for jeans felt a little off.
Fabric is one area that I expect to see a very strong brand identity shine through with future RTW from The Anthology. There’s nothing wrong with flipping through the standard books from VBC, Abraham Moon, or the other big mills that every other maker uses; but the brands that truly set themselves apart, I’ve learned, do so through a cohesive, consistent selection of fabrics. That’s one thing that I sorely miss about Eidos under Antonio Ciongoli. He consistently chose outstanding, subtle yet interesting fabrics with a coherent aesthetic, to a degree I’ve seen very few othersbe able to pull off. Given the strong branding Buzz, Andy and the team have executed so far, I have every expectation they will continue to develop their own aesthetic through excellent cloth options in their collections.
Speaking of cloth, this jacket is a 75/23/2 wool/angora/cashmere fabric from W.Bill, vintage from the 90s in a nice shade of forest green (not evergreen, this has more yellow in it). It’s quite soft with a subtle weave that gives it a nice texture up close.
Quality
In hand, the garment feels very well made. To hit its $1,100USD price point, it’s a full canvas jacket made mostly by machine, with a few things done by hand that you’d expect: sleeves half set by hand (finished by machine), the barchetta pocket is done by hand (“it looks way better than by machine,” Buzz says), and their signature teardrop-shaped lapel buttonhole is sewn by hand as well. In contrast, their bespoke jackets are 90-95% hand-constructed (hand-padded lapels, the front canvas entirely attached by hand, plus hand-attached sleeves and collar, for instance). Compared to every other full canvas jacket I own or have handled, this feels just as nice or better.
The Future
Everything they make is made in their own workshop on mainland China, which they acquired before opening the shop. “We have around 20 employees now,” Buzz says. “At first we brought up craftsmanship a lot but we feel we’ve made our point with that.” Some might be accustomed to thinking “cheap” when thinking of China, but while that may have been true 20-30 years ago, that’s no longer the case. “Every continent has both good and sloppy work. Chinese-made garments can be very good but many businesses are enlisting them to make cheap ones with sloppy work just to keep the costs down. The long term of that strategy is that the skills to produce the high-quality work disappear over time, so that’s why we want to focus on training and only doing high quality work,” he says.
Given how quickly The Anthology has established its aesthetic through excellent branding, photography, design and Internet presence, I am excited to see what the future holds for them. The launch of RTW tailoring was notable to me because I’ve admired their bespoke since their launch, but attending trunk shows or visiting Hong Kong/Taiwan wasn’t something I was likely to ever do. I wish them all the best in growing their business and bringing their vision to more and more customers.
Read on for a short interview with them to learn more about their background, their motivations for the brand and more.
Thank you to Buzz, Andy and the whole team for graciously taking the time not only to send me this jacket on loan but also answering my questions (and specifically to Buzz for taking my call at 11pm for some follow up questions I had later on).
Find The Anthology’s RTW collections here.
Menswear Musings: What’s your background pre-Anthology? How did you become interested in menswear, and what was your path to starting The Anthology?
The Anthology: The Anthology officially started back in April 2018, founded by Andy Chong and Buzz Tang, with stores in Hong Kong and Taipei. Andy, an ex-financial analyst, previously ran a start-up focusing on 3D body scanning technologies for e-commerce purposes. With an immense interest in classic menswear and tailoring, Andy then moved on to the bespoke tailoring world and endeavors to develop a tailoring system that delivers the most detailed and consistent results possible, helped in no small part by his previous experiences. Looking after the atelier, Andy also aims to provide more training and opportunities in order to nurture the next generation, ensuring all facets of handcraft are well preserved and taught the right way.
Whereas Buzz’s story happens on the other side of the globe. Growing up heavily invested in high fashion whilst being dressed in classic blazers and trousers, his love for fashion gradually gravitated towards classic menswear as he thinks the latter defines better proportions of a human body.
Spending his early college years running up and down Savile Row learning from industry people, Buzz was very lucky to be taken up to be one of the few merchants on Savile Row. His budding interest in retail soon grew into a desire to make his mark in the industry. Via a friend’s introduction, the stars aligned, he had the opportunity to work with Andy, and thus The Anthology was born.
The true essence of the business is to pursue a style or aesthetic approach that we adhere to, to offer a new perspective to the market. It is also a cultural bridging process — to promote and to preserve craftsmanship.
Buzz: Having the privilege to run The Anthology is a matter of serendipity and also “right time right place”: I met Andy, who is the other pillar of The Anthology, when I was 18. We share the same goal in terms of how we perceive a brand, but also have very different perspectives. Thus, we effectively fill each other’s gaps which in turn makes the label more all-rounded. Based on his expertise in bespoke tailoring and my prior experience on Savile Row, Andy and I knew there would be an opportunity to start a concept shop that conveys the story of a modern man who carries that tasteful eclectic identity, a bricolage of the modern and the old. Thus, The Anthology was born.
MM: You’ve focused on custom-made and with this jacket, are introducing RTW—do you have plans to expand the RTW line, or is this just a one-off experiment?
TA: From bespoke, then made-to-measure, and now launching RTW, the whole setup isn’t a response to the current situation where travels are mostly banned, but instead a carefully considered decision. It has always been part of the plan to launch our RTW this fall and it just happened to be the right time to do so. We pride ourselves in designing original products that bridge classical wear and the modern world. We are constantly on the lookout for better solutions to deliver better garments. We have plans on launching more products down the line, which will depart even more from our bespoke specialty to help our customers make their wardrobe more all-rounded.
MM: What is your raison d’etre for The Anthology?
TA: A modern take to contemporise this industry and to make menswear cool again. “Unlearning and learning from classics in order to make things modern,” which is our motto. We also endeavor to create a collection of garments and objects that are reminiscent of the past for contemporary people. As much as we love dressing the old school way, we would always aspire to make things modern and relevant at the same time.
MM: How would you describe the style of your garment?
TA: A culmination of modern and old. Classic silhouette, but presented in a modern sense via the means of fabrics and design. Timeless style yet fun, and essentially comfortable.
The jacket silhouette is based on our prolonged study of body proportions and their subsequent reinterpretation of what constitutes a modern golden ratio. The house style features extended shoulders, a lower gorge and a specific proportion of collars and lapels, and slightly open quarters to enhance the “longer leg” look.
The design also addresses the decline in formality in modern day work culture. We believe there is a need to adapt to something softer, lighter and in essence more comfortable than something that is unnecessarily bulky and constrictive, hence the unpadded shoulders. While we have kept the interior of the jacket soft, it also comes along with slightly roped shoulders that retain an extent of formality.
We embrace softness and comfort as well as body positivity. We don’t see bodies as vessels of flaws. We simply want you to embrace it by letting a soft garment drape over you.
MM: Who do you think of as your customer and how do you meet his needs and wants?
TA: Eclectic. Enjoys classic silhouette, modern in terms of mindset and approach, playful and adventurous at times, but certainly not over the top nor outrageous. Any person who appreciates originality and creativity, someone who genuinely understands craftsmanship without prejudice and the cost of running an ethical and sustainable business, that’s our ideal customer. We are very chuffed to have come across a handful of them.
MM: What kind of quality are you producing, and what sets your garment apart?
TA: A full canvassed garment. That already speaks a lot about the garment itself. People always expect Chinese made garments to be cheaper. Yes, they can be, and that is why is the work on those is subpar and sloppy. We do not compromise on price nor have the intention to overcharge people. Every fabric that we source or develop is well-considered and has a story or a specific purpose. There is a reason for every thread and material that is woven and stitched into the garment. The hand-sewn buttonhole in a specific teardrop shape on the lapel is a signature of ours that showcases the level of craft we can achieve. We don’t do any sort of gimmicky designs such as having buttonholes in contrasty colors, nor to add embellishments to the garment that doesn’t serve any functional use. A jacket started off to be a practical garment and we would always respect the fundamental values of it.
One thing that most consumers would not be aware of is the form of the garment. We have done a lot of study and research on it, hence the jacket can fit most people easily, given one has chosen the right size.
Style also speaks a lot about us. It is “classic menswear with a contemporary take,” which sounds like an overused mantra, but our slight tweaks on designs and creative use of fabrics differentiate ourselves from the others.
MM: Are there any other special things about your clothing you want to say?
TA: Timeless doesn’t mean basic. Too many labels out there are doing basics because that’s the bare minimum. If you see yourself as someone who enjoys clothing, go for what you want. It’s 2020, dress for yourself, not for the norm.
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This jacket looks great. And i like that Anthology is now offering more RTW pieces (same as Prologue, and even Liverano), due to Covid restricting bespoke sales.
Can i ask your thoughts on roping? It seems quite substantial here (if that’s just the photos then please correct me), and gives the jacket a much more formal look. For the outfit you are wearing it looks good and well put together. But do you think this jacket could work in a more casual setting?
Many thanks.
Wow how did I miss this comment and not reply. My apologies! Better late than never I suppose.
For the roping, I agree it’s a bit outside the norm. I think if you wear a tie, it’d be great. If you don’t, it would feel a bit much to me, particularly on more casual cloths like tweed or something similar.
Personally I like a natural shoulder finished with the seam pressed open to give a bit of volume, rather than the full-blown neapolitan “camicia” style, where the seam is pressed inward.
I read your review of Anthology and Angloitalian with great interest. Comparing the photos, tje AI cut seems to look more appealing on you. Do you concur? Stylistically, which do ypu prefer? Construction wise, which one is better made?
Couple things of note here. First, I’d gained some weight by the time I did the Anthology review, so it’s a little more snug than I’d have preferred and that may make a difference just in how it drapes.
That said, I prefer the wider lapels of Anglo-Italian’s jacket style.
Construction wise I’d say they’re both about the same: mostly machine made with hand stitching where it’s important (sleeve/shoulder and collar).