Talk Like a Tailor

The blog entitled English Cut, is written by Thomas Mahon a Savile row tailor, (london).

The blog gives you the vocabulary to speak with tailors and understand their language. As well, you will get an idea of how these craftsmen do their work.

Mahon is very direct about the differences between what he does and off-the-rack crap that tends to cost allot more.

This guy sets out his standards for friends and tailors.

1. They have to be the best you can buy. World-class quality, without any doubt whatsoever.
2. They have to offer value for money, at the price point they're selling at. Cheap designer rubbish is not welcome.
3. They have to make their products in the United Kingdom, whenever possible.
4. We have to know them well, and like them as people. They have to be good souls with the proper attitude.

His also an advocate of the white shirt company -- a great sources of wonderful shirts. Their advertising appears to be aimed directly at men like me. I thought I was the only guy that like seeing a pretty woman barely clad in one of his dress shirts. Michelle Doherty (above) fits a pattern.

I suspect I am not that unique.

Getting Your Hair Cut

Renaldos and Avenda -- good places to get your hair cut.

They do an excellent job and keep you presentable.

Renaldo's is the in the process of moving.

They guy in the picture, is my neighbor. He works at Renaldo's.

Aveda Lifestyle Store
Rideau Centre
613.569.7724

Valor

In 1881 Don Valeriano López Lloret takes up the profession of chocolate maker and starts the activity that will later give rise to the present day company.

After the Civil War and with the intention of giving new life to the company, Don Pedro López Mayor takes charge and forms a partnership with his brother, Don Valeriano López.

Shortly they produce some of the best chocolate in the world.

Getting this stuff in Canada can be a challenge. But when I see it --- I get it!

Ice Breaker, not your average woolies

Icebreaker: I love the wide range of great colours and stylish, contemporary designs, with no in-your-face logos or branding; plus the fact that it’s all machine washable. Verdict: Ditch the shapeless fleece – Icebreaker is the way forward.

The Royall Family of Fragrances

Launched in 1961, these people gave my grandfather the opportunity to use Bay Rum fragrance.

Anthony Gaade, founder and first president of The Royall Family of Fragrances democratized sent. He said, “In the Royall Family Fragrance, we believe we have a truly unique range of prestigious gentlemen’s toiletries and grooming aids directed to discerning user and carrying the Bermuda message overseas." In reality, it meant that my grandfather (scrap iron merchant), his brother (textile factory owner) and rest, could have the distinct sent of the "washed" professions. Indeed, there was a time in this country, where the establishment held "upstarts in contempt" due to their smell, education, language, neighborhood and dress. This product took care of the first objection.

The packaging is really interesting. The bottles are of semi-hand-made glass from original clay molds with antimonial pewter-colored lead crown caps. Molded on each bottle is a crown and lime cluster with the words ROYALL LYME. Each bottle has the fragrnce name and crown in raised glass on the back with a distinctive colored label on the front. Each fragrance bottle is individually wrapped in fine parchment with a crown wax seal. These seals are made with the same wax used by the Bank of England.

I like the product because it reminds me of time when I sat on a large leather couch, listening older men's wisdom about markets, people and politics.

Hermes - I love ties and pocket squares

Hermès International specializes in the design, manufacturing, and marketing of luxury products.

I just love their pocket squares.

Falke - The Joy of Socks!

Few knitwear companies measure up to Falke of Germany which sets the standard for innovation and quality in modern hosiery, sport socks and sports apparel.

A century-old firm, Falke is famous for its patented circular knitting technology.

The process that renders Falke socks and athletic T-shirts virtually seamless, ensuring the best possible freedom of movement with a minimum of friction and pressure points.

Falke has also made important advances in climate control and comfort through the development of their award-winning Ergonomic Sports apparel line of socks and performance underwear.

Falke also produces some of the finest, hand-finished luxury socks in the world, from such exclusive fibers as Japanese silk, cashmere and Sea Island cotton.

Getting mens socks and active wear in Ottawa is difficult. But I will be looking!

Liste Rouge

The Parisian shirt maker Liste Rouge is now on-line.

Since 1938, Liste Rouge has established itself as one of the world’s finest custom shirt makers, renown for its fine quality craftsmanship and exemplary customer service.

Liste Rouge shirts are available in more than 1500 fabrics and patterns, from among the finest European weavers in Switzerland, England, Italy and France.

Their shirts - in a word - are awesome.

Raja Fashions

“The only man who behaved sensibly was my tailor; he took my measurement anew every time he saw me, while all the rest went on with their old measurements and expected them to fit me.”
- George Bernard Shaw

Raja Fashions
Cameron Road, Hong Kong, China

Raja Daswani is the resident genius and grandson of the original owner. His grandfather emigrated from India to Hong Kong to start up a custom tailoring business, and it has developed such a loyal following that customers stay for life. Raja’s clientele includes members of the House of Lords and Downing Street.

They are step above Maxwells. Go to your tailor and get measured and send your measurements to these guys.

OK I am never going to look like this guy. Besides, I don't think he spends any time in a tux. But the cloths these models are wear are examples of Raja's work.

Domus Café

Domus Café
85 Murray Street
613.241.6007

This place is great.

The restaurant serves New Canadian cuisine incorporates local and organic produce from the nearby farmers market.

Dishes are delicately prepared, décor is similarly light and bright, and the menu changes daily.

Reservations necessary.

Chef and Owner John Taylor is great. His passion for food was nurtured from his earliest days by his mother and grandmother; whose influence is evident in much of his current practices as Chef & Owner of Domus Cafe.

Welcome to DiVino Wine Studio and Enoteca!

This place is great.

The wine, the pasta and antipasto is wonderful. Their steaks, you are better off at Hy's.

The best part is the opportunity to learn about Italian wine. Open for lunch and dinner, they serve small plates and wine. The premise features an open kitchen, a stunning wine wall, a wine and food study corner with "enomatic" tasting stations, the modern state-of-the-art wine serving system, made in Italy (Greve in Chianti).

The best feature is the owner. Antonio Mauriello is a former computer scientist who gave upon scheduling problems to pursue wine. He also understands that the art of wine is largely a mater of probabilities and relative probabilities. In the past, there was not the computing capacity to estimate these parameters. With Baysian networks this has changed.

I have spent long hours speaking with him about develop wine algorithms for the planet. This has been done from France, California ... but not Italy.

The experience of good wine, can be made widely available. He is willing to help people into this world.

Places to Avoid: Holt Renfrew - not the place to meet women or buy a suit

Holt Renfrew is primarily aimed at women.

As a result, the mens goods that can be had there and the women for that matter need to be examined closely.

HR attracts people with profound aesthetic senses. I have immense respect for this and the store's stock reflects this crowd's sensibility.

But mens' clothing, unlike women's couture, does attach itself to the shifting debates of some peoples' artistic sensibilities
HR is not a place to buy a suit. You can have far better made to measure elsewhere.

HR is the place to buy ties and socks, pajamas and underwear. Beyond that, I am skeptical.

HR also sells illusions. The aesthetic of the place is associated with financial, emotional and social security. These things are temporary in a capitalist economy. I had the misfortune of meeting a woman, who I quite liked, at HR.

What I did not like is that she needed these illusions to be substantiated in her life. Her solution was to find a man meet her needs. The problem is that men, unlike God, cannot give guarantees. This is a shifting world a ambiguities. A man that promises things beyond his control is a lier. Truthful me can only speak in relative probabilities.

Smart women understand that element of chance and risk in life. They also understand the fortune favors the bold and the not the criminal.

To be sure there are men like this at HR, but they are in tow with a wife and kids. Why am I not married ... I did not take enough key risks and failed to comprehend opportunities.

Sensible women, who do not worry about squeezing their ass into spandex, can be found on Ottawa's running trails, ski slopes and gyms. There is something about the understanding that minor goals require sweat, exhaustion, some fear and sometimes pain, to sort out the sheep from the goats.

Mario Master Tailor - Ottawa's Best

Mario Master Tailor
389 Gladstone Avenue
Ottawa Ontario Canada
K2P 0Y9



Bar none - this guy is a master of his craft. His stitching is the best in Ottawa. Because most people cannot see the quality, the run to Harry Rosen.

Mario takes great pride in his work. He is also easy-going - there is not a reason to be intimidated.

The location is odd, but don't let that throw you.

Bacchus Cigar Lounge - The Hilton Lac-Leamy

Bacchus Cigar Lounge
3 boulevard du Casino
Gatineau , Québec J8Y 6W3
1-866-488-7888

If I was going to die tomorrow, Bacchus is one place I would want to spend allot of time.

Located within the luxurious confines of the renowned Hilton Lac Leamy Hotel in Gatineau - it is an unpretentious cigar and sofa lounge.

New regulations permit cigar smokers only - this clears out the riff raff.

Offering guests an extensive list of brandies, ports, cognac, wines and scotch along with eight different varieties of cigars, this cozy lounge is perfect for relaxing after a day or night out on the town.

There is also a beautiful view of the man-made lake.

Levonian - The Shirt Makers

Levonian The Shirt Maker. 1015 Wellington Street West, Ottawa, ON K1Y 2Y1

This little shop run by Rachel Russo, who is a completely charming, is a gem. The shirts run about $250 and are worth every dime. Rachel does not need to advertise. Nor does she plan to do so in the future.

Her shirts fit your body, obscuring its flaws, making you appear taller, thiner and with more bearing. Her shirts overshadow what I have purchased in Chicago.

I have seen many investment bankers, senators and a few former Prime Ministers in the shop. It is a good thing. Shhh ... keep it quiet.

Maxwell's Clothiers

Maxwells is a step beyond off-the rack and a step below bespoke.

Mr. Maxwell cuts cloth in a Hong Kong style and it is a little different than what you find elsewhere.

You also have a choice in cloth. Choose well and you will be fine.

The most extreme version of this is Tom Cruise's suite in his film Collateral. You must ask for felting under the collar or for removable collar stays in the shirts. You have to be careful in your choices, there are no assumptions and very little guidance.

Maxwells cuts cloth in the standard Hong Kong style, that developed in the late-1950s. This is what they do and do well. Ask for anything else, and they are stretching. I know people that showed up with Hugo Boss suits and expected reproductions. It cannot be done outside of the Hugo Boss factory.

I like the Hong Kong cut because it suits my body well. Other guys might not be as happy. If you are tall and thin, quite paunchy, or some sort of shape not widely found in the Orient, you should think twice about going. Maxwells will try but these guys are not familiar with challenges of the Western paunch.

If you have a long torso, short legs, wider hips and broad shoulders, Mr. Maxwell is your tailor. He will know what to do with you. Pick soft fabrics and be specific and you will enjoy their cloths.

They are coming to Ottawa at the end of the month.

Galvanina Fruit Water

In 1901,Galvanina began bottling water.

From the heart of the rock. In the heart of Italy.

The snow and rains that fall copiously on the Northern Apennine Mountains follow a long path through deep rocks and uncontaminated underground channels, on a slow but steady journey of over two years, until Galvanina Mineral Water flows pure and clear from the summit of San Lorenzo Monte near Rimini, a hill known locally as "Paradise".

At first this water, sold in glass bottles, was limited circle of local aristocratic families.

Since then more and more consumers have come to appreciate Galvanina Mineral Water. Year by year the area of sales grew, until the water was distributed throughout Italy.

By 1989 Galvanina Mineral Water had reached every continent of the world, from Africa to Asia and from Australia to the Americas, becoming today one of the world's best-known and appreciated waters.

My favorite is Orange Tangerine.

First Spritz

Neighborhood: Bucktown/Wicker Park
1914 W. Division St.
Chicago, IL 60622-3146
773-384-8150


When I was eight years old, visiting my grandfather in Chicago, he descided that I should for a steam. I was not sure what it meant, but I new it was something older men did and I was curious. We went the to the Division Street Baths.

Why I love the Place

As I grew older and read Saul Bellows work, I recognized the bathhouse. “ And down in the super-heated subcellars these Slavonic cavemen and wood demons with hanging laps of fat and legs of stone and lichen boil themselves and splash water on their heads by the bucket. There may be no village in the Carpathians where such practices still prevail." Being of Hungarian background I knew I was a not a Slavonic caveman, so I must be a wood demon.

I also began to realize that I had sat beside Saul Bellows and listended to him shoot the breeze about baseball and broads. I had also sat beside Reverend Jesse Jackson and his son. Milton Friedman, John Belusui, Russell Crowe and others are also known to show up there.

Description
You go into the front door, go to the desk, pay your fee, and receive a towle, a decency cloth, and a pair of sandles. You go to your locker, put away you cloths, wrap yourself in the cloth and decend down the stairs.

In a tiled entrance, there is a cold pool and showers. The hot pool was not operational last time I was there.

You go through a steel door and there is a brick lined room, with wooden benches. in the corner of the room there is a brick oven in which granite boulders, approximately the size of watermelons, are heated to extreme temperatures by gas jets; hot water is then thrown on the rocks by the customers as desired. When this happens, the water instantly evaporates, creating steam inside the oven and heating the brick enclosure, thereby raising the air temperature in the room.

This method provides a much dryer heat than common steam rooms. The bathers sit or lay on three-level tiered wooden benches, which allow for dramatically different temperatures at the various heights. Cold water is provided by taps located under the benches - when overwhelmed by the heat, a bather may dump a bucket of frigid water over his head while still in the hot room, or may step outside to use the cold pools.

Several attendants are usually on hand in the hot rooms to give a plaitza or "rub"- a scrubbing with a handheld birch broom or a bundle of leafy oak twigs. The customer receiving this will lay naked on a sheet, usually with a towel over his face, and be scrubbed thoroughly, front and back, then doused with cold water to remove the soap. This is an additional service which costs ten dollars.