The Tweed Suit: Satisfaction Guaran-Tweed

Olive Tweed Waistcoat & Blazer: Kirrin Finch

My introduction to tweed suiting came in the form of some hand me downs from my late father’s closet. Three tweed blazers, each one fitting roughly two full sized Sunday Santiagos. As ill-fitting as they may have been, I cherished them. Mainly, it was the simple fact that they belonged to my dad – but also – major bonus was that they were among the only things that were remotely stylish from said closet. My dad, like many of us, made a lot of questionable fashion choices in the 80s and 90s...a LOT…but these were among the timeless pieces that I unearthed and clung to. I loved them and vowed to get them tailored to fit my much smaller frame which turned out to be rather pricey, so I started with just one of the three. One was all it took to know that tweed was my new sartorial true love – and in the words of Billie Holiday, “I’ve got my love to keep me warm.” Not only does it add an instant vintage aesthetic to any outfit, it is indeed warm and cozy.

Sidenote: If you’re in the East Village looking for an Old Pal [the cocktail —and on the right day, your old pal Sunday] look no further than the Amor Y Amargo bitters tasting room and General Store.

Unfortunately, tweed suiting is traditionally made for and worn by men – which is the trouble with most, if not all, of the classic attire that I swoon over. Something as simple as a pair of chinos (depending on the season), used to be nearly impossible to find without them being something adjacent to jeggings. :::shudders::: And don’t even get me started on a simple button down shirt that doesn’t create boob gap or have some kind of embellishment to make it more “feminine.”

Enter: Kirrin Finch. For those of you that aren’t familiar, Kirrin Finch is a queer owned business based in Brooklyn that makes beautiful menswear inspired clothing. Their clothing is not only beautiful, but conscientiously manufactured [this suit in particular is made with 40% recycled materials] and made to stand the test of time. As an artist and freelancer, I understand that the price point might be a bit high for some (*use discount code SUNDAY to help out a bit!*) – but I can assure you, it’s worth saving up for.

Anyhow, back to the tweed! Even in the midst of winter, my tweed waistcoats and blazers have continued to provide warmth and timeless style. I’ve found that the possibilities are pretty endless and I’ve had so much fun pairing these pieces with both classic and unexpected items in my closet. My personal favorites being a more buttoned up look like the shots above — or a more relaxed weekend look pictured below.

Speaking of which, if you’ll excuse me – I’m gonna go find the right cap [and work on my Brummie accent] in an effort to pull together my Peaky Blinders look.

As always — if you have any queries or thoughts you’d like to share, feel free to drop them in the comments below or send me a telegram via the contact page above.

Stay safe, warm, and dapper folks!

Olive Tweed Waistcoat, Blazer, & Oxford Button Down : Kirrin Finch

For my fellow sartorial nerds — a few fun facts:

Originating in Scotland and Ireland in the 19th century, tweed was widely used for sporting attire, namely hunting, and was also commonly worn by farmers due to its weather-resistant and sturdy nature.
It was originally called “tweel” which is the Scottish word for twill, a popular weaving technique for making tweed. Some say the name came from a mixup with a London merchant thinking the name was “tweed”, named after the River Tweed in Scotland, when it was actually “tweel” – and the name stuck.
Prince Albert designed the unique “Balmoral tweed” after purchasing the Balmoral Castle in Scotland – making tweed popular with the upper classes across the British Isles. This inspired other highland estates to make their own “estate tweeds” to differentiate themselves during sporting events. Now THAT’S a uniform I can get behind!