Panta. 

Many of you know Ed Morel, founder of Panta Clothing from here on the #menswear circuit and from StyleForum. His ties and pants have achieved some high praise since their inception just a few short years ago. 

My first experiences with Panta were with ties. Ed’s for sale posts on SF were always cleared out within minutes of posting, and you had to be quick on the draw to get even one. My favorite Panta ties are the slubby shantung ones for summer. The texture, colors, and knots are always perfect on them. Ed’s ties are all handsewn in NY and are mostly six folds. 

Natural progression moved me into Panta trousers. Pants are one of the hardest things to purchase for me. Im particularly picky about the fit of pants. My first pair of Panta pants was a grey flannel for winter - and Ive never looked back. Ive got almost 10 now in all different variations, and they are absolutely one of the best fitting pants I have ever tried, fresh out of the box. 

Knowing the quality of his wares, Ed contacted me to consider trying one of his new sport coats. As someone who has always shopped straight off the rack, I was a bit leery of doing a custom program for the first time. I really did not want to spend thousands, plus I am extremely busy and dont have the time to go for fittings in person. Ed assured me that the process would be smooth, so I decided to put my trust in him and go for it. 

We began the fabric selection in January, 2013. Ed sent me some books to look at and we back and forthed about what I wanted. We decided a 12oz. Holland & Sherry plaid would be best for the project : 

Then, we moved onto styling and measurements. Ed sent me a short list of what measurements were needed, and had my wife take them and sent them back. We agreed on a 2 button, 2 vented jacket with a curved breast pocket, and patch pockets. January 23rd, I sent in the measurements and confirmed the styling, paid the deposit, and away we went. 

I was sent a general try on jacket in something that was close to my size to best judge my fit against a base model. It was pretty hard to send back a near perfect fitting navy blue sportcoat, but back it went along with what I would have done differently versus that base. 

About 3 weeks later, Ed had me think about the lining options for the jacket. He offered some gorgeous neat patterns from his ties to line it with, but I wanted something a bit more unique. He knows well of my penchant for peacockery, so offered up this insanely nice ancient madder silk, which was nearly impossible to turn down. 

Next, I was teased with this :

..and then really got excited about the project. In early March, Ed told me that the first try on jacket would be ready in a week, and I was really impressed at that turnaround time. On March 5th, I got the first jacket in : 

Pretty darn good. A few tweaks were needed to do - basically make the sleeves a hair longer, nip the waist a bit, but really everything was great. Remember, this was all done by email. I never once met Ed for a fitting. Impressive. 

Back this went and the following week I received a card with different button selections. I selected a smoky blue/grey MOP to accent the tones in the plaid. 

In early April, I got a message from Ed saying that the final product was days away (give or take 90 days from when the journey began). Last Friday, it arrived : 

I could not be more impressed with the quality of the jacket. All the buttonholes are hand sewn, the lapel roll is one of the finest that I have seen. Construction is of course fully canvassed and the fit is nearly spot on. The pattern matching is exceptional and Ed’s attention to detail is laser focused. He’s also got years of experience in doing this, and was really patient with my questions, anytime I had any. The final product below : 

Sure, theres a few very tiny issues to fix - theres a bit of excess fabric on the back, theres a little room in the shoulders, and the waist could use a tweak, but thats really nitpicking with a fine tooth comb. I think its pretty amazing that this can be done with such ease. 

Panta Clothing is offering something really special with these jackets, which are priced pretty damn good too. Ill leave the specifics for you to work out with him, but its one of the best values that Ive come across in a long time. Not only is it a beautifully constructed garment, but its by someone who cares, is responsive, and gives advice along the way. Cant beat that. 

Ive already got my next one planned…its somewhere in here. :)

Ed can be reached via email at contact@pantaclothing.com or here via PM on StyleForum. 

AUCTIONS AWAY! 

130 auctions just launched moments ago! Some really eclectic stuff this week, as we are getting lots of spring summer things coming in, and still have some fall winter stuff to get out! Its still in the 40’s here, so a good time to buy and get some wear out of them. Australian friends, stock up now! 

Some really, really rare things this week, so below, my top ten from tonights launch! :

1. Drakes cotton wool madras tie

2. Isaia powder blue jacquard paisley tie

3. Etro bandana paisley print shirt

4. Gaziano & Girling “Antibes” with trees

5. Liverano & Liverano by Isaia rare size 34 solid blue suit

6. Panta slubby shantung tie in burnt orange

7. Levis Made & Crafted pink chinolinos

8. Edward Green for RLPL “Clayton” shoes with lasted EG trees on the 888

9. NWT Thom Browne tuxedo jacket with grosgrain piping

10. NWOB Santoni “Heath” shearling boots in grey pebbled leather