Patrick Hall

Introduction

I’m Patrick Hall, an eighth generation Texan, and a life-long native of Houston- a swampy, concreted mosquito-palace that is my favorite place in the whole world. By vocation I am an Episcopal (Anglican) minister, serving a congregation in southwest Houston. Prior to my current posting, I worked as a university chaplain at Rice University for seven years. I am married to a lovely, long-suffering woman named Julia who is also an enthusiastic Houstonian, working in local government.

Patrick rocking the Riviera Blazer in style.

How did you get interested in vintage fashion/classic styles/menswear?

I have gravitated towards tailored clothes as long as I can remember. As a young child, I would’ve gone around in a coat and tie every day, if my parents had allowed it. I can’t really explain the origin of my preference for coat and tie. It’s been with me for a long time – though at various points in my life I tried to embrace a more modern aesthetic as a means of fitting in. At some point in my thirties I just embraced my destiny as a sartorial eccentric.

Laid back and relaxed in an awesome shade of green.

How does where you live influence your taste?

People always assume that the heat and humidity of Houston necessitate wearing as little clothing as possible. But the one cultural constant down here in southeast Texas is aggressive air conditioning. Paradoxically, while temperatures outdoors might touch triple digits (Fahrenheit), the inside of most buildings is frigid and dry. As a result, the additional layers of the tailored wardrobe prove to be a practical necessity year-round, though I obviously make concessions to summer temps by trading in tweed and worsted wool for cotton and linen.

How would you describe your personal style? Do you have a particular style icon?

Over the years I have settled into a personal uniform of coat and tie. I wear suits during the week, and trade them out for sport coat and trouser ensembles on the weekend. My leisure clothes are a blend of American and Italian soft tailoring, while my work wardrobe is more Anglophilic: structured and snapped-to. I mix vintage and modern pieces, to aim at timelessness. I can’t name a particular style icon, though I study the taste of all the usual denizens of the menswear pantheon, living and dead – the Windsors, Edens, Astaires, Grants and so forth.

When on the search for new pieces to add to your collection, what do you look out for in particular?

The most important consideration in adding items to my wardrobe is versatility. I hate wrestling with clothes that are hard to wear. Items which suffer this fate exit my wardrobe very quickly.

Fit is the aspect of my clothes that interests me the most. I want my clothes to hug my body in all the right places, stand away from it in all the others, and strike that perfect balance without me fussing with them during the day.

Was the suiting material matched to Patrick's eye colour, we wonder?

What is the favourite vintage piece? Or do you have many?

The first vintage suit I ever purchased remains my favorite. It is a three-piece, double breasted drape-cut suit made by the American firm Foreman and Clark in the mid-to-late 1930’s. It is cut from a crisp, navy worsted wool that features a subtle royal blue and gray double stripe. It fit me almost perfectly the first time I put it on, and it demonstrates the incredible shape that a hot iron and a skilled hand could impart upon the durable worsteds of the early 20th century.

Is your collection always growing?

No – I maintain a strict rule that for any item I buy, I must sell one item I already have. This rule forces me to consider purchases carefully against everything that is already in my closet. At this point in my sartorial journey, it is hard to make the case for passing on the things in my closet to make room for something new.

Outside the old Heights fire station.

What is your ‘go to’ look?

During the week, a vested suit, blue or white double-cuffed shirt, and printed silk tie. On the weekend, a soft-shouldered sport coat, a button-collared shirt with tie (perhaps a silk knit or something more rustic), and flannel trousers.

How did you discover SJC?

I knew Simon from the Fedora Lounge days, and I was invited to be an early participant on the SJC forum, and made the first aspirational purchase of the 1918 suit that eventually became the Vanderbilt, after several years of tinkering.

What’s your favourite SJC garment?

Several years ago, Simon gifted me with a sample of the narrow leg gray flannel trousers made up from the very first fuzzy flannel fabric that Simon commissioned. I wear them often.

We love everything about this outfit, from the colourful pocket square to the bow-tie!

What would you like to see SJC do in the future?

Continue designing amazing fabrics! SJC did the impossible last season by weaving a mohair/cotton blend that is almost indistinguishable from the legendary and sadly extinct Palm Beach Cloth. I’d love to see SJC pull off more coups like that.

That's All Folks!

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