Jan 26, 2017 14:14
7 yrs ago
10 viewers *
Spanish term

sastre (clothing item)

Spanish to English Other Textiles / Clothing / Fashion
I have a text that is referring to "sastre" as a clothing item, is this slang for traje de sastre? or cajón de sastre? or does it mean something else?

"el hombre llevaba un sastre raído"

Discussion

Charles Davis Jan 27, 2017:
No That's the point of the sentence, but the only point of the query is "sastre". We're not being asked to translate "raído".
neilmac Jan 27, 2017:
Yes, BUT The main point of the query is the fact that the once elegant, tailor-made suit in question has seen better days (feel free to use that last euphemism).
Charles Davis Jan 26, 2017:
Interesting. It does sound paradoxical, but that's presumably deliberate. Maybe you could expand on it a little, something like "a suit that had once been stylish and was now ragged", or something like that? Important not to overdo it, though.
Eliza Ariadni Kalfa (asker) Jan 26, 2017:
My text confirms what you are saying, Charles. There are definitely references to him having previously been rich, and this is the first glimpse we get of him so it might be important to convey that. However, "threadbare tailored suit", or even "ragged tailored suit" sounds a bit weird to my ears. I am still not sure.
Charles Davis Jan 26, 2017:
I think the difference between "traje" and "sastre" matters. A sastre (=traje sastre here) may not literally have been made to measure by a tailor, but it looks as though it was; it doesn't look like an off-the-peg suit. It implies a more stylish cut. The idea of this man wearing what started life as an elegant and relatively luxurious garment and is now threadbare suggests something about him and his personal history that would have been missing if it had just said "un traje raído", and is missing if you translate it as "a threadbare suit", in my opinion.

Proposed translations

+4
4 mins
Selected

the man was wearing a threadbare suit

I think that is what it means.
Peer comment(s):

agree veronicaes : si, SASTRE como abreviatura de TRAJE SASTRE, SUIT
16 mins
disagree Ruth Rubina : No. In USA it is called a TAILORED SUIT
17 mins
agree patinba
49 mins
Thanks, patinba.
agree Robert Carter : Agree with Verónica, probably short for "traje sastre", which is a suit, and not necessarily a "tailored" one in my experience.
50 mins
Thanks, Robert.
agree neilmac : "Raído" is threadbare or worn out... not "tailored".
1 hr
Thanks, neilmac.
disagree Toni Castano : I am sorry, but the question concerns the type of suit, not the condition of the garment.
1 hr
agree franglish : with Neil
1 hr
Thanks, franglish.
agree Adoración Bodoque Martínez
1 hr
Gracias, Adoración.
neutral Charles Davis : Sastre, which is short for traje sastre, is a tailored suit, not just a suit. It's not just a synonym of "traje".
2 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
21 mins

tailor

the man was wearing a tailored suit
Peer comment(s):

disagree Barbara Cochran, MFA : Sorry, but a "tailor" is a woman or man who makes a suit, not the suit itself, and anyway, I think the emphasis should be on the fact that the suit is "threadbare", not that it's tailored.
26 mins
'Tailored' can still be used as a verb.
disagree neilmac : I agree with Barbara.
1 hr
agree Toni Castano : The query term is here "sastre", which corresponds to "traje sastre" (tailor-made suit). Whether that suit is "raído" or not, it is irrelevant to the question.
1 hr
Thank you!
agree philgoddard : Tailored.
5 hrs
Thank you!
Something went wrong...
15 hrs

a once-elegant suit

Would this convey the idea?
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

1 hr
Reference:

Traje-sastre

http://elcampus.poblanerias.com/2014/04/30/el-traje-sastre-e...
El traje sastre es un símbolo de formalidad y elegancia

Sastre vs. Hecho a la medida: Traje sastre significa cortado y hecho a mano para un individuo, haciendo un sólo patrón en papel: el suyo. El hecho a la medida usa patrones preexistentes y confeccionadas que se rehacen según las medidas de alguien, con la esperanza de que le quede bien.

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Note added at 4 hrs (2017-01-26 18:32:01 GMT)
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What massimo (Sydney, Australia), a professional tailor, explains about the difference between...

http://www.sartorialbay.com/the-difference-between-tailor-ma...
(...) tailor made suits and ready wear suits

The most common misconception of people is thinking that all suits are similar because to their eyes they have similar details: sleeves, lapels, side vents and similar other features.(...)
That is not the case at all. In fact reality is much different from it and this is what I am going to explain.
Fashion retail branded suits are made with two aims in mind: fitting most body shapes as possible and making as much money as possible.
These type of suits are mass produced garments made by automated production lines often in as little as 1 hour. They are made out of a single standardised pattern that “realistically” fits one body shape only. Quality and durability are very debatable as fabrics and materials used are as cheap as possible in order to achieve profit targets. It really makes me wonder how much these suits are worth when at Christmas sales retail brands mark their prices down to 80% and are still making good profits.

At the opposite hand tailor made suits like the ones we make aren’t mass produced but uniquely cut from a single pattern which has been created based on specific measurements and body shape of a gentleman. It is indeed a complete different process which takes several hours of skilled workmanship to make the whole garment (at least 45 hours for a handmade suit). The fabrics and materials we use come from the finest Italian and English mills (not from China) and are all made from natural fibers only (no polyester or nylon).
(,,,)
Peer comments on this reference comment:

agree Charles Davis : Yes: a tailored suit, not just a suit.
52 mins
Thank you, Charles.
agree philgoddard
3 hrs
Thank you, Phil.
Something went wrong...
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