evolving style

Is a tuxedo t-shirt with notch lapels more of a no-no than a tuxedo t-shirt with peak or shawl...

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:59:52 -0400

Is a tuxedo t-shirt with notch lapels more of a no-no than a tuxedo t-shirt with peak or shawl lapels?

Fitting Ah, the benefits of losing weight. I had to stow this...

Mon, 06 May 2013 09:15:36 -0400

Fitting

Ah, the benefits of losing weight. I had to stow this Cantarelli jacket when I gained too much weight to wear it without excessive strain at the button point.

I’m undecided if the wool knit tie is too incoherent with the warm weather jacket. I just can’t stomach saying good-bye to all my burgundy ties for the season.

Janelle Monáe - Q.U.E.E.N. feat. Erykah Badu This is more...

Sat, 04 May 2013 13:17:47 -0400

Janelle Monáe - Q.U.E.E.N. feat. Erykah Badu

This is more stylish than anything labelled #menswear.

Cleaning Chief Wiggum was wrong, you can get chocolate out. I...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:42:37 -0400

Cleaning

Chief Wiggum was wrong, you can get chocolate out.

I was baking and neglected to put on an apron. The top photo shows the result of this negligence. As one of my workhorse shirts, I really didn’t want to sacrifice it to the baking gods, even if the resultant cake was very good.

I refused to resign myself and the shirt to this chocolatey fate and deployed my favourite laundry weapon: OxiClean. I’m not one to wantonly tout a brand, but this stuff really works.

First, I made a concentrated slurry out of the powder that I put directly on the stain. I let that sit for about two hours. Then I soaked the shirt overnight in the concentration recommended for ‘tough laundry stains.’ Finally, I did a cold water wash. There is no trace of the chocolate.

Note: Sorry for the wildly different colour cast. I was shooting under quite different lighting conditions. Trust me that this is the same shirt.

Shades of Grey It’s actually a light blue OCBD and a dark...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:12:00 -0400

Shades of Grey

It’s actually a light blue OCBD and a dark navy tie. Some Lightroom fuckery has generated this result.

Not for me

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:05:18 -0400

Polo shirts.

I don’t aspire to look like a prep. I’ve cribbed chinos in loud colours and madras shorts and trousers from the preppy handbook. I can’t mess with polos, lest I transform into full prep.

It’s just not for me.

Fitting This suit was absent from my rotation for a while. Why?...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:59:39 -0400

Fitting

This suit was absent from my rotation for a while. Why? I got too fat to wear it. Simple as that. I’d been putting on weight for a while, mostly due to stress eating. I quietly consigned the suit to the closet, with a slight bit of shame, but not changing my eating habits. The turning point came when my neck got too fat to comfortably button up my pink Brooks Brothers OCBD. I finally acknowledged that I needed to make a change.

So, about six weeks and 30lbs later, the shirt fits and the tweed suit will be a short-lived part of my cool spring wardrobe.

I put this together acknowledging that Toronto is having a cool spring, but with the flowery pocket square to represent my hope for warmer days, even though that’ll mean the suit will again be out of rotation, although this time for happier reasons.

Thanks, Tumblr!

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:56:31 -0400

Thanks, Tumblr!

Surviving This is a Lands’ End shawl collar sweater in a...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:21:25 -0400

Surviving

This is a Lands’ End shawl collar sweater in a cotton-wool-linen blend. Obviously, it should not go in the washing machine. Unfortunately, in the rush of a post-vacation launder it wound up in there. Once I realized what happened - thankfully, prior to it going in the dryer - I was heart-broken. I live in this sweater through fall, winter and early spring.

However, the heartbreak was premature, as you can see. The sweater survived. In fact, as it was starting to bag out a bit, the wash actually tightened it back up. Of course, the wash almost certainly shortened its life and I won’t be repeating the mistake.

To do & to eat in San Francisco?

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 17:44:31 -0400

Hello Tumblog friends!

My partner and I will be in San Francisco for almost a week starting Tuesday.

What should we do?

What should we eat?

Younger Us - Japandroids remember saying things like...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 21:14:41 -0400

Younger Us - Japandroids

remember saying things like “we’ll sleep when we’re dead”

and thinking this feeling was never gonna end

Wow! I will actually be in SF on April 4th for a conference. I...

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:18:12 -0400

Wow! I will actually be in SF on April 4th for a conference. I can’t 100% guarantee I’ll be available for this, but I will certainly try to be.

Amazing!

prodigal-punk:

We’re hosting our first Style Forum / #menswear meet up in San Francisco. I’m putting it together with tons of help from Squalor to Baller, Broke and Bespoke, and A Bit of Color.

The event takes place April 4th, with drinks at our shop at 6:00, followed by dinner at a place TBD around 8:00. I’m hoping to bring in a sponsor for some fantastic whisky. Stay tuned.

The broader details on the event are here: San Francisco SF Meetup

Feel free to reblog.

In B&W Before I had kids, I was really into photography....

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:41:00 -0400

In B&W

Before I had kids, I was really into photography. Now, five years later, I’m getting back into it; taking photos for their own sake. This means I’m probably going to play around with my wiwt shots a bit more.

Although I started doing this just for fun it made something apparent to me: viewing an outfit in black & white helps judge pattern mixing better. By removing the different colours, you can focus on the shapes of the patterns.

Combinations I haven’t been posting many wiwt shots...

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:48:00 -0400

Combinations

I haven’t been posting many wiwt shots lately, in part because I’ve been choosing to stay casual or wearing redundant outfits. I decided to post this one because I’m particularly pleased with the combination of colours, textures and patterns in this outfit.

The suit is quite boldly checked, although the checks are hard to discern from a distance. The colour is also an unusual gray-blue. It wouldn’t work in almost any office setting. As a casual suit, I felt comfortable with the button-down collar. I also thought the wool knit tie worked well with both the pink shirt and the blue-gray of the suit. This knit tie also has a really nice texture to it. Since the tie is matte, I decided to throw in a silk pocket square.

Neither the shirt nor the tie has a pattern, so I wanted to include one in the pocket square. However, this is sort of a tricky proposition. On the one hand, the pattern of the suit is quite large. Yet, the multiple overlapping checks actually create the impression of a fairly small pattern. I thought the bold, pink polka dots of the pocket square fit into the middle ground between the impression of both big and small patterns contained in the suit.

The suit is thrifted Aquascutum.

The tie is eBay’d Lands End.

The shirt is Brooks Brothers ESF, bought on sale.

Need a good laugh?

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 20:55:00 -0400

Calling all #menswear aficionados!

If you want a good laugh, watch the most recent episode of Project Runway. The contestants have to design menswear.

It is fucking hilarious.

“Following the rules can be good, but do so for your own...

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:24:24 -0500

“Following the rules can be good, but do so for your own reasons. Question everything.”

fromsqualortoballer:

On Sleeve Length

Over the past couple of years my sense of style has taken several distinct turns. I think this is very normal for someone who is young on their journey into men’s clothing and I imagine that my tastes will continue to develop over time. One change that I’ve noticed in particular is my opinion on jacket sleeve length.

When I was first learning about tailored clothing I was slavishly committed to “the rules.” For this reason, I was always adamant on showing a healthy amount of shirt cuff under my suits and jackets in order to “let them know” that I was a stylish man. I was quick to pass judgement on those who wore their sleeves at or past their cuffs; if only they knew the mistake they were making!

As I spent more time thinking about the topic and learned from more purchases I began to question the meaning behind my sleeve length manifesto. Why is it that we are told to “show some cuff”? After some reflection I was able to think of two reasons for this behavior. The first reason is the obvious one: shirt cuffs provide contrast. If you are wearing a shirt and suit of different colors (and I hope you are) the small slice of shirt provides some much-needed contrast, especially if the suit you’re wearing is a solid color. This is similar to the effect of a simple pocket square neatly tucked into a breast pocket with a TV fold; a small amount of contrast aids in breaking up a large canvas.

The second reason came to me after wearing tailored clothing more often. I found that the shirt cuff gave me a helpful amount of gradation between my jacket sleeves and wrist. As a textbook ectomorph I dislike the stark contrast created between my small wrists and the much larger opening of the jacket sleeve. A shirt cuff nicely splits the difference and eases the transition from suit to skin. I found this to be a very compelling reason as to why I felt the need to keep suit sleeves away from my wrists.

Once I began to think of this rule in my own terms and not as a GQ commandment I started to reevaluate the way I approached it. If the reason for showing cuffs is not to prove that “you get it” but to instead complete a holistic look then perhaps a more subtle approach would be beneficial. I experimented with different sleeve lengths and quickly found that, as with most things in life, less is more. A sliver of shirt peeking out from under a sleeve effectively succeeds in the points above, but does so in a way that does not detract from the whole look (in the way that 1/2”-1” of shirt cuff might). Discovering my own reasons for following this rule has help solidify my preferences and made me more confident in what I look for.

Following the rules can be good, but do so for your own reasons. Question everything.

Buy this Polo Ralph Lauren Donegal tweed sports coat from The...

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:55:08 -0500

Buy this Polo Ralph Lauren Donegal tweed sports coat from The Thrifty Gent on eBay if you’re a 40/41. If the shoulders weren’t too wide (18.5”) it would be mine already.

The coat hits all the #menswear sweet spots: trim cut, ticket pocket, dual vent. Can you go wrong?

Oh, and readers of his blog get 20% off if they mention it in their comments on ‘Make an Offer.’ Finally, he’s selling stuff in order to fund the costs of adoption, so it’s a worthy endeavour.

The colour of the jacket…. I’ll take a whole suit,...

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:19:28 -0500

The colour of the jacket….

I’ll take a whole suit, please.

drakes-london:

Navy Double Breasted Linen with Patch Pockets

Light Blue Fine Stripe Cotton

Orange Knitted Cotton

Habotai Silk Paisley

"We all get ideas and cues from other people to build our own personal styles. For some it may be a..."

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:08:00 -0500

“We all get ideas and cues from other people to build our own personal styles. For some it may be a work in progress and others may be content with whatever their own looks may be. Some may resemble well-known memes or seem too overtly camera-friendly, but I for one am not willing to pass negative judgment on someone for that without knowing their intentions or daily routines.”

- Downeast and Out

Distilling part of the argument I made in my post Progress & Preservation.

Progress & Preservation

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:51:00 -0500

The Silentist wrote a piece asserting his opposition to sneakers with suits. He’s extending a position I noted in the second of two posts I made on the subject. A Fistful of Style has offered his own rejoinder.

I would like to take this very practical topic to a more conceptual place. Specifically, I want to consider the role of two opposing tendencies in style/fashion. On the one hand, there’s what I would call progression, on the other’s there preservation. Progression involves introducing change and moving away from tradition. Preservation involves stability and a reinforcement of tradition. I’m trying to present the concepts without any overt normative assessment as I consider both important forces within menswear. In fact, I think it is the tension between them that ensures change itself is coherent. If I’m being upfront, I would consider myself more of a progressionist, favouring experimentation that pushes and crosses the boundaries of traditional style. Kiyoshi - The Silentist - is more of a preservationist, an assessment I’m quite certain he would agree with.

I consider it indisputable that style changes. If you watch Downton Abbey, then you saw how the tuxedo was considered by some to be an unwelcome casual step away from traditional white tie. Yet, the rules of aristocratic dress were, at that time, less than 100 years old, having come about with Beau Brummell’s influence on the future King George IV and the aristocracy that surrounded him. Prior to that, the aristocracy wore quite audacious and ornate costumes to demonstrate their wealth and leisure. By the 1950s, as depicted in the excellent BBC series The Hour, the tuxedo was the required dress for a man attending dinner in an aristocratic household. The clothing worn to lunch by those at the home would have given the Dowager Countess a heart attack. Although white tie and morning dress remain the height of formal mens attire, they are almost entirely restricted to the vestiges of the aristocracy, with barely two generations of British aristocrats having actually donned such outfits on a regular basis.

As the world changes it only makes sense that style changes with it. Yet, I do not wish for menswear to be radically and unhesitatingly transformed. Everyone likes to say that there are ‘no rules’ in menswear and it is true, if by rules we mean something akin to a sport’s rulebook. Instead, menswear has covert ‘rules.’ It would be a lot easier if we could all just buy the handbook. Instead, there is a learning process, figuring out what works and what is acceptable. The basis for acceptance is judgement by the community. This judgement is not arbitrary. In fact, it is built up from years of experience that includes buying and wearing the clothes, putting together outfits, learning about materials, colour combinations, use of texture, proportion, cut. However, it also includes engaging with others, both in and outside the community. Or, rather, communities, as there are multiple arenas were we have our clothes judged and where we judge others. Perhaps you were lucky enough to learn from your father, whom you still try to impress. Or, you might have very strict requirements on your dress from your place of work. Or, you might be a member of styleforum, trying to earn a kudos from Manton or Spoo. Or, maybe you post wiwt shots on Tumblr in pursuit of the official #menswear tag, or a reblog from This Fits. Let’s also not under-estimate the effect of an envious glance or compliment from someone outside the community. Menswear is, as with many things in life, about fitting in. And, contrary to those who insist that you should dress solely for yourself, I think it’s okay to dress for a community. The assessment of peers is important and it should be important.

The menswear community exists in multiple parts and they do not all accord with one another. Yet, there are many commonly held ideas about what constitutes ‘classic’ menswear. I saw it espoused most clearly and effectively in a now disappeared series by F. Corbera (voxsartoria on Tumblr) on putting together coherent outfits. These commonly held ideas form the basis for the menswear tradition and it is to this tradition that The Silentist is appealing in his rejection of sneakers and suits. Of course, it is entirely possible for traditionalists to have their own disagreements about what is and is not traditional. To see such interesting and informative nitpicking in action, read the CBD WAYWRN: An Experiment thread on styleforum. Yet, they will largely close ranks in defence of tradition when confronted with those transgressing the ‘rules.’ In fact, the existence of the CBD thread is in response to what many in the forums considered excessive transgression in the standard ‘What Are You Wearing Right Now?’ thread. These preservationists will have all sorts of arguments for why such transgressions are undesirable, unappealing, or incoherent. Yet, such transgressions will continue to occur as the progressionists play at the boundaries and occasionally stray well outside them.

So, we have these two groups: the preservationists appealing to the coherence captured by the ‘rules’ of tradition, and the progressionists who introduce new elements to the traditional combinations, including additions by subtraction. While I consider myself a progressionist, and I like to play at the boundaries, I’m grateful for the preservationists who pull in the other direction. They help ensure that the evolution of menswear does not gather excessive speed and careen out of control. They maintain a needed degree of order and discipline while the progressionists introduce the changes that can keep menswear new and exciting. Without preservation there ceases to be a tradition beyond which progression can occur. The preservationists actually impose order on the change itself.

On the specific matter of suits and sneakers, I disagree with Kiyoshi about how formal a suit must be. I think it is actually a fairly recent thing that suits are considered inherently formal. A lord traipsing about the country in full tweed with breeks and a pair of wellington boots would not have been considered to be wearing anything formal. These days, those of us living in urban areas have little reason to wander through bogs. We do, however, have reason to hang out on the streets, in coffee shops, on patios. I think there is no reason a full linen or cotton suit with unstructured shoulders would be inappropriate in such a setting. In fact, one of the secrets of suit wearing is that it is actually a fairly lazy way to dress. The bulk of the outfit has already been decided for you. When you’re not wearing a suit, properly pairing a jacket and trousers is perhaps the hardest part of putting together an outfit. So, it is easy to toss on a casual suit. Further, as Alex at AFoS pointed out, sneakers have long shed their athletic origins. I think the gap between a truly casual suit and the proper style of sneaker is far smaller than Kiyoshi thinks it is. Yet, I’m thankful for his pushback against the pairing. Not least because I know, when it comes time to fight against the pairing of blazers with sweatpants, he’ll be right there beside me.

Note: CBD stands for ‘conservative business dress’