A Suitable Wardrobe

Now That is a Knot!

2008-05-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

Known for his oversized neckties, Prince Michael of Kent outdoes himself. It's out of proportion and I don't recommend it but I do need to give credit for the largest knot I have seen this century. The matching jacket and cloth cap are a sign of bespoke tailoring.

Timeless

2008-05-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Adolphe Menjou, Hollywood's best dressed man in the years before Astaire and Grant took his place, looking remarkably timeless. Change the button stance on the jacket and I'd be happy wearing those clothes today.

Lifestyle: Share Your Ride

2008-05-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Exotic automobiles are beautiful machines. They are also expensive, challenging to drive, and sometimes troublesome to operate. As a Ferrari-owning executive at Ford Motor Company, Torbin Fuller, now the CEO of Club Sportiva, reasoned that the growth of time sharing for yachts, vacation homes and aircraft meant that there would be a market for automobile time sharing as well. After all,

Silk And Wool

2008-05-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've always been hesitant to wear silk pocket squares in the city, preferring the greater discretion of linen. But lately I've been experimenting with squares whose background color is similar to that of my jacket. In the photo, which we had to shoot several times as yesterday's intense light kept washing out the colors, a navy square provides a bit of sheen against the matte of a navy suit.

Around San Francisco: Oh My

2008-05-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

The decline of the west, or rather mens' evening dress, was there for all to see at San Francisco Ballet’s New Works Festival recently. We should be thankful that mothers continue to teach their daughters how to wear clothes. Certainly some fathers forgot to teach their sons about the proper length of a pair of trousers. Photographs are courtesy of Drew Altizer Photography. © Copyright 2008.

Managing a Wardrobe

2008-05-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well-dressed men devote thought to their clothes. Wardrobes, like most things in life, need to be managed. Thinking men periodically take an inventory of their clothes, discarding worn, stained and outdated items. They purge things that haven't been worn in more than a year. And they keep the remainder in good repair. By the beginning of each season, the man with a managed wardrobe has

A Quarter Lining

2008-05-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

In these photos tailor Thomas Mahon and I are discussing the details of a quarter lining in a Fallan & Harvey jacket. Where a half lined coat has Bemberg or other lining material down the sides and half way down the back, the quarter lined jacket has most of the back and side lining removed to allow for greater air circulation. Visible seams are either finished or taped. This photo shows how

Linen Season

2008-05-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Linen season is upon us. Mustard linen suit, checked linen shirt, and an Irish poplin necktie worn with slip-on spectator shoes for an alfresco lunch yesterday. The secret to wearing linen is that heavier cloth doesn't wrinkle like the lighter weaves. This 14 ounce material just rumples gracefully.

An Alternative to the Baseball Cap

2008-05-03T06:37:00.001-07:00

It's not difficult to find casual alternatives to the baseball cap that don't look like they just stepped out of a black and white movie. And it's worth the effort. Support your local hatter!

My Favorite Blue Jacketing

2008-05-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

I hadn't visited Cobbler's Laboratory for some time when I went there the other day to look for an image to use for my "I'm Think I'm Turning Japanese" post of a few days ago. While I was there I took a moment to look at what is perhaps my favorite blue odd jacket cloth. I wouldn't style a jacket the same way for myself but the cloth is a homespun tweed with a wonderful texture. Unfortunately,

Sources: Breanish Tweed

2008-05-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

For twenty years, Savile Row tailor Anderson & Sheppard was the only well-known source for lightweight (11 ounce) Harris tweed jacketing. Hand woven in the Outer Hebrides, Breanish tweed, as it is known, was a classic artisanal product. That's their lambswool Howard of York pattern in the photograph. With the recent retirement of founder Ian Sutherland, the Breanish Tweed company is now

Quotation: I Think I'm Turning Japanese

2008-04-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

"Analysts estimate that 20 percent of all luxury goods are sold in Japan and another 30 percent to Japanese traveling abroad - meaning Japanese buy half of all luxury goods.... The Japanese love of Western luxury goods is a relatively recent phenonmenon, In the 1960s and 70s, the Japanese economy flourished, giving birth to a newly flush middle class that wanted to live a more ostentatious life

Sources: On The Fly

2008-04-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

Part of the process of building customer loyalty is the creation of a unique experience that brings people back again and again. On The Fly founder Ami Arad set out to create that unique customer experience on the World Wide Web, a stylish online men's store where the modern gentleman can browse for a carefully edited selection of merchandise that complements his lifestyle. That stylishness

City Shoes

2008-04-28T09:30:00.000-07:00

We will be placing the Suitable City Shoe order with Gaziano & Girling this week. So far, five men have said they'd like to own a dress shoe that evokes a more elegant era. Consider this the last chance for anyone who's been on the fence to get off of it. For more information, email will at dynend.com.

Public Appearances

2008-04-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

Successful men in many walks of life find themselves periodically in the spotlight. And men who care about the image preserved in their newspaper clippings or YouTube clips need to look their best on those occasions. In general, the best looks are the simplest. Simplicity begins with the avoidance of distracting patterns. Pattern can appear to jump or vibrate on video. Men in the public eye

Casual Friday

2008-04-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

Leaving for the country garb on a Friday. Black and white wool odd jacket, cashmere and linen vest, blue twill shirt, Drake's pocket square and a Hober necktie. Below the waist, dark gray flannels and brown slip-ons.

Pocket Square and Boutonniere

2008-04-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

Jack Buchanan (1891-1957) was the British Fred Astaire (or perhaps Astaire was the American Jack Buchanan). Debonair, and always well dressed, he shows us here that pocket square and boutonniere, sometimes deemed too busy in combination, can look fine together. The key is to keep the square simple.

Gray Hair

2008-04-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

A man may spend a lifetime learning how to complement his coloring with shirts and neckties, only to see that learning become useless in a matter of months when his hair turns gray. But gray hair is fairly easy to work with. It responds well to a palette of pastels as well as grey, beige, red and white. Indeed, men who always looked washed out in white shirts may find that a bit of white to the

Country Weekends

2008-04-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Times have changed since today's illustration was drawn. In an interview on Men.Style.Com, Varonique Nichanian, menswear designer for Hermes, tells us a man needs only a shirt, two cashmere sweaters, three polos, and one pair of jeans for a country weekend. Plus whatever sandals or moccasins he happens to be wearing. We have weekend guests frequently and most of them seem to intuit her advice.

Gray Flannels and Green Socks

2008-04-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

The skies were sunny but the temperatures reverted to wintry these past few days. And so I got another day's wear this season from the pictured pair of gray flannel trousers. The socks are to complement the ground cover. Well, perhaps not intentionally. I think they do a reasonable job of it nonetheless.

Comfort

2008-04-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

We're a self-centered bunch today. We dress for ourselves rather for others, which is why I hear over and over that clothes must be comfortable and easy to wear. Many of the details of dress that were a mark of elegance are condemned today as uncomfortable or too time-consuming. Loafers replace oxfords, and sneakers replace loafers. Returning home from work, men in what were once considered

Economy

2008-04-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

Good times or bad, few of us can have everything we want and we must each establish our own priorities. For me these days, sales hold few bargains. My needs, or rather my desires, are highly specific and unlikely to be found on sale. It's important to remember that the cost of clothing is not the initial cost, but the price divided by the number of times it's worn, plus some arbitrary amount of

Dressing for the Evening at Six AM

2008-04-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

Can a suit-wearing man be appropriately dressed all day and into the evening without changing his clothes? Absolutely, so long as the night's event doesn't require either jeans or black tie. It's just a matter of choosing adaptable clothes in the morning. Emulate the civilian in the illustration by starting the morning with a plain dark gray or dark navy suit, white shirt with french cuffs,

Peter Harvey's Coming to Town

2008-04-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

He's come and gone actually, but Peter Harvey of tailors Fallan & Harvey brought a jacket with him for fitting and that always feels like a visit from Santa even though I pay for it. I didn't bring anyone with me to take a photo this time so we laid the jacket on a sofa. It's an 18 ounce gun club tweed with crescent pockets and a two button front that will be ready in the summer. Peter makes

Prep Gone Wild

2008-04-17T05:46:00.000-07:00

The madras shorts suit from Ralph Lauren. Just the thing for a Fourth of July clam bake. I think the necktie might be a bit busy, don't you?