Unimpeachable Taste

Opinion: Wife-beater Shirts

2012-02-12T01:19:00.001-08:00

There are few eyesores that are worse than a man in a wife-beater. I saw two tonight -- and it was like 20 degrees outside. So apparently the answer to the question of how cold it has to get for someone to put on a whole shirt is: for some men, it never gets cold enough.

I think I'm going to open my own online store, selling wife-beaters with "It's Never Too Cold to Look Like Shit" written across the front.

Quotation: The State of Dress in 2012

2012-02-11T01:39:00.000-08:00

This is a quote from the Facebook page of a friend of mine, a beautiful and sweet girl. But:

"Today is my first day of semester wearing jeans to class... and I only did it because I had to present today... Tomorrow I am going right back to my beloved sweats. I love college. ♥"

This is where we are today: jeans are what you wear to "dress up" when you can't wear sweats.

That reminds me of another friend of mine, who got a data entry job and was complaining that she had to wear tennis shoes to work, when she'd rather wear flip-flops.

So it's the same sentiment, shoe division: tennis shoes are what you wear to "dress up" when you can't wear hideous plastic shower shoes.

Sigh.

Update: Viccel Socks

2012-02-11T01:31:00.000-08:00

You may remember that I ordered my first-ever pair of Viccel socks on Nov. 30 -- a red pair, to wear at Christmas.

Unfortunately, they didn't arrive in time -- or at all.

I emailed Viccel's proprietor a few days before Christmas; he informed me that my socks had been mailed on Dec. 2, and asked me to keep him updated.

I emailed him again shortly after New Year's, telling him they still hadn't arrived.

He apologized, and wrote that he would send a replacement pair.

They arrived last week, about when I expected.

Then, the next day, another pair arrived.

I still had the previous day's empty package on my desk; when I checked the postmark, it was Dec. 2.

I have no idea why the first package took two months to arrive. But, thanks to Kamal's generous replacement of the first pair -- which I thought were lost forever, I'm now the proud owner of two pair of scarlet red over-the-calf dress socks.

I haven't worn either yet; I intended for red socks to be for Christmas only, but I'll have to take one pair out for a spin long before then, to see how they feel. Maybe I'll wear them on Valentine's Day; that seems as good a day as Christmas to wear red socks. After that, I suspect that they'll live in a drawer until December.

I'll report back after the first wearing. If the fit and feel of Viccel's socks are as good as their customer service, I expect to order more socks from them soon.

Welcome to 2012

2012-01-01T19:19:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T09:55:00.000-08:00

Best to you and yours today.

Thanks for reading.

Quotation: Social Acceptance

2011-12-12T18:38:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of a perceptive high schooler who commented on the excellent Ivy Style blog:

"I attend a high school where I cannot where a simple button down and khaki pants without 20 people asking me what I am dressed up for. Nowadays it is almost socially unacceptable to look nice in an everyday setting."

What devotee of classic style hasn't experienced this? If you're "dressed up" (and what even constitutes that to the average person -- like an OCBD and khakis -- has fallen to the lowest common denominator), you must be going to or from work or some special occasion. For everyday errands like shopping or getting something to eat, you're supposed to look like you just rolled out of bed and picked up whatever clothes were on the floor. If you elevate your appearance to anything above that (even if it's just any shirt with a collar -- even a polo -- and any pants that aren't jeans), you're "all dressed up," and you'll be asked by a million different people to justify why.

"Nowadays it is almost socially unacceptable to look nice in an everyday setting."

Well said, young man. Well said.

Sources: Viccel Socks

2011-12-04T16:37:00.001-08:00

I believe I've posted before about the dearth of inexpensive over-the-calf dress socks, especially in colors other than solid black, navy, or dark brown.

I recently ordered a pair of scarlet red socks for Christmas from Viccel, a fairly new sock company in Turkey. With this link for 20% off, courtesy of the Off the Cuff D.C. blog, they came to just under $10; at first glance, that still seems kind of expensive for one pair of socks, but it's really not considering that they're over-the-calf, 100% cotton, and sized (as opposed to the usual one-size-fits-none), and that the price includes shipping from Turkey.

They have plenty of other unusual colors too; hopefully they'll eventually add some patterns.

I'll report back with my verdict after I get them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T20:18:00.001-08:00

Wanted: A Red Shawl-Collared Cardigan

2011-11-04T02:46:00.000-07:00

I've wanted a red shawl cardigan sweater to wear during the Christmas season for as long as I can remember. For some reason, I pretty much forget about it every year after New Year's -- then, as soon as Halloween passes, I start lusting after one again.

The problem is that, for whatever reason, shawl cardigans are fairly hard to find -- and, when they turn up, they're usually only available in gray, and tan if you're lucky (not that there's anything wrong with gray or tan; they're just not what I'm looking for). Go figure.

Also, even gray ones are either too expensive (usually $300 and up -- and usually way up, to $1,000 or more).

Worse, if you find one that's cheaper, it usually looks cheap -- and is often made of cotton and looks more like a sweatshirt. (It's not that there's inherently anything wrong with a cotton sweater either, but the inexpensive, cotton shawls I've seen have almost always been cheap-looking.)

I've searched eBay often during November and December in previous years and have come up dry.

Ditto department stores and thrift stores.

Being early November, the bug bit me again tonight.

And, after searching all over the Net, I finally found one, from Ben Silver:

It's $215, which is pricey. But I want it, and I just may pull the trigger before the end of the month. Stay tuned.

Welcome to the Holidays

2011-11-03T02:00:00.000-07:00

Nov. 1 to Jan. 1 is, without question, my favorite time of the year.

More to come.

Link: The Perfect Shoe Shine

2011-10-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

From Andy Gilchrist at Ask Andy About Clothes: The Perfect Shoe Shine. This is about as comprehensive a guide as one could want.

Knowledge: Always Store Your Ties Untied

2011-10-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

While going around to some thrift stores today, I came across several otherwise nice ties (at more than one store) that were permanently mangled in two spots -- one on the wide blade, and one on the narrow -- where the knots obviously were. Well, I assume the mangling was permanent; I had no desire to so much as attempt the ironing that would be required to even try to remove the appallingly deep wrinkles, so I didn't even consider buying them.

I strongly suspect this mangling was the result of the previous owners keeping the ties permanently tied, where they just loosened the tie enough to remove it from their necks, then stored the ties still knotted.

That's why you should never, ever do that; over time, it will permanently ruin your ties.

But, you may ask, what's the difference -- if the wrinkles are in the knot anyway, who's going to see them?

The difference is that the same tie may need to be tied differently with different clothes. With trousers of different rises, the same tie may need to be wrapped once instead of twice (or vice-versa), or it may need to be started higher or lower on the chest. And a wide, spread collar may require a Half- or Full-Windsor knot, instead of a four-in-hand, to adequately fill in the gap between the collar.

And, even leaving all of that aside, any man who cares about his clothes should not want to ruin his ties just for the sake of not ruining them, even if he really is ruining them in a way that only he can see.

Some experts even advise untying your tie by reversing the steps of knotting it, instead of just pulling the small blade through the knot's hole, so the knot automatically falls apart. It certainly doesn't hurt to do that, but it's probably going too far in the other direction, to the point of being too careful; I've never once done that, and I can't recall ever having a problem with the wrinkles from the knot disappearing on their own by the next day. But it's still best to pull the small blade through the knot and to untie your tie as gently as possible.

Your ties should only be tied when you're wearing them; always store them untied.

Knowledge: Over-Matching vs. The Two-Color Rule

2011-09-20T00:28:00.000-07:00

Mixing colors and patterns is the province of the sophisticated dresser; over-matching -- perhaps best exemplified by those horrible matching tie and pocket square sets -- is a sure sign of a man who doesn't know what he's doing, of someone who looks like he got dressed from a kit.

Maybe the best example of this is an overcoat and felt hat. They should never be the same shade, and ideally shouldn't be the same color. A charcoal coat and hat looks way too matchy; a charcoal coat and medium gray hat looks okay, but is kind of bland. A sophisticated dresser would pair his charcoal coat with a hat of dark brown or navy or midnight blue.

The reverse of this is the two-color rule. Generally, an outfit should have no more than two primary colors, which are the background colors of a suit, shirt and tie (colors in the patterns of such items are accent colors). Also, understand that white doesn't count as a color; it is, by definition, the absence of color.

This rule-of-thumb stems from the fact that the human eye tends to see three or more colors on an item as too "busy" and ugly, while one color usually looks too bland.

(Incidentally, this rule applies to everything, not just clothes.)

Imagine a charcoal suit with a white shirt and a solid charcoal tie. Way too drab. A solid tie in navy or burgundy would look much better.

Now imagine a charcoal suit with a light blue shirt and a burgundy tie. That would tend to look ugly because it contains three colors; it's like the eye has too much to process. It'd be better to change the tie to navy or the shirt to white.

One other element to consider is contrast; it's especially important if you choose to wear one color.

Imagine a solid navy suit with a light blue shirt and a solid navy tie. Drab.

Now imagine the same suit with a white shirt and a navy tie with white pin dots -- this is one of the most elegant combinations possible, even though it's only one color. The difference is the addition of white; while not a color, it adds contrast, especially against dark colors.

This illustrates the point that dressing is an art, not a science; there are always exceptions to rules-of-thumb.

It also illustrates why blending colors and patterns takes sophistication; you have to know when wearing one color -- or three different colors -- works and when it doesn't.

Consider too that the ground of your pocket square counts as one of the two colors, unless it's white. For example, a one-color outfit could be punched up with a burgundy pocket square (in solid or a pattern).

And a really sophisticated dresser might wear burgundy socks with it, adding visual interest where there previously was none.

Also, socks don't count as one of the two colors, because they're only visible when one is seated.

Shoes don't count either; for whatever reason, navy or gray shoes have never connoted much taste, so they'll always be a third color, except when one is wearing a brown suit.

A sophisticated dresser skillfully straddles the line between over-matching and wearing too many background colors at once.

Technical Difficulties

2011-09-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

My apologies to everyone for the varying font sizes, and especially the uneven spacing, within posts. It's a glitch in Blogger's software that I have been unable to fix, despite numerous attempts. There are few online experiences more frustrating than WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) software not working properly, i.e. what you see is not what you get; the posts look fine in the editor, but are all messed up once they're published -- so I open the editor again and they still look fine, and any changes I attempt to make don't "take" once the posts are published again. Sigh.

Another Jackpot

2011-09-09T19:13:00.000-07:00

My tailor is near one of the thrift stores I visited a couple of days ago; I stopped in on my way to give her a couple of shirts to move the cuff buttons in.

So today, I went back to pick them up, and stopped in the thrift again, mainly because I was hoping the chair I bought the other day was part of a set, and the others hadn't been put out yet the last time I was in.

No such luck. But, amazingly, I found seven more ties that weren't there two days ago, all for 95 cents each:

1. Burgundy with navy paisley by Ferrell Reed, 100% silk.

2. Burgundy foulard by Giovanni Carvello, 100% silk.

3. Navy foulard by John Henry, 100% silk.

4. Burgundy with navy and gold foulard by Mallory & Church, 100% silk.

5. Burgundy foulard by Van Huesen, 100% silk.

6. Burgundy with teal repp stripes by J.L. Roberts & Company, 100% silk.

7. Red with white and navy repp stripes by Rooster, 100% silk.

Boater Hat

2011-09-07T23:45:00.001-07:00

I also stopped in my local hat store while I was shopping yesterday; I'm lucky enough to live in one of probably the small number of cities left with a real hat store.

I went in to get my first look at the new felts, but it turns out I was too early.

And that brings me to what I did find among all of the straws that were still out: a couple of boaters in my size for about $45 (I forget exactly). I've always wanted one, but they're usually about $100-125 in that store or online; I've never been able to justify dropping that kind of cash for a hat that I would probably rarely wear. But at $45, it was pretty darned tempting. Stay tuned . . .

Jackpot

2011-09-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

There are worse things to be addicted to than collecting ties, especially when they cost 95 cents each.

Today's haul, from two different thrift stores of the same chain:

1. Navy tie with small gold and burgundy paisley pattern by Ferrell Reed for Mr. Guy, 100% silk.

2. Red foulard by Damon, 100% silk.

3. Navy foulard by Rooster, 100% silk.

4. Rust solid by Macy's Men's Store, untagged but feels like a silk-poly blend.

5. Bottle green with purple and gold stripes by Robert Talbott, 100% silk.

6. Burgundy paisley by Stafford (J.C. Penney), 100% silk.

7. Red paisley by Johnny Carson, 100% silk.

8. Chocolate brown club tie with small duck motif by Robert Talbott, 50-50 silk-wool blend.

9. Bottle green club tie with small stagecoach motif from a local haberdasher, silk-poly blend.

10. Rose foulard with navy and tan from Lands' End, 100% silk.

11. Red paisley by Class Club, 100% silk.

12. Bottle green with repeating diagonal pattern of three white ribbon stripes and gold shields, 100% silk.

13. Tan club tie with small duck motif, unbranded, silk-poly blend.

14. Chocolate brown repp tie with white and gold ribbon stripes from Countess Mara, 100% silk.

15. Burgundy club tie with small duck and horn motif by Renleigh, silk-poly blend.

16. Pink club tie with a small sailboat motif from a local haberdasher, 100% silk.

Total cost for this haul @ 95 cents each: approximately $16, with tax.

I also picked up a lightweight navy topcoat from London Fog for $13.48. It's in basically mint condition and fits me like a glove. It was just a little dusty; after a trip through the washer and dryer (despite the dry clean only tag), it's as good as new.

Finally, I also bought a chair at the same store. Most furniture in thrift stores is junk, but this was one of the rare gems. It's brown, probably vinyl but looks like leather, with nailhead trim and wooden legs on wheels with brass casters. It's in like-new condition except for some very minor wear on the finish of the wooden legs. I wiped it down with some kitchen counter top cleanser when I got it home (which revealed some dirt I couldn't see on the chair, but could on the cloth), and it's good as new. I wish there had been two or even four of them, especially since it cost $8.48.

The grand total was about $40. Not bad for a chair, a coat, and 16 ties.

Again, I realize that a post like this would be far better with pics, but I hate taking them. Maybe I'll get over that someday -- but don't hold your breath.

Knowledge: Button-Down vs. Button-Up Shirts

2011-09-05T17:49:00.000-07:00

In today's t-shirt culture, I've frequently seen dress shirts without button-down collars erroneously referred to as "button-down shirts," presumably because they have a placket with buttons down the front, and one usually buttons them from top-to-bottom.

But those aren't necessarily button-down shirts; as you probably surmised from the previous paragraph,"button-down" shirts are shirts with buttons on the ends of the collars. They supposedly originated around the turn of the 20th century with English polo players, who devised the style to keep the collars of their shirts from blowing up into their faces while they were playing. Brooks Brothers quickly imported the style to the United States, where it quickly became a classic.

Shirts with a separated front that encloses entirely with buttons (as opposed to a pull-over, which may or may not also have buttons near the top) are button-up shirts.

Even so, the term is less than ideal, because not all button-up shirts are dress shirts.

I prefer the following, more precise terminology:

Dress shirt (should need no explanation, but the men I see wearing dark shirts with ties indicate that I'm wrong; see my post on dress shirt colors, and maybe we'll discuss dress shirts at length someday)

Sport shirt (a casual shirt never to be worn with suits or blazers, and generally not even with very casual odd jackets; these shirts often have two chest pockets with button flaps, and are usually in a bold pattern like plaid; they're also often in a non-dress shirt finish, like flannel)

Button-down dress or sport shirt (a shirt with buttons that fasten the tips of the collar points to the body of the shirt; with dress shirts, this style is the most casual)

Understand the difference between a button-down shirt and a button-up shirt, then try to strike the vague "button-up" term from your vocabulary.

Happy Labor Day

2011-09-05T17:10:00.001-07:00

Despite the only six-hour, Jerry Lewis-less Telethon this year, today is still Labor Day in the United States. That signals the unofficial end of summer here, so today is the final day for cotton or linen suits in summer colors (generally white, tan, light blue, light gray or seersucker; in my opinion, linen or poplin suits in darker colors are still permissible for as long as the weather is warm enough to warrant them), straw hats, white bucks, spectator shoes, cotton ties, and any of the other sartorial trappings of summer.

But clotheshorses should never fear this holiday, and most of us look forward to it in anticipation: now comes the two seasons for flannel, tweed, corduroy, moleskin, oxford cloth button-downs, wool ties, sweaters, scarves, felt hats, sumptuous overcoats, and all of the other luxuries of dressing for cool and cold weather.

Welcome to fall.

Knowledge: How Dress Shirt Cuffs Should Fit

2011-09-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

It astounds me how many men I see with gaps between their wrists and their dress shirt cuffs that you could drive a truck through. Your cuffs should be snug, but not tight enough to be uncomfortable. You shouldn't even be able to insert one finger into your other arm's cuff once it's buttoned. If you find that too tight, I suppose it can be loose enough to insert one finger -- but never loose enough to insert two. Loose cuffs look sloppy; snug ones not only look neat, but also make your watch easier to see by preventing it from slipping under your cuff. (You could also wear your watch over your cuff, like some great dressers have done. But it looks affected, and if you're sure enough of your stylishness not to care, then you probably don't need the advice on this blog anyway.)

Dress shirt sleeves come in two types of sizes: exact, i.e. 33, and combined, i.e. 32/33. Combined sizes allow manufacturers to save money, and these are generally done with cheaper shirts. Combined sleeves have two buttons on the cuff, rather than just one on the end. I actually prefer combined sleeves because I have small wrists, and the inside button makes my cuff snug without my having to take a new, exact size shirt to my tailor to have the buttons moved in. But then I also tend to wear a 35 sleeve. Even so, for those who wear the lower measurement of a combined size, I fail to see how an extra inch distributed across the entire length of a sleeve is any great concern.

What especially astounds me is how many men I see with sloppy cuffs with two buttons visible -- which announces to the world that you wear cheaper shirts, looks especially sloppy because of the extra visible button, and means that you didn't even have to take the shirt to a tailor to make it fit (or move the button yourself, if you know how to do that); the extra buttons to make their cuffs fit properly are already there, and they're not even using them! For the life of me, I cannot fathom what is going through a man's head to wear sloppy cuffs -- especially when he sees that he already has another button to make them snug, yet he chooses the outside button.

This is exactly what you should never do:

Unless you have big wrists, use the inside button if it's there; if it's not, spend the couple of bucks to have the buttons moved in -- or move them yourself. And, if you do have big wrists, have the inside buttons removed -- and save them, in case you need them for replacements. Wear snug cuffs.

Sources: Thrift Stores for Ties

2011-08-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

I'm back for my quarterly post (I didn't plan it that way, but that's how it has worked out).

Thrift stores have for years been the main source for my tie addiction.

I added nine ties to my collection of probably 300+ over the past week, all from thrift stores:

1. Burgundy with white pin dots from Lands' End, 100% silk, $1.00

2. Rust-colored club tie with a small, repeating motif of three people jogging, no brand label, silk/poly blend that looks and feels like silk, $1.00

3. Plaid wool tie from Rooster, 50 cents

4. Navy foulard tie from Pride of England, 100% silk, $1.00

5. Plaid wool tie from Accents for Men, 75 cents

6. Red foulard tie from Robert Talbott Carmel, 75 cents

7. Brown, tan and light blue block stripe repp, 100% silk, no brand label (but looks like a typical Countess Mara, but without the logo), $1.00

8. Navy club tie with small olive green dogs from Lands' End, 100% silk, $1.00

9. Rose-colored foulard tie from Stafford (J.C. Penney), 100% silk, $1.00

Total cost for the whole haul: $8.00, or less than $1.00 per tie.

I also bought a green and white pocket square, probably polyester but feels like silk, for $1.00.

I may just give Giuseppe a run for his money yet.

You always have to sort through some junk in thrift stores. But, in my experience, finding clean, stylish (classic colors and patterns in 3-4" widths that never go out of style) ties in such places is pretty easy.

Also, I realize that this post would be 1,000 times better with pictures. Unfortunately, I despise taking them, and I don't expect that to change anytime soon.

Review: American Living Dress Shirts

2011-06-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

Ralph Lauren has licensed his name to a line of merchandise at J.C. Penney called "American Living."

The ties are probably the nicest, most conservative ties one can buy new in a store for $15-20. (Penney's follows a business model where pretty much everything is on sale all of the time, and the sale prices are the real retail prices.)

I purchased a pink American Living dress shirt with a white spread collar and white French cuffs probably a year ago, at a real sale price of about $16. (Retailers with a business model like Penney's do have real sales at times, especially when they need to clear out discontinued merchandise. This shirt "retailed" for about $45; the real, perpetual "sale" price was about $25.)

I found the tails a little short, but I was satisfied with it besides that, especially for what I paid.

Last week, I came across another American Living shirt on clearance for $16 and decided to take the plunge again.

Recalling my problem with the previous shirt, I tried this one on after getting it home, before washing it. The tails on this one were even worse; the indent on the sides literally came about an inch past my waistband, and I'm about average height.

So I took it back the next day (and exchanged it for some cotton handkerchiefs). To their credit, they gladly offered a refund or exchange with no questions asked.

At this point, I have to assume that all American Living dress shirts suffer from tails that are dramatically too short. It's too bad, because they seem otherwise to be pretty good for their usual "sale" price of about $25. So, while they look nice folded up on a display, I'll be passing on them at any price, and I suggest you do the same.

(Penney's house brand of dress shirts, Stafford, are probably the best value in retail for anyone on a limited budget, given their usual $15-20 price. I'll review them another time.)

Knowledge: Polishing Spectator Shoes

2011-06-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

Today I emailed one of my favorite style bloggers, explaining that I'm about to buy my first pair of spectators, and asking for advice on how to polish them.

He advised polishing only the colored portions, taking care not to even get close to the lighter (usually white) portions.

I didn't ask for elaboration, so what follows are my thoughts.

That makes sense, because generally, the two portions of a shoe that need polishing most are the sole edges and the toe box; the edges are what get dirtiest, and the toe box is where most scuffs occur. Since the edges usually run up against some of the lighter portions, you could take extra care to use a neutral edge dressing or shoe cream for those.

It's probably best to leave the lighter (usually white) portions alone unless they become noticeably dirty or scuffed. Then, if they're calf, you could carefully use a white polish only on the scuffed portions, taking care to avoid the edges of those sections where they meet the darker portions. If they're suede, you could probably carefully apply a little of the contents of a buck bag, which is a bag of white powder used to clean white bucks. If they're mesh, you could try cleaning them with a clean cloth, dampened with water.

Quote: Comfort

2011-06-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

The pervasiveness of slob wear under the excuse of "comfort" is one of my pet peeves, and one that I'm likely to write about fairly often.

For this post, I came across an excellent quote from a reader of another style blog, a quote that sums up today's whole said situation perfectly:

"We have replaced beauty with comfort in our perception of what is good."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Sources: Amazon for Spectator Shoes

2011-06-01T00:23:00.001-07:00

Summer is the season for the elegant, classic spectator shoe.

I've never owned a pair, but I've always wanted to. I think I may pull the trigger this year.

This pair of Florsheims, called the Marlton, is available from Amazon in either brown-and-white, black-and-white, or two-tone brown. The brown and white will definitely be my first pair of the three choices.

It's true that Florsheim isn't what it used to be.

And purists will note that the Marlton is all-leather, whereas with classic spectators, the lighter-colored (usually white) areas are supposed to be either reverse-calf (suede) or cotton mesh.

But the only pure spectators on the market that I'm aware of cost a fortune (such as around $1,000 for Edward Greens), and even better-made all-leather pairs (such as from Allen-Edmonds) are north of $300.

From what I've read, the Marlton is sewn, not glued. So, for a shoe that's only in season for three months per year -- and even then won't be worn often, I expect it to be more than serviceable for many years.

I'll report back if I buy them.