WAYWRN: Classic Menswear, Casual Style



Teger said:

* color choices are atrocious. are you wearing a linen summer jacket with corduroy pants?
* isn't casual

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They're chinos, just dark brown. The color choices weren't great here I agree. Shirt was a bad idea, should have been something with a white base. Jacket is a wool silk blend.

Isn't casual in the sense that the jacket isn't casual or what?

black_umbrella
"I thought you were a bearded prick."

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black_umbrella said:

They're chinos, just dark brown. The color choices weren't great here I agree. Shirt was a bad idea, should have been something with a white base. Jacket is a wool silk blend.
Isn't casual in the sense that the jacket isn't casual or what?

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because that outfit would be over dressed in many, many office places. the whole idea behind this forum (and formal dress today in general) is appearing professional in the context of work. the only person who consistently shine at both is probably gdl -- even if he's wearing dressier clothes, he's wearing them in a way that's obviously casual and appropriate. taking your tie off does not a casual outfit make.

and sugarbutch - i meant creases, not pleats (whoops I keep doing this). why is there just a reluctance in this thread to admit that blazers, dress pants and button down shirts aren't appropriate in every context? where's the fun in dressing?

another key is the pocket square. you don't need a pocket square every time you wear a blazer. look at shoreman's picture - that would be a worse outfit if he included a pocket square.

also, yes, suede shoes are more casual than calf shoes. what is more formal than shined calf shoes? also, chromexcel is a leather treatment for calf from a specific tannery.. do you mean cordovan?

you know you can also wear sneakers. god forbid.

I don't want to reduce this to some sort of formula (as people here seem wont to do), but items have specific formality connotations - calf is more formal than suede, creased pants are more formal than uncreased pants, some dress shirt fabrics are more formal than others, spread collar is more formal than button down, etc. the key to having a good 'casual' outfit is not mixing formality levels to an absurd degree, and making sure each piece in the outfit is appropriate within the greater context. that's why shoreman's fit works, and why black_umbrella's doesn't.



Teger said:

also, yes, suede shoes are more casual than calf shoes. what is more formal than shined calf shoes? also, chromexcel is a leather treatment for calf from a specific tannery.. do you mean cordovan?

you know you can also wear sneakers. god forbid.

I don't want to reduce this to some sort of formula (as people here seem wont to do), but items have specific formality connotations - calf is more formal than suede, creased pants are more formal than uncreased pants, some dress shirt fabrics are more formal than others, spread collar is more formal than button down, etc. the key to having a good 'casual' outfit is not mixing formality levels to an absurd degree, and making sure each piece in the outfit is appropriate within the greater context. that's why shoreman's fit works, and why black_umbrella's doesn't.

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I agree with what you're saying here. For reference, this outfit is about level 3 on formality in my office. With the average hovering closer to 2 (sportcoat + tie).

Level 1 being conservative business dress suit.

Perhaps this is a dressing vocab issue. Just curious, where would you place double monks on the casual scale? For me, they're right around suede derbies.

Will be my last fit pic for a couple of months.



SNS
Crate
Piergiacomi.

I ******* love these shoes

I know, too much stacking for longwings.



Teger said:

this thread makes me so sad. everytime i look and see there's 10 new posts, i click with the expectation that there will be at least one fit from an older poster who has taken criticism and commentary to heart and improved, but no, still the same dreadful droll, heartless pictures of awkward outfits with strange, disparate combinations and tacky tumblr-esque affectations. maybe one day...

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is there a possibility you approach this with a more SWD-ey eye, or are just plagued with an extraordinary eye?

hendrix said:

Will be my last fit pic for a couple of months.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

SNS
Crate
Piergiacomi.
I ******* love these shoes

I know, too much stacking for longwings.

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looks good to me.

y no more fit pics?

---
kappelan - i like.

Teger. Here, this is what I do when I'm at home with the wife and kid. Consistent enough formality language for you?



But this is pretty much what I wore every day of grad school and requires no thought. So why post?

i hate you for being skinny.

ibn4tegerripsmefornolosingmoreweight



in stitches said:

i hate you for being skinny.
ibn4tegerripsmefornolosingmoreweight

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Don't worry stitch, it can be done.

I've always seen this thread as the place where MC and SW&D overlap a little bit. More formal, obviously, but a decent amount (still less than 30%) of what's posted in their WAYWT thread would probably pass muster here. The main difference is that the folks here are regular posters in other MC threads.

I've always thought of this thread as a place i try to work out business casual.

ive always thought of this thread as a safe haven from the regular WAYWRN, and a place to try out slightly more casual, but still definitively MC, type looks.



Teger said:

and sugarbutch - i meant creases, not pleats (whoops I keep doing this). why is there just a reluctance in this thread to admit that blazers, dress pants and button down shirts aren't appropriate in every context? where's the fun in dressing?

another key is the pocket square. you don't need a pocket square every time you wear a blazer. look at shoreman's picture - that would be a worse outfit if he included a pocket square.

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I agree that there are many occasions where a blazer combo isn't appropriate. For instance, I wore a gray cashmere sweater, jeans, brown suede chukkas, and an olive green nylon jacket to my son's soccer game this weekend. I think that could work within the confines of MC Casual, but I think it's really more SW&D. But, I wouldn't post it there because I don't want to hear it. I know that the mean (as in average) aesthetic there is not in line with mine. So, I don't post that. BUT, I could have worn the same basic fit and swapped out the nylon jacket for a tweed SC and put a collared shirt underneath the sweater, and it still would have been appropriate.

Yes, a pocket square is not a requirement.

re chromexcel, yes, it's calf, but typically not so shiny and it's used in more rugged shoes, so I used it as an example.