Non-Rule "Rules" - Page 27

Cuffed flat fronts . . . can't fathom unless we're talking about khakis. I have some old Bill's that I have cuffed.

You know/hung-out-with/talked-to Tom Wolfe? He has been one of my favorite writers for a very long time. His style of dress is... interesting, to say the least. But man, he is such a great writer. I'm very jealous.

It's been said, but I find that a lot of people are trying to be eccentric without first mastering the basics. Such as writing, one can only break the rules if one knows the rules. Most do not.

Since you mentioned gray Donegal, what trousers pair well with it aside from charcoal?

A little late to this party but ...
I never wear button-down shirts.
I never wear loafers or bicycle-toe shoes.
I never wear bright yellow or pink ties with blue shirts.
I never (or almost never) wear more than one pattern.
I never wear colored shirts with white collars.
I never wear tie bars or chains (although I do wear collar pins).
I never wear anything monogrammed.
I never wear big diving or pilot watches.
And I never wear a white robe with a sharply pointed hat and face mask.
Edited by knittieguy - 8/2/12 at 4:15am

my mistake. i thought you once said something along the lines of,

"flat front pants with out cuffs, just look like pants that are missing cuffs" or something like that. maybe it wasnt you, or maybe i have the quote wrong.

Foo, are you overstating or can you literally not see flat fronts with cuffs? I feel like that's not only the norm here, but cuffs - flat fronts or not - always look good on country trousers.

I cuff everything nowadays, but if I had to choose something to not have cuffs, they'd be my flat front chinos.

imo, cuffs are a bit overrated these days. particularly the big cuffs on small(height) guys on trousers with no break.

I used to follow the "plain front = no cuffs, pleats = cuffs" thing myself. It was something that had been just sort of handed down. But I have come to understand that the real thing that should drive whether you put cuffs on your trousers is the weight of the material. Heavier materials don't really need a cuff while lighter weight materials hang better when cuffed.

Coincidentally -- or not, maybe that is where the "rule" originally came from -- this usually means that I have cuffs on suit pants, which are more likely to have pleats and are more likely to be of lighter weight material and no cuffs on odd trousers which are more likely to be heavier material, e.g., cords, khakis, moleskins. But linen trousers, for example, usually benefit from cuffs even if they have flat fronts, which all mine do.

this never occurred to me, very interesting. thanks.

I get cuffs on everything except for black tie and RTW khakis/reds that I don't bother to get hemmed at all.
I think I have one pair of bespoke bedford cords and a pair of tweed trousers from a suit that the tailor told me was too heavy for cuffs ("turnups").

I also get cuffs on everything. I have knocked knees and cuffs help weight the hem down and keep my legs looking straighter.

 

I always though bests started on the left. Is that just in my head?

this is enlightening. thank you. i have a lot of pants that are flat front, and was afraid of cuffing. now i am less afraid.

Well, Dopey is sort of privileged in this case.

You can have quirks and eccentricities in how you dress, but they will be judged in context. If everything you do is oddball, none of it will be acceptable. If you note every single well-dressed person's quirks, and think to yourself, "Oh, okay then, I guess it's alright for me to do that, too," you'll wind-up very strangely dressed.