whnay.'s good taste thread

[TheFoo]



Aravenel's check seems to ride the line, IMO. If the general rule is that you must go bigger than that for an SC, then the general rule would be saying that glen plaid is only OK if it's FU, which is bizarre.

The line between when glen plaid is OK for SC and when it's OK for suits, IMO, isn't as simple as whether or not the check is big. It's about whether or not the material itself is distinguishably not suiting. And this has more to do with texture, weave, and pattern than it does with just pattern alone.

Empty has a huge blown up glen check SC that's clearly not suiting, but if I remember correctly, it looks like a much rougher cloth. Even if the scale wasn't so blown up, I would think it's fine for an SC.

Really, what people should avoid is a very smooth worsted with a small glen plaid pattern, but this is kind of obvious. I also don't think Aravenel's material is decidedly one or the other either way.

But perhaps the most classic glen plaid suiting comes in the form of flannel. In fact, when you see flannel glen plaids they are always in suiting books, not books for jacketing . Aravenel's glen plaid appears to be worsted flannel. I cannot, for the life of me, imagine such a flannel being used for an odd jacket. My own glen plaid suit, made with cloth from the Harrisons worsted flannel suiting book, is both larger in scale and distinctly more wooly than what he's wearing, yet it is definitely suiting.

If you want glen plaid jacketing, it's probably going to be in the form of tweed. But even then, it could be intended for a country suit. So no, I don't think the distinction between suiting and jacketing appropriate glen plaid is obvious. Ninety-nine percent of the time you see a glen plaid, it is suit-only cloth. Sometimes it will work for a jacket, but the occasions are so rare, and the distinction is so hard to make without being familiar with what glen plaid suiting looks like, it is safer for beginners to avoid the idea of glen plaid jackets altogether.

 

[mktitsworth]

 

[PiCcolocV]

Personally, love the direction this is going in and hope this will be a huge source of inspiration and knowledge in reading the critiques outlined. Always wondered what

's thoughts on some of Victors fits would be, so keeping with the one-at-a-time rule (he has posted many):

 

[ThinkDerm]



thanks. lol, socks are navy with light blue dots. see WAYWRN if you are interested.
thanks, omar. it is a suit, sartorio by kiton. tie is from hober.

where did you get that suit from? more photos?

 

[dieworkwear]



But perhaps the most classic glen plaid suiting comes in the form of flannel. In fact, when you see flannel glen plaids they are always in suiting books, not books for jacketing . Aravenel's glen plaid appears to be worsted flannel. I cannot, for the life of me, imagine such a flannel being used for an odd jacket. My own glen plaid suit, made with cloth from the Harrisons worsted flannel suiting book, is both larger in scale and distinctly more wooly than what he's wearing, yet it is definitely suiting.

If you want glen plaid jacketing, it's probably going to be in the form of tweed. But even then, it could be intended for a country suit. So no, I don't think the distinction between suiting and jacketing appropriate glen plaid is obvious. Ninety-nine percent of the time you see a glen plaid, it is suit-only cloth. Sometimes it will work for a jacket, but the occasions are so rare, and the distinction is so hard to make without being familiar with what glen plaid suiting looks like, it is safer for beginners to avoid the idea of glen plaid jackets altogether.

Fair enough.

I dug up some photos, and you may be right. The ones that I thought worked well tended to be tweeds and/ or large scale patterns. The only exception is maybe Dino's jacket, but I'm not 100% sure it's successful. FWIW, when you see it on him in person, I think he looks great, but that may also be because Dino is exceptionally charming.

Though, it's hard to tell what material is the first photo.

 

[Longmorn]

A few other examples:

 

[TheFoo]



Spoiler

Uhh, I'm not sure where to start. Nothing really pairs with anything else, so I can't single out any particular offending agents.

You have two really big problems. First of all, color. Purple shirts are infamously difficult to match, and usually call for a grey or blue suit if there is to be any hope of working. The idea is that you need something very sober and neutral to prevent it from clashing. Here, you've paired it with a yellow-gold odd jacket (please tell me that is not a suit). It clashes in an unsettling way. I suppose the tie could theoretically work with the shirt or the jacket, but the problem is that it definitely does work with both simultaneously. Why? Well, the navy in the tie pulls out the cooler tones of the purple shirt, which contradicts the warmth of the jacket's color. Yes, there is some blue in the jacket, but it is too faint to help. Then, there is the pocket square. The orange and teal that dominate it are totally disjointed from the rest of the outfit. At the end of the day, you have too many powerful, disparate colors isolated to individual pieces. It's really a disaster.

Your second problem is contextual. This is the sort of odd jacket to avoid. The color is only appropriate for jacketing, but the fineness of the pattern is more appropriate for a suit. It's not just that it's wrong for this outfit, it is internally wrong and should not exist. Then you've got the shirt/tie combination. The color of the shirt and pattern of the tie have a strong city air. They belong with a suit, or at least a much slicker odd jacket. A navy blazer would be wrong for other reasons, but it would have at least saved this outfit from total catastrophe. The pocket square is just downright bombastic. I'm not sure what you could ever wear it with, but it certainly doesn't help clarify the message you are attempting to convey with the outfit.

The funny thing is, you've done a pretty good job of combining patterns. Too bad it doesn't come into play because the color-matching is so offensive.

Sorry to say, but this is really a total and utter loss. Burn it.

Final score: --

 

[gdl203]

huh.... I kinda like that outfit actually

 

[mktitsworth]



huh.... I kinda like that outfit actually

This was part of the point.

 

[TheFoo]



huh.... I kinda like that outfit actually

You are a certified judge and can award your own :foo: points.

 

[gdl203]

Well my scale is a little different, if that's alright.

I rate it: "I kinda like it"

 

[CaymanS]



[/spoiler]
Nobody on the street is going to think you look bad, but no man who is well-dressed will mistake you for one of his own either.

Except of course all the well-dressed men who wear grey suits, light blue shirts and navy ties every day of their lives, since it's a well-dressed man staple.

 

[gdl203]

I haven't been following everything that's been happening here. It's just too much material to read, but I'd simply say that there will obviously be deviations in what we consider as being good or in good taste. I am surprised that one would find mkt's outfit above as being in terrible taste - but we all come at things from a different perspective, cultural roots and personal history so some things resonate particularly strongly (either positively or negatively) sometimes. There are things that make my skin crawl that are often accepted as being cool here - evidently, it's as much my perspective as it is the objected detail itself. I learned to live with the idea that my taste isn't universal (as much as it pains me to admit it )

 

[in stitches]

i have a hard time imagining foo would be onboard with most of victors fits.

where did you get that suit from? more photos?

got from sartoriale.com about a year or so ago.

i am very reluctant to post any photos at present, but here are two just for you. i am not proposing this to be in good taste or bad, though anyone is free to judge them, im just providing what was asked for, and its late anyways. one is actually with the same tie i am wearing today, colors came off better in this one i think. it also has very nice buttons. sadly, i cant find a decent pic of them. please excuse the road rash in the top one.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 

[Tirailleur1]

I haven't been following everything that's been happening here. It's just too much material to read, but I'd simply say that there will obviously be deviations in what we consider as being good or in good taste. I am surprised that one would find mkt's outfit above as being in terrible taste - but we all come at things from a different perspective, cultural roots and personal history so some things resonate particularly strongly (either positively or negatively) sometimes. There are things that make my skin crawl that are often accepted as being cool here - evidently, it's as much my perspective as it is the objected detail itself. I learned to live with the idea that my taste isn't universal (as much as it pains me to admit it

)

You just highlighted the universal problem with this thread. Thank you for that.