Friday Challenge 12/11/15 : Be like Roycru!

Here is my attempt at emulating both the traditional American style of Roycru, and his expression of deadpan inscrutability. Emulation of both is harder than it looks.

Yesterday I had to visit one of my client, in Normandy, 1 hour away from Paris. As we, parisian, usually don't have cars, I had to take one of my colleague's volkswagen. (Eventhough this is a Roycru challenge, I couldn't take the train). It was his family's car, and I have to say, it was pretty dirty inside (you know how children are in cars ...). It would have been intrusive to clean inside the car, but I decided to wash the outside and to fill up.
The sport coat is from Chester Barrie, shirt Finamore, Tie was thrifted and has no name, Trousers are from Suitsupply and shoes from Edward Green.

Cox has stepped into the lead on the basis of his cool story, bros.

The dead tree was pretty funny, though.

The many menswear historians among you will know that British fashion in the 1960s was driven by Modernism. What isn’t perhaps as well documented is the emergence towards the end of the decade of a new youth style, which proposed an edgier take on the Mod look of the early to mid-1960s, thus rejecting the late 60s effeminate hippy styles. The media here would come to tag it ‘skinhead’ sometime in 1969.

Partly because of the unwelcome media attention, the skinhead quickly evolved into suedehead and his clothes were heavily influenced by Ivy League style, not unlike the look Roycru wears so well today. The purveyor of this transatlantic look to young London suedeheads was John Simons of the Ivy Shop in Richmond and sister emporium, The Squire Shop in London’s Soho. I pursued this new trend with enthusiasm and, over 40 years later, it still has some influence over the way I dress.

Of course, suedeheads loved trains! On a Saturday evening, going to Ilford Palais, for example, to ensure we arrived looking sharp we would stand all the way! Often in a half-empty carriage.

Regrettably, I have few pics surviving from that era but here is one of a family group taken in 1967 when the style was still evolving. Today, I still like to wear a three button jacket with a piece of knitwear and a pair of longwing brogues (which more than any other item came to symbolise the suedehead style). But, now as then, I struggle to perfect the deadpan look of RC...


I am on the left! I can date this to early summer 1967 as it was taken to celebrate my parents' 20th wedding anniversary.




Then - my first MTM suit in a navy small self herringbone.

Now - Blazer and trou - bespoke from an Original mod tailor based in Ilford
Shirt - Harvie and Hudson
Tie - 'Cockburn' tartan bought when on holiday in the Trossachs
Pocket square from local outfitter
Knitwear - Benetton from their Tel Aviv branch
Shoes - Florsheim Imperial longwings from John Simons current shop in London's Chiltern Street
Socks - Hilfiger

First shot at dressing like Roycru with an AAS twist. Monochromatic browns, fair isle sweater, BB OCBD, argyle socks, AE shoes.

But where's the cool story, bro?

sugarbutch said:

But where's the cool story, bro?

Click to expand...

I haz none.

I really need to frequent the CM WAYWRN just to catch these Roycru photos and posts. Probably some other good stuff in there too...

FrankCowperwood said:

I really need to frequent the CM WAYWRN just to catch these Roycru photos and posts. Probably some other good stuff in there too...

Click to expand...

Yes, you should, there's all sorts of good stuff posted in Classic Menswear...........

Ultimately I voted for Cox, but frontrunner Mr. Knightley made it tough call.

It’s a hard one to judge since there are so many variables. Best outfit in the abstract? Outfit stylistically closest to Roycru’s? Most amusing story? Most informative story? Some weighted combination?

I voted for more than one, despite the relatively small field.

In any event, it was a fun challenge. Thanks, AAC.

Cheers,

Ac

Congrats, Mr Knightley. Well-deserved.

Ac’s choice, most informative story: Mr Knightley
Ac’s choice, most amusing story: Coxsackie
Ac’s choice, favorite outfit: AAC
Ac’s Thespian Award for the bravest attempt at the impossible task of imitating Roycru’s (non-)expression: upr_crust

So what’s next, Mr Knightley? It’s your call, of course. I do hope at some point that someone will do a herringbone challenge.

Cheers,

Ac

Well done Mr Knightley!

Next?

Congrats Mr.Knightley !