HOF: What Are You Wearing Right Now - Part III

[Classic Car]



My husband wears a lot of floral shirts, including with suits. He's a very snazzy dresser though, more of a 'make my own style' kinda guy. I couldn't pull off his stuff at all, but he nails it quite often. And it's finally spring in Vancouver! Glorious sunny evening, let's break out the summer wear. Jacket is linen (from my HK tailor), shirt is new from a new tailor I'm trying here, James Custom Tailor, pants are Samuelssohn (they're a lightweight navy twill worsted, bit hard to see from the picture). Tie is Impuntura (I'm really up on those guys lately, still can't find anything about 'em on the internet). I'll go fix the knot...

Nice summer jacket. Where did you get this linen? Do you mind tell us the cost of the jacket?

 

[Claghorn]

I wrote out a long post and was just, like, *******. Here's the gist.

There is direction. There is execution. Both matter. And criticism of both should be taken into account. But criticism of execution should be actively listened to and followed, especially if it nearly unanimous from a wide variety of posters with a wide variety of styles. Take, for example, 38R. His direction is a difficult one. Tira and AAS has succeeded in the execution of that direction. A lot of folks, started several months back with his "The Blasphemous Odd Jacket Thread," tried to help with his execution, accepting, though not without some snark, the direction he wanted to take. Instead of considering anything that was said, he pigeonholed all advice as SF orthodoxy and proceeded to ridicule it.

The advice that is hardest to take involves acknowledging that you have some items that are simply not good. That you'll need to drop those on the wayside, spend more money--sometimes a lot more--in order to reach your goal.

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re: loud ties

I don't dislike nice loud ties. In the right context, they can be worn well. Please note that I never wear truly loud or garish ties. There is a reason. I lack the requisite attitude and wardrobe. Perhaps I lack the skill in doing so. I'm not the greatest dresser since sliced bread, but I'm consistent and I know what I am doing. And that I am saying that loud ties are too difficult for me should hopefully resonate with some of y'all.

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After all that, I figured I'd step out of my conservative box and dress for spring.

 

[Coxsackie]

Let me make it clear. We are NOT against "loud". We are against loud done poorly, frankly in the same way that we are against sedate done poorly. The answer is NOT to stop posting loud stuff, it is to improve your loud stuff.

Well said, and sigged for future reference - a "reminder to myself".

My natural inclination is towards loud, discordant, dandy. Forcing myself to tone things down, learn, and obey the rules has been my little project over the past few months since joining SF. I stridently defended some of my earlier poor choices but gradually realised this just made me look like a dick, so I stopped. One of my ties is in Stitchy's "bad" gallery but I'll cop it sweet, especially seeing as I actually agree with him that it's a bad tie.

I'm curious to know who "F. Corbera", the author of the "practical thoughts" thread, is. The same person as Vox?

Ultimately I'd like to be able to "do" loud again, but better informed, in a way which elicits comments along the lines of "...that xxxx is hideous but somehow you made it work!" I'm just not a conservative business dress kind of guy and sedate, restrained, beautifully-coordinated outfits are simply not me. But I'd like to master them nevertheless.

 

[BriceT1000]

I know, I know, the quality is terrible. Motorola needs to spend at least a little bit more in their cameras for cell phones but here it is… "Formal Fridays" We have casual Saturday around here instead.

 

[JohnsNotHere]

F. Corbera == Vox

I wonder where Vox is?

I hope that he's okay.

- J

 

[TheWraith]

I think he outgrew us

 

[Coxsackie]

He certainly writes well. And has great knowledge of, and insight into, menswear and men's style. Judging by that threak anyway.

 

[jmill88]

I would wear all of that. Nice!

Oops....this was meant to be in reply to Calypso.

 

[AdamWill]

Nice summer jacket. Where did you get this linen? Do you mind tell us the cost of the jacket?

Thanks! Linen came from my tailor, I don't know the bunch (he usually just sends me a selection of swatches after I tell him roughly what I'm looking for). It's listed as 'SW91015' on the swatch sheet. It's from an Italian suppler; my tailor seems to like VBC and Fratelli di Tallia, so it may be from one of those. Cost was HK$4500, last year.

It's somewhat less nice now I managed to spill half a pint of beer all over it (and the pants) off to the dry cleaners tomorrow...

 

[GMMcL]



This is a good thread. Someone posted a link a few days ago. Vox wrote this, I think, in 2012.

I came to SF with long marination in menswear -- my father was in the industry (though on the IT side), and I worked with him there before going to law school.
Combined with some haphazard visual arts training and a relatively active right brain to counterbalance my scientific/legal training, I suspect I had a fair foundation in some of the fundamentals (particularly color) whether I knew it or not. (Though I will say that many of the folks whom I grew up considering to be very well dressed bore conventions anathema here -- like a belief that white OCBD and black perf wingtips were the pinnacle of conservative business dress; that double or half windsor were the only "acceptable" conservative business dress knots; and a stunning lack of ownership of a single silk glenplaid or similar wedding tie.)

But I still had a lot to learn.

And of course still do.

My path thus far toward a more perfect sartoriality hasn't been straight. And more of it has been through observation, instinct and gut than through true research, though I've internalized some general concepts along the way (harmony, texture, country/city, reducing number of patterns, liberal (over?) application of gray/blue/brown, etc.). Early on in that impatient journey, I stumbled on the Vox thread. Typically impetuous, I lost patience early on, though I swore to come back to it. Then promptly lost the link.

When I saw it re-quoted here, I hesitated. I was concerned that, as when I learned the "hand odds" chart in poker and promptly destroyed my game, learning such "rules" would stultify and cause me to overthink things. But curiosity got the better of me. And now done is done.

Since I know I have much still to learn, I hope that's what the thread did: helped me learn. But I do think I was improving on my own. Time will now tell whether that foray was for the better or the worse. At least it was an entertaining read, so I thank acecow for quoting it.

Either way, it's certainly not how I initially set out to spend 4 sober hours on a Friday night....

PS: Thanks for the thumbs today, guys.

 

[Gianni Cerutti]



looking sharp, DC! Love the DB

Very nice look...compliments

 

[Gianni Cerutti]



A brace of combinations likely to shock and awe

BEAUTIFUL paisley

 

[Coxsackie]

OK, so here's my "harmonised to the country end of the spectrum" semi-cazh look for Saturday.





Jacket - Pal Zileri Sartoriale wool/cashmere
Shirt - Oxford
Square - vintage Macclesfield silk
Belt - Uniqlo
Jeans - Elwood
Boots - RM Williams "Craftsman"

What have I learned? Well, for one thing, that it's just about impossible to match this shirt with any kind of suit, at least, any suit in my wardrobe.

Secondly, that one should at least make an attempt to "harmonise" the elements of style. I would regard all of the elements in this fit as being at least 3/4 of the way towards the "country" end of the slider. The PS is silk but it's a nutty brown which I can't really imagine working in a conservative business dress fit.

Comments and critique welcome.

 

[DonCologne]

x.post from the challenge

 

[clarinetplayer]



x.post from the challenge

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Everything looks great! Especially, I love these shoes. I hope you win the challenge.