TRINI
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Great read from Simon Crompton:
How to break the rules
Think of rules as repositories of knowledge. Certain forms of behaviour were discovered to be so practical over time that they were formalised by society. They were codified into a set of simple rules in order to be dispensed quickly and remembered easily.
Some rules were imposed from above rather than created by consensus - like the rationing during World War II that led to a ban on turn-ups. But they are all eminently practical. Rules are not fashions. They endure because, once followed, they are found to be useful.
This does not mean that breaking them cannot be fun. The extravagance of the zoot suit in the 1940s was in part a celebration of the end of wartime restrictions: a revelling in cloth. But the stylish understand the rules and the knowledge they contain. Only a pubescent breaks rules for the sake of it.
Let me explain why some rules exist, and demonstrate how this helps you break them effectively.
First, an American classic, because they do love their rules. In fact, let's quote an American that commented on my website, Permanent Style, to show how much they care: "White should never be worn between Labor Day and Easter. It is good manners. Only the ignorant of decorum would say...oh, it doesn't matter. It shows how much education and attention to propriety a person has. Only break the rule if you want people to think you do not know any better." So if you wear white before Easter next year you will be rude, lazy and ill-educated. Pretty damning.
But why should you only wear white in the summer? Because it's more likely to be sunny; because white reflects light; and so because white looks best on those bright summer days. It's a very rough way of telling you to wear white in the sun that has become divorced from reality by unimaginative respectability. Sometimes rules go adrift.
I won't wear white ducks and a banana-yellow jacket on a cloudy August afternoon. But I will wear white jeans with a four-ply shawl-collar cardigan on a clear December morning. Indeed, I have a bright green tweed jacket from Ralph Lauren that was part of a series for Autumn/Winter 2008. All bright, all heavy, hand-loomed tweed; too thick for summer and too intense for overcast conditions. It could only be worn on sunny winter days. Ralph clearly understood the rules.
Let's take a slightly more complicated example. It is said that only slim men should wear double-breasted suits. If you think about it, this is because several elements create horizontal lines where there would be vertical ones on a single-breasted suit. There are rows of buttons; the lapels point across the chest; even the peaks, unless very pointed, suggest width.
But thinking through these elements also tells us how to minimise the effect. Lowering the buttoning point straightens the lapels, as does moving the buttons closer together. Both also reduce the amount of overlapping cloth and increase the size of the shirt opening. Reducing the number of buttons mitigates the boxy effect - some fashion-forward jackets go as far as to employ only two. Lapels can be thinner, peaks can point higher. Playing with all these factors can make a large man appear more athletic, not fatter, in a DB. He will break the rule.
Why did men used to be told "˜don't wear brown in town'? Because brown was, and still is, less formal than blue or grey. But when most of your colleagues wear polo shirts and chinos to the office, a brown suit is pretty formal. Wear it with a smart shirt and tie, and perhaps switch to navy when you're meeting a client, but feel free to wear that brown in town.
Why does black tie always involve covering your waist - with a waistcoat, cummerbund or DB jacket? Because the waist is untidy, the meeting point of seams and puffy shirt. Because it elongates your body. Because it makes the outfit sharp and elegant, and that is the point of black tie. So if you're going to break this rule, at least have high-waisted trousers that reach the buttoning point of your jacket. And don't wear a shirt with an oval, Marcella front. It's designed for a waistcoat.
Why are trousers usually cut to fall with no break at the back and just a single one at the front? Because it is the best balance between elegant, unbroken lines and trousers that don't flap when you walk. So bear that in mind if you want shorter trousers - have them cut narrower and perhaps with turn-ups, at least taping, to minimise ungainly flapping. The Italians with their narrow jeans and flannels understand this very well.
Rules are there for a reason. They are practical and intended to make you look good. But once you understand why men went to the bother of formalising them, you'll know how to break them effectively.
How to break the rules
Think of rules as repositories of knowledge. Certain forms of behaviour were discovered to be so practical over time that they were formalised by society. They were codified into a set of simple rules in order to be dispensed quickly and remembered easily.
Some rules were imposed from above rather than created by consensus - like the rationing during World War II that led to a ban on turn-ups. But they are all eminently practical. Rules are not fashions. They endure because, once followed, they are found to be useful.
This does not mean that breaking them cannot be fun. The extravagance of the zoot suit in the 1940s was in part a celebration of the end of wartime restrictions: a revelling in cloth. But the stylish understand the rules and the knowledge they contain. Only a pubescent breaks rules for the sake of it.
Let me explain why some rules exist, and demonstrate how this helps you break them effectively.
First, an American classic, because they do love their rules. In fact, let's quote an American that commented on my website, Permanent Style, to show how much they care: "White should never be worn between Labor Day and Easter. It is good manners. Only the ignorant of decorum would say...oh, it doesn't matter. It shows how much education and attention to propriety a person has. Only break the rule if you want people to think you do not know any better." So if you wear white before Easter next year you will be rude, lazy and ill-educated. Pretty damning.
But why should you only wear white in the summer? Because it's more likely to be sunny; because white reflects light; and so because white looks best on those bright summer days. It's a very rough way of telling you to wear white in the sun that has become divorced from reality by unimaginative respectability. Sometimes rules go adrift.
I won't wear white ducks and a banana-yellow jacket on a cloudy August afternoon. But I will wear white jeans with a four-ply shawl-collar cardigan on a clear December morning. Indeed, I have a bright green tweed jacket from Ralph Lauren that was part of a series for Autumn/Winter 2008. All bright, all heavy, hand-loomed tweed; too thick for summer and too intense for overcast conditions. It could only be worn on sunny winter days. Ralph clearly understood the rules.
Let's take a slightly more complicated example. It is said that only slim men should wear double-breasted suits. If you think about it, this is because several elements create horizontal lines where there would be vertical ones on a single-breasted suit. There are rows of buttons; the lapels point across the chest; even the peaks, unless very pointed, suggest width.
But thinking through these elements also tells us how to minimise the effect. Lowering the buttoning point straightens the lapels, as does moving the buttons closer together. Both also reduce the amount of overlapping cloth and increase the size of the shirt opening. Reducing the number of buttons mitigates the boxy effect - some fashion-forward jackets go as far as to employ only two. Lapels can be thinner, peaks can point higher. Playing with all these factors can make a large man appear more athletic, not fatter, in a DB. He will break the rule.
Why did men used to be told "˜don't wear brown in town'? Because brown was, and still is, less formal than blue or grey. But when most of your colleagues wear polo shirts and chinos to the office, a brown suit is pretty formal. Wear it with a smart shirt and tie, and perhaps switch to navy when you're meeting a client, but feel free to wear that brown in town.
Why does black tie always involve covering your waist - with a waistcoat, cummerbund or DB jacket? Because the waist is untidy, the meeting point of seams and puffy shirt. Because it elongates your body. Because it makes the outfit sharp and elegant, and that is the point of black tie. So if you're going to break this rule, at least have high-waisted trousers that reach the buttoning point of your jacket. And don't wear a shirt with an oval, Marcella front. It's designed for a waistcoat.
Why are trousers usually cut to fall with no break at the back and just a single one at the front? Because it is the best balance between elegant, unbroken lines and trousers that don't flap when you walk. So bear that in mind if you want shorter trousers - have them cut narrower and perhaps with turn-ups, at least taping, to minimise ungainly flapping. The Italians with their narrow jeans and flannels understand this very well.
Rules are there for a reason. They are practical and intended to make you look good. But once you understand why men went to the bother of formalising them, you'll know how to break them effectively.