Crompton: "It rarely feels appropriate to wear a pocket handkerchief anymore"

[radicaldog]

Finally.

Permanent Style

Why I’m wearing more belts

www.permanentstyle.com

May CM as cosplay continue to die, and may we find judicious ways to keep wearing CM garments in coherent modern outfits.

 

[Count de Monet]

What a novel idea: wearing a belt to hold up one’s trousers. I had no idea I was so cutting edge.

 

[dieworkwear]

I also favor belts nowadays, but I think my taste is mostly influenced by RTW. When I commissioned a custom overcoat, I looked to RTW examples as inspiration. Same with custom shoes. And when I wear my trousers without belt loops nowadays, I feel like something is missing.

Regarding pocket squares, I still wear them, although I think Simon looks better there without a pocket square when he's wearing jeans.

 

[Noblekostas]

I don't wear belts and pocket squares are part of the charm. I'd rather listen to Rebecca Black than Simon anyways. Just wear what you want and looks good on you

 

[TheShetlandSweater]

Finally.

Permanent Style

Why I’m wearing more belts

www.permanentstyle.com

May CM as cosplay continue to die, and may we find judicious ways to keep wearing CM garments in coherent modern outfits.

I think a lot of this stuff is just cyclical. We don't like doing the same thing forever and we like excitement so we do this for a while and then that for a while and then we go back to this when this becomes novel again. We just get bored of seeing the same thing each day in the mirror for too long.

 

[chickene]

I think a lot of this stuff is just cyclical. We don't like doing the same thing forever and we like excitement so we do this for a while and then that for a while and then we go back to this when this becomes novel again. We just get bored of seeing the same thing each day in the mirror for too long.

Ahhh, fashion...

 

[aristoi bcn]

Some years ago he was censoring the use of belt with dress trousers based on aesthetics. Now he's of the opposite opinion.

Is complete nonsense stating that a pocket square draws too much attention while wearing a baseball cap with a vintage cloth sportcoat, no matter the setting.

He has ran out of topics for his articles and is creating (mostly) irrelevant content.

 

[dieworkwear]

I think it's less about dressing repetitively and more about not wanting to look like people you dislike.

David Marx has a book coming out about this. The book is due in the summer.

 

[Andy57]

Simon worries about drawing attention to himself, I think. He doesn't like to stand out. I don't have that problem. I almost always wear a pocket square. But then, I don't wear jeans.

 

[Mirage-]

As someone who has read almost everything on PS for the last year (and a lot of archive posts too), I'm pretty sure this is the second time around that he goes into a "pocket squares feel too showy now" phase.
The previous one ended when he started dropping ties, so he reasoned a pocket square was a good way to still wear some silk. It doesn't look like the inverse is likely given he has almost stopped wearing suits as well, but maybe silk scarves are the next great thing since he already toyed with them a lot (i mean, I do love them, but it's hard to wear a scarf in 3 out of 4 seasons in most places south of England, without them looking like they are indeed a pure fashion accessory).

The belt thing is a bit funny given he is the only person I've ever known to have bespoke jeans made without belt loops, which even I would never do, while rarely wearing a belt. Still, I stand with him on the original idea that belts completely ruin the effect of a suit. With separates that's not a problem though.

 

[TheShetlandSweater]

Ahhh, fashion...

I think it's everything. Or I guess you could say that everything has its fashions.

Some years ago he was censoring the use of belt with dress trousers based on aesthetics. Now he's of the opposite opinion.

Is complete nonsense stating that a pocket square draws too much attention while wearing a baseball cap with a vintage cloth sportcoat, no matter the setting.

He has ran out of topics for his articles and is creating (mostly) irrelevant content.

I disagree. I think the baseball cap stands out less (and looks good). A lot of this may depend on where you are. For many people, a pocket square is and always will be a novelty item.

I think it's less about dressing repetitively and more about not wanting to look like people you dislike.

David Marx has a book coming out about this. The book is due in the summer.

I think this might be a motivating factor sometimes, but I don't think it is usually a huge one. Like, how many people do you know who even wear cm thoughtfully? I know you've complained about gurkha trousers in the past, for instance. How many people do you personally know who wear gurkha trousers? Probably very very few. Same with going beltless and pocket squares. I guess there might be people online you dislike, but why do you dislike them? Because you don't think they dress well? If so, that seems very circular.

Clarification: my point here is that I just don't think personal dislike can explain very many things about a person's tastes in cm.

Simon worries about drawing attention to himself, I think. He doesn't like to stand out. I don't have that problem. I almost always wear a pocket square. But then, I don't wear jeans.

I am not sure if he worries about drawing attention to himself: many of his outfits are quite bold. Rather, I think he worries about looking old-fashioned.

 

[dieworkwear]

I think this might be a motivating factor sometimes, but I don't think it is usually a huge one. Like, how many people do you know who even wear cm thoughtfully? I know you've complained about gurkha trousers in the past, for instance. How many people do you personally know who wear gurkha trousers? Probably very very few. Same with going beltless and pocket squares. I guess there might be people online you dislike, but why do you dislike them? Because you don't think they dress well? If so, that seems very circular.

Clarification: my point here is that I just don't think personal dislike can explain very many things about a person's tastes in cm.

You don't have to know the person. It may not even be people you see in real life.

I think Andy's explanation is a better one for Simon's particular senses. I don't get the impression that Simon bases his dress habits around people he dislikes. But I think social standing, tribal affiliations, and one's dislike or like for other groups explain a lot of dress habits.

Anyway, those interested in this can read David's book coming this summer. Georg Simmel and Pierre Bourdieu have written similar things.

 

[TheShetlandSweater]

You don't have to know the person. It may not even be people you see in real life.

I think Andy's explanation is a better one for Simon's particular senses. I don't get the impression that Simon bases his dress habits around people he dislikes. But I think social standing, tribal affiliations, and one's dislike or like for other groups explain a lot of dress habits.

Anyway, those interested in this can read David's book coming this summer. Georg Simmel and Pierre Bourdieu have written similar things.

Sure. I think those things matter a good deal. I also think other things matter a good deal too.

My point with the other is just that most people online I don't know enough about to like or dislike, aside from the way they dress. The people I see on instagram...I just don't know enough to like them or dislike them. I do know whether I like the way they dress. Of course there are also people like Simon who I don't know personally but do know reasonably well. But even there, there are just very few people who I both know reasonably well (personally or not) and think dress well or interestingly. In other words, I have troubles believing that many of my tastes come from like or dislike of people. Indeed, Ivy is a big influence in my dress, but I am not a particular fan of many of the associations that go along with Ivy.

 

[chickene]

Clarification: my point here is that I just don't think personal dislike can explain very many things about a person's tastes in cm.

In my case (and I'm sure I speak for many), this would introduce a bit of a paradox. After all, the person I dislike most is the guy walking in my shoes, wearing my clothes, and talking out of my mouth every day.

 

[Mirage-]

Is complete nonsense stating that a pocket square draws too much attention while wearing a baseball cap with a vintage cloth sportcoat, no matter the setting.

I wouldn't say he looks clearly bad, but I will say that whenever he wears a baseball cap with a sport coat, to me he looks like he's (over)channeling his much nurtured ivy-league spirit. Except he's not american (not by birth, nor overall style and sensibility) and it comes off a bit like an impersonation to me.
But maybe to a stranger, who has not read much of his clearly English writing, it wouldn't.

Still, here in Italy I have tried wearing a baseball cap with a trench coat, purely out of practical need to shield myself from the water without needing an umbrella, but people already made fun of me. I hazard the guess that a sport coat with a cap wouldn't be seen as very sensible here.

Anyway, if the idea of this thread is to rejoice that we are "free" from pocket squares, I don't particularly feel like there is much to rejoice. I feel they have long been a niche detail that basically never bothered anyone (since they weren't strictly part of any day-to-day dress code), while they could (and still can) be used nicely by the few willing, or for special occasions. Ordinary office people have never cared to wear one, as far back as my CM memory goes.
Personally I am not quite so "bold" as to wear them daily, but I do like to use the pocket for something, for daily wear that typically is a nice pen (no, not a fountain one), like Mark Cho at the Armoury often does. I do use it whenever I need to write something, btw, so the actual practicality of it is reassuring to me.