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smittycl

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Pic from Friday Trad challenge. Scuderi (from Sid Mashburn) hopsack sport coat, Drake's tie, Zegna shirt, and Canali pants. At least the shoes are American in, umm, Dublin leather.

IMG_1393 (1).jpg

Enjoying Fall weather at rooftop bar (socially distant with masks unless eating/drinking). Pvt White VC jacket and Adidas sneakers. Ray-Bans, Levi's, and Archimede pilot watch.

IMG_1398.jpg
 

Clouseau

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GO VOTE !

 

Clouseau

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The Friday Challenge American Trad's poll is turning into a G9 contest...

Here is my "Harrington collection"
Harrington Collection.JPG

From left to right :
Black Baracuta G9 (pre-Lavori)
Dark Navy Baracuta G9 (Lavori - that's the one i used for the Friday Challenge.)
Black Uniqlo U G4
Navy Aquascutum

I definitely need one in a lighter colour...
 

JohnAAG

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I've been having a bit of a side discussion with @Clouseau about Harrington jackets, so I thought I'd post one my favorites that gets a lot of wear this time of year.
Harrington Jkt 2.jpg


It's a friend of mine's interpretation of the Tom Ford jacket from the Bond movie Quantum of Solace. So definitely a slimmer and shorter fit than a classic G9 or G4, with cleaner lines, and made from a heavier cotton twill.

I've also been following along with this thread since around the start of August, and thought I'd share some thoughts so far ...

@Clouseau was nice enough to reach out and invite me to participate here. So, going back to the original question in his first post, here some ideas the discussions I've read have inspired.

I've been thinking about what goes into creating a personal style and I've also had the pleasure of speaking with some people I respect about the topic (store owners and buyers, stylists, as well as some gentlemen here). One of my big take-aways has been the idea of understanding the story behind a particular article or style of clothing. For example, we can look at the classic trench coat and ask why it was designed the way it was, why certain details were added (or removed), why that particular material was used for the outer shell, why those colors were selected, etc. Basically, questions about the intended purpose and functionality of the piece. But there's also the cultural elements to consider: who originally used the coat and in what contexts? How was it used in popular culture? How did it break out to become a staple in men's (and women's) closets? Who's wearing it today and for what purpose? I think it's that combination of the functional aspects and cultural history of a particular piece that creates its story. And (just to be clear), I believe a designer creating a piece simply to embrace the beauty of a certain shape or material or color or pattern is totally valid. Function doesn't have to mean "practical".

I think the story of a piece gets really interesting when we start trying to combine elements from different style genres (sorry, I can't think of a better term) and different cultures. For example, the idea of combining workwear and tailoring really intrigues me (beyond just throwing a Barbour over a suit or wearing a tie with a trucker jacket) but I don't feel like I've got it nailed down yet (I still feel like I'm wearing a costume or the whole look just comes off as disjointed). Another example is the style @Gerry Nelson executes so well: bringing together pieces from Asia, the UK, the U.S. to create a truly unique style that (in my eyes) is still practical and accessible.

One thing Gerry shared with me is his ability to identify the common elements shared by the various pieces. For example, a Hanten inspired jacket is meant to be worn casually and keep you warm, so from a functional perspective it will work in place of something like a shawl collar cardigan or fleece jacket. And it can be combined with other pieces from different cultures that share similar design elements and intended functions, like denim, flannel, heavier cotton twill, coarser knits, etc. Being able to swap pieces in and out of a look based on their shared stories is a skill I'd like to improve for myself.

None of the stuff I wrote above is particularly new (and most of it originates from other, more experienced people than I). But learning about approaching personal style as way of integrating stories really captures my imagination and allows me to look at things in a new way. It adds some hidden depth to the way we dress and gives me a framework to better understand why one look "works" and another doesn't.

And that's sort of where I am today. I have a pretty clear idea of what I like when it comes to individual pieces, but I want to improve how I combine those pieces to create a personal style that's comfortable and organic, but more visually interesting and has a little more character. There'll probably be more misses than hits in my future!

Cheers all!
John
 

Clouseau

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I've been having a bit of a side discussion with @Clouseau about Harrington jackets, so I thought I'd post one my favorites that gets a lot of wear this time of year.
View attachment 1480958

It's a friend of mine's interpretation of the Tom Ford jacket from the Bond movie Quantum of Solace. So definitely a slimmer and shorter fit than a classic G9 or G4, with cleaner lines, and made from a heavier cotton twill.

I've also been following along with this thread since around the start of August, and thought I'd share some thoughts so far ...

@Clouseau was nice enough to reach out and invite me to participate here. So, going back to the original question in his first post, here some ideas the discussions I've read have inspired.

I've been thinking about what goes into creating a personal style and I've also had the pleasure of speaking with some people I respect about the topic (store owners and buyers, stylists, as well as some gentlemen here). One of my big take-aways has been the idea of understanding the story behind a particular article or style of clothing. For example, we can look at the classic trench coat and ask why it was designed the way it was, why certain details were added (or removed), why that particular material was used for the outer shell, why those colors were selected, etc. Basically, questions about the intended purpose and functionality of the piece. But there's also the cultural elements to consider: who originally used the coat and in what contexts? How was it used in popular culture? How did it break out to become a staple in men's (and women's) closets? Who's wearing it today and for what purpose? I think it's that combination of the functional aspects and cultural history of a particular piece that creates its story. And (just to be clear), I believe a designer creating a piece simply to embrace the beauty of a certain shape or material or color or pattern is totally valid. Function doesn't have to mean "practical".

I think the story of a piece gets really interesting when we start trying to combine elements from different style genres (sorry, I can't think of a better term) and different cultures. For example, the idea of combining workwear and tailoring really intrigues me (beyond just throwing a Barbour over a suit or wearing a tie with a trucker jacket) but I don't feel like I've got it nailed down yet (I still feel like I'm wearing a costume or the whole look just comes off as disjointed). Another example is the style @Gerry Nelson executes so well: bringing together pieces from Asia, the UK, the U.S. to create a truly unique style that (in my eyes) is still practical and accessible.

One thing Gerry shared with me is his ability to identify the common elements shared by the various pieces. For example, a Hanten inspired jacket is meant to be worn casually and keep you warm, so from a functional perspective it will work in place of something like a shawl collar cardigan or fleece jacket. And it can be combined with other pieces from different cultures that share similar design elements and intended functions, like denim, flannel, heavier cotton twill, coarser knits, etc. Being able to swap pieces in and out of a look based on their shared stories is a skill I'd like to improve for myself.

None of the stuff I wrote above is particularly new (and most of it originates from other, more experienced people than I). But learning about approaching personal style as way of integrating stories really captures my imagination and allows me to look at things in a new way. It adds some hidden depth to the way we dress and gives me a framework to better understand why one look "works" and another doesn't.

And that's sort of where I am today. I have a pretty clear idea of what I like when it comes to individual pieces, but I want to improve how I combine those pieces to create a personal style that's comfortable and organic, but more visually interesting and has a little more character. There'll probably be more misses than hits in my future!

Cheers all!
John
John, it's good to have you here (and now), it's a great Harrington, and a strong first post !
I agree with you that it is very interesting to combine items from different cultures, it is something i try to do too, but i am not as bold as Gerry is sometimes, i stay very classical. For example today i wore an Austrian Navy Loden coat with a French shirt, MiUSA LVC 551 zxx and English Tassels... Pretty international. I also like very much the story behind the items, the Austrian Loden coats for example (i've got several) were originally hunting coats, hence the holes under the arms to give you freedom of movement to use a rifle.
This kind of approach is what i had in mind with this thread. Achieving a personal style with quality items that have a story, or a function, and sometimes both !
 

Swampster

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A Baracuta G9 that I was telling Clouseau about arrived today.
I thought one of the local towns had a shop selling them, so I did a search to find the shop. Google ads came up with an online place advertising them for £10. I didn't really believe it, but all the other stuff, including other colours, had been reduced by 5 or 10% so the other G9s were still £200+. It was just the tan ones going for silly prices. When I looked back 10 minutes later, they seemed to have sold lots - several sizes had been available, but they only had my size left when I looked again.
I wouldn't normally have gone for tan but I thought it would be churlish not to.

It is MiE but the material is 50/50 cotton/polyester. The fit is much snugger than the second hand Baracuta I have - if I had tried it on in a shop I'd have gone a size bigger (a size which would drown me in most other clothes). Over all though, a decent buy.

(I think they have realized they made a mistake - they have another tan G9 for £195)
 

Clouseau

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@Swampster bargain!
The recent ones (Lavori) are polycotton, so yes they probably made a mistake ! Reminds me that a few years ago i bought during the sales a LEE 101Z at €30 while the normal price was at €150. When i came back to the shop a few days later i realized they did a mistake. The jeans were supposed to be at 30% off, not at €30 !
 

Oneflewover

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I've been having a bit of a side discussion with @Clouseau about Harrington jackets, so I thought I'd post one my favorites that gets a lot of wear this time of year.
View attachment 1480958

It's a friend of mine's interpretation of the Tom Ford jacket from the Bond movie Quantum of Solace. So definitely a slimmer and shorter fit than a classic G9 or G4, with cleaner lines, and made from a heavier cotton twill.

John

That's a great jacket, all the more so for it's lack of elasticated waist and cuffs. Said previously, those with aforementioned items are never flattering, especially on older men. Unless of course you are Steve McQueen.
 

cerneabbas

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That's a great jacket, all the more so for it's lack of elasticated waist and cuffs. Said previously, those with aforementioned items are never flattering, especially on older men. Unless of course you are Steve McQueen.
I disagree with you here on all your points.

I am not keen on Harrington style jackets without waist elastic,this one looks better because its a shorter than usual style.
However the same poster put up a picture wearing a Harrington with elasticated waist in the recent challenge which looked very good.

I think that you are confusing getting older with body shape,I would agree that short elasticated jackets dont look good on blokes who have a waist bigger than their chest but I would say that could be at any age not just older men.
I try to keep a minimum 6" difference between chest and waist size (chest size being bigger hopefully) this I will admit has been harder this year with gym closures and classes cancelled etc,but its still 42"/36"..and it will be 42"/34".
I also dont think that the jackets without elastic look good on blokes carrying too much weight around the middle either,and that short one definitely wouldnt.

McQueen,he must have still been in early middle age when the iconic G9 pictures were taken,he died at 50 and (sadly) we dont know how he would have adapted his style as an older man.
He wore an Ma1 in his last film 'the Hunter' and whilst it didnt look great I think that he was looking a bit scrawny (probably weight loss due to his illness) and the jacket provided should have been a smaller size.
 

Oneflewover

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I disagree with you here on all your points.


I think that you are confusing getting older with body shape,I would agree that short elasticated jackets dont look good on blokes who have a waist bigger than their chest but I would say that could be at any age not just older men.
I try to keep a minimum 6" difference between chest and waist size (chest size being bigger hopefully) this I will admit has been harder this year with gym closures and classes cancelled etc,but its still 42"/36"..and it will be 42"/34".
I also dont think that the jackets without elastic look good on blokes carrying too much weight around the middle either,and that short one definitely wouldnt.

I'm not confusing the above points, I was, very badly, trying to skirt around the issue of bodyshape. And yes any shorter blouson style jacket is going to amplified by the closure of gyms. Thank you for allowing me to be more direct :)
 

Clouseau

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I disagree with you here on all your points.
I am not keen on Harrington style jackets without waist elastic,this one looks better because its a shorter than usual style.
However the same poster put up a picture wearing a Harrington with elasticated waist in the recent challenge which looked very good.
I think that you are confusing getting older with body shape.

I totally agree with you, and it is always difficult to generalize.
In the case of @JohnAAG he looks as good in a G4 as in a G9 style jacket/blouson. I think both pictures he posted (and jackets) are brilliant.
In my case, i am slender and very tall, i find that the G9 jackets (with waist elastic) look much better on me than the G4 (shorter and without elastic) because of my height.
So yes, nothing to do with age but rather with body shape, we are all different.
 

JohnAAG

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I'd say "Thank you" for your comments, gentlemen, but unfortunately I can't take any credit for the jacket designs. :-D

I really like both jackets, but wear them in different contexts. I think the G9 style (the one I'm wearing in my feeble attempt to imitate McQueen is actually an old Nordstrom jacket; more on that below) looks better when combined with other "classic" menswear pieces: wider chinos, ocbds with lighter weight sweaters, etc. That blue one is definitely a more modern interpretation and (for me) comes across as almost tailored athletic wear. For some reason I can't put my finger on, I just don't like the way it works with collared shirts or trousers with a fuller cut. Not saying someone else couldn't pull off the look, but I can't seem to do it.

As for that iconic G9 style: I also own an original Baracuta G9 and a G4. As much as I like the idea of owning the original MiE jacket, I just find the cut of the G9 to be too full for me. Given that it was originally designed as a golf jacket, I totally understand the reasoning behind the fuller cut. But I just feel like I have a bunch of fabric flapping around my arms and waist when I wear it and that "ballooning" is just amplified by the knit cuffs and hem. I can totally see how the style works better on someone taller like @Clouseau (you do wear it well, sir!). But I come dangerously close to looking like I'm about to head to a park bench to feed the pigeons. So I reach for the Nordstrom version instead, which has a slightly trimmer cut and higher armholes.

Long story short, I guess I'm at the point where I'm less worried about trying to desperately fit my body into a particular piece just because it's "the ORIGINAL BRAND!!!" and more focused on finding the jacket that works best for me. I know enough about clothing to identify when something is well made, and that Nordstrom comes from an era when companies still invested in quality materials and construction. So it gets the job done.

When I do feel the need to go with "the original" and flash the tartan, I reach for my Baracuta G4. Trimmer cut and I like being able to play around with the fit using the side adjusters.

Cheers!

Edit: @Swampster that's a hell of a deal you got on the G9! Congratulations! I know that Baracuta has modified the cut over the years, gradually becoming slimmer and slimmer. So, after saying everything I said above about the G9 fit not really working for me, I should probably give their latest version a shot.
 
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