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Is this a new look?

Mike C.

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Almost every night I go out (in NYC) recently I've been seeing a trend of guys wearing suits and ties, except replacing the suit trousers with jeans. Everything else remaining the same, from the shoes to a tie. The shirt is tucked in and everything else, it's just the jeans that are different.

This look is ridiculous. It looks exactly as I have described it... full suit with only the trousers missing. It's not edgy or cool, I don't know what these guys are thinking. Has anyone else seen this? What do you guys think?

BTW; the guys who I see doing this are wearing top quality clothes. It's not the J. Crew/Banana crowd, it's more the younger Barney's/Saks crowd. So we're dealing with a Barbera jackets paired with Seven's.
 

LA Guy

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It's a crap look, no doubt. There are ways to do the jacket with jeans thing, but emulating German businessmen is no way to do it. For one thing, the jacket should be quite fitted with high gorge and be make in a more casual (i.e. more textured) material - moleskin, brushed twill, corduroy, even velvet. I.e. your Cloak NYC jacket will work, your Barbera will probably not, even though the second is better made. The second thing is, don't tuck in your shirt - never tuck in your freakin' shirt. If it is too long and/or billowy, it probably should be worn with jeans anyway. Try Costume National, Prada, or Helmut Lang shirts for a sleeker look; Age, Coast, or Steven Alan shirts for a more casual look. If you think this looks a little messy, put a fitted, v-neck over the whole thing. The tie should be loose on the collar or done away with altogether, especially if you are not wearing the sweater. The jeans should be fitted and low rise, but not too fitted and not too low rise. The first, and you are a German businessman (congrats), the second, you are too Dsquared for Dsquared. The last thing is the shoes - they should be shoes that go well with jeans - desert boots, sneakers, chunkier chelsea boots, Docs. I don't care if your John Lobbs were bespoke or not. You look like an idiot irregardless of the costliness/beautiful worksmanship of your shoes. Some Italians do it, yes. But some Italians are idiots, and the ones that oul it off are probably a lot better looking and naturally cooler than you, oh shopper at Barneys and Bergdorf.

Let this be a lesson for all of us. Just because you are wearing top quality doesn't mean that you are going to look top quality - you gotta put the stuff together right.
 

PeterMetro

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You look like an idiot irregardless of the costliness/beautiful worksmanship of your shoes.
You've been in Boston too long.
 

A Harris

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I agree completely with LA Guy, except about the shoes. I'm not advocating any old pair of dress shoes with the look, but the right pair really finishes it off. IMO.
 

PeterMetro

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That's probably true.  I am feeling increasingly ornery.  What is it with this place?
I was actually commenting on a seemingly regional grammatical mistake.
 

CharlieZircon

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If it's a look, it's a look. Most of the best looks break some rules, and that rule may be the "Don't tuck in your shirt rule" or the "Don't wear dress shoes with that rule" or the "Neatly knotted tie rule".

IMHO, style is not about making up rules, it is breaking the right rules at the right time.
 

MCA

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The second thing is, don't tuck in your shirt - never tuck in your freakin' shirt.  
Does this mean that  the shirt must be shorter than both the jacket and the  sweater?  Thanks.
 

Mike C.

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I'm going out tomorrow night. I'm going to take a picture of one of these chodes and post it here.
 

Alias

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I'm going out tomorrow night. I'm going to take a picture of one of these chodes and post it here.
Street justice, the Style Forum way.
 

LabelKing

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(Mike C. @ 07 Sep. 2004, 9:24) I'm going out tomorrow night. I'm going to take a picture of one of these chodes and post it here.
Street justice, the Style Forum way.
Imagine a brigade of stylish men wielding cameras at ill-dressed men. It's almost vicious.
 

Phil

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I know the people you are describing, and I both agree and disagree with you. Just my opinion ofcourse, but what ruins it for me is the trendy fitted jeans. Someone had mentioned it perhaps being a preppy look, and in some ways it is. It is a preppy look, however, if you wear normal jeans. Ive been seeing this for 25 years. Its one thing when you are wearing those silly trendy jeans that seem to be all the rage, but its an entirely different thing when you are wearing a great old pair of Levis 501s. This is how it breaks down to me:

Guy #1:

Suit jacket (something fancy, sleek, stylish)
shirt (probably loud stripes, or black, or something like it)
tie- something fancy
jeans (fitted sevens, pdc, etc). invariably low rise, flared leg, silly washes
shoes (something pointy most likely)

Guy #1 looks like an idiot, or at least like someone desparately trying to look like a rock star.

Guy #2

Suit Jacket (maybe a worn in corduroy blazer, simple classic blue blazer. Something tweedy, maybe a heavy chalkstripe flannel. in the summer a tan linen sportcoat
Shirt - university stripe shirt, oxford shirt, something like that
tie- repp tie, or something thicker in the winter
jeans - old 501's, NOT tight. if not the levis, something normal, that a 30-50 year old man can wear and not look absurd
shoes - chukka boots, in suede or brown calf. maybe a pair of heavily brougued oxfords, double leather soled.

Guy #2 looks just fine. and he certainly wont look like a german businessman.

Am I the only person who throws on a tweed sportcoat in the fall and winter and wears it as an actual coat?
 

Alias

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Actually, I think Guy #1 would look alright.

The thing is, people pair boxy, sack-like suit jackets with their jeans. A well-fitting jacket vastly improves the look. Unfortunately, not many men own one.
 

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