• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Caustic Man

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Apr 17, 2012
Messages
10,575
Reaction score
10,456
As @MoneyWellSpent recently discovered the Southern trad style is not often compatible with conservative business dress or the standard definitions of good taste and soporificity (new word). Pastels, non standard fabrics, highly contrasting items, all make up the southern style. Things that come to mind are black shoes paired with white pants, bit-loafers, FU trousers, pinks and greens, etc. The balmy temperatures and humid air make southern style a whole different animal from the NE inspired Americana that most people are used to.

This thread will be for the discussion, dissemination, and display of Southern trad clothing styles, as well as trad in general. Conversations comparing Southern and Northern trad are welcome, as is any other topic relating to the subject of trad south of the Mason/Dixon line.

Maybe you're only trad once a year at your buddy's Derby party, maybe you are just curious. Post, ask, share your knowledge here.

I would like to call on the expertise of @An Acute Style , @Roycru , @southernstyle , @Orgetorix , and @Andy57 . @CaptainTohm , although a neophyte, is asked to join in the conversation as well. @Claghorn is southern enough, and kind of touches on trad. Nevertheless his participation would be appreciated because of his wealth of knowledge about the realities of dressing in the environs of the south.

To begin, here are a few on my favorite things:

Although @upr_crust cannot be described as either southern or trad, he sometimes touches on the style nevertheless.


1000



AAS too embodies a style which, though it started in the south, knows no specific geography.


1000



Mitch always takes advantage of National Seersucker Day. (note the black shoes)


1000



Thankfully for him this guy doesn't post on SF, but I love it nonetheless.


1000



Even our friends from Europe are getting in on the act as @Anden shows his southern colors.


1000



And, of course, my own take on southern casual.











EDIT: I suppose it would be prudent to maintain a list of existing Southern Trad brands. For the purpose of specificity I will exclude general trad stalwarts such as Brooks Brother and J. Press and try to focus on brand specific to the South. The reason for this list, as I see it, is because many Southern Trad brands are far less ubiquitous than their northern counterparts and a convenient list might be of interest to some. This list will continually be updated as necessary.

Please feel free to suggest brands for inclusion.

http://www.perlis.com
http://www.bensilver.com
http://www.southernproper.com
http://www.southerntide.com
https://www.petermillar.com/
http://www.duckhead.com
http://www.ledbury.com
http://www.coastapparel.com
http://www.southernmarsh.com
http://www.ollyoxen.com
http://southernpointco.com
 
Last edited:

Claghorn

Stylish Dinosaur
Dubiously Honored
Spamminator Moderator
Joined
Aug 21, 2012
Messages
12,895
Reaction score
31,924
I don't think I've ever dressed in trad. Aren't cotton slacks a requirement? I do love me some boatshoes though.

I actually popped in to suggest Ogretorix and Southernstyle, but you apparently beat me to it. What about @TheoProf ?

Here is some Tom Wolfe, though. He is really who I think of when someone says "Southern Dandy" (which let me tell you, is A LOT)

tom-wolfe-radical-chic-me-decade-right-stuff-michael-lewis-the-white-stuff-11.jpg


tom-wolfe-window-pane-box-check-cream-blue-wool-3-piece.jpg


MAC43_INTERVIEW03_660x277.jpg


But he has his whole schtick outside of the Southernness of his dress.
 
Last edited:

MoneyWellSpent

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2012
Messages
2,697
Reaction score
1,178
I'm nowhere near that level of dandy, as my prior photos show. But, I do wear mostly cotton pants. I have some flannels for winter, and often consider adding some wool odd trousers for the other seasons, but so far have mostly stayed with cotton.

I don't know of any authoritative source for "southern trad", so I think this thread could be fun but it shouldn't have as many strict guidelines as Whnay's Good Taste thread does.

In my experience, if it can be found in the catalogs of Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren, and Vinyard Vines, then it is probably fair game for where I live. That sounds sorta broad, and it is, but it all has an establishment bent, with its own flavor. Note that those brands don't have to be represented or even mentioned. Rather, their styles are decent guides to serve as a compass. I've never owned a product from Vineyard Vines, but they are everywhere I look in my part of the world.
 

Caustic Man

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Apr 17, 2012
Messages
10,575
Reaction score
10,456
I agree that there should not be the kind of strict guidelines in the Good Taste thread. One element of southern style is a sometimes wild disregard for the tenets of conservative business dress.

I might add Haspel and Peter Millar as distinctly southern brands that regularly appear on the trad wardrobe in the south.
 

MoneyWellSpent

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2012
Messages
2,697
Reaction score
1,178

I agree that there should not be the kind of strict guidelines in the Good Taste thread. One element of southern style is a sometimes wild disregard for the tenets of conservative business dress. 

I might add Haspel and Peter Millar as distinctly southern brands that regularly appear on the trad wardrobe in the south.


Yeah, I've got a few representative articles from those. :D
 

smittycl

Stylish Dinosaur
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2012
Messages
20,109
Reaction score
33,213
I agree that there should not be the kind of strict guidelines in the Good Taste thread. One element of southern style is a sometimes wild disregard for the tenets of conservative business dress.

I might add Haspel and Peter Millar as distinctly southern brands that regularly appear on the trad wardrobe in the south.
Don't forget Ben Silver in Charleston. Probably the most Southern trad catalog I've ever seen.

http://www.bensilver.com/
 

MoneyWellSpent

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2012
Messages
2,697
Reaction score
1,178
Here are a few of mine lately. The lighting kinda sucks on some of them, and they are all smart phone shots. I didn't take most of them with an intention of posting them. If you have a question about a color or fabric, feel free to ask, as some are difficult to ascertain.

You will notice the conspicuous absence of pocket squares. They are highly dandified where I live, and so I don't really practice using them. Just dressing the way I do can make me stand out.

1000


1000


1000


1000


1000


1000


1000


1000


1000


1000


1000


1000


1000


1000


1000


1000
 
Last edited:

Claghorn

Stylish Dinosaur
Dubiously Honored
Spamminator Moderator
Joined
Aug 21, 2012
Messages
12,895
Reaction score
31,924
I don't know that you see much Southern Trad in Texas. When it comes to casual wear within certain social circles, you see a lot of Martha's Vineyard influence. But outside of that, nada. I never see madras jackets or light colored suits. I do see suits and (cowboy) boots fairly often, and bolo ties occasionally on men over 50 and cowboy hats with suits occasionally on people of all ages.
 

Caustic Man

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Apr 17, 2012
Messages
10,575
Reaction score
10,456

That's fair. I suppose culturally Texas is more closely related to the western states, which do have a trad of their own although from what you say it doesn't affect Texas (what does?).

I don't know that you see much Southern Trad in Texas. When it comes to casual wear within certain social circles, you see a lot of Martha's Vineyard influence. But outside of that, nada. I never see madras jackets or light colored suits. I do see suits and (cowboy) boots fairly often, and bolo ties occasionally on men over 50 and cowboy hats with suits occasionally on people of all ages.

He has arrived! And with great fits to boot! Looking good as always.

@Caustic Man you rang?
 

Claghorn

Stylish Dinosaur
Dubiously Honored
Spamminator Moderator
Joined
Aug 21, 2012
Messages
12,895
Reaction score
31,924
Is there Western trad? The existence of it in the South makes sense, but the South is a lot older than the West
 

Caustic Man

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Apr 17, 2012
Messages
10,575
Reaction score
10,456
There is. Trad styles may have antecedents from centuries ago, but the style itself isn't quite as old as you might think. 150 years ago it was completely nonexistent. Western trad, of course, takes heavily from both NE and Southern trad, but it has its own variations. @Roycru probably knows more about this than I do, but corduroy (rather than flannel) is one common variation. Another variation that I have personally noted, although I can't say for sure whether it is distinctly western, is the tendency toward low contrast fits.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,191
Messages
10,579,236
Members
223,902
Latest member
LucyKaven
Top