The Look goes on...

[Thin White Duke]

Bloody hot here.
Today it was Fred Perry x Nigel Cabourn oversized polo, light cotton Paul Smith trousers, and Sebago Classics Pennies.

View attachment 1185866

I think i will have to wear shorts tomorrow, something i hate to do in the city, but the temperature leaves me no choice...

Shorts in the city?
Good god man, where’s your dignity?

 

[Clouseau]

Shorts in the city?
Good god man, where’s your dignity?

Finally i didnt wear them today... Said before that i really hate shorts, but the last very hot summers in Paris don't often leave choice!

On another subject i hate the new presentation of this forum.

 

[Yorky]

Covskin I think I said before your shorts outfit is close to mine.
I rarely wear shorts even in the Florida heat. Prefer linen strides and driving mocs.
Shorts with formal loafers and no socks is an awful look, seems to draw the eye to ugly ankles.
On the rare cases that I’m in shorts (holiday / pool party / theme park visit) I’ll likely wear a polo and Seavees or maybe short white sports socks and Gazelles or Stan smiths for that Roger Laver look

I have one pair of white 501s which got paint on them so got them cut off. A few pairs of chino shorts in various colours with the legs tailored slim to avoid the Eric Morecambe look. Aside from them it’s sunspel setters or board shorts for the pool or beach.

I have to disagree with you there, and this look has been worn for many years.

This example is from one of my favourite books Take Ivy.
As for wearing socks with shorts, this should be limited to when only playing sports,

 

[Clouseau]

I have to disagree with you there, and this look has been worn for many years.

View attachment 1186260

This example is from one of my favourite books Take Ivy.
As for wearing socks with shorts, this should be limited to when only playing sports,

Yes...but you will notice on this picture that they are not Tassel loafers.
It only 'works' with pennies, but it is not a great look TBH, it is not because it has been 'worn' and that it stays that it looks good. Have a look at the many threads of this forum and you will see evidences of looks that are worn...but terrible.
At least, on this picture, their ankles have a sun tan.

 

[Yorky]

Yes...but you will notice on this picture that they are not Tassel loafers.
It only 'works' with pennies, but it is not a great look TBH, it is not because it has been 'worn' and that it stays that it looks good. Have a look at the many threads of this forum and you will see evidences of looks that are worn...but terrible.
At least, on this picture, their ankles have a sun tan.

I prefer the tasseled loafer as a more casual look to pennies. Each to their own, l suppose.
I must admit though, that I mainly wear Tods drivers with shorts or as on Friday walking boots when I tackled a 12 mile hike and climb, also an acceptable excuse to wear 2 pairs of socks and not an ankle in sight.

 

[Yorky]

So the summer is almost here, any new clobber in mind guys ?
As it's so hot in the city for a few years, i was thinking of updating my polo collection with lighter affairs.
I've only got two John Smedley cotton polos (one Isis and one Milo), and new ones are on my wish-list, but they are difficult to find here, and very rare during the sales…
Total heresy, i was also thinking about shorts, i quite like the Stan Ray's...

Just bought this Fred Perry reissues knitted Henley collared tee, got one in a wine colour also a couple of years ago.

Tee as above, white 501's and Paul Smith drivers.

 

[Thin White Duke]

I’ve just re-examined my prejudices and I think the reason (for me) why something like polo shirt and cotton shorts works with short socks and Gazelles or Stan Smiths is coherence. It’s patterned after a semi-vintage sports look (like I said, Rod Laver as an example).

Wearing chino shorts with no socks and loafers IMO lacks that coherence. It’s matched up hot weather chino shorts with shoes which are taken from a semi formal ‘cool weather and long trousers’ outfit and they just don’t work for me. It’s made worse in that pic of the lad with an OCBD - again, taken from a ‘long trousers’ outfit. Loafers and no socks with shorts is no more coherent to me than brogues with no socks and shorts.

And all of the above doesn’t even take into account the plethora of bandy legs and chicken ankles on display by people who try that look!

I realise that vintage Ivy pics are unimpeachable in the eyes of some Ivy fans but what about context? Most Ivy league universities are in NE USA - not in the hottest places on the planet so it’s fair to assume that students (some from rich families but otherwise not exactly known for their wealth) didn’t have dedicated summer wardrobes so just repurposed spring/autumn outfit items into a summer look. Think Matt Damon as Tom Ripley in Italy with his OCBD, corduroy blazer and lime green trunks with loafers. Rick kid Dickie Greenleaf never did that as he could afford a dedicated summer wardrobe.

So there is - at least in my mind - some logic to my opinions!

 

[Clouseau]

I prefer the tasseled loafer as a more casual look to pennies. Each to their own, l suppose.
I must admit though, that I mainly wear Tods drivers with shorts or as on Friday walking boots when I tackled a 12 mile hike and climb, also an acceptable excuse to wear 2 pairs of socks and not an ankle in sight.

Well i think on the contrary that Pennies (especially beefrolls) are more casual than Tassels, but yes, each to his own anall that ! It also depends of the shape/material of the shoe IMO. Some tassels can be very formal, other more casual.
Without socks i think 'boat' shoes work the best, as they are designed to be worn that way. Drivers too i suppose (as there is something Italian in them, think Tod's), or Quoddy bluchers, but i never owned any.
Your new FP henley looks good, IIRC they did a collab one with Paul Weller a few years ago.

 

[Yorky]

Well i think on the contrary that Pennies (especially beefrolls) are more casual than Tassels, but yes, each to his own anall that ! It also depends of the shape/material of the shoe IMO. Some tassels can be very formal, other more casual.
Without socks i think 'boat' shoes work the best, as they are designed to be worn that way. Drivers too i suppose (as there is something Italian in them, think Tod's), or Quoddy bluchers, but i never owned any.
Your new FP henley looks good, IIRC they did a collab one with Paul Weller a few years ago.

Yea The Paul Weller collab was about eleven years ago, I bought a few at the time, they were in pique cotton.
I agree with you about the loafer business, but to me Bass weejuns have always been semi casual and I would never wear with a suit.
I like the way combining them with shorts etc gives a certain look of nonchalance, they also went well with the chinos that I took separately to change into for lunch, after working in my wife's classroom.

 

[Yorky]

I’ve just re-examined my prejudices and I think the reason (for me) why something like polo shirt and cotton shorts works with short socks and Gazelles or Stan Smiths is coherence. It’s patterned after a semi-vintage sports look (like I said, Rod Laver as an example).

Wearing chino shorts with no socks and loafers IMO lacks that coherence. It’s matched up hot weather chino shorts with shoes which are taken from a semi formal ‘cool weather and long trousers’ outfit and they just don’t work for me. It’s made worse in that pic of the lad with an OCBD - again, taken from a ‘long trousers’ outfit. Loafers and no socks with shorts is no more coherent to me than brogues with no socks and shorts.

And all of the above doesn’t even take into account the plethora of bandy legs and chicken ankles on display by people who try that look!

I realise that vintage Ivy pics are unimpeachable in the eyes of some Ivy fans but what about context? Most Ivy league universities are in NE USA - not in the hottest places on the planet so it’s fair to assume that students (some from rich families but otherwise not exactly known for their wealth) didn’t have dedicated summer wardrobes so just repurposed spring/autumn outfit items into a summer look. Think Matt Damon as Tom Ripley in Italy with his OCBD, corduroy blazer and lime green trunks with loafers. Rick kid Dickie Greenleaf never did that as he could afford a dedicated summer wardrobe.

So there is - at least in my mind - some logic to my opinions!

In my opinion the look that we all follow, admittedly in our own ways, is what it is because of not following a set rule of how to dress (or how you word it coherence).
The rules were torn up and thrown away, just think of all the looks that people now take for granted as the norm, jeans with trainers. Mixing sports clothes and military with standard street wear, and since when was a crombie designed to be worn with big boots?
I think that you having not fully lived the lifestyle, are probably disadvantaged. One of my favourite photos is of the Small Faces, where Marriott is wearing a striped jumper, with tailored trousers and what appear to be white Superga pumps, and he looks great.

 

[Clouseau]

More 'street' than 'mod', and more the look moves on than goes on, you probably heard of Engineered Garments, a trendy NY brand with a Japanese designer (Daiki Suzuki).
They just released today a collab collection of polos with Uniqlo. Only one model in pure cotton, the more discreet one, an oversized polo.
The fit runs TTS for an oversized polo (@Mr Knightley it is very comparable to the fit of the FP x Nigel Cabourn polos), so i just bought two in XL, one olive (picture) and one black. It exists also in off white.

The material is a thick cotton jersey, not piqué.
An interesting item, nice detailing, at a very reasonable price (€29), while usually EG is very expensive.
If you're interested, be quick, they will probably be sold out in a few days.

 

[Mr Knightley]

More 'street' than 'mod', and more the look moves on than goes on, you probably heard of Engineered Garments, a trendy NY brand with a Japanese designer (Daiki Suzuki).
They just released today a collab collection of polos with Uniqlo. Only one model in pure cotton, the more discreet one, an oversized polo.
The fit runs TTS for an oversized polo (@Mr Knightley it is very comparable to the fit of the FP x Nigel Cabourn polos), so i just bought two in XL, one olive (picture) and one black. It exists also in off white.

View attachment 1186459

The material is a thick cotton jersey, not piqué.
An interesting item, nice detailing, at a very reasonable price (€29), while usually EG is very expensive.
If you're interested, be quick, they will probably be sold out in a few days.

They sound great, Inspector. I shall have a look now.

In the meantime, I have worn my made in Portugal FP x GdG Shirt, with a zip-up collar - for the first time for a long time (it has a slim fit and I recently lost a little weight).

 

[Mr Knightley]

In my opinion the look that we all follow, admittedly in our own ways, is what it is because of not following a set rule of how to dress (or how you word it coherence).
The rules were torn up and thrown away, just think of all the looks that people now take for granted as the norm, jeans with trainers. Mixing sports clothes and military with standard street wear, and since when was a crombie designed to be worn with big boots?
I think that you having not fully lived the lifestyle, are probably disadvantaged. One of my favourite photos is of the Small Faces, where Marriott is wearing a striped jumper, with tailored trousers and what appear to be white Superga pumps, and he looks great.

View attachment 1186445

I remember just how great the Small Faces looked in their early days (before they discovered drugs) - quite different from any other bands at the time.

Yes, we all have our own take on what I loosely called 'The Look' (for want of a better term). Some of the style references in my wardrobe today definitely owe more to the 1980s than the late 60s. The penny loafer with shorts was a strong look in the late 80s in my area. By then the 'plain man' had started to adopt the more expected Timberlands, so what better way to respond than to wear a combination that is harder to 'get' - even though it may look a little outré

 

[Thin White Duke]

In my opinion the look that we all follow, admittedly in our own ways, is what it is because of not following a set rule of how to dress (or how you word it coherence).
The rules were torn up and thrown away, just think of all the looks that people now take for granted as the norm, jeans with trainers. Mixing sports clothes and military with standard street wear, and since when was a crombie designed to be worn with big boots?
I think that you having not fully lived the lifestyle, are probably disadvantaged. One of my favourite photos is of the Small Faces, where Marriott is wearing a striped jumper, with tailored trousers and what appear to be white Superga pumps, and he looks great.

View attachment 1186445

“Not having fully lived the lifestyle”?
I have no idea how you come to that conclusion or what it’s supposed to mean in the context of me trying to explain the ‘logic’ behind my opinion.
‘Coherence’ is not a set of rules but is an explanation of why certain combinations of clothes ‘work’ and others don’t. Anyone can choose to accept or reject the idea but you could think of coherence as a way to apply objective reasoning to what is in many ways a subjective way of thinking. “I like that outfit” ... “I don’t like that outfit” - yeah, but why?
As for ‘rules’ - that subject is debated ad nauseum on here. I don’t believe I’m strictly bound by any rules, there are just certain conventions I choose to accept and others I don’t. I suppose we’re all like that in some way. You suggested wearing a tie with a button down. I said no - not because I’m bound by any ‘rule’ about this, I just subjectively think it looks crap. Certain combinations of clothing items cause us to viscerally reject them - in some cases it may just be a subjective reflexive reaction, in others as I stated above there may be some personal logic behind it.
BTW Crombie with jeans and boots never looked good to me - Crombie with chunky brogues and two tone strides looked great. Marriot looks crap in that picture above but I can’t stand canvas plimsoles in any context. Again, aside from my personal prejudice of disliking scruffy cheap looking canvas gym shoes, it looks discordant (i.e. incoherent) to be wearing them with tailored strides. The likes of GQ have been pushing us for some time now to wear shoes like these with suits and there was a long thread about it on CM a few months back but I can’t remember many/any examples of it looking good. YMMV as they say on here.

 

[Clouseau]

They sound great, Inspector. I shall have a look now.

They have more 'outré' offerings a la EG (patchwork, color block, etc), but they are all in Uniqlo 'Dry' material (polycotton) that i don't like… They have a slimmer fit.
For the price, material, overall quality, and the label, i think the oversized cotton ones are great value.