what is fred astaire style exactly?

[gwolf]

i know there's a book by boyer..

i know he often appears in movies wearing tailcoats..

i know he used his tie as a belt..

i know he was a soft shouldered a&s/ rubinacci (???) kind of guy..

but what else can you identify as something he did that we can emulate today and incorporate in our more modern wardrobes?

suede shoes?

pattern mixing?

 

[Ianiceman]

Over accessorizing: collar bar with button down shirt and tie bar and lapel flower and pocket square and watch chain. Please don't do this.

Toupee?

 

[gwolf]

lol! i take it you are not a fan. i am open to experimentation that is all. =)

 

[cptjeff]

Whimsical color would be a good thing to take from him. He was known for bolder color (which of course didn't show in B&W films) and doing things like matching his socks to his shirt (which called attention to his ankles, a big plus for a guy known for dancing), as well as the tie as belt bit you mentioned.

That and clothing that flows, which is the best way to describe his fits.

 

[Trompe le Monde]

big head, high pants, like a little twink

 

[bluesman528]

For me, Astaire was the prototype guy who gracefully accepted he wasn't the most handsome man on earth and played to it well with some original style quirks. If you are Cary Grant you will profit from dressing like Cary Grant

, clean, sober, even a bit restrained sometimes. But if you're not, you can - within reason - be a little bit creative how you dress as long as you only bend the general rules without breaking them.

 

[Ianiceman]

Originally Posted by gwolf

lol! i take it you are not a fan. i am open to experimentation that is all. =)

Nah, it's clear he overdid the accessories but deserves his respect as a style icon. In the same way that many look to the likes of Grant for iconic black tie, the few people who have a need for white tie must surely look to him as a standard setter. His less formal style is pretty admirable too aside from all the schmutter. Capt. Jeff summed it up pretty well.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Anyone who can do this and look as if he is gracefully walking on air can do what he wishes with accessories. He has the right to create his own "Fred Astaire Style"...

 

[Montauk]

For me it's less about his clothes than his manner in wearing them. I recall hearing years ago that he once offered the maxim that one should "wear tails like blue jeans and blue jeans like tails."

I can't find that quote anywhere, but I've reminded myself of that advice many times.

 

[Manton]

Basic, basic, basic.

Gray flannel and lots of it.

Lots of solids and stripes. Blazers and grays. Long roll DBs. Simple shirts with lots of BD collars. Simple ties, mostly stripes and foulards. Plain suede shoes.

Nothing loud or funky.

 

[VelvetGreen]

I think this is the answer:
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[The Thin Man]

From "The Art of Wearing Clothes":

"I don't consider myself 'the well-dressed man.' I don't make any effort in that direction. I do take a little pains occasionally with my clothes but just to feel comfortable. I also like to wear things that others don't. I rather enjoy fooling around with a new note here and there to see how it comes off.

"I don't think a man's clothes should be conspicuous. If they are noticed, it should be because of their conservativeness. It depends, of course, on the individual as to how the whole thing comes off.

"I like colors. Red silk handkerchiefs and colored shirts and socks too.

"I like double-breasted suits and they'll come back, by gosh. All those little tailor shops that have signs in their windows, 'Have your outmoded double-breasted suit made into a single,' may have to change their tune. But they can never say, 'Have your single made into a double.' Aha! It won't work!"

"”Fred Astaire

"P.S. I forgot to mention that I often take a brand-new suit or hat and throw it up against the wall a few times to get that stiff, square newness out of it."

FRED ASTAIRE"”This sixty-one-year-old song-and-dance man, who is a member of the posh Brooks and Racquet & Tennis clubs in New York, favors English-type jackets, suede shoes, often uses silk handkerchiefs as belts. He has had many suits made by Anderson and Sheppard of London, but, at the moment, he is using John Galuppo of Schmidt and Galuppo, Inc., of Beverly Hills. His shoes are by Peal of London; his shirts by Beale and Inman and Hawes and Curtis (both of London), Brooks Brothers and Wendley in New York, and Machin and J. T. Beach of Los Angeles.

 

[lenahan]

Well, Fred Astaire had an eye for color and pattern, but his real sartorial brilliance lied with his confidence. Not the most attractive man in his face, his amazing talent was second to none. But what he was wear what he liked, how he liked, but with such a nonchalance and confidence that he could probably have gotten away with breaking every rule in the book. I remember once seeing a photo of him wearing a gold collar pin on his collar, while wearing another to affix his tie (I am REALLY hoping it was a knit tie, or that could ruin it) to his shirt, much in the same way one wears a tie bar or tie pin. The stuff he wore was not particularly out there, but rather how he wore it. It is often overlooked, but confidence is almost as important as fit. I see many people in suits, that they are only wearing because they have to, and look like kids playing dress up, as they are so uncomfortable in it.

 

[Parker]

 

[Poindexter]

Fairly well engineered troll, if a little eggstreem, IS.

No bite, though.