whnay.'s good taste thread

[emptym]



Spread oxford is either an abomination or next-level. Really depends on the usage. Can't say I'm not curious!

The other shirts sound nice, but where are you finding checked oxford cloth?
Well, it's really not orthodoxy specific to SF. Both "rules" read elsewhere and the genealogy of the collar are indicative, I think.

I don't know what level they're on, but I like them, particularly since half the time I wear tweed.
My checked shirts tend to be broadcloth. But I've owned rtw oxford cloth shirts w/ spread or bd collars by RL, Gant, Arrow, etc. I prefer tattersall shirts to be in oxford, and bd, fwiw.

Don't most truly casual shirts (work shirts, denim shirts, etc) have spread or point collars? I know I have an old Wrangler one that has a spread collar. I love gingham seersucker in a spread collar. And all of those I'd wear open w/o a tie.

Can I presume navy would have the same fault? If you kill navy and charcoal from your pant options, what are good staple colors to use?

Unfortunately, i agree w/ Foo on this too, but not quite as dogmatically. I have owned navy pants and rarely wore them, so I gave them away. I own and like dark charcoal pants in light and heavy weights, but I rarely ever wear them w/ coat and tie. The lightweight ones are worn often with a barong. The heavyweight ones with sweaters.

I am considering getting a cream linen jacket and wearing that with dark charcoal pants. In college and grad school I wore my white/black herringbone tweed jacket w/ white ocbd, black knit tie, and dark charcoal pants. I think that can look very good. Stopped wearing it though, in part because a priest told me priests and seminarians often wore that exact outfit in the 50's and 60's when they weren't in clerics. Too many people think I'm a priest already.

I'd love to see good examples of a striped OCBD and tie with a textured/patterned odd jacket if anyone has some to share.  

I don't know if it's good, but I posted a pic in like this earlier in this thread. Maybe in early December?

How do you fell about Mariano's outfit on this photograph?
I ask this because I'm having a suit made up in light gray fresco (his jacket seems to be of fresco as well) and the idea of being able to don the jacket (with patch pockets, double stitching and drape) as an odd jacket have occurred to me.

I thought the same thing, and ordered a light gray fresco suit w/ hip patch pockets. Really regret it, as I almost never wear the jacket as a sportcoat, and all I really wear are sportcoats.

I can tell you how I feel: It's a bad idea.

Why would you want such a casual detail on what is meant to be a workhorse staple, especially with a limited wardrobe? Neither fish nor fowl, something like that.

Would be of less concern if you have a solid charcoal notch, but do you really want to go to funerals in patch pockets?

I wore my navy blazersuit (3 patch pockets) for my wedding. But I live in California.

Hmm. What do you mean by not worsted? A blazer should be made out of a worsted cloth. Were you thinking of a woollen flannel? That would make for a very odd blazer. Just wrong, actually. If you want a cloth suitable for a blazer with more texture, checkout hopsack....

I have a woolen flannel blue blazer that I enjoy. It has dark mop buttons.

 

[crooky13]



I think Mafoofan already went over this with a good explanation that it is much easier to dress a suit down to than to dress an odd jacket up. I agree with him on that regard. Also, how do you come to the conclusion that suits, in and of themselves, are formal; therefore, needing a formal shirt? I understand that in today's day and age putting on a suit gets reactions of "wow fancy today" due to shorts and jerseys being considered informal, but I think your case is built on an incorrect assumption and should be tossed aside. I'd guess you are confusing formal with conservative--formal is practically always conservative, while conservative does not have to be formal...

I am clearly operating in a different time zone to the main protagonists here. Apologies for going over old ground.

Merely saying that it is ridiculous for people to say the suit can be dressed down so can withstand a blue shirt but an odd jacket can't be dressed up and withstand a white shirt. The most formal day wear is the morning suit and this normally comprises of an odd jacket and trousers - as well as a white collared shirt.

 

[Sander]



Spread oxford is either an abomination or next-level. Really depends on the usage. Can't say I'm not curious!

You decide:

 

[sugarbutch]



You'll have equal trouble finding a RTW grey flannel suit or Harris tweed odd jacket.

You can find a gray flannel suit and Harris tweed odd jacket at Macy's, Land's End, Men's Wearhouse, etc. I know you don't shop at these places, but a quick Googling isn't too much to ask, is it?

 

[TheFoo]



You can find a gray flannel suit and Harris tweed odd jacket at Macy's, Land's End, Men's Wearhouse, etc. I know you don't shop at these places, but a quick Googling isn't too much to ask, is it?

I just searched each of those places. First of all, none have a Harris tweed jacket. Of the three, none have any tweed jackets at all, except for possibly Land's End--but even those look likely to be worsted facsimiles.

As for grey flannel suits: none have any flannel suits at all except for (possibly) a Calvin Klein suit that Macy's calls "charcoal flannel" and is neither grey nor appears to be anything close to actual flannel. Land's End has separates it calls "flannel" but that are also clearly not flannel. Look at the close-up of the cloth. See the highly-defined twill weave? That is worsted, and not even worsted flannel, which would have a heavily brushed appearance and a much less obvious twill weave.

Honestly, if you think you found bonafide flannel or tweed at any of those places, it can only be because you don't actually know what flannel and tweed are. That is how ass-backwards and ignorant this forum has become.

 

[Claghorn]

Harris Tweed from Macy's!!!!!!!!

http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/...tite-jacket-harris-tweed-two-button?ID=733650

(...I realize that that wasn't constructive...)

 

[Kaplan]



Anyone can wear a white shirt, black shirt and gray shoes.

Though very few probably should.





;-)

 

[clapeyron]

Honestly, if you think you found bonafide flannel or tweed at any of those places, it can only be because you don't actually know what flannel and tweed are. That is how ass-backwards and ignorant this forum has become.

...and staple items for all.

 

[Omar1223]

this is from vox's blog.

foo, if i am understanding what you are saying, the white OCBD is not the ideal pairing for this outfit but is passable because it is an OCBD.

blue would be better because of the inherent casual nature of the tweed jacket correct?

also thanks a lot for the posts over the last couple of days, i have learned a lot from your posts as always.

 

[DocHolliday]

That looks great. Think how much better WAYW would be if most posters dressed that simply.

 

[TheFoo]

Well, let me be clear. There is "passable" according to rules of specific orthodoxies, and there is "passable" according to aesthetic considerations taken in light of such orthodoxies.

From my understanding of Ivy or American Trad orthodoxy, a white OCBD worn as above is perfectly passable--even ideal. However, my point is that, taking the broader classic menswear orthodoxy as a whole, we know white to be the most formal of shirt colors. Further, since we are now "allowed" to wear blue as a staple shirt, we have a more casual alternative available which is "passable" in the big picture (though perhaps not by Ivy or American Trad standards; I can't say because I'm not an expert on them). That alternative also happens to be beyond correct. It is thematically more coherent and aesthetically superior (white cuts harshly against tweed, which is typically imbued with the color of an earthy landscape).

If you want to mimmic a particular style from the past, such as Ivy, my reasoning doesn't work for you. But I hate historical costume. I'd rather dress in a way prudently informed by tradition, not in slavish, to-the-letter adherence to one idiosyncratic orthodoxy or another.

 

[Tirailleur1]

Doc what do you define as "simply"? I personally dont think anyone in sf dresses "simply." The sacred cows included

 

[Omar1223]



That looks great. Think how much better WAYW would be if most posters dressed that simply.

i think it looks great too. i was curious as to what foo thought and his explanation was more or less how i thought he would feel.

 

[DocHolliday]



Doc what do you define as "simply"? I personally dont think anyone in sf dresses "simply." The sacred cows included

Chris O'Donnell's character looks like he got dressed without thinking about it. Easy, natural, effortless. Yet he still looks great. Exactly what Foo says he's aiming for.

 

[Tirailleur1]



Chris O'Donnell's character looks like he got dressed without thinking about it. Easy, natural, effortless. Yet he still looks great. Exactly what Foo says he's aiming for.

Well it is fair to also mention that it is a different time where everyone dressed this way without thinking about it. Sort of lime second nature. I believe no matter how nonchalant one looks in his suit today it will still come off too cerebral. Would you agree?