whnay.'s good taste thread

[Kaplan]



I wrote about just that here.

The short answer to your question is that I would probably add a pattern to the tie or shirt in that instance.

Yes, I just saw that. When I've seen mention of the 'Italian Backgound' it's usually been when used as an anchoring combo for a heavily patterned SC, not as something paired with a somber, solid business suit like what you discuss in your article there.

Used as such, do you still find it subpar?

 

[johnvw]



Agree that it needs to be a suit. Here's mine from Steed which I posted in the A&S Ex-Pat thread the other day.

Please allow me to ask a sincere, if noob, question: Per the rating this ensemble was given, why do black shoes detract from this outfit?

 

[bboysdontcryy]



Yay! I agree on the shoes and I was requested to wear black shoes as it was an event I was working. Otherwise it's mostly always brown for me. I plan to wear it as is this season and see if we need to add buttons later. I like the unique flair the 4 button adds. I like the waist as is and I believe Edwin agrees as he pins it!

Slew, I think the reason why the 6 might look better than the 4 on this is because there's really quite a bit of empty space on the chest area which, at first blush, makes it look as if something's amiss, not so much the fact that it's 4 buttons and less 'right', so to speak. But, you do have time to think though about whether you want the two topmost buttons or not.

 

[Manton]

I agree. If you look at successful examples of 4x2 from the movies, the button stance is generally higher and the wrap is wider. That really looks like a 6x2 with two buttons missing.

 

[patrickBOOTH]



I wrote about just that here.

The short answer to your question is that I would probably add a pattern to the tie or shirt in that instance.

That is a good article/post/entry, but I don't think it really addresses the Italian look, which tends to be almost mod-like in its austerity. For the reasons you explain, the illustration is great. But those same reasons also make it something else to begin with.

Pretty much my MO

 

[TheFoo]



Yes, I just saw that. When I've seen mention of the 'Italian Backgound' it's usually been when used as an anchoring combo for a heavily patterned SC, not as something paired with a somber, solid business suit like what you discuss in your article there.

Used as such, do you still find it subpar?

True, the entry is on the business-oriented "uniform," not specifically the "Italian Background," but the principles and analysis still apply. We turn it into a cartoon in our heads and see: solid blue shirt, solid blue tie, solid blue shirt, solid blue tie, etc. But the truth is that there is often quite a bit of pattern at play. I would hesitate to pair a heavily patterned tweed odd jacket with a solid blue shirt and solid blue tie because they tend to get blocked off. I'd prefer to have a pattern in at least one.

 

[NORE]

Foo, I like your avatar.

 

[TheFoo]

Luciano Barbera:

As iconic an Italian dresser as any, yet Luciano does not use the all-solid, so-called "Italian Background." Rather, he often pairs a navy-grounded tie with a light blue-grounded shirt, and one or both are almost always patterned. The tie may have another color in it. These were from a quick Google image search. I haven't come across an outfit where he's clearly wearing a solid blue tie and solid blue shirt.

When we see color-blocked Italians, they tend to be the more anonymous or fashion-oriented sort. Essentially: random Roman businessmen. It seems to me the famed dressers of Italy tend to inject a whole lot more nuance. Hence, the real takeaway lesson is that when wearing the "Background," pattern and texture should be employed to achieve the best effect.

 

[Manton]

Well, I always thought the best dressed Italians were the Milanse and the "country gentlemen" from the Lombardy lake country.

 

[TheFoo]

Oh, you know who does do the totally blocked-out, no-pattern "Italian Background?" Lino, of Al Bazar. But he's a cartoon in and of himself.

 

[teddieriley]



My general rule is that you need some white for the black to make sense.

Das Racist!

 

[bboysdontcryy]



Das Racist!

A peep into the recesses of Foo's mind. Or yours.

 

[Slewfoot]



Slew, I think the reason why the 6 might look better than the 4 on this is because there's really quite a bit of empty space on the chest area which, at first blush, makes it look as if something's amiss, not so much the fact that it's 4 buttons and less 'right', so to speak. But, you do have time to think though about whether you want the two topmost buttons or not.

I agree. If you look at successful examples of 4x2 from the movies, the button stance is generally higher and the wrap is wider. That really looks like a 6x2 with two buttons missing.

I hear that. While tough to make them higher I could always move them out a touch. Would make the wrap a touch tighter, but there is room. We shall see.

 

[TheFoo]

How can you move the buttons further apart? The external and internal anchoring holes have already been cut. Anyway, I think the overlap is fine. Maybe it's more Italian that narrow than English, but that's not necessarily bad. Any reason you are opposed to adding the top buttons? They would really help.

 

[edmorel]

charcoal trousers, yuck!