Australian Members

Originally Posted by fxh

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The suit evolved and was to a large extent designed. It was intended to be a leveler and to democratise mens clothing outfits.

It sad that the most democratic of outfits - the suit - has come to be regarded in some places as a signifier of elitism.



I'm sure I'm not alone but I have had jobs where I emerge from air con house to walk maybe 5 metres to an air con car, then drive some way to a cool underground car park and then enter an air con building to work all day . Then at evening the performance is repeated, from Air con office down to basement, to air con car then from car to air con house.

The only time one needs to adjust is for a short walk outside or if one is on public transport. And increasingly public transport is air con too.

The suit, and most other classic mens outfits emerged from UK and for many years of its evolution London had inadequate heating and insulation hence heavy materials and 3 piece suits in office and negligible summers - compared to our summers.

Mens clothes haven't evolved much for our climate, although one could look to the italian influence of lighter materials, sport coats instead of suits and lighter shoes as perhaps evidence that there has been some evolution in Oz.

Part of the problem is that sunnier climes encourage less clothes generally and this coupled with a small - ish market means there isn't a lot of push or pull for an evolution of formal (business) wear in Oz.

Will's blog has a reasonable article on materials for the seasons in a temperate climate.

Also these posts, here, and here, by Will on building a wardrobe.

Also, some ideas from P Johnson on summer attire

Originally Posted by appolyon

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Also, some ideas from P Johnson on summer attire



I've seen that video before somewhere - silly advice on shorts - shorts are for kids or at home behind closed doors. And a jacket with shorts is simply bizarre. He says Australian men dress like kids - its an old statement about USA men - but nevertheless useful - yet advises (nearly) grown men to wear a jacket and shorts - like a primary school uniform.

Bare ankles on men outside the house or beyond the beach are ugly, lazy and smelly.

He needs to stop that pocket hankie from trying to escape - if you must wear it - it should just peep over the top of the pocket not look like you stuffed a parrot in your pocket and half his arse and feathers are sticking out.

Good advice on fabrics if a little obvious.

Originally Posted by fxh

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Bare ankles on men outside the house or beyond the beach are ugly, lazy and smelly.

I guess this means you arne't a fan of the 'sockless loafer' look then?

Originally Posted by __PG__

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I guess this means you arne't a fan of the 'sockless loafer' look then?


Thats putting it too mildly.

Why not go the whole way and show your arse crack too?

It's the middle class equivalent of the wifebeater singlet or a showing of a few inches of pale floppy belly on a female.

On a slightly different tack, at what point can I expect to fully break-in my Loake Aldwych's?

I've had them since August. I got them Topy'ed. The uppers broke in after a few weeks (i.e. a bit of pain under my ankles) but that is no longer a problem. They are very confortable shoes...

..unless I go for a long walk.

Then my heels start rubbing against the rear of the shoe. I tried heel pads, they didn't make any difference.

I was told by an old salesman at McClouds that the leather sole is very stiff to begin with and it will take some time to become flexibile enough so that it bends with your foot properly when walking...ie a too-stiff sole won't flex at the ball of the foot meaning your heel will rise / lift more than the shoe itself..which causes rubbing.

Have I delayed this process by Topy'ing? Or does the construction mean that its in general...a dress shoe only...not meant for long walks at lunchtime?

Originally Posted by fxh

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Thats putting it too mildly.

Why not go the whole way and show your arse crack too?

It's the middle class equivalent of the wifebeater singlet or a showing of a few inches of pale floppy belly on a female.

Well tough. I just bought some navy leather driving shoes and I'm going sockless. Get out of my way!

From todays AGE

PETER Morrissey tipped the sacred sartorial realm of tailored suiting on its head.

In August, it took just three days for 3500 men to sneak into Big W stores throughout Australia, slip $130 to a check-out chick and clean out the discount chain's stocks of slick, tailored Peter Morrissey suits. Or, maybe they didn't sneak at all. Morrissey likes to think they strolled in, bold as blokes can be, not sheepish in the least about slapping down less than the price of a new tyre for what's historically been the quality sartorial swivel piece of any grown man's wardrobe. Fashion is where you find it these days, right mate? Designer? Discount? What's the diff?

"I haven't made a cheap suit," Morrissey says. "I've made an affordable, fabulous suit because I care about people. My job is to make people feel good about themselves and in this [economic] climate, a $130 suit, if your quality is incredible, is a $1500 suit." He isn't fond of the word "cheap"; even less its insulting connotations.
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Morrissey and business partner Bruno Schiavi risked entry into the fraught, finicky category "” tailoring "” that discount chains traditionally avoid with their "” there's no better, bullseye word for it "” cheap, Chinese-made "MAN by Peter Morrissey" suits and it's paid off, big time.

This week another delivery of 15,000 dropped into Big Ws and Morrissey and Schiavi fully expect them to go the same amazing way of the first; sold, Morrissey says, to men, and some mums and girlfriends, seduced by their slickness, lean-ness, anything but their cheapness. "You have to understand what people's lives are like if you are a designer," he says. "Everybody wants "designer" and when you do something, you want everyone to have it."

He likes the word "masstige", coined by Karl Lagerfeld about fashion's modern way of melding and mashing markets and thus, ways of thinking: racking and marketing cheap capsule collections by designers better known for their $1000 frocks, beside discount fashions better known for their pocket-money prices. "That makes it a little bit easier in these economic times to dress well," says Morrissey. "And that's good. I'm proud."

He says the suit is good for weddings or the office and can be split into jacket with jeans or shorts, and trousers with shirts for smart-casual weekends. "And, yes, absolutely, it can last years," he says. "Five, if you like."

The MAN by Peter Morrissey suit, in black; jacket $79.82, pants $49.93.

Originally Posted by __PG__

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Well tough. I just bought some navy leather driving shoes and I'm going sockless. Get out of my way!

Ha - If I see you on the street I will simply laugh and point.

Originally Posted by fxh

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He says the suit is good for weddings or the office and can be split into jacket with jeans or shorts, and trousers with shirts for smart-casual weekends. "And, yes, absolutely, it can last years," he says. "Five, if you like."

Five years?! Now that's a quality suit!

At $80, the jacket better be 100% cotton at the least. Else I can just go shopping at DFO and be able to find cotton or wool jackets for the same price.

Originally Posted by fxh

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Ha - If I see you on the street I will simply laugh and point.

Dude, you wear jeans and shoes to the beach... you cant judge

Originally Posted by jaypee

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Dude, you wear jeans and shoes to the beach... you cant judge

hey I dress casual for beach - chinos and desert boots

If I see you on the beach, i will simply laugh and point.
But then again, so will everyone else

Originally Posted by jaypee

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If I see you on the beach, i will simply laugh and point. But then again, so will everyone else
I will kick sand in your face in front of attractive young women.