Shameless Promotion Alert!!!

CLICK HERE!!!!

As I mentioned before, I entered Esquire's Best Dressed Real Man in America contest this year. I am currently the 7th most viewed profile, but I need your help to move up the list! Check it out!

Cheers!

-Paul


NOTE: The photo at left is about 3.5 years old, taken when my wife and I went camping for our anniversary. No razors came on the trip. Pardon the scruff.

A Little Piece of Americana

I wanted to share with you all a little something I picked up the other day. I was at one of those multi-vendor gift shops... you know the ones; not quite an indoor flea market, not quite a retail store, and not quite a yard sale... something different but strangely reminiscent of each. Some vendors sold antiques, some hand-made jewelry, some books and other assorted knick-knacks.

One glass case caught my eye. It had shelves that rotated with the touch of a button, displaying tie bars and vintage cufflinks and intricate costume jewelry. In the center of one shelf rested my new acquisition. This brass Levi Strauss & Co. belt buckle.

Now, I don't know how old this is... possibly 1970's, but it's incredibly cool and with Levi's new merchandising and design director Erik Joule (the man behind the collaborations with J. Crew, Opening Ceremony and more) continually adding excitement to the brand, I had to buy it. I definitely see old Levi Strauss collectables like this becoming more and more sought after. I had actually left the store and gone home, having been accompanied by one exhausted 4 year old, but when I couldn't get the buckle out of my head 3 days later I went back and rejoiced that it was still there. Mine.

This buckle is the type that one would see on one of those woven Boy Scouts type slide belts, as can be seen from the photo of the back. The problem is that all of the replacement straps I've seen since buying this buckle (including a pack containing 3 interchangable color options actually made by Levi's) are just a bit too wide, so I'll let you all know how it turns out after a visit to the Army & Navy store. Hopefully I'll be able to sport the buckle soon. I tried a leather belt strap that wasn't too wide, but it was far too thick for the hinge mechanism on the back of the buckle. I'll keep looking.

In the mean time, if anyone knows anything about the vintage of this particular buckle, let me know. I think it will be a perfect compliment to my growing wardrobe of heritage American items.

Until next time,

Cheers!

-Paul

P-Dubb's Endorsement: The Ultimate Khaki

The longer I keep up my work as a style blogger, the more I realize that others doing the same thing are being sent free swag to review on their sites. I've done several reviews and haven't  been sent anything free yet, so to all of you fine purveyors of stylish goods out there, keep me in mind!

All joking aside (I was only half serious), I wanted to plug a product today that I bought because of the color and ended up falling in love with. It's a pair of chinos, and after my friend Mxolisi over at Perfect Gentleman blogged about a pair in the same color, I realized that all of my khaki chinos were more of a pale stone color and that my wardrobe was definitely lacking a pair in this sage brown / terra cotta hue.

I came across these pants by accident while I was at Target. I don't typically think of shopping at Target for clothing, but damn it if the color of these khaki chinos wasn't exactly what I was looking for. They are made by Target's exclusive brand, Merona, and the label proclaims their status as "The Ultimate Khaki." I didn't have time to try them on, so I took a gamble and bought them, figuring I could always come back later and exchange them  for a bag of diapers or something else I would surely need.

When I finally tried them on, I was surprised. They fit exceptionally well. In fact, they may fit better than any off-the-rack pair of chinos I've ever bought in my supposed size, which no two makers seem to be able to agree on cutting the same way. The pants are 100 % cotton, flat front and slim cut, and according to their tag, shrink resistant, wrinkle resistant, stain repellent, and the cotton is made with what is referred to as "Nano-Tex" technology that repels spills and releases soil from the fabric when washing. Sounds pretty cool.

The size is great. I just hope that they are as shrink resistant as the tag says they are.

At any rate, the pants get high marks from me. I personally think that every man needs at least one great fitting pair of flat front khaki chinos. Just look at what icons like Miles Davis and Steve McQueen did with just that one article of clothing. The versatility is paramount. Merona's Ultimate Khakis are constructed well, fit beautifully, and at only $19.99 a pair, are quite affordable. Try a pair on and see what you think. The Ultimate Khakis come in several shades as well, from the pale stone color to the deeper brown sage / terra cotta color that I ended up with. The ones that I am wearing here are actually a lot more golden in color than the pictures show.

Until next time,

Cheers!

-Paul


Note: Click on any image to enlarge for detail

Visual Style at Its Best

You know, say what you will about George Michael, but the man knows what people want to see. His gift for capturing a viewer's attention and playing with one's senses is uncanny. I was at a posh uptown party last night and found myself in a high-rise condominium overlooking the Charlotte skyline, which may very well be the coolest bachelor pad I've ever seen. I'm not going to go into too much detail except to say this: there was a laser/light show and a big TV mounted above the room playing music videos. One of the DVDs that the host put in featured music videos by none other than George Michael.
I thought this to be a pretty bold move at first, given the whole "lewd act" thing of a few years back, but considering that this particular condo probably got our host loads and loads of female... shall we say... attention, I watched. And watched. And realized that I'd forgotten how stylish this man's music videos were. Incredible attention is paid to color and movement, and even the shape of the models faces and hair styles contibute to the visual aesthetic of George Michael's music videos. Each frame of every video could make for an impressive photograph.
Check these examples out and see what I mean and you'll realize it too; the man has taste. Cheers!

The Buck Stops Here!

Yes, yes: I know. A cheesy title. But c'mon! It ought to be expected given the topic of today's post. As spring approaches I find myself getting excited about breaking out wardrobe items that haven't seen the sunlight in the past six months. I enjoy the opportunity to lighten up a bit and embrace the coming warmth of early spring. One way to do so is with the proper shoes. I suggest these; classic nubuck oxfords.

Nubuck is top-grain cattle rawhide leather that has been sanded or buffed on the grain side, or outside, to give a slight nap of short protein fibers, producing a velvet-like surface. It is resistant to wear, and may be white or colored. I don't own a pair of white bucks. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for a pair as they look pretty sharp, but to me, the white buck works best as a summer shoe. They seem most apt for the blazing heat of months like July and August.  The tan bucks, which I own (shown, available at Brooks Brothers), are a bit more versatile and look perfect from late winter to early fall.

They can be worn with almost anything, from a rugged workingman ensemble to a blazer or sport coat and  khakis. I don't know of any type of shoe that can so easily bridge the gap between blue collar and dressy. The reason, perhaps, is that nubuck is similar to suede, which I generally think of as being more delicate and refined. The difference is that suede is created from the inner side of a hide, whereas nubuck is created from the outer side of a hide, giving it more strength and thickness along with a fine grain. It is generally more expensive than suede, and must be coloured or dyed heavily to cover up the sanding and stamping process. Because of the strength of nubuck over suede, it can take one hell of a beating and wears like iron, but it preserves the aesthetic of a suede shoe.

The signature orange rubber sole of a pair of bucks flashes just enough color to draw the eyes of passersby, adding a little bit of "look at me" appeal to an otherwise conservative piece of footwear. What more can you ask for in a shoe? Versatility, durability, timeless style and classic good looks? I'd say you'll quickly run out of reasons not to go a grab yourself a pair. Mine are from Brooks Brothers, but J. Crew, L.L. Bean, Bass, Sperry Topsider and countless other makers offer a stylish nubuck oxford. Hope to see some on the streets this spring and summer!

Cheers,

Paul

(photo at left, from The Sartorialist)

Wardrobe Upgrade for Spring, Part 2

I was pleased when I picked up my warm-weather blazer from my tailor last week. In addition to a few fitment tweaks that are occasional necessities from season to season, I had him apply some lovely mother-of-pearl buttons to the jacket in lieu of the traditional polished brass jobbers that I don't exactly fancy. The results are lovely, although the photograph (photo 1) does not exactly capture the subtle nuances of the lustre of the M.O.P.

I put together a casual spring ensemble as well showcasing the jacket (photos 2 & 3) to try and illustrate the versatility of the lighter buttons. The blazer can, of course, also be worn in any other circustance where one would wear a navy blazer, be it with khakis and a button-down collar shirt for an old-school preppy aesthetic, or with dressier grey trousers and a tailored spread collar shirt for more formality. As shown here, the less conventional M.O.P. buttons allow the perfect "reason" for the blazer to accompany a more casual ensemble, and dress up casual wear without appearing too pretentious.

In photo 2, notice the brightly colored shirt under the plaid button-down. This shirt accents some of the color in the plaid, but also allows for a nice layering of colors, an effect achieved by the luminescent buttons first, followed by the colorful plaid, and finally the brightly colored "under" shirt. Note also the pocket square, which, in the wake of the casual wear returns a little bit of "respectablility" to the blazer. This ensemble is not designed necessarily to be the point behind the post, but I'd previously mentioned a follow-up to the last reader's question post about spring-wear and wanted to include some images that might inspire ways to let that blazer with M.O.P. buttons shine this spring. Ultimately, I'd love to see some reader's looks that make use of white buttons as well. Send any pictures of your inspired outfits for spring on to me and we'll get them posted.

Thanks for tuning in.

Cheers!

-Paul

Congratulations, Jeff

Paul Walters on Style wishes a resounding measure of congratulations to Jeff Bridges on his first Oscar win last night.

Jeff: you are the best and an all time favorite. All I can say is... "It's about time!" Thank you for your years of wonderful work. We can't wait to see more.

Cheers!

-Paul

More on Domenico Vacca

Okay... I can't leave Domenico Vacca's mention in a post about Will Ferrell. These videos pay homage to the work of the man himself. Keep in mind that the stitching shown in these videos is designed to be highly visible in order to show detail. It can be kept as bold or as inconspicuous as a client desires.

Style Icon... Will Ferrell??!?!!

I know what you're thinking. Will Ferrell? Funny, yes, but stylish? I myself can think of more ways that he's not, but in the 2006 film Stranger Than Fiction, Will Ferrell stars as quite possibly the country's only IRS agent to be dressed in impeccable suits and shirts by Domenico Vacca. Vacca is a tailor who's threads have been described as "the Ferrari of clothing," and he has dressed stars such as Dustin Hoffman (both personally and in the same film of which I now speak), Forest Whitaker, Mickey Rourke, Denzel Washington, Joe Pantoliano, and, well... the list goes on.

The video included above shows a sampling of a couple of Ferrell's wardrobe items in the film. Note also the plaid lining of his Burberry trench coat as his character, Harold Crick, runs to catch the bus. The way that Harold dresses in the film is not an attribute that one could easily infer based on the way he is described in the film's opening segment (or by the actor assuming his role), but that is, I guess, the magic of Hollywood. When budget is left up to the world of the cinema, we are occasionally afforded the opportunity to see fine clothes like Vacca's in action, and aside from the fantastically original storyline of Stranger Than Fiction, the clothes alone make the film worth watching. Check it out. The video above may get you hooked!
Cheers!
-Paul

*check out Vacca's website at http://www.domenicovacca.com/.

Style In It's Purest Form

"Do not let others look down on you because you are young, but set forth an example..."

1 Timothy, 4:12

Okay... I know, I'm reaching, here. Forsaking context when quoting scripture. But this Biblical reference popped into my head tonight when my three-and-a-half year-old son approached me tonight with explicit instructions on how I needed to help him get dressed.

It has been snowing today, you see, and my wife asked my son if he'd let her take him walking in the snow. My boy, Benjamin, required very little consideration prior to issuing his reply. "Yes," Ben said. "I'll go get dressed." Benjamin ran upstairs to his room and began preparing himself to brave the cold as my wife did the same in our bedroom. A few moments later Benjamin ran back into our kitchen where I stood cooking, and said "Dad! I need your help!" I turned and looked down to see a very well put-together young man.

I asked him, "Did you pick out your clothes, Benjamin?" "Uhh... yeah," he replied. He may as well have said "duh," but his tone of voice said it loud and clear, so he stuck with the polite response. I asked what I could help him with and Ben explained that he wanted his scarf tied by folding it in half and pulling the two ends through the loop around his neck, so that the scarf's fire truck insignia could be displayed in the empty triangle where his denim shirt was unbuttoned, and since he was already wearing mittens, he needed me to zip up his outer jacket.

I did what he asked, and then looked him over. I realized that I had to take pictures to preserve the first moment where I had been schooled by my kid. My son knew exactly how he wanted his clothes to appear on him. He had his rubber Wellies (with frog faces on them) peeking out from the bottom of his corduroy cargo pants, his denim shirt peeking out from beneath his Lightning McQueen "letter jacket" hoodie, embroidered fire truck on his scarf sitting adjacent to the embroidered car on his jacket... I was impressed.

And then I realized that this kid has grown up watching me get dressed in the morning. He's shopped with me. He's paid attention to the way I've played around with color, and with layering, and with quirkiness. And then it hit me. Damn. This kid's got style. In fact, this is what style is all about. It's not that the outfit in itself is spectacular, but he's three, and here he has assembled an outfit of various articles of clothing all purchased at different times by different people. He put them together in a way that expressed his personality and he knew in his mind's eye precisely what function every component was to serve. He even told me how to tie his scarf. And this is a kid who has no concept of labels and designer branding... just a kid who understands the essence of what works and what doesn't.

We should all be so lucky.

Cheers!

-Paul

Esquire's Best Dressed Real Man Competition

Hello all! I have been meaning to enter Esquire Magazine's Best Dressed Real Man in America competition for the past 3 years, and for some reason have always seemed to miss the entry deadline. This year, I officially entered. I'm not sure how I'll fair, but the chance to win an IWC Portuguese wristwatch is enough for me to throw my name in the hat! I implore my faithful readers to check out the site at Real Man Profiles and give me your vote! Thanks so much. Here are a couple of the pics I posted. Thank you all for your patronage.

Cheers!

-Paul