Luxury Overseas

A blog that I admire very much, http://welldressed.blogg.se/, posted this video. I'm sorry. I must post it as well. That way my family will know that when I die, I want my ashes scattered here. Oger, in Amsterdam, Holand. Enjoy the video, and check out Welldressed blog.

Anniversary Post, January 16th, 2010... (and Sneakers!)

Hello all. Today is the one year anniversary of the creation of this blog! The content has at times drifted from the original idea of providing information and photos of local sartorialists and fashion lovers and has become more dedicated to tips, trends, and staples, but I appreciate those who have stuck with me all year. Nikki: you were my first follower who encouraged me to post often. If you're still reading, thank you. I felt that the anniversary date required a little bit of recognition, but I'm not going to wax sentimental here and wear you all out by turning nostalgic. We have a style blog to write!

Today we're talking sneakers. For a while now, magazines such as Esquire and GQ (and Details, I'm sure) have featured the occasional photo of a suit paired with sneakers. I am often asked by people that I meet, after mentioning that I write and consult about style, what things can be done to bring an edge to otherwise conservative dress. This, my friends, is one of them. Pair sneakers with a suit or sport jacket.

Now, I'm not going to discuss ad nauseum the multitude of ways to pair sneakers with different articles of more formal attire, but be it with a suit, khakis and a blazer, jeans and a sport coat or what have you, I will say this: Think minimalism. Think classic. Think simple. Go for a sneaker with history, like Converse All Stars (pictured) or Jack Purcell's (J. Crew offers a "broken-in" Jack Purcell), Keds Champions, or Adidas Stan Smith's. Each of these models has been around for decades and have remained relatively unchanged. Avoid bright and loud colors. Go for something in a neutral, respectable color, such as navy blue, white, or bisque (leave day-glo to Kanye West). And be respectful... this is not a look for church, business, or funerals, no matter how fancy the sneakers. It's still a sneaker. This is a night out look. A casual Friday look... an MTV music awards look... you get the drift.

Common Projects (favored by well-dressed crooner Justin Timberlake and blatant tool-fop rapper Kanye West) offers a boutique line of sneakers based off of many of the classic designs mentioned above. The Converse All Stars in the picture, however, cost about $300 less than a pair of Common Projects. Buy according to your budget (I sure did)! In terms of pairings, start with khakis and a blazer. Pretend that you are Owen Wilson's character in The Wedding Crashers, enjoying some of Christopher Walken's New England hospitality. Pretend that you have a weekend party in the Hamptons... whatever. If you can make the sneakers work with khakis and a blazer, only then should you move on to suits. REMEMBER THAT, and YOU'LL DO FINE!!!
Thanks for a great year.

Cheers,
-Paul

Fashionably Functional

Merry Christmas, guys. I hope the holiday shopping is not breaking you this year. With a freshly printed bonus check freshly deposited in my bank account, I am finally prepared to nab a thing or two. Today's post, however, is not a holiday gift guide. In fact, it has nothing to do with shopping at all (unless you're still shopping around for a proper tailor). Today is about little details that work. Function is our topic today, so here goes!

I am a huge proponent of the importance of function when it comes to my clothing. I like things to work the way that they appear they're supposed to. I wear a pocket square or pocket linen in the breast pocket of my sport coats because that's what the pockets are there for; they are designed to be functional and to display either a somber or brightly colored kerchief. I don't like snaps that are cleverly designed to look like buttons (my toddler's closet is riddled with clothing sporting this "feature"), and I really don't like buttons that are just sewn onto the sleeves of my jackets, serving no purpose other than sheer ornamentation.

I have some very nice jackets that have ornamental sleeve buttons, and for the price of some of them, one would think that all of the little details should be functional. This can be fixed, however, and I am in the process of making the correction to all of my jackets that didn't come with functional button holes (or "surgeon cuffs," as they're properly called) to start with. When you're looking for a tailor, find one who can, either by hand or by machine, add functional button holes to your jacket cuffs. I have had this done to about five or six of my blazers or sport coats (see photo), and I just love knowing that they work correctly.

Being a bit of a dandy, I like to leave one or two of my sleeve buttons unfastened (some purists may call this an affectation or a grotesque display of vanity, but I don't like those people anyway), allowing the sleeve to open a little bit more freely, and having the surgeon cuff procedure performed on my jackets gives me the freedom to do so. If it ain't your thing, fine. I don't think that a well made jacket looks like a poorly made jacket if the cuff buttons aren't functional, and conversely, crappy Malaysian-made wares that do have functional button holes don't necessarily look to be well made. Having surgeon cuffs certainly doesn't guarantee quality. But I like mine to work so I'm working it out.

A caution if you plan on having this done, however; make sure you will require no adjustment to the length of your sleeves prior to having the button holes made, or have the length adjusted at the same time. Once the new button holes are made, your length cannot be changed without great expense, if it can be changed at all.
I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas. Someone pass the eggnog!

Cheers,
-Paul

Calculated Miscalculations

Hello again! Today we salute again those willing to take risks with their wardrobes by bowing to the principles of sprezzatura, the elegance of dishevellment, the intrigue of insouciance. Let's face it; the presence of a little nonchalance in one's outfit throws everything else into relief, offering the impression of a carefree attitude and unclouded demeanor.

One of my favorite methods I borrow from the Italians; the slightly wrong tie length (photo 1). I occasionally allow the back blade of the tie to fall a little bit longer than the front blade, and let the blades separate freely, giving my tie its own will. I like to do this with a spread-collar shirt and a slightly askew four-in-hand knot.

A Windsor knot, for example, can easily kill the look. The extended effort implied by the Windsor appears too fastidious and contrived. That's not to say that letting the back blade lie longer doesn't take a little work. It can be just as difficult to get the perfect "wrong" length from the tie, but it doesn't look that way. A Windsor, which uses a lot more of the tie in the knot, would require an extra long tie to allow the back blade to be longer than the front (requiring way too much thought and preparation), and the formality of the knot is very much the antithesis of nonchalant.

Another little maneuver that I regularly practice is leaving my cuff buttons undone (photo 2); I speak not necessarily of the buttons on my jacket cuffs, but on my shirt. Doing so allows for a more easy drape of the cuffs, and gives the material more freedom to peak out from the jacket cuff. The fuller look of the unbuttoned cuff is the casual equivalent of a French cuff and can be more flattering than material tightly banded around the wrist. This also allows one to have more of a selection of wristwatches to pair with the outfit, as the shirt cuff will not get hung up on a bulkier watch; a flub that can ruin the lines of an ensemble.

Experiment with sprezzatura and have fun with calculated miscalculations: wear bright red socks... let your pocket square scream from your breast pocket. Have fun. Just remember: the overall effect you want to present is that you gave little or no thought to these minute details; even if you tied and retied your tie for 20 minutes.

Until next time,
Cheers!
-Paul
Please click images for enlarged view

Man of Style: Tom Waits

Hello again.
Today's post pays tribute to my all-time favorite musician, Tom Waits. His eclectic musical offerings have spanned decades, but today I want to focus on his contributuion to style. Stylistically speaking, Tom Waits is the type of man we should all strive to be, not in the sense that we should emulate his look, but in the regard that Waits is a man who has developed his personal style, and maintains it with integrity.

From the seventies until now, Tom's style has evolved with him, but has never strayed far from where it began. Waits was, in his earlier days, regarded as some sort of neo-beatnik who lived just a notch above the streets and found solace in seedy, sleazy joints, honing his gravelly cigarette and bourbon drenched voice with perfection. Whether or not this opinion was factual or not doesn't matter; the man has always appeared comfortable in any setting, and in the clothing that he dons effortlessly.
The provided photos are taken from different eras and show a uniformity of style regardless of different types of dress. The consistency is what we're looking at here; the man knows what he likes and looks good sporting the threads.

I also like the timelessness of Tom's style. The outfits Tom wore in the photos from the seventies would look just as acceptable if worn today (when executed properly, which, of course, Tom does). The key to stylistic integrity is filling your wardrobe with the things you like, which when well chosen, will last you for years and remain stylish for just as long.
One thing that can be taken from the photos shown of Tom (courtesy of The Tom Waits Library) is his strict attention to fit. This is the one dead givaway that he is paying close attention to dressing well on purpose.

Whether in a suit or a denim jacket, the armholes are cropped and tapered, resting in the perfect spot on the shoulder. The bodies of his jackets fit close and snug, and the trouser legs sport a perfect taper. The importance of fit is evident from looking at Tom, and he uses fit and proportion to make his gangliness work for him, rather than trying to hide it.
Tom Waits represents an interesting sort of sprezzatura, remaining elegantly disheveled with the truest sense that he was never trying to look so damned cool... he just was, is, always will be.
Until next time,
Cheers!
-Paul

The Pocket Peek

The casual nonchalance of sprezzatura rears its magnificent head again in this posting...

I have often seen this little style tidbit in pictures of well-dressed men in Europe and there is no reason we shouldn't do it stateside. The breast pocket of your jacket was designed to display a pocket square. Really. That's what it is there for. One would never think to carry their car keys in the jacket breast pocket. Nor your cell phone (although in the days of the bluetooth, we sometimes carry a phone in a shirt's breast pocket), nor your cigarettes... you get the idea. It's for a pocket square and pocket squares are becoming widely accepted and used again among stylish men of all age groups.

The thing is, your breast pocket also serves as a great home for your sunglasses when not in use, and no matter the time of day or night, the silver arrow of a pair of Persol sunglasses dancing atop your pocket square looks great (Click on image at Left for larger picture). I love this look for two reasons... first, it adds a little bit of flair to your ensemble; there is a new dynamic to your outfit that draws the eye of those around you. Second, this is a clever way of displaying your superb taste in eyewear while at the same time not looking like someone who is flaunting. Persols aren't cheap. That's a fact. But when displayed in this fashion you don't look like a jerk saying "Look what I have". You look like a guy who's been wearing his sportcoat

or suit jacket all day who has retired his sunglasses to his pocket. It's that simple.

Is style something that you can purchase? No. That's fashion. Stylish men look great in clothes from Kiton or clothes from Target, and can't buy the panache with which they dress. Does this style tip cost some bucks? Yes (if using the brand that I endorse). This look is not quite as effective with a pair of Foster Grant shades (although the right shades will still look good if the details are right). I think that because of their trademark looks, Persols really shine in the breast pocket peek, allowing a beautiful glint of light to project from the silver arrow when the angles are right. It should be understood that the pocket peek is not going to be missed if it's not there, so don't get caught up on it. If it is present, however, the peek will get noticed.

Until next time,

Cheers!

-Paul

The Significance of Insignificant Details

I have a deep love for the Italian principle of "sprezzatura," a disheveled elegance where effort is put into dressing as if one's style is effortless. Delightfully paradoxical, sprezzatura is shown different ways by different practitioners, the most notable in my mind being the late Gianni Agnelli, whose contributions to style may have even been greater than his contributions to the Italian car industry when he was the man behind Fiat (I know this is arguable: for the purposes of this article, my opinion should be regarded as fact).

Agnelli was famous for leaving a random cuff button undone on his suit sleeves; for wearing his watch on the outside of his shirt cuff; for a slightly askew tie knot, and he displayed these quirks with brilliance. Many photos of him can be found on the wonderful web, so in the interest of not infringing on another's copyright, I'll let you do a search.

I love seeing others who appreciate this stylistic approach, and wanted to showcase a few examples today!

This is my friend Ron Freeman. He's the diretor of Uptown Charlotte, a magazine publication that is establishing a presence in Charlotte, NC. I am always impressed with Ron's sense of style. This look combines English and Italian influence with perfection. A couple of things that jump out at me are the conservative English cut of the tweed sportcoat offset by the punch of the bright orange Hermes foulard ("carelessly" piled in nonetheless), which is definitely far from conservative. The zipper-neck jumper under the sportcoat is a decidedly Italian compliment to this look. The distressed yet still meticulously maintained boots that peek out from beneath a well tailored pair of jeans anchor the ensemble. And look at the drape of the jeans! They fall atop the boots' uppers just as one would expect from a far dressier pair of trousers.

Ron's putting the care and attention into casual dress that one would hope for from anyone wearing a suit. Superb.This is... (ahem) myself. I wanted a slim-cut black suit, but didn't want to look like a hitman or an undertaker when wearing it. I opted for a suit with a faint red and white pinstriping. On an evening that begged for a minimalist outfit, I changed one button on this gingham check button-down to a red button to pick up the pinstriping. When the jacket is buttoned, this button is not visible. When unbuttoned, few will notice the different colored button. Hopefully, however, those who do notice will appreciate the touch.

Thank you for tuning in today, and as always, feel free to submit your own photos for inclusion on this blog!

Cheers!

-Paul