To avoid further hijacking the "Movies I Have Seen Lately" thread, and because there seems to be some interest in men's attire, I've created this discussion to pursue it. (If I'm wrong abut the level of interest, this discussion can die on the vine harmlessly, with no offence to me.)
It's been only in the last five years or so that I've been something of a clothes horse. For nearly thirty years, my day-to-day wear was a uniform. But, when in civilian clothes, I was never one of the "t-shirt, blue jeans, and baseball cap" crowd. I was a bit more upscale than that, but otherwise, I never paid much attention to what I wore. The one exception was in my civilian suits. I'd always admired the look of the suit-dressed man of the 1930's, so, twenty-five years ago, I went to a tailor and showed him a men's wear advertisement from a 1930's magazine and directed him to make me two suits pattered after that. He did, and they fit wonderfully.
Since I retired from the Navy, I've taken more of an interest in my clothing. I frequent the various men's wear blogs on line (The Gentlemen's Gazette, being the best), and I've learnt a great deal about the details of men's clothing. The Good Mrs. Benson always said I should find a hobby, and as it turns out, clothing was it. I started by increasing my casual wear. Contemporary dress trousers pose a problem for me, because the current style is to have them hang from the hips, when trousers should properly come to the waist. Consequently, I went and had a half-dozen pair of dress trousers tailored to fit at my waist, along with adding pleats and cuffs. I was lucky with dress shirts. Van Heusen makes a classic dress shirt that happens to fit me perfectly, so I bought eight of those.
As far as suits, believe it or not, those two suits from twenty-five years ago still fit. (I weigh ten pounds less now than when I had them made.) However, my cargo has, shall we say, shifted in the last quarter-century, so I took them back to a tailor to have them altered to adjust. (He was impressed at how good a condition the suits were in after all this time.) Since then, I've had him tailor a third suit (because I needed a good summerweight suit)---aye, from that same 1930's men's-wear ad which I've kept all these years---and two sport coats.
Then,there were the accessories. I shifted from belts to suspenders. First, because they are more comfortable than a belt. Second, because they give you a straight silhouette, rather than the cinching at the middle created by a belt. There's a learning curve with suspenders, but it doesn't take long to master.
Then, as my pal Jeff pointed out, some sage fellow stated, "A man is never fully dressed without a hat." That presented a bit of a problem, though. It's impossible to really know how you'll look in a given hat until you try it on, and there were no brick-and-mortar haberdasheries near me from which I could select a fedora. There are plenty of sources of good dress fedoras on line. I became versed in the various details and styles of fedoras---snap brim, slouch brim, short brim, crown types, dents, bands, and curls. Still, I ordered and sent back seven or eight possibilities because, once I received them and tried them on, they didn't look quite right. Finally, I found an on-line hatter who was gracious enough to work with me, and I found the perfect fedora for me. Now, I've got two; one in steel-grey (to go with my black and grey suits) and one in brown (to go with my brown suit). I also have a black bowler, American style, from the 1930's that I purchased at a flea market.
I have an eye on another suit, a single-breasted suit (all of my others are double-breasted) with a double-breasted vest. In the 1931 Dracula, the character of Jonathan Harker (David Manners) wore a suit of that type in one scene. I'm putting it on hold for awhile, as I'm having trouble justifying it. My need for a suit doesn't come up all that often. Believe it or not, the Good Mrs. Benson doesn't like to dress to the nine's nearly as much as I do, so my occasions to wear a suit don't arise as often as I'd like. ("If you wear a suit, then I have to get dressed up.")
Now, on to your posts on the subject, over on the "Movies" discussion . . .
Mr. DeLuzio, you indicated that you did not replace your fedora because "The 2000s saw the style usurped by Angry Young Nerds." Sadly, there's truth in that. Your comment reminded me of this image I came across not too long ago . . .
That sort of consequence can be avoided. But, as I indicated, it can take a great deal of effort to obtain a genuine classic look in a fedora, and I don't fault you for just skipping on it.
Flatcaps have their own pinache and work just fine. They're just not for me. Nor is the ubiquitous baseball cap. Oh, I own quite a few Navy baseball caps---I even had one specially made. But they're not for social wear. I wear them when I'm outdoors in situations when work clothing is called for.
Jeff, old buddy, your post leads me to think that you are man after my own heart when it comes to men's wear. I certainly like your style sense. Wearing a bowtie (when not in formal or semi-formal attire) is a bold move these days, and I bet you pull off the look just fine. I like the idea of an ascot. I considered it for myself, but I don't think they would work with my size and build. I do appreciate the way they fit that middle ground between going open collar and wearing a necktie.
I didn't really notice before I turned my attention to clothing, but it's striking how poorly most men dress to-day. And I'm not talking about just on the street, in day-to-day life. Last year, the GMB and I went out to an upscale, five-star restaurant for our anniversary (one of the few occasions when she didn't mind going all out in her appearance). During dinner, I happened to notice the people at a near-by four-top---two couples. The ladies were dressed to the nines. Cocktail dresses, nothing expensive, but certainly stylish; their hair elegantly coiffed. The guys were a different story. One of them wore a plaid flannel shirt and blue jeans; the other was "resplendant" in his blue jeans, "dress" t-shirt, and baseball cap. Both of them had beard stubble; I couldn't tell if they were following the fashion of the time or simply hadn't bothered to shave before going out.
Setting aside all the excuses some men proclaim for not dressing well, I couldn't help but think shouldn't those fellows have shown their ladies the respect of going to as much trouble in their appearances for the occasion as the gals did?
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Wearing a bowtie (when not in formal or semi-formal attire) is a bold move these days...
The thing I like about a bow tie is that there is great leeway for personal expression in the way one ties it. It should never be entirely symetrical, as those "pre-tied" ones are. Besides, every man should know how to tie a bow tie.
The thing I like about a bow tie is that there is great leeway for personal expression in the way one ties it. It should never be entirely symetrical, as those "pre-tied" ones are. Besides, every man should know how to tie a bow tie.
All true. I never could get into bowties (except when in formal or semi-formal wear). That's why I admire your boldness in wearing one.
I'm lousy at tying a bowtie. It usually takes me eight or nine tries to get it right. But, then, I rarely get a necktie right on the first try, either. You'd think I would, but I still need a couple of tries before I get the blades right.
Which, kinda sorta, segues into something I find humourous. I've seen businessmen at lunch or dinner, when they have their suit coats off, and they throw their neckties over their shoulders while they eat. It looks ridiculous. Aye, I know . . . they do that so their ties won't dangle over their plates and into their food. But they never heard of a tie clasp?
Tie clasps were designed just for that very purpose---to keep one's tie in place and out of one's food or whatever he's working on at his desk. Plus, they offer a subtle means of personal expression. Mine all bear the Naval officer's crest.
"Ridiculous," yes... that's the word for it. And speaking of things for which the original purpose has apparently been forgotten...
In the past twenty-five years or so, the baseball cap has become the mitre of the common man.
I have one baseball cap in my closet, and it is purely functional. It is solid blue with no sports logos or slogans emblazoned upon it; it is made of cotton, not nylon; it is all cloth, no mesh; it is fitted, no plastic "snap" sizer; and most importantly, I know which way the bill goes.
That photo is hilarious! In recent years, I have amassed a large collection of baseball caps. I like to wear them when walking the dog. A few of them are fitted (my favorite is a maize cap with a blue University of Michigan M), but none of them are plain! I have lots of music-related caps, as well as Batman and Superman symbols.
Commander Benson said (on the Movies thread):
Many sites will insist that American men started going hatless because J.F.K. didn't wear one at his inauguration. But that's a fallacy. An inspexion of the photos taken of the occasion show Kennedy wearing a silk topper (the proper headgear for his morning suit) on the ride to the inaugurtion dais with Eisenhower. (Ike also wore one.) Kennedy continued to wear it as he exited the limousine and walked toward the dais. He removed it only after ascending the steps to his seat.
I wasn’t challenging this belief. I’m well aware that he wore a topper at his inauguration. I don’t think there are any photos of his wearing a hat after that, not counting sailboat hats.
I wasn’t challenging this belief.
Aye, I'd guessed that, as I mentioned in my opening to that post. I inferred that you knew that "conventional wisdom" was wrong.
My wife and I often marvel when we're out to eat at casual restaurants the dress of other patrons who are on a date. The young women will be well put together, upscale dresses,dress shoes, with obvious care for their hair and makeup. The young men are slobs. I'm no fashion plate, but I'll dress appropriate for the venue, and I'm not a young man where, presumably, I'd like to impress a young lady with many other options. At the very least, fellas, leave the backwardsbaseball cap at home.
I'm not a young man where, presumably, I'd like to impress a young lady with many other options. At the very least, fellas, leave the backwardsbaseball cap at home.
It is amazing how American men have gone from wearing suits when they are out in public to wearing shirts and slacks then to tee shirts and jeans and now in some cases sweat suits or even pajamas!
I hate dressing up, always have.. I feel constricted wearing a suit - even one which has been tailored for me. I'm very much a "t-shirt, jeans and hiking boots" type of guy. If you were to call me a slob, I would have difficulty repudiating the veracity of the charge.
BUT -
HOWEVER, even-
I do believe that there are certain occasions that call for formal clothing, no matter how uncomfortable it makes you. One such occasion is a funeral. I went to one a while back. I broke out my dark blue pinstripe suit (I know that a black suit would be preferable, but this was the best I could do) and polished up my seldom-worn dress shoes, and got myself as presentable-looking as humanly possible, and set out on the multi-hour commuter rail/subway/bus journey to the funeral
When I got there, I was astonished to see men showing up to the funeral dressed in t-shirts and jeans. I didn't say anything, obviously, but I sure wanted to. Is it me? Isn't a funeral an occasion to wear your best outfit out of respct for the deceased?
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