As I noted last week I will be at Indochino’s traveling tailor event next Monday (May 20th) for the latter part of the day acting as a style adviser for any of my readers who may want to stroll by (I am not getting paid so I have nothing to gain here).  I have been through the traveling tailor process myself and found the results to by much better than when I had a friend measure me.  It is also nice to be able to see the fabrics and suits in person before purchasing.  I would also be remiss if I did not mention that Indochino has ventured into the land of half lined jackets, which are on display at the shop, but I am not sure if they are on the site yet.

Even if you are not in the market for a suit, shirt or jacket you are still welcome to check out the shop; just pop in to 1518 Walnut st.

See you there,

JLJ

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I understand the practical aspect of black tie optional, that is, ‘we (the hosts) prefer you wear black tie, but realize that it may be a financial or logisitical burden that would make it not feasible to wear.’  However, I follow the school of thought that goes something like ‘half measures avail us nothing.’  That is, you either require black tie or you do not even present it as an option.  There is no middle ground or ‘optional.’

So, faced with this dilemma, what is a man to do?  When I see black tie optional I essentially default to wearing a tuxedo, however, I typically take a more creative and less conservative approach to the wearing (hopefully in a much more tasteful manner than the celebs are known for at their award shows).

By that I mean I will change up certain aspects of my tuxedo de rigueur; for instance the color or the style of shirt.  I will often wear a pink shirt (as pictured) or a oxford cloth button down.  But there are plenty of other things you can do to change up your ensemble from a traditional black tie to a more creative one.  As with many things, it is all in the accessories and details.  Perhaps you want to don some pope red socks (from Gamarelli) or Prince Albert slippers.  And yes, there is the obvious option to change the fabric of your tuxedo (as pictured).

Although I do see it done often, one thing I do not like to do is change the color of my bow tie, I like to take ‘black tie’ quite literally.  Oh, and also, don’t ditch the cummerbund regardless of what some of the more trendy and contemporary voices may say.

If you sit in the camp where donning a tuxedo would not be feasible (or you just refuse to do so) the best course of action is to keep your ensemble formal and conservative so as to come as close to the formality of black tie as you can.  A solid suit in navy or gray paired with a white shirt and a dark conservative tie is ideal.

Whichever course you decide on keep in mind that the most important thing is to keep your ensemble tasteful and respectful toward your host(s) and other guests.  What do you think?  Would you change up your normal tuxedo for something more creative or not?

-JLJ

Changing the color or style of a shirt can be the easiest way to break from a more traditional black tie look.

Other details like suspenders and pocket squares can also be changed.

It all adds up to a look that is not your conventional black tie ensemble, but still something that is tasteful and representative of one’s personal style.

Tuxedo: Lilly Pulitzer.  Shoes: Allen Edmonds.  Shirt: TM Lewin. Bow tie & Cummerbund: Brooks Brothers.  Suspenders: The Fine Young Gentleman.  Cufflinks: Rotenier.  Pocket square: Robert Talbott.

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Not that this is a blog dedicated to movies and film in the least, but I think that I cannot discuss the men’s style in the movie without giving my thoughts on the film (spoiler alert forthcoming).

I high school we had to read The Great Gatsby, I liked the book then, I didn’t love it.  I re-read the book a few months ago in anticipation Luhrmann’s adaptation.  And perhaps this is where I went wrong, the book is too fresh on my mind and Luhrmann’s movie bastardized the book, one of the finest American novels.  I long for the day someone does the book proper justice on screen.

I agree with Truman Capote who noted that the book reads like a screenplay.  Nick Carraway’s telling of the story is ripe with description, detail and dialogue.  Oh, and Nick was not in a mental institution, as he is in the movie.  This is something that is revealed in the opening scene of the movie, I could not get over it for the rest of the movie, and I still can’t.  The audacity…

And what followed was not much better.  The soul of the book was largely stripped and pushed aside for a spectacle of pomp and circumstance fueled by computer graphics.  The flying camera that would go from the tip of Gatsby’s finger in West Egg over East Egg was just awful.  ‘Cheesy’ would be an adequate description.  Much of the movie reminded me of the super ‘sprezzed’ out baffons who semi-annually parade outside Pitti and NYFW; I can’t stand those people.  And I can’t stand Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby.

And as a further tragedy, the acting prowess of Leonardo DiCaprio was really only allowed to shine in one scene: the debacle at the Plaza hotel; the beginning of the end for Jay Gatsby.  For the remainder of the film I thought he was overshadowed by much of the aforementioned ‘pomp and circumstance.’  Tobey Maguire was his typical self (I’m not knocking him, for the record), which I thought was fitting for the role of Nick Carraway.  Carey Mulligan was more tolerable than Mia Farrow as Daisy Buchanan, thankfully.  She played the part of torn-between-two-men-woman-child well.  And Joel Edgerton (who I had never heard of before) had a decent performance as the entitled man-child Tom Buchanan.  I was a bit irked that the character of Jordan Baker played a minimal role, however the actress playing her, Elizabeth Debicki, gave a strong performance.  And I would be remiss if I did not mention Amitabh Bachchan’s memorable portrayal of Meyer Wolfsheim.   But in the end, I felt each actor’s role was sadly diminished by Luhrmann’s directatorial peacockery.  It is clear that he misunderstood the book.  Much of the greatness of The Great Gatsby comes from the characters and their stories; not the parties, pomp and circumstance.

I am sure by this point you can imagine that I have nothing good to say about the music that was paired with the film.  But in an effort to be fair, I think the music goes well with Luhrmann’s vision of 1920′s New York City and that is about it.

True, Luhrmann did create a fantasy world, I respect that.  A solid creative achievement.  I understand that his take on the book was not supposed to be the most conventional.  I do appreciate that he kept much of the symbolism present; most notably the green lantern and Eckleburg’s eyes.  Yes, the book tells of spectacles, pomp and circumstance but more importantly it tells a story of love, lust and longing.  Of which is there is not enough of in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby.

So you may ask, what of the men’s style in The Great Gatsby?  Well, Catherine Martin (Luhrmann’s wife, for the record) also took some creative liberties with things.  One of the more striking examples was Gatsby’s midnight blue tuxedo, which I do not believe our beloved Duke of Windsor brought that onto the scene until a few years after The Great Gatsby takes place.  Was Martin’s work consistent with the way Luhrmann portrayed the book?  Yes.  So things did not look out of place, which is a positive.  If Martin was to do things exactly as they were in the 1920′s it would have looked out of place.  And I can’t knock her for her husbands follies, she just had to play along with the movie as it was.  And frankly, I look kinder upon her choices than I do Luhrmann’s.  But still, Ralph Lauren’s dressing of the men in the 1974 version was better.

I applaud the selection of Brooks Brothers as the clothier for the men in the film.  I cannot think of a better institution to take on such a task.  Brooks Brothers is perhaps the only American clothier that was around then and still around now that is of a generally good reputation.  Not to mention, they have the capacity to produce all of the garments here in the United States at the Southwick factory.  The capsule collection the storied clothier released in conjunction with the movie is so-so.  I find most of the articles to be true to what is worn in the film, which is how it should be.

But anyway, you can make your own assessments on both the movie and the men’s style in it.  Below are a few pictures of the movie (I saw it in 3D so the images are quite blurry) as well as photos of the Brooks Brothers collection.  The first two photos I took when I visited the store at 346 Madison.  The patent leather/suede galoshes are some of the coolest shoes I have seen, a very unique take on a semi formal shoe.

Until next time, old sport,

JLJ

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The weather was a cool 60, but the skies were clear.  I do love weather like this, however, it is not quite warm enough to don all linen or a menagerie of pastels/bright colors, as I am often wanting to do.  That said, I was dead set on wearing the royal blue cotton/linen trousers from Lands End so I had to base the whole ensemble around them.  Previously I had mentioned that tweed could be good on cooler summer days and nights, today being one of those days so I donned the vintage Austin Reed dove gray Glen plaid jacket.  The shirt is a recent acquisition from CottonWork (reviewed here) and is a white linen with a full spread collar.  The tie is a lavender grenadine from Chipp2 and the shoes from Shipton & Heneage.  The braces are from Albert Thurston.  And finally, a white cotton pocket square to anchor things down.  And yes, Mom approved the whole ensemble.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there,

JLJ

PS – for more WIWT posts, check the FYGblog Tumblr The Mood Board.

Note: FYGblog receives no compensation for posting about any of these brands.  CottonWork is a sponsor of the blog, and are only so because I think they offer one of, if not the best deal for custom shirts.  That said, they receive favorable words because of their products and products alone.

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Since the New York event (which I reviewed) Indochino has changed up the workings of the Traveling Tailor events.  They now stay in cities longer, have longer appointments and have one person take you through the whole process, not have different people specialize in one part of the process (measuring, style, checkout etc).

If you have previously had reservations about the whole ‘having your friend measure you and input your measurements online’ thing this is an ideal opportunity to meet with the brand itself and have their fitters measure you up.  Of nearly equal importance, it is an opportunity to see the fabrics in person, instead of online.  And I should note that there are some solid Spring/Summer fabrics on display like cotton/wool and linen/wool blends.

Additionally, I have offered to act as a style consultant of sorts at the Traveling Tailor on Monday May 20th, I expect I will be there from noonish until close at 8pm (as a disclaimer, I receive no compensation for this).  So if you have any questions on the process or men’s style or you would like to be guided through the whole process by yours truly feel free to book an appointment for sometime during that day (just pop me an email at Justin@thefineyounggentleman.com to let me know when you will arrive, you can always just walk in but a reservation is highly preferable).

-JLJ

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First off, I put away your flannels.   Second, break out the linen and fresco; if you have any.  They are two of the ideal summer suit fabrics.  Yes, spring and summer are generally times for lighter shades of colors (like pastels), but it is really the type of fabric that I have found makes the biggest difference in body temperature regulation (ie limiting how much you sweat).

True, there are those lightweight wools (oft branded as ‘tropical wools’) and cottons but it is the open weave structure of linen and fresco fabrics that I find really make them ideal for warmer weather.  The open weave allows air to pass through the fabric more easily, even at heavier weights.  The passing air is what will keep you cooler, and thus happier.  This said, the first thing I advise people to do is acquire shirts, suits and pants in linen, cotton/linen or fresco.  Linen is especially useful when one does not need to be in a more formal business setting.  But for those that need something more formal for the office, look no further than fresco.  It has all the benefits of linen but without the wrinkling issue.  Just keep in mind that fresco is a suiting and not shirt fabric; whereas linen serves as both.

Then we have the more exotic fabrics; silk, mohair and then blends involving them.  I have a wool/mohair fresco, or at least Holland & Sherry’s version of such, that I absolutely love (pictured above).  Personally, I am not a huge proponent of mohair (or silk) by itself because of the sheen that it carries.  I also have pants in a linen/silk blend, which I have come to love because they have the open weave of a linen and the added silk serves to reduce the wrinkling.  Additionally, I have heard others speak good things on silk/wool blends, but cannot speak from my own experience.  Lastly, I have heard people speak well of high twist wools, but again, have no experience myself.  And then there is always seersucker.

The second thing to mind, regarding suits, is the jacket construction.  Generally speaking, the less fabric and lining, the cooler it will wear.  I tell guys to look for unlined or half lined jackets, as they will allow more air to pass through the back of the jacket.  However, the ideal is a buggy lined jacket, one that is unlined in the back and lined only by the suit fabric in the front.  Along a similar in the shirt jacket that Joe over at MyTailor showed me last summer (Old Man Boehlke spoke on it last week).  Essentially it is an unstructured buggy lined jacket made up of shirting weight fabric; which sadly for now I can only dream about.

After professing my love of summer fabrics I am almost always asked where to acquire such items.  Given my predilection for custom and made to measure garments I always recommend places like MyTailor, CottonWork (who to my knowledge has the widest selection of shirt fabrics online), Indochino (who has some linen/wool and cotton/wool suits) or whatever other tailor you may use that carries seasonal fabrics.  For those of you who prefer ready-to-wear clothing Paul Stuart and Suitsupply do an excellent job at incorporating seasonal fabrics in their collections.  Lands’ End has a few jackets and pants in linen, I have 3 pair actually, and thus far am quite happy with them.  And oddly enough there is Zara (I know, you’re probably thinking I’ve lost it).  Over the past few years I have seen a few pretty solid linen pieces come from the brand.  Most recently, I purchased an unlined navy sports jacket from them that I expect will get considerable wear this summer (although I wouldn’t recommend their jackets if you are taller than 5’10″ as they will be too short for you).  It was only $160 and required only $25 of tailoring, not bad.

In summation; linen and fresco fabrics are your best friends and keep the lining to a minimum.  Next time we’ll talk on colors and a few classic summer items.

-JLJ

The post Prepping For Spring: Summer Suit Fabrics appeared first on The Fine Young Gentleman.

True, there are some instances in which black shoes are called for; like the most formal of business and social settings as well as in politricks. But the vast majority of men have little need to wear black shoes regularly.  Yet still we must have at least one pair in our wardrobe (key in thoughts on the minimum pieces of flair).  So as a result, of the 15 pair of dress shoes I have, only one is black.

So, you may ask, what of the other 12 pairs?  Well, there are 5 pair of brown shoes, 4 of burgundy, 2 of white (white bucks), 1 of navy suede, 1 of purple suede and 1 of gray.

So, now you may ask, are all of these other colors (navy, purple, burgundy and gray) necessary?  For some men the answer is no.  But for me the answer is obviously yes.  For I believe that changing up the color of your shoes is one of the easiest and safest ways to elevate and express your personal style.

-JLJ

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What I mean specifically is that companies are producing and selling products that the people seem to want.  So they buy them.  But the problem is that much of what is sold, and subsequently bought, is shit.  So what men actually need, which is clothing of better taste, is not being sold.  It creates an unfortunate vicious cycle of sorts.

To illustrate my point let’s think about socks.  A vast majority of the dress socks that I have seen out there are mid-calf; which seems to be what the people want.  However, they are not what the people need.  Over the calf socks are far more practical and certainly more aesthetically palatable in the sense the cover the leg better and they do not bunch around the ankle. In full fairness, retailers and brands likely have some part in this as I’m sure sometime ago they realized the cost savings in making mid-calf socks.  But anyway, you get my point.

I should note that things do seem to be getting a little better, but still a far cry from where they can be and should be.  But unfortunately, businesses are not idealists, like us bloggers are.  They are capitalists, so they must give the people what they want…

-JLJ

The post Give Them What They Want, Or What They Need? appeared first on The Fine Young Gentleman.

So, perhaps in the past you have wondered to yourself: should I, or can I get contrasting buttonholes?  Perhaps you were wanting of direction or advice.  Perhaps whatever clothier you were acquiring your suit from was telling you that ‘it’s what all the cool kids are doing these days.’  Or that it will ‘exude a more casual look.’  Or that ‘it really shows that your suit is custom made for you.’

Well, to this I say: ‘Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.  Don’t listen to a word of it.’

My reasonings are simple and sound.  The most important and substantial reason is perhaps not what you would think of first.  In more traditional and classic men’s dress one of the primary objectives of a man’s clothing is to draw the eye of the onlooker up to the face of the wearer.  I am of the opinion that one of the most effective ways of doing this is done by using vertical lines (pinstripes, ties, lapels, suspenders, pants creases etc).  Any abrupt interruption of said vertical lines will interrupt the eyes path up to the wearers face; horizontal lines and hot spots are perhaps the two most common offenders.  Horizontal lines make the onlookers eye pause and perhaps even move side to side.  Hot spots, which is what contrasting buttonholes are, make the onlookers eye pause on a single spot, like a buttonhole.

If you look at the first photo above the red boutonniere and red distal buttonhole are two of the first things you notice; they immediately draw your eyes away from the face of the wearer and to the red.  Which is unfortunate because this is an otherwise excellent ensemble.

A further case against contrasting buttonholes is one that is perhaps more common is that the off color of the stitching makes the suit less wearable because it will be harder to match or complement it.  Great if you can complement it, but that does not assuage the first problem with contrasting buttonholes.  Not to mention that fact that contrasting buttonholes are not appropriate in a traditional business setting.

Now, to address the clothiers comments above.  I must counter.  It shouldn’t matter ‘what all the cool kids are wearing these days’ because you should be able to make your own style and many of the ‘cool kids’ and advertisements you see wearing jackets and shirts with contrasting buttonholes would look better without them.   To the argument that the suit will ‘exude a more casual look’ I say that a casual look should not rely on the color of one’s buttonholes or stitching (don’t even get me started on contrast pick stitching).   But it should rely on the cut of the suit, fabric of the suit and what a man pairs with said suit.  And lastly, my favorite argument people give in favor of contrasting buttonholes (and by favorite I mean it agitates me the most), ‘it really shows that your suit is custom made for you.’  Let the suit speak for itself, if it is custom made for you then the fit should be spot on and that says far more about a custom suit than does the color of the buttonholes.  And you seek to express your personal style, do it by using accessories and pairings.  The combinations are endless and can be changed at will; you are not stuck with one single color plastered about your chest or wrist.  Be understated about, not garrish.  If you want something that stands out or is aggressive, do it by means of fabric or pattern, that is a much more tasteful way to go about things.

The devil is in the details,

-JLJ

Photos from: Ask Andy About Clothes, The Sartorialist, Wingtip

The post Contrasting Buttonholes: A Case Against appeared first on The Fine Young Gentleman.

Enjoy Liberally,

-JLJ

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