The Rules of Breaking the Rules

Regular readers of this blog will note that my proclivities in matters of dress tend to lean toward the New England Traditional style, with some variation. As such there are particular rules I tend to follow, a loose, self-inflicted code of details. High on this list of rules are plain front pants and single breasted jackets. But rules only work if you break them sometimes. The trick is to break them successfully.

Today I purchased a suit which runs counter to almost every rule of dress I observe, yet in some inexplicable way was the inevitable newest piece of the Affordable Wardrobe:

Double-breasted suit in grey flannel chalk stripe, by Polo, $15.99 The jacket is a 6/2 stance, but pressed in such a way as to favor 6/1. Sort of a double breasted version of 3/2. (Look at all of those silly fractions! What a way to talk about clothes! seriously...)

The pants have brace buttons only, no belt loops, and shallow inverted pleats, with side tabs. If you're going to buy pleated pants, the only ones worth having are with shallow (repeat: shallow) inverted pleats. Deep outward facing pleats tend to billow out in such a way as to make a man appear as though he's wearing a diaper.

Last but not least, the magic words: made in U.S.A.

I shouldn't like this suit, but I love it. The cloth is thick and butter soft. I suspect its partly cashmere. The chalk stripe is classic. And despite its being double breasted with a fairly wide lapel, the shoulders are only very lightly padded, like a sack suit. The jacket needs to come in a pinch and the sleeves are a bit short, easy alterations.

This suit is going to look awfully rakish with a white oxford button down, knit tie and brown suede shoes, , maybe even a v-neck sweater underneath, all things which are "against the rules" with double breasted, incidentally. The only way to wear it.

An occasional insouciant disregard for the rules: another valuable lesson punk rock taught me.