Vintage ex-letterman sweater, Levi's, Bostonian loafers, no-name silk repp/club tie, and an extra fancy shirt by Ralphie.I realize the whole thing smacks of a hopeless "Polo" affectation, but I'll justify it to myself because only one piece of it is actually Polo.
I wear a button down collar these days almost exclusively, but maybe I should throw in the English style spread a little more often. I know, you ain't supposed to wear a thin knot with a spread collar, but who cares, I dig it. And I finally realized that the cream colored cardigan is best used as sort of a sports jacket.
And cripes, to make matters worse, French cuffs with a sweater? Heaven forbid! I'll be the first to admit the "fashion" aspect of such combinations. But sometimes I like the extra fancy shirt with the contrast collar and French cuffs, and if it weren't for these kind of outfits, I'd never get to use them. The last time I wore this shirt was two years ago with a three piece suit and a solid tie. These days, it's highly unlikely that I'll be able to make an excuse for the three piece any time soon...Hell, even this outfit was excessively overdressed. But wouldn't it be a shame to waste such a nice shirt?
Finish with jeans and black tassels. Until I got these loafers, I was almost exclusively a brown shoe kind of guy. But I think these have broadened my horizons.
(photo: the Sartorialist)
All this just two days after I was ready to bust on this guy for taking the whole Polo look way to seriously, even if he does work for Ralphie. Good thing I held my tongue. But I will say, this whole lace-up dress shoe/no sock/rolled pants thing has got to stop. Loafers, o.k., but lace ups? Nonsense.
p.s. Fine and Dandy Shop has seen fit to profile yours truly. Shucks, I'm blushing.
p.p.s. Say it ain't so, Toad. We'll miss you
p.p.p.s. Who makes a sartorial bust on YSL? I'll admit, I agree with our man's thoughts on considered dishevelment, but seriously, how you gonna dog YSL? Really.
p.p.p.p.s. Mrs. G and I actually saw some guys playing polo last week. A first time for everything. 
wonderful outfit G!
ReplyDeletewouldn't be complete without the driving cap, a favorite of mine
I'm picking up what you're putting down with that meticulously constructed outfit sir.
ReplyDeleteLeave it to him to try and knock down YSL. It is quite funny how highly and perfect he thinks of himself in manners of dress.
ReplyDeleteTell us the story behind those incredible, what looks like, scrimshaw, cuff links...
ReplyDeleteYou look just like a Polo ad in the best way possible. Don't fret about "breaking the rules" - that's what Ralph Lauren's empire is partially based on. Those cuff links are killer, though you could also wear the look without the socks too; though, given Boston's weather today, I understand.
ReplyDeleteSpread collar with jeans? Fine.
ReplyDeleteFrench cuffs with cardigan? Fine.
But black shoes?
You know how I feel about denim. Other than that, I like it--a lot! French cuffs with a cardigan are going to be either brilliant or terrible--and you made it brilliant with the natty scrimshaw cufflinks.
ReplyDeleteA hard look to pull off, yet somehow it works. Inspirational.
Were you at the Polo Match in Hamilton with the NE Ferrari Club? I was there with the mini-van, kids and wife, while eating bree and canoli.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
If you speak to Toad, give him my best and thank him for all his wonderful posts. I enjoyed them more than he'll ever know. Hope all is well.
ReplyDelete-Jean
Those cuff links are the tits.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what band were you in??
Take care,
D.
I'd also love to hear the story behind those cuff links. They're fantastic.
ReplyDeleteFigo! Very nice, Giuseppe. This is a very elegant presentation.
ReplyDeleteThose are some pretty nice looking links.
ReplyDeleteHuge nad sturdy as always G-Man! I was in my Barbour a good bit of the weekend-seemed to be channelling you.
ReplyDeleteADG
Haven't checked out the man blogs lately. Glad to see this bro is still posting.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the mish-mash overdone-underdone outfit. Hits close to home.
Looking dapper sir. Love the tie. And the whole lace-up dress shoe/no sock/rolled up pants thing will go on a little longer. It's too fun not to if you have the legs/ankles for it :)
ReplyDeleteAs for YSL's outfit, it looks a bit too planned, too intentional according to the dégagé aesthetic. If you adhere to a different aesthetic, he looks fantastic.
ReplyDeleteWhile I appreciate much about the dégagé look--and our gracious host, Giuseppe does, too--there are some things I cannot agree with, like the dégagé love of the hideously unbalanced four-in-hand knot.
But that's just my take on things. YMMV.
Also, the guy in the bottom photo is way too old to be able to pull of the sockless & rolled-up cuffs look. The jacket is also out-of-place, IMNSHO. And G's right on the mark: lace-ups will never work with this look. In contrast, think how distinguished, even elegant, he could look in a suit!
True style is not about adhering to a specific aesthetic. True style means expressing yourself tastefully in a way that is flattering as well. Sartorialist-guy fails; Giuseppe does not, even if some of us disagree with some of the details.
Personally I don't think Sartorialist-guy is way too old for the sockless & rolled-up cuffs look (and I'm not even a fan of that look actually). I think he's still young enough. But I think he should have rolled the cuffs just a little lower than he did and I agree, he'd look fantastic in a suit!
ReplyDeleteI am a fan of the jeans-with-ties, dressy up top/jeans on the bottome thing (more please) so it doesn't look affected to me, it looks relaxed & sylish. Thanks for another good post, Giuseppe.
Giuseppe,
ReplyDeleteWhat did you wear to the polo match? I'm thinking of attending my first this Saturday. It's the last match of the season. Thank you in advance.
Luap,
ReplyDeleteThe polo match was actually just something we happened to drive by on our way home from somewhere else. I only stopped to snap a few photos.
Thank you, Giuseppe. By the way, I noticed that you buttoned the middle buttons on the cardigan and left the bottom two undone. Is that the proper way to wear a cardigan? I always button the bottom two and only the bottom two. Am I being too nitpicky or have I been dressing improperly all these years? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteCheck out the Samuel Windsor shoe site.Bought four pairs .Good cos when they go just throw em away.They cost less than a repair
ReplyDeleteIts deja vu all over again Dept.... just saw a picture of Daniel Craig sporting cufflinks with a shawl collared cardigan...
ReplyDelete