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15 December 2009

Anglophilia

For any guy interested in menswear to any degree, Anglophilia is hard to avoid. So many of the staples of a man's wardrobe are derived from British influence in one way or another: the navy blazer, the cardigan sweater, the trench coat, the button down collar...the list is endless.Even the Milanese and the Florentines, whose manner of dress in menswear can be so distinctive, owe a hefty bit of gratitude to the Brits. Today, I trotted out the British gear in full force:
A classic Barbour Moorland jacket, Brooks Brothers cotton sweater, made in England, and a cashmere and wool Burberry check scarf (heisted from Mrs. G. note: real men know how to selectively steal clothing from women) work very well with a Polo button down and a no name silk ascot.
This stripes/plaid/foulard print combo may be on the verge of pushing it, but I think the strong solid colors of the sweater and jacket nail things down pretty well.

However, I must admit to being delighted with the bold clash created between the iconic Burberry house check and the tartan lining of the Barbour.
Topped off with an American made, but clearly British derived, wool driving cap in grey herringbone tweed.
And while my Levi's dungarees may betray my true nationality as an uncouth Yank, they work quite well with these vintage English made Clark's chukka boots in dark green suede. Just for good measure, one more pattern on the socks to really strain the edge of the envelope.
They happen make a pretty good cup of working man's afternoon tea across the pond, too. I buy this stuff at my local Indian run grocery/convenience store...ah, the remnants of imperialism.

Cheerio!





17 comments:

  1. You're last sentence was certainly the best, and certainly hilarious! This outfit certainly comes close to a pattern overload, but I think the color scheme keeps it all under control. Well done. I wish I could pull off an ascot at least once - but as a 22 year old college student, I don't see the occasion coming any time soon.

    -ScottyAlexander

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  2. Too many Yanks wrongly assume that Twinings, Lipton, etc. are what we Brits drink, but PG Tips is truly the Number One tea in Blighty

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  3. Wot, no Scottish fabrics?!? Shame on you!

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  4. Have you ever seen any of the PG Tips adverts featuring Monkey? They're hilarious. Here's one from last Christmas. You can find a lot more on youtube.

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  5. I'm impressed by how well and confidently your rock the ascot.

    What kind of comments do you get through the day?

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  6. I love this entire outfit- particularly the ascot!

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  7. I am pretty sure the Brits stole much of that from the Irish.

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  8. ^The Scots and the Irish.

    "note: real men know how to selectively steal clothing from women"

    Yessir. And another compliment on the ascot.

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  9. As we say in London, "bloody brilliant mate..."

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  10. I've often wondered how to pull off an ascot and I think that's probably the best way to do it - subtle, but sharp and still making a statement.

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  11. jolly good show old boy

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  12. I like how you have worn the ascot as part of a sweater combo in cold weather. It looks much less affected than it otherwise would by suggesting it is for warmth rather than mere decoration.

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  13. if what is Limey disappeared from this world the Yanks would be running bout like Hawkeye and not wearing underwear so too the Italians but less so.Nice G

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  14. Burberry scarf? Really? Oh, I forgot you live in Boston.

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  15. I don't think an ascot looks good on you - you're kind of heavy set and it looks like it's squished.

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  16. You pulled off the pattern combination with aplomb. If you zip up the jacket, no one will see the clashing plaids, and only you--and your readers--will be the wiser.

    I wear ascots regularly, and have yet to get a single comment (other than "nice outfit"-type ones). However, I do get comments on my fedoras.

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