All in the Timing

For the last few years, I have been happy to attend a Robbie Burns Supper at a club in Boston at the invitation of a good friend. I've worn a suit of Black Watch, and tuxedo with a Royal Stewart blazer swapped in for the standard diner jacket. This year's supper was held last Friday, but I wasn't sure if I would attend. Then only last Wednesday, I found the above jacket, at a thrift shop of course, for a mere $7.99.

A dinner jacket in Dress Gordon, with broad silk faced shawl collar and silk edged pockets, likely 1940s vintage, in excellent shape, and exactly my size.

Rendered in old Viyella. Honestly, a tartan dinner jacket is one thing, but a Viyella dinner jacket?!?! Unheard of. Just in time I guess.

In the end, I didn't go to Burns Supper this year after all, opting instead to end a long day of hard work and ring in the weekend with a pizza dinner with the wife and kids. But Scots Wha Hae and all that nonetheless.

p.s. I have some great new listings on ebay, ending next Sunday, 1 Feb. Check it out.

Boston Style

Last week, Put This On ran a q&a post about wearing loafers with a suit. I'm sure many of you have already seen the article, but for those who haven't you can read it here. While I find Put This On to be a very informative website and I agree with everything they say in this post, I feel I compelled to point out one glaring omission. What about tassel loafers?

The only reason I mention it is because the end summary is that one generally shouldn't wear loafers with a suit. Oddly, I almost always wear loafers with a suit. I'm not alone in this, but perhaps it's an East Coast thing. Here in Boston, tassel loafers worn with business suits are a common sighting, or at least they were when there were more men around in suits. It was/is so common in fact, that as a kid, before I knew the proper name for tassel loafers, I called them "lawyer shoes" because I only ever saw them with suits. I see plenty of guys with penny loafers and suits too, but that's a look I can't get with, excepting of course the case of seersucker suits. Tassels and suits go together like khakis and a blazer, at least in Boston. Why else would a thing like the black tassel loafer even exist if not to wear it with a navy blue suit? Then again, we are the same people who not only accept but tend to prefer button down collars with suits, another combination widely avoided almost everywhere else, so take my opinion with the appropriate grain of salt.

Context of course plays a big part. What's acceptable in an office environment here may not be elsewhere and these unwritten rules should be your guide.I tend to prefer the look because I wear my suits purely by choice, and I don;t want to look like I'm going to a board meeting. Often, a slightly less formal shoe is all I need to tone down a navy or grey suit. However, at a wedding or other formal event, I still wear black lace-ups.

Let me close by reminding you that I also like to wear black tassel loafers with my tuxedo, so it's entirely possible I have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about anyway.

Auld Lang Syne

I recently accepted a very last minute invitation to a Robbie Burns Supper. It was a lovely evening filled with friendly company and sparkling conversation, three holes of Caledonian golf (read, grown people playing mini golf indoors), haggis dinner, and of course, plenty of Scotch Whisky, all of it in a lovely setting representative of old Boston. Not a bad place to wear the trousers from a vintage tuxedo with a vintage tartan jacket and a dress shirt with a Marcella bib, cuffs, and detachable collar with a body in Black Watch. 

Thanks for the invitation, YWP (remember him?) Scots Wha Hae and Gie Her a Haggis!

Reader Questions : Time and Place

The Scottish Hebrides. photo:internet

Reader Jakob writes:

My name is Jakob, I am a 22-year old student from Slovenia. At the moment I am studying abroad, in Edinburgh.

Seeing that I am in Scotland my first thought, in regard to this was that I should find some good tweed. And indeed, I have found them, at a much lower price that a new garment would cost me. But then I have found your blog  and suddenly I was asking myself this question: Why are the shops here so much more expensive than what you're writing about? Is it a cultural thing or am I looking in all the wrong places? Just to give you some reference - a tweed jacket (in Harris Tweed or of similar quality) would cost one 30-40GBP. A shirt would be 6-15GBP (depending on the brand). The Scots seem much more quality and brand-conscious than what you seem to be experiencing in the States... Any idea why?

That's an interesting question, and it speaks to the fact that, simply put, no two thrift shops are the same. Each one will have a different assembly of hodge-podge items for sale, and location plays a big role in what you're likely to find there. For example, it shouldn't be surprising in the least that a Scottish thrift shop would have more tweed than a similar store elsewhere, any more than good cheese is more easily had in Paris. 

Many thrift shops these days have caught on to the fact that they can selectively up-charge their better items when they find them, but in a thrift store anything is only worth what someone will pay. What winds up happening is the items that hold value with the customers will be singled out. In Scotland, I imagine, a good tweed is something still generally appreciated by most people. 

Is it a cultural thing? Maybe. America has led the charge to a pyjamas-all-day-every-day lifestyle for generations, and we tend to dress more sloppy and casual than any other nation. Dressing in tailored clothing is largely a choice these days for those who care. As such, things like tweed jackets have less value on a broad level. Conversely, a commemorative World Series Red Sox jacket will get a high ticket. It's all about time and place.

He also writes:

there is a very old debate society here, at the university, and they meet in black tie. I am very interested in joining, and I'm asking you for some advice - how can I make black tie a bit more interesting? I mean, I know it's a fixed set of rules, and I don't mean to go there in a red tuxedo. I'm just wondering if you have any idea what some little touches can be, that could make it just that bit more interesting, so I don't turn up there dressed exactly the same every single time...

My best advice here is not to mess around too much. Simplicity is the essence of why black tie looks so good. You might look for a velvet jacket to swap out for the standard, or simply get a bow tie in your schools stripe or tartan, or a set in grey glen check, to wear instead of black. For a festive occasion, red socks could work, but even that might be pushing it, especially at an old club in the habit of wearing black tie. It can be a fun look to wear a tartan jacket or trousers with black tie, but I'd a void doing it in Scotland. You don't want to be the guy who's trying to hard to stand out.  And no, don't show up in a red tuxedo.

Darn It

Thrift shopping often means finding great old stuff only to discover that the reason someone got rid of it is because it's damaged in some way. Combine that with the damage the wool moths can do to your old clothes in your old closet in  an old house, and you frequently wind up dealing with little imperfections like the one pictured above. 

I found this knockout tartan jacket back in March, and it's been waiting patiently in the storage closet since then. I don't remember whether this little hole was there when I bought it, but it doesn't really matter. As I drag it out of the closet and think about how great it will the two, maybe three times, I wear it this Winter, I need to decide how to deal with that pesky little hole. 1/8 inch may not be much, but it's enough.

Lots of times, with holes this small, of it's only one or two, I just live with it. Densely patterned jackets like this one or natty tweeds tend to hide a little hole well enough. If it were elsewhere in the jacket, I might not even care. But this one's right up front.

Of course, the best option here would be reweaving, where an expert would take thread from a hidden spot on the coat to actually reweave the missing part. It's very difficult work, magical even, that can only be performed by an expert specialist. It's also extremely expensive. As great as this coat is, I don;t think I can justify the expense. So, instead, I'll just darn the hole. A trip to the local sewing machine store for a spool f bright red thread, a sharp, thin, needle, and we're set.

A few careful passes with the needle, not pulling the stitches too tight, and the hole is much improved. Not perfect by any stretch, but definitely better and less noticeable from only a few feet back. I often talk here about a lack of money not being a hindrance to having the good stuff, but sometimes you do have to make the best of what you've got.

Besides, in writing this, I realize that it might not be such a bad idea to have my tailor attach a black velvet collar to it, and find and excuse to wear it with a tux, brass buttons and all. Now that would be something.

p.s. my apologies for the sparse posting lately. Technical difficulties should hopefully be remedied tomorrow.

Happy Hallowe'en

I vant to suck your blood......

Vintage 1949 midnight blue 4x1 double breasted tuxedo with silk shawl collar and forward pleated trousers, tailored by Hickey-Freeman for F.R.Tripler of New York, $24.99, thrift shop; pleated Brooks Brothers formal shirt, $4.99, thrift shop; black (gasp) tassel loafers by W.S.Foster and Sons, made in England,  $9.99

BOO! Seriously, though, in these days, when the hell else am I going to get to wear something this awesome. Happy Halowe'en.

Brushing Off My Tails (alternate edition)

In the first weeks of having my Shop open, the going was pretty slow. One fine Saturday as I sat alone in the place, I decided to go downstairs and get some fresh air. After about ten minutes, I went back up to find Jade Sylvan, a friendly young lady (young fellow? I'm as open minded as anyone in Massachusetts, but I admit the terminology still confuses me sometimes. Beg patience) from the yoga studio down the hall, in my shop dressed in a vintage 1920s tail suit I had at the time. I have a weakness for old formal wear, but as a businessman I realize I should avoid it. It's so hard to sell, given that we live in a time where "dressed up" means little more than tucking in your shirt and wearing your "good jeans." This particular suit had been with me a long time. It's hard enough finding a guy who fits a size 36 short, never mind one who will ever attend a party in full evening dress. Imagine my pleasant surprise then when this affable drag king and I crossed paths. Not only did the suit fit her perfectly, but she just happened to have a release party for her new book, Kissing Oscar Wilde, coming up, the perfect occasion to be an to be a drag king in an antique suit.

Of course, dressing in drag is nothing new for bold women with strong personalities. Dietrich and Baker showed us the way back in the old days, when suits like this were new, and actually worn with some regularity, mostly by men of course. It may not be as shocking to us now as it was then, and that's a good thing. It means we're collectively getting over it. But it's still just as cool.

Marlene Dietrich in men's full evening dress, 1930s

Josephine Baker in men's full evening dress, 1920s

Jade may not be as famous (yet) as these two, but she certainly deserves to be ranked in their company. I am pleasantly surprised, and honored, that nearly one hundred years after the trail was blazed and this suit was first tailored, something I provided wound up being a part of it too.

Alternative Black Tie

I wanted to go somewhere wearing this....

...but instead I stayed home and wore this.

(Tuxedo t-shirt gift of the Boy and the Girl. Mrs. G says they absolutley insisted)

I'm not going to get all sappy about the meaning of things and say that all this silly stuff about clothes doesn't matter, because I really believe it does. However, it's never a bad thing to have little reminders to keep things in proper persepctive. My family is happy and healthy, and I have a lot to be grateful for. So what if I spent New Years Eve in a tux t-shirt.

Happy New Year.

p.s. after much neglect, the Shop has a lot of new items in it today. As though you haven't spent enough money in the last few weeks....

The Jams: A Tux and a Tank Top

A tux...
and a  tank top.

I like to rail on about the sorry state of decorum and comportment these days. And one of my favorite soap box speeches is the one about proper dress being an outward expression of one's respect for the situatuion at hand and the other people involved. And I stick by all that.

There are those that will say that dress is meaningless, it's what you do that counts. True. The trick is to do whatever that is so well that no one pays attention to your clothes. Buddy Rich can do more in a tux than most guys. John Henry Bonham can wear what the hell he wants. Can you?

p.s. don't forget...all items on sale 20% off in the Shop through Sunday. Used discount code "SUMMER2012".

Casual Black Tie, Again

Lately I've been taking a bit of a stab at the nitpickers, and a reader told me to cut it out. Point taken. So even though this post yet again deals with our notions of the meaning and practice of arcane sartorial law, I will do my best to refrain from attacks on the overly uptight. Instead, lets take a step back and see whether these actually were as relevant to the storied and glorious past as we like to think the were.

Recently, this bit of formal wear joined the ranks of the Affordable Wardrobe. Look closely and you'll find a lot of the big rules have been thrown under the bus here. For one, there's the lapels. Though the may be faced in grosgrain silk, they are notch cut, a style commonly held to be anathema to evening dress. Furthermore, the pockets have flaps. Again, anathema. But all that aside, it's a well made tuxedo in the classic American soft shouldered, undarted cut.

It's a beautifully constructed garment. The lapel facing really is something, that old fashioned thickly corded grosgrain silk. The stripe down the side of the trousers is the same. The bulk of the suit is of a mid weight true black hopsack material, perfect for Summer formal when you don't want a white jacket.

Four button surgeon cuffs, the Dracula red lining is a bonus. And just look at the hand work on the button holes, lining, all of it. And yet, the buttons are not covered in satin or silk. Hmmm?

The overall quality is no real surprise, given its provenance at the Holy Church of the Andover Shop. What is in a way surprising, besides its flagrant disregard for so many of the rules of formal dress, is it's age.

This tux was made in 1961, in the very heyday of the cocktail party and formal wear scene, in the very meat of this monolithic Ivy League past we let intimidate us. It hails not only from a time used as the very reference point for all of this, but from a small shop known as one of the hot spots of the real thing. The Andover Shop in its day not only outfitted the Ivy League elite, but also the best of jazz musicians. One and all they were men who knew their way around evening clothes. How then can such an "abomination" as a notch lapel, flap pocket tuxedo have come from such a place, and at such a time?

The answer to me is simple. Clearly, the "rules" were not as stiffly enforced back then as we like to think they were. True, people may generally have carried themselves with an overall greater deal of comportment back then, but can it be that they were actually comfortable enough about it not to care too much about the minutia? Lest we forget, back then they even tried to sell us the button down collar formal shirt.

Then theres the lost of art of the truly "semi formal". The man who owned this tux likely wore dinner clothes frequently. He likely had more than one set of dinner clothes. He might have worn "formal" white tie to the opera,and he may have had a more proper peak lapelled tux for more serious occasions, but I bet he wore this to "semi formal" house parties on the weekend where both black tie and casual nonchalance were required.  Other guys at the same party likely wore madras jackets with satin faced shawl collars, and still others wore dark suits with neckties. I've written about casual black tie before, and I still believe we need to bring it back. Very Playboy Club, you know?

This suit is in my size, and I'm keeping it. At $29.99 in a thrift store, it's price sits well above my normal outlay, especially for clothing as truly un-neccesary as this. But you have to love the idea of being formal and laid back all at once, without resorting to a long tie or weird black shirt like some Hollywood slob. There's nothing like being the most formal guy in the room and the most comfortable all at once, is there? A suit like this, worn with a plain black bow, plain white shirt with French cuffs (no pleats), no cummerbund and black lace up shoes would do the trick nicely. Have me over for drinks some Sunday at 7:00 p.m. so I can prove it to you.

p.s. the Shop is more stocked than ever, especially if you have a shoe fetish or happen to be a 46 regular. Check it out.

Torture and Anguish

Warning: if you're the sort of person who is a sartorial nit-picker, trolling the internet looking for evidence of someone having broken some inconsequential minutiae in a  hardbound book of rules of dress that no longer exists just so you can inflate a false sense of superiority by leaving mean spirited and uptight anonymous comments, look away! What follows may cause health problems:

It's not even me this time. This display was spotted while rambling through Harvard Square yesterday in none other than the window of J.Press. Yes, it's true. A tuxedo and pleated formal shirt with a red v-neck sweater, in one of the brick and mortar cathedrals of American traditional style. It's so shocking one almost fails to notice the fact that jacket has flaps on the pockets or the clashing burgundy repp striped tie. Will there be no end to this torture?

I'm not writing this to either praise or malign this unusual combination. Truth be told, I think it's pretty silly looking, but who cares? I don't find any more enjoyment in trashing specific examples of other peoples stylistic chance taking than I do in wallowing in a strict adherence to rules.

The clothing we wear is fraught with meaning. Many people don't realize it, but whether you wear a tux or pyjamas tells things to the world. Dressing well is a sign of respect for those you will deal with in a given day. It should also make you feel and behave better. Above all, it should be fun. If it's all about torture and anguish, what's the point?