29 May 2010

Ahoy!

Where's my sailboat? Perhaps in another life (sigh..)
Boston has reached the point of nearly hot weather. I say nearly because lately we've been perfect. Warm and sunny enough to make everyone all happy, enough to sweat a bit, but not so uncomfortable as to make a blazer a self inflicted torture.

I don't have a sailboat, or a beach house. I likely never will. However, I'm more than willing to use the fact that I was born in raised in Boston, a coastal city with both a sea-faring and Ivy League tradition, as a license to push the nautical/gth aesthetic to the hilt come Summer.

Rip me all you want about my baseball cap. Until this year, I too was staunchly anti ball cap and sports jacket. But I dig this cap, it's pretty sharp, and as such I've changed my mind. Style and rigid inflexibility rarely play well together.

As is usually the case in menswear, the real story is in the fine print, the little details. Take for example my pocket square. The life of a thrifty cheapskate makes a man resourceful. That square is actually a piece of cloth cut from an old worn out shirt. Who needs to pay money for a cotton Summer square in navy and white gingham, anyway?

A vintage 1980s Lacoste belt, the generous gift of Mrs. G. a few years back. I'm not generally a fan of brand logos, but this belt gets a pass. Stretch ribbon with navy blue leather and a brass buckle, made in France. What else is a fella gonna use to hold up his patch madras trews? Really...


Finished with faded navy blue Sperry sneakers, also the generous gift of Mrs. G. Socks, of course, would be downright abhorrent under the circumstances.

So, who wants to invite me on to the yacht for gin and tonic? One at a time, please.

Ahoy!

23 comments:

Main Line Sportsman said...

I have no yacht..but I do have an 18 ft Glastron Ski boat I keep up in the Adirondacks...and G&T's are often consumed on board when we take the adults out on Upper Saranac for sunset cocktail cruise...and you are welcome to join....

Anonymous said...

Someone is losing weight and looking better than ever!!!

Giuseppe said...

Thanks, I been tryin'.

I was thinking about doing a post on my new running shoes, but damn, those things are just awful.

Jho78 said...

The baseball cap will have to do until you come across a Thurston Howell III cap.

CLG said...

I really WANT a casual jacket/blazer...but i'm so lost as to where to even start. I love the style though...your posts are often inspiration for my own outfits.

Laguna Beach Fogey said...

You look great mate and love the Lacoste belt and madras trousers. The 'baseball cap'--not so much.

Rebecca said...

"Style and rigid inflexibility rarely play well together." G-wisms such as this are what keep me coming back.

I can't help saying that I think you look fantastic in this picture - cap and all!

Rebecca said...

Hope you don't mind....I posted this on my thrifty style blog. (If you want it removed, just let me know.)

"Style and rigid inflexibility rarely play well together." Statements like this are what keep taking me back to a particular men's fashion blog. Giuseppe has just the right amount of know-how, style, common sense, thrift, and self-confidence to keep me "hooked"!

Giuseppe said...

Shucks, Rebecca.

To the rest of you,

I know, baseball caps in this context are an egregious affront to all that is good and decent in the world. But what can I say, I like.

Funny, 90% of Americans would consider me to be "dressed up" in this outfit. To me it's nothing but casual, hence the head gear.

Young Fogey said...

All you need is Belgian loafers and a bunch of silly stuff wrapped around your wrists and you'd look just like ADG, though perhaps your pants are a bit too subdued for him. (He'd probably wear a belt with about 3 pounds of brass on it, too, but we'll ignore that for now.)

I'm not lovin' the cap with this outfit, even though it is a classic ball cap. You know how I feel about patch anything/GTH, but, regardless of that, you're showing the world how to do GTH: one GTH piece, and everything else classic. That's why you look so great.

It's Memorial Day today, so last night I got my white ducks out. They're going to be worn with a pale blue shirt, blue & green plaid cotton tie, a navy blazer, and a panama hat for church today. Hello, summer!

Giuseppe said...

Careful, Fogey. ADG is a personal friend of mine. True, he is more than a tad flamboyant in his manner of dress, but being from south of the Mason-Dixon, we'll cut him some slack.

Jho78 said...

I also like the fancy fold for the homemade pocket square!

David V said...

I, too, thought I'd hit ADG's blog!

You look great.

I'm popping over to his site to see if he's found some good thrift store finds.

Tiaz said...

so cool. :D

Paul said...

Great outfit - it's perfect for you - the Boston hat is great!

Young Fogey said...

Hey, I don't have anything against ADG. He seems like a nice guy. It's just that his taste in clothes is, well, um, that is to say, he, y'see, uh... well, he favors pants that can stun small animals at 50 paces. He likes clothes that would make Liberace say, "now that's over the top!"

That's all I meant.

Khaki Bill said...

I'm with the Fogey on this one (I really liked the Liberace line!). Other than style, the only difference I can see between ADG and that tool over at WASP 101 is that at least ADG knows his clothes are garish.

I just don't get how someone who cares as much about clothes as ADG, who spends as much money on clothes as ADG, can still manage to look so bad.

Having said that, I'll say he can look really good when he wants to, but it seems he almost never wants to. The main reasons for going to his blog are either to get tips on how NOT to dress, or for the rubberneck gawking fun of it all.

BTW, "me, too" on the cool pocket square.

Giuseppe said...

ADG knows what he likes and doesn't really give a damn what anybody thinks. He outright says so frequently on his blog. You gotta respect that kind of non-conformity. It's a rare thing these days.

Besides, he's a swell guy and a great dad. Does anything else really matter?

ADG said...

Geeezzzz! Sorry I missed out on all of this.

James said...

You nailed it Mr G, nothing else does matter.

Young Fogey said...

As ADG demonstrated, he is indeed a swell guy, and he does indeed appear to be a great father.

Youse guys is A-OK, even with your small-animal-stunning pants (and yes, the small animals deserve it).

DAM said...

I've met ADG for lunch several times. He's always the best dressed guy and the room and regardless of whether or not you like the color or pattern of his rig, it fits and is tailored to with in millimeters of perfection.

So, Young Fogey and Khaki Bill, before you make pointed comments about another blogger why don't you show us what you're wearing and link to it when making comments or at the very least make them on Maxminimus directly

Anonymous said...

Dear Giuseppe,

Compliments on the post and particularly on the ingenious and smart pocket square.

Perhaps you would like to share with us/me how you have sewn/rolled the edges of the cut-out pocket square to avoid fraying.

Beg for your pardon if you have already shed light on this subject in former post.

Regards,
Luigi