Late to the Party (or, just in time)

I used to have a great pair of perfectly dirty white bucks, but they got destroyed. I spent a few Summers without a pair. Not that I didn't look. New versions were either too expensive, or not worth the trouble, and white bucks are sadly elusive through my usual cheapskate, thrift shop channels. But then these turned up. No discernible brand name, but made well of quality white buck, with the requisite brick red rubber soles, and built in dirtiness. At $5.49 they were more than double the cost of my last pair, but still worth it (snark).

True, Labor Day weekend is upon us, the official "end" of white shoe season. However, one of the ruling tenets of thrift shopping is a rejection of shopping seasonally and taking what one finds when one finds it. Besides, I happen to think white bucks are at their best into the Fall, with flannel and tweed. I've said it before, to some minor wailing and gnashing of teeth from the purists. Let's not forget, it's a concept that dates back to the 1940s or sooner, a style that hails from the campi of American colleges, "preppy" (gross) before we felt the need to call it that, and I can dig it.

Our man James pulled it off well. As a bonus, note what appears to be a peaked lapel single breasted tweed jacket, and a tie that is tied with the rear blade longer that the front..."sprezzatura" before that was an awful, played out cliche.

White bucks in late August...late to the party? or just in time?

Shop Updates (Again)

Things are progressing well in the little room I'm pretending is a little store:

There's a sign on the door...

Racks on the wall with clothes hanging on them...

And Bill and the teddies seem to be enjoying their new home.

No promises, but I am pushing really hard for a soft opening/slash trial run/ slash shake my hand and pat me on the back session this coming Saturday, 27 July. Details to follow.

 

Halfsies

Last year, I acquired this glen check suit with light blue overcheck in a soft wool and cashmere blend by Hickey Freeman through one of my by now notorious trades with the venerable Mr. De Luca of Newton Street Vintage:

I'd wanted a good glen check suit for some time, and this one had a nice scale to it. Large enough to be prominent, small enough to appear as pale grey flannel from a distance of ten feet. I like glen checks best with an overcheck. In the old days I was certain only red would do, but blue is much more understated and workable. Brings the possibility of navy ties into the picture, despite the general black and with nature of the suit.

A suit like this is what I might call an "extra suit" in that it should really only find its place in a man's wardrobe well after he's acquired suits in navy, charcoal, and perhaps the same with some sort of stripes. For someone like me who never really needs so mach as a tie, let alone a suit, it could be better called an unnecessary frivolity. But so be it.  Oddly, in its way it's more useful to me than a navy or grey suit. Given its more casual connotations, it reads less like a business suit and as such feels more comfortable when worn for its own sake. Besides, dare I say it, it actually works as well as (gasp) two separate pieces as it does a suit. I wouldn't give such grotesquely incorrect advice lightly, so please allow me to explain.

For starters, we can see that the suit works quite well in its complete form. It is well constructed with a soft three button stance, darted front, moderate shoulders and side vents, with forward pleated trousers. This gives it just the level of formality that a suit should have.Sharp enough to be worn "in town" (as though that mattered anymore) but not so stiff as to be bound only for business meetings. In this photo, the camera is set about ten feet back, and the glen check pattern so obvious in the first photo is muted from this distance. True, the right sleeve could be a whiff longer, but let's not pick nits.

The trousers work just as well on their own with a vintage varsity cardigan in a big cut with shawl collar. A navy or black jacket would go just as well for a slightly dressier look, while a heavy black turtleneck sweater would be more casual. True, these trousers are half a suit, but glen check trousers are frequently seen alone as a single garment in their own right. As a side note, for men who actually work in businesses that require suits this look works quite well in the privacy on the office. Wear the suit on the commute, with clients, and at board meetings, keep the cardigan in the office for greater comfort while working behind closed doors.

No problem wearing a solo glen check jacket either, especially with dark grey flannels, aka "the pants that go with everything". Like the trousers, glen check jackets exist alone too, and a light grey jacket is something unexpected these days, though still quite correct. Even my nemesis agrees. A younger man could wear this jacket quite well with dark jeans and a crisp shirt, sans tie. Navy pants, never a favorite of mine, would work too. Just don't pair it with black pants. In fact, unless you're in a tux, don't wear black pants...ever.

This approach doesn't work for most suits, as the separate pieces will always look like just that, pieces separate from their counterparts. Stripes are the most glaring example, but I find a separate navy or charcoal jacket just as orphaned looking. Glen checks, being more about pattern and texture, get a pass, if you're careful and you can pull it off. Go halfsies with a suit like this, and you might get three outfits in one.





Tartan and Tweed



The air was crisp, clean and brisk this morning for pancakes and bacon on the porch with the kids. Looking forward to some tartan and tweed, and their friends flannel and corduroy. Here's to Autumn.