All in The Details: The Right Seersucker

I've wanted a seersucker suit for as long as I've know what one was, maybe for about 25 years now. Just this past week, patience and persistence were rewarded in the form of a classic old one by Brooks Brothers, had via ebay for $62. Given the limited time and occasion for wearing seersucker, I guess it's ironic that I paid more for this than I do for most of my other harder wearing, more useful clothes. But if we take an average, I'm still doing alright.

Seersucker is one of the most difficult things to buy vintage or used. Simply put, the cloth is just too lightweight to last. Finding one in this good shape, complete, is a real treat. But whether you're buying your seersucker new or vintage, it's important to know the details and be sure you're getting the good stuff. Not all seersucker is created equal. The first rule is of course to make sure you're getting all cotton. This is easier with new clothes as poly blend seersucker has pretty much fallen out of common use, but many old garments from the 60s and 70s were made of blended fabrics. Besides the fact that polyester is gross 90% of the time, using it in seersucker is downright antithetical to the point of the garment. Cotton wrinkles and breaths well, which is exactly what you want in a suit that you wear on a hot day.

Construction is important too. A seersucker suit should never be fully lined, again because that antithetical to the point. Reasonable suits will only have partial lining. The best kind, like the one I was lucky enough to grab, are partially "buggy" lined in their own fabric rather than a synthetic liner. Again, this adds to the breathability of the jacket and keeps it lightweight. This one has 1/8 lining at the shoulders and unlined sleeves. The shoulders are unpadded, and there is no canvas or other structural material in the coat, so it's like wearing a shirt. Yet for all that, it's well made enough that it still has the shape of a suit jacket. As you might guess, that's harder to do than just reproducing a stock jacket pattern and just using seersucker cloth, but it makes the suit what it is even more that the fabric itself.

Patch pockets are a must. Internal pockets will require additional structural material inside, and we already decided that's not what we want here.

Trousers can be either flat front or pleated depending on your own taste, but make sure they're a little roomy in the legs. This pair is relatively conservative but on the loose side. Remember, it's hot outside and you're already wearing a suit, probably by choice. Do yourself a favor and don't wear a tight one.

Accessories should be laid back here to. A surcingle or ribbon belt is a cardinal sin with any other suit, with the exception maybe of Summer poplin, but it's right at home with seersucker's laid back vibe.

Same goes for penny loafers: never with a suit, except seersucker. White bucks are of course a standard, but can be a bit much, even for me. Southerners pull it off with aplomb, but in all honesty on a Northerner and combined with a bow tie, I saw Pee Wee Herman looking back from the mirror. Brown shoes it is. And don't forget your socks. You do have suit on after all, and I don't care what magazines you've been reading, suits need socks. I thought these yellow ones did the job nicely, but argyle in bright colors, another general sin with a suit, work well too.

I can't say it enough, but dressing well is all in the details. Even if most people don't think they notice, they do. Others may not know what it is about your clothes that makes them look just a bit better than the average guy, but you'll know and they'll sense it. Pay attention to the small stuff.

p.s. Before one of you reminds me of that time I broke every rule and concept I just laid down here, allow me to beat you to it. We live and we learn, don't we.

Fall Casual

Fall Casual, or, British-public-school-algebra-teacher chic.

Ralph Lauren shirt, $5.99, Brooks Brothers khakis, $5.49, Viyella tie, $1.99, Barbour jacket, $150 new at outlet, Donegal tweed cap, $1.99

It can be difficult to dress well when its simply a matter of choice. You can learn to get over the feeling of being overdressed as compared to everyone else around, or even the feeling of being inappropriately dressed for the conventions of modern life. Guys who dress well, or "dress up"" as the rest of the world calls it, tend to go full tilt into it. Generally I believe that if you wear a tie, you should also wear a jacket, even if that jacket gets removed and hung up immediately on arrival. But there are times when a casual midpoint is just the thing, and I find that Autumn is just the time for that. 

In my job, there are time when I have a lot of work to do, and being too dressed up is simply not appropriate for that. But an outfit like the one pictured above works nicely. Its basically comprised of sturdy casual cotton pieces, all derived of either work or military origin.

The addition of a solid tie in a soft fabric makes me feel more finished, without feeling overdone. This tie is an unusual one, made of old Viyella, 55%cotton/45%wool. Recently acquired for $1.99 at a thrift shop, I can already tell it will be a frequent player this season. The undone button down collar is a hopeless affectation...

...as is the tie tied with rear blade a bit longer than front blade.  Blame the internet, or the Italians, but I had to do something to keep the fuddy duddy math teacher vibe of such an outfit \in check.

These old penny loafers could use a shine, but I'll save that for the next time I wear them with a blazer. A whiff of the old wear and tear isn't always undesirable.

Fall really is the perfect time for these mid-casual outfits. The days are sunny, and just chilly enough to feel comfortable in moderately substantial clothing. A Barbour jacket or similar has a way of making just a shirt and tie look less unfinished, and a good tweed jacket with denim is pretty indisputably classic by now. Embrace the chill.

p.s. my apologies for my recent absence here. Technical difficulties of every kind this week.

p.p.s. If you are in the Boston area this week, the annual Honk festival is happening in Davis Square. The weather looks to be just right for some activist marching bands, and maybe even a trip to the AAW Shop for some Fall Casual.

Firsts of the Season

 Ribbon belts and kelly green blazer

 Bare, pasty, white ankles

 Massachusetts hippie shoes

 Mussels steamed in beer with bacon, crispy shoe string fries

 Excellent local beer to wash it down with

 Periwinkle blue slubby herringbone silk and linen jacket...

 ...that happens to be a suit. (traded, more here)

 the Boy playing soccer

and sideline seats with my favorite Girl.

It's been a rough week around here, but now that it's over, I'm happy to report that the good far outweighs the bad. Thanks everyone for your kind words and thoughts, Now lets forget it and get on with things.

p.s. new stuff today in the Shop. Hows that for getting on with it?

All In The Details

Wearing clothes is fun for me. That could explain my penchant for a lot of things that would be too much for many people. Bright colors and crazy patchwork are the height of fun dressing, but it only works if you know how to ground yourself in understatement from time to time. I am in no way advocating boring dress, because "understated" and "drab" don't necessarily have to be the same thing.

Few outfits could be more classic than a navy blazer, grey trousers and burgundy tie, as seen here. What keep this extremely simple combination from drabness lies all in the details.

The importance of a good navy blazer in a man's wardrobe can't be understated (correction: overstated-ed.). I wear mine with some frequency, and as such have three: two single breasted, one lightweight and one Winter weight, and a double breasted.This one is an upgrade for me, replacing my old flannel one.Hand made in a Madison Avenue tailor shop once upon a time, the construction is beautiful. Internet homework turned up nothing on Virgil Carducci. Anybody know anything about him?

Like the suit that was mentioned in the last post, this jacket has a great combination of mostly European details, but it works great with my existing largely American based wardrobe. Notable is the shoulder, which is roped in a very Italian style, but has a natural slope.

Patch and flap pockets are more American, but a ticket pocket is a nice unexpected touch.

Hand finished button holes and edge stitching. This thing is the real deal. Side vents, of course.

The fabric is incredibly soft to the hand, likely at least partly cashmere. It's thick and warm, but breaths well. Closer inspection reveals a herringbone weave, it's navy shade being achieved through a weave of royal blue and black threads, giving it a richer navy shade when seen under artificial light. I traded a new-with-tags Gloverall duffel coat for this, and I couldn't be happier with the results of the bargain.

A striped shirt by Polo ($5.99) adds a bit of punch. The undone button down collar is, admittedly, a hopeless affectation, but don't forget that I'm a guy who wears jacket and tie by choice only, so who cares? I wouldn't try this in an office job, but then again I don't have one. A burgundy grenadine tie by Brooks Brothers was $1.99 well spent.

The trousers are Andover Shop mid grey flannels, with side tabs and forward pleats, worn without braces.

With all these European details, these classic American penny loafers and yellow socks are suddenly incongruous, but why not?

So much about dressing well for men lies in the details, but it's even truer when keeping things relatively quiet. Finding little ways to set off a relatively conservative ensemble can be a challenge, but it's also a lot of fun. Just remember to do this stuff for yourself, and not to impress others, because you'll probably be the only person who notices or cares.

The Classicist

It's no good dressing up in costume, following some set of rules by rote when choosing one's clothes in the morning. Still, it doesn't hurt now and then to stick to the letter of the (Ivy,Trad,Preppy, whatever) law, as it were.

Beautiful weather Saturday, crisp, cool and sunny, saw the first of the season's tweed. This lightweight number in brown micro-herringbone is a perfect transition, very much tweed but not too heavy. Vintage 1960s, soft shoulders, two button cuffs, undarted front with a perfect 3/2 roll.

From The Coop of Harvard Square. It's possible, if not likely, that this was once a suit. But I think it holds up nicely on its own. I can't remember exactly what I paid for it, but I'm sure it was less than $10.

What better to wear with it than a repp striped tie and an oxford cloth button down shirt with blue pencil stripes? I'd been in need of some new shirts recently, and just last week I came across four in my size for $3.99 each at a thrift shop, old ones from Lands' End, two white, one with blue and yellow check, and this one. Once upon a time, Lands' End made must-iron shirts with unlined collars that had a roll to rival the best of the, I wish they still made these.

The tie is an old Brooks Brothers Irish twill in a wool and silk blend, picked up over the Summer for $1.99. I've been waiting on this tie for a while, and I have a feeling it will quickly become a regular in my rotation.

Military issue khakis, starched and pressed, the real deal, courtesy of Zach at Newton Street Vintage, yellow socks acquired in the Infamous Trip to the Outlets, and brown penny loafers. What else? The loafers are made in USA by Dexter. They may not be Bass Weejuns, but the styling and quality are identical. Not bad for $6.99.

This Italian silk pocket square may not be for everyone, but I think it gives the whole just enough flair to keep it out of full 1960s campus costume territory.

When in doubt, stick to the classics. There's a good reason why this stuff  continues to stick around...at least for now.

On Childishness, and Judgement

Just the other day I was at the playground with my little girl when it occurred to me that I was the only person dressed like an adult. I was wearing plaid shorts and a white tennis shirt with L.L.Bean bluchers moccasins. Everyone else was dressed the same, toddlers and adults alike: baggy cargo shorts and goofy printed t-shirts, sandals and ball caps, etc. I thought to myself  "I'm, the only person here not dressed like a five year old."

Two days later I found myself out and about in navy chinos with embroidered whales in kelly green (Brooks Brothers, $5.99)...the kind of thing my mother might have dressed me in for weddings and the like when I was five years old.

Judge not, lest ye be judged....