The Equalizer

It wasn't until recently that I became a fan of solid colored ties, but in the past year or so I have been won over with a vengeance. Recently, I've acquired a linen tie from the Andover Shop in solid navy, and it has become a Summer favorite. The linen has texture and heft, giving the tie visual interest. Plus, it opens the door for all sorts of other brightly colored shennanigans, providing a perfect foil to more go-to-hell items,

 

A powder blue linen and silk herringbone suit almost seems quiet when pinned down with this tie...

and the orange jacket? Still admittedly crazy but maybe a degree less shocking. I haven't had the opportunity to try it yet, but I bet it dresses up nicely with a lightweight charcoal grey suit, keeping things dressy but soft and comfortable in the spirit of the season.

p.s. new stuff in the Shop, plus many items on sale. Gotta keep things going while we prepare the live shop, don't ya know.

Reader Questions

Reader Mike writes:

Given our unseasonably cool spring in Boston thus far, and given that our annual Kentucky Derby party is right around the corner, I've been wondering: is it acceptable to pair a sweater with a seersucker suit?  Now, I'm not talking about a wool fisherman's sweater or the like; rather, I mean something more along the lines of a light-weight cotton cardigan or V-neck in a suitably cheerful color.  Does that work, or is it just the stuff of Brooks Brothers catalogs?  Is seersucker so inherently spring-y/summer-y that a sweater is contrary to the very theory of seersucker?

Pictured above is the very outfit I had on when I received this email. A suit in pale blue silk and linen may not be seersucker, but it's about as Spring/Summer as it gets. Given our unseasonably cool Spring, I may indeed have been jumping the gun in the first place with this suit, but I do get bored with the blazer and chinos combination that I tend to rely on in these in-between times. The day was bright and sunny, with temps just at the low 60s, just barely warm enough. Knowing I'd be returning home in it later at night in a much cooler temperature, I opted to add a lightweight cashmere vest by Pringle of Scotland in a suitably cheerful color. Perhaps a bit unorthodox, but I think it works.

Seersucker is going to be more of a stretch, but maybe not impossible. The fabric in the suit above has heft to it, despite its being a Summer cloth. Seersucker is much lighter to begin with, and as such will clash with the weight of most sweaters. However, if you keep the sweater light in both color and fabric, and avoid sleeves, you might make it work. A cotton or light cashmere sleeveless v-neck pullover in pale yellow, baby pink or mint green might be pretty damn sharp with seersucker and a bow tie. Might be a bit much for everyday, but could be spot-on for Derby Day.

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?