The Houndstooth Kid

Review: Aris Allen Wide Legged Trousers

2012-02-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

I've been on the search for wide legged trousers for some time now, either vintage or modern. I'm talking about Oxford Bag wide.

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Vintage trousers with such wide legs are rare to find, especially in my size and in good wearable condition. That's why I went with the Aris Allen wide leg trousers from the Dance Store. They were a birthday gift from Cassie and I chose the brown unhemmed version, allowing me to tailor the inseam and cuff depth to my desires. They are also available in black but other colors are unfortunately limited.

Once ordered, communication was good and the trousers arrived in a timely manner.

The trousers themselves, as it states on the website, are 100% polyester. That had me worried at first but once they arrived I was pleasantly surprised. The material, though polyester, feels and acts a lot like rayon. It is soft and drapes very well. While the material is lighter weight and more of a summer fabric, it drapes and acts like a heavier material. Unfortunately the trousers can only be dry cleaned or handwashed; no machine washing.

I had my alterationist hem them at the desired length and add a 2" deep cuff to the leg bottoms. These deep cuffs would ensure eye-pleasing proportions and maintain the excellent draping characteristics of the material. I always enjoy a generous cuff.

The trousers are pleated and come with a regular waistband and beltloops, including the interesting double beltloop shown below.

However, they lack suspender buttons but that is easily remedied. I would have prefered the more unusual wide waistband like the second catalog illustration posted above or even a Hollywood Waist but it's not a big issue. The pockets are voluminous and do not negatively affect the drape of the garment.

Before writing this review I wore the trousers on several occasions. Below are a couple casual kits I put together around the trousers.
The trousers are chocolate brown in color and the photo below accurately shows that color:

Note how well the trousers drape when movement is introduced. They don't wrinkle like other modern lightweight trousers, they flow:

Unfortunately, being Winter, it was fairly cold outside and as I said before these are warm weather trousers. That didn't stop me though and I found the trousers to be comfortable and attractive. These trousers are very straight-legged with no flairing towards the hem. At the cuff the legs measure 23" in circumference, definitely in traditional Oxford Bag territory.

Not to mention they nearly cover my size 12 feet!

Here's an overall shot of them being worn with suspenders, my prefered way to keep my pants up when drape is in mind. The 2" deep cuffs really help the proportions of such wide-legged trousers stay pleasing to the eye.

In closing, I'm quite happy with these trousers. They are very economical at $40 and really do look a lot like Oxford Bags. If you are looking for wide-legged trousers but are unable to find anything vintage that suits you I would recommend checking out these Aris Allen trousers. The material is surprisingly nice, the trousers drape well, are comfortable and look great when worn.

Reader Question: Opening My Closet

2012-01-26T16:10:00.000-08:00

A reader asked the following questions:

"With all that vintage clothing what does your closet look like? And what sort of moth protection do you use?"

Well, here are a few quick snaps of my closet and an extra rack of suits. Nearly everything in these photos is my own personal vintage. I keep my sale items in another area. It's a little crowded but it works.

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A quick note on hangers. You'll notice I don't have any metal hangers; that's because metal hangers will eventually oxidize and rust on the clothing, thereby ruining it. Plastic hangers aren't bad though if the garment is heavy they tend to bend and often times the hanger can be too narrow. I prefer wooden hangers as they're usually fairly thick, often have a natural shoulder shape to them, they're sturdy and will absorb moisture.

As for moth control, I use a variety of techniques since I have so much.

First is mothballs. I use these sparingly since they can be harmful and they are strong smelling. A few mothballs in an enclosed area will go a long way.

Next is Cedar. I the above photos you'll notice that there are Cedar rings on the hangers. Cedar is a good smelling natural moth deterrent that isn't harmful to your suits or yourself.

Third is another natural deterrent: sunlight. Most closets are pretty dark and enclosed. Moths love the darkness. Therefore, open your closet on a sunny day and let the light in.

Fourth: keep your clothes clean. Mothes love to munch on not only the garment itself but also any left over food or crud they can find. Now, I'm not saying you should dry clean your suit after every wearing since too much dry cleaning is harmful, but occasionally look it over, brush it and remove any staining you can with a little water and some soap. Doing this will give mothes fewer opportunities to start munching.

Lastly, mothes hate movement. Whether it be air movement or the owner changing things around, mothes don't like it. They're pretty lazy critters: they like to hang out in a dark, motionless closet while chowing down on your clothing. Rearrange your closet occasionally, rotate your suits and throw out anything that cannot be repaired or you don't use anymore.

In other words, your closet is like yourself: keep it clean, smelling good and well exercised.

On the Drape Suit, Part 2: a Short History

2012-01-12T20:20:00.000-08:00

In On the Drape Suit, Part 1 we learned all about what makes a drape suit a drape suit: a correctly sized, well-fitted jacket with a full-cut chest, often with telltale vertical waves next to the armholes.

Now we're going to take a short look at the history of the drape suit.

The drape cut of a suit is believed to have begun during the early 1930s when cutter Frederick Scholte observed the drapey officer overcoats of the London's Brigade of Guards: full in the chest while being well-cut through the waist.

Before Scholte's moment of genious, suits were cut very close to the body. This type of close cut suit came, surprisingly, from the First World War.

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Tailors of the post-WW1 era wrongly figured that the returning Doughboys would want tight fitting suits just like their tight fitting military uniforms. Tight chest, tight waist, tight sleeves, tight hips and narrow trouser legs. And pretty much up until the "Dawn of the Drape Suit" that's all they had.

But then came Frederick Scholte who spent several years perfecting the drape style and then made it his own at Anderson & Sheppard on Savile Row where it became popular with clients. Called at that moment in time the "London Cut", the drape style spread beyond Savile Row and most famously made an important stand in America where it influenced suit styles for the next 20 years.

In America during the late 1930s to the early 1940s the drape suit was often called the "Hollywood Drape suit", the "Contour suit", the "Blade suit", and just the plain "Drape suit", among others.

There were other unique styles that fall under the drape category such as the pleated front suit shown below.

Sears, Roebucks catalog, spring and summer, 1940:

Notice how the pleats accentuate the 'chestiness' of the jacket while still allowing the waist to be well suppressed. Below are modern photos of a pleated front sports coat that recently sold on Ebay for big bucks. Note the back pleats even while the jacket lacks a belted back. Also note the verticle chest waves.

The following photos via Marc Chevalier, 1930s sports coat:

The iconic Zoot Suit might also be considered a drape suit but that's for a different blog post.

Like it often does with many things, America took the drape suit to the extreme from the mid-1940s through to the early 1950s with the Bold Look. During the Bold Look the drape suit became a joke of itself: enormous shoulders and lapels, hugely full chest and baggy jacket body and skirt.

Boxy, top heavy, disproportionate. A far cry from the nicely proportioned drape suit of the late 1930s.

A joke of itself.

Once the Bold Look ran its course by the mid-1950s the drape suit finally died a quiet death with the invention of the sleek and clean-cut "Mr. T" suit and the "Mod" look, both topics for different posts.

Today the drape style has made a popular comeback in what is called "Neapolitan tailoring", a very confusing tailoring style that differs from tailor house to tailor house and even confounds the experts. I myself am confused as to what it is exactly, its characteristics ever-changing like the blowing sand dunes of an endless desert. One hapless trend at the moment seems to be pairing natural shoulders with a full-cut chest and a flaring jacket skirt. In other words, a hideous pear-shaped jacket with weak, sloping shoulders. Gnashing of teeth and heated arguments are sure to spring up at the very mention of its name and because of these issues I will go no further to attempt to explain Neapolitan tailoring.

What started as a bold statement and an exciting more casual style has now become a tired, much debated, often misunderstood and usually badly tailored debacle. It's sad to see the influential Drape Suit become such an enigma to so many iGents and tailors throughout the world.

The Houndstooth Haberdashery

2012-01-07T07:33:00.000-08:00

Exciting news for the Houndstooth Kid.

The blog has expanded onto Etsy so now readers can purchase quality vintage items at reasonable prices, some even from the blog.

Click the link below and see what you'll find.

The Houndstooth Kid Haberdashery

New items are continually being added so keep an eye on the Haberdashery.

Engagement Pics

2011-12-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

Yup, engagement photos are here! Cassie and I are very happy with them. It was a beautiful day and had a great time with our photographer, Eric Yerke.

Enjoy.

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Shoes You Don't Just Wear

2011-11-20T15:58:00.000-08:00

They say a woman first looks at a man's shoes and is able to tell a lot about him from his footwear. I don't know if this is true or not but I like to assume that it is. Better safe than sorry, right?

Maybe that's part of the reason I like shoes so much. Or maybe it has more to do with the idea of encasing one's feet, not really the prettiest part of the body, in something that's enjoyable to look at.

But it seems nowadays fewer men enjoy shoes; shoes are more or less utilitarian in this day and age. Men: if you're wearing shoes right now or have a pair laying around nearby, take a look at them. Are they pleasing to the eye? Do they make you happy (or as happy as shoes can make someone)? Are they stylish and classy? Hopefully you answered 'yes' to these questions.

If you did, you are one of the lucky few who get a small amount of joy out of wearing good quality, stylish footwear. Why the joy? Because stylish, comfortable, quality-made shoes are so hard to come by anymore. They can stand out from a crowd, if anyone's looking. And that's the point: the things that make nice shoes nice are in the details and will be lost on the average observer. Part of enjoying good footwear is the secret knowledge that your shoes are better than those worn by everyone else. Smug feet.

Check out the pair of shoes below.
They're vintage Stetson (no ties to the hat company) shoes made of alligator leather.

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Very rare, very well made and a perfect fit for my large feet.

The patterns, colors and textures are something to behold. And they shined up like no other pair of shoes I've seen before, even better than true patent leather. You should have seen them when I first bought them: tossed away, scuffed, horribly creased, dusty, dirty, a price tag stapled through the side. Discarded.

I consider the shoes above to be wearable works of art. They were constructed decades ago by a skilled craftsman using some of the best materials and techniques available. Time, experience, sweat and maybe even some blood went into making them. That is something worth valuing and maintaining.

If a famous piece of artwork like "The Starry Night" is stolen, damaged or lost people around the world would rightfully be aghast. It's the same way with me when a pair of shoes like these are thrown out, left to rot or not cared for.

These aren't shoes you just wear. These are shoes you wear. You don't wear alligator shoes to go to Wal-Mart, you don't throw them on for a trip to the laundromat. You probably don't even want to wear them to church very often. These are special shoes mainly for the special occassions. Like that dinner suit in your closet or those special cufflinks in your drawer: you only break them out to celebrate.
The occasion makes the shoes special and the shoes help make the occasion even more special.

I guess that's why I like nice shoes.

WIW: Plaid

2011-11-13T20:14:00.001-08:00

I felt sporty today so I went with an ascot.

It's also Autumn, therefore I decided to wear my red plaid jacket for the first time.

I've been contemplating what to wear with this jacket for quite some time. It's a mid-1960s wool jacket that was most likely half of a suit at one point in time. It's very well made and fits me like a glove but the wild plaid pattern to it doesn't lend itself to coordinating very easily with other pieces. For that reason it's been in my possession for at least a year now and hadn't been worn until today.

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Paired with gray flannel trousers, brown suede shoes, a pale green shirt, vintage blue and yellow ascot and vintage Hollywood-style fedora, I'm pretty happy with the results.

In the past loud plaid patterns have routinely fallen in and out of favor through the years. The Duke of Windsor, for example, often enjoyed a loud plaid suit as his tartan lounge suit below illustrates (in American tartan one form of plaid).

And to further emphasize plaid's waxing and waning popularity throughout recent sartorial history, the Duke's tartan lounge suit was originally made in 1897 for his father, George V and then slightly altered for the Duke, who wore it with such success that is helped create a plaid craze in America during the 1950s.

There's nothing wrong with wearing loud plaids as long as the accoutrements compliment without adding to the loudness. At times this can be difficult but if done well it is very rewarding.

WIW: Reunited!

2011-10-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

You may remember the mid-1930s belted back jacket I picked up from a local vintage shop 3 years ago.

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When I first bought that jacket I assumed it was either a sports coat or an orphaned suit jacket, the trousers having been worn out and thrown away long ago. Finding vintage orphaned suit jackets is quite common.

Roughly a month ago I returned to that same local vintage shop and found, you guessed it, the matching pair of trousers. And three years later, a miracle! Both the jacket and trousers are made of the same blue worsted wool material with an unusual and rare woven plaid pattern.

So, after 3 long years the two pieces were reunited once again when I wore them yesterday.

While the jacket itself is amazing, the trousers step the entire outfit up a notch. Though flat-front, they have cuffs that are nearly 2" deep. Not only that, but the extremely wide and straight, full-cut legs measure a whopping 21" in circumference at the hem. Talk about wide-legged trousers!

Such wide, straight-legged trousers were common back during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Here's another suit of mine with such trousers, this one dating from the late 1920s:

Here's a pair of trousers with 22 inch in circumference legs from a 1932 Sears, Roebuck catalog. Also note the strange and unusual "trouser vest":

20 inch circumference trouser legs were still being advertised into the 1940s, the below ad being from the Spring/Summer 1940 edition of the Mont. Ward catalog:

It's very unusual to find the trousers to an orphaned vintage jacket, even more so after three years. I was quite lucky to find them especially since they add another layer of excellence to an already great jacket.

On the Drape Suit, Part 1: Style

2011-09-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

It was the most influential suit style of the Golden Era yet it is perhaps the least understood. Today it is (usually badly) imitated in what is known as "Neapolitan Tailoring" which is just as difficult to understand, is highly controversial and something I will not go into here.

The Drape Suit, quite simply, is a soft tailored style of suit that was first introduced in England during the 1930s, hence the name so often used to describe the style: English Drape. Other names for the Drape Suit include the "Blade Suit" or "Lounge Suit".

The Drape Suit has a few specific characteristics that seperates it from the other styles of the time. These characteristics include a full, soft chest often with vertical wrinkles or puckers; a gathered sleevehead; a well-tapered waist and padded shoulders. While a jacket may have some or all of these characteristics, the full chest is a must. Take a look at the late-1930s Drape sports coat below:

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Although the above jacket lacks the 1gathered sleevehead, notice that it does have the 2well padded shoulders; the 3 full, soft chest with a vertical 'wave' and the 4highly suppressed waist. These are the vital characteristics of the vintage Drape Suit.
To quote "Esquire's Encyclopedia of 20th Century Men's Fashion" from 1973, the Drape Suit had a "...soft front, full across the chest and shoulder blades. Tapered sleeves with full sleevehead finished with tiny tucks at the shoulder. A decided suppression at the waist and close fitted at the hips...American interpretations eliminate the tiny tucks or pleats found at the top of the sleeveheads of the British models."

Trousers, though not as vital to the Drape Suit as the jacket, were cut very full and straight-legged, usually with pleats and generous cuffs.

Now remember that these are rules of thumb and may not apply to every Drape Suit. Just as the above Drape sports coat lacks the gathered sleevehead, another jacket may lack a different characteristic. The important thing is that the jacket has a full-cut chest and a fitted waist, giving the wearer an athletic appearance.

Here are some more examples of Drape Suits, all dating from the very early 1940s.

This is a 1941-dated tweed American suit. Notice, again, the full, soft-tailored chest with vertical waves in it. The jacket also has a small number of tucks at the sleevehead:

A 1940-dated American example of a Drape Suit. While difficult to see, the full-cut chest does have vertical waves.

This suit has well defined sleevehead tucks along with a lot of 'pooching' where the chest meets the armhole (indicating a full-cut chest) as the below image shows. Again, while the sleevehead tucks are not necessary, they often will be present.

Here is another example of a Drape Suit, this time from an ad found in an April, 1936 edition of the "New York Times". Take a look at the suit on the left and notice how the chest bows out: a full-cut chest.
The top of the sleeve just below the sleevehead also has vertical waves, indicating tucks at the sleevehead. While these waves may appear to be a flaw to the untrained eye, they have been carefully and purposefully placed there by the tailor.
"...our new 'Contour' model, emphasizing the broader-shoulder effect, fuller chest and slenderized hips."

Compared to the previous close-cut, body-hugging, well-structured suits of the 1920s, the Drape Suit is a more casual, soft-tailored style that was born out of the rough times of the 1930s and influenced men's suit styles through to the 1950s and even today. Because of this fact the Drape Suit needs to be better examined under the microscope of sartorial history.

The next time we look at the Drape Suit we'll do just that.

Autumn Inspiration

2011-09-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

If you live in the northern hemisphere, Fall has officially fallen upon you. While our cousins in the lower half of the globe are gearing up for summer with linen, panama hats and spectators, we lucky folks are putting those things away and pulling out the big guns.

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Not that there's anything wrong with those summer articles. But Autumn is my favorite season, though every season has its own special characteristics and holidays to offer. It's just that after a long, hot summer it's nice to be able to snuggle up under a blanket and just relax with a cup of hot chocolate while watching a movie. Sure you're wasting the day but it's not like it's warm enough outside to do anything anyways...

And there's nothing like donning a suit that weighs 8 pounds, has great colors/textures and drapes so wonderfully.

This Autumn and winter take a cue from nature and use not only colors but also textures found out of doors. Pretty much every color imaginable can be found once the air starts turning cold but the warm burnt colors like orange, yellow red and brown are most prevelant. Use them to your advantage.

You can do this by either complimenting those natural colors, which is easiest and most popular, or contrasting them with cooler colors.

Take a few minutes to look over the following illustrations from the 1930s. Notice the color combinations and textures and be inspired to experiment with your wardrobe as the air turns cold.

A corduroy suit? Yes, please.

The fur lapels are a nice touch.

WIW: Engaged!

2011-09-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday I took my lovely new fiancée Cassie on a special date. We dressed to the nines, had dinner, I popped the question during a walk around town (she said yes) and then I took her to a surprise concert featuring Andre Rieu and his orchestra before heading to the Cheesecake Factory with some friends. I highly recommend going to Andre Rieu's concert, btw.

Enjoy the following photos with the WIW rundown towards the bottom.

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Heading out on the town:

At the Cheesecake Factory:

Cassie's new accessory:

On to the WIW portion of this post. I don't have any good full length shots of Cassie because of the surprise nature of the date but here's what she was wearing:
-modern elegant, silky striped dress
-vintage pearl earrings
-modern cream-colored high heels
-vintage long gloves
-retro navy handbag
-modern cashmere shawl
-new diamond ring

Simple rundown of my outfit:
-1940s dinner suit
-1930s 5th Avenue homburg
-modern Allen Edmond patent leather shoes
-modern formal shirt (with a collar that's a tad large)
-modern gloves

Cassie and I had a great time and are looking forward to a life together.

WIW: The '70s Weren't All Bad

2011-08-28T17:08:00.000-07:00

After a couple weeks of unbearable heat, we've had several weeks of beautiful weather. A little drizzly today but very nice.

Today I broke out the early 1960s/late 1970s linen jacket I've had for a short time. I widened the button stance to improve the proportions and help it fit me better and the sleeves probably needed to be lengthened but it's not a big deal.

The 1970s are seared into our minds for being an awful era for style. Parts of it, however, were not so bad as this classically styled jacket can attest to. Not a lick of polyester is present in the 100% linen material.

The trousers are early 1950s gabardine Hollywood-waist trousers. They go very well with with the linen jacket.

Usually for a summer look I'll wear a blue jacket with cream trousers; today I switched the traditional color scheme, putting cream on top of the blue and creating a striking appearance.

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My cute photographer:

Allen Edmonds Fall Catalog

2011-07-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

The Fall 2011 AE catalog is now out. You'll notice many of the regular styles along with a few new ones including those featured in the "Independence Collection". A longwing with less bulky soles? Yes, please.

Allen Edmonds is a quality shoe company that not only makes a very fine product but will also refurbish and refinish old and used AE shoes at a very fair price. I own several pairs of AE shoes and have been very happy with their fit, finish, style and comfort. The average price for a pair of Allen Edmonds shoes is $300 though prices vary depending on style and collection. These aren't the average $100 dress shoe you find at the mall; these will last a lifetime or longer if cared for properly.

Allen Edmonds is just one mid- to upper price and quality range shoe manufacturer that creates products on par with the style and quality of vintage manufacturers. Don't hesitate to make a purchase from this company, especially now that the new Fall styles are out.

WIW: Heat and Hollywood

2011-07-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

To beat the heat sometimes you have to go the simple route: shirt, tie and trousers. No suit, no jacket. It makes for a classic look in the heat of the day, especially if the trousers are high-waisted.

-1950s NOS Hollywood Waist trousers
-1940s painted palm tree tie
-1940s barely used Freeman shoes
-1940s Stetson Panama hat
-Modern shirt

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The trousers shown were until recently NOS (New-Old-Stock) meaning they were never worn, never hemmed and still had the original tags attached. Finding such an item is rare, especially when you factor in that these are highly desirable Hollywood-waisted trousers, not to mention the baby blue color.

What is a Hollywood Waist? As the photo below shows, a Hollywood Waist has no waistband. The material is continuous from the leg hem all the way up to the waist. Such a waist makes for a sleek pant.

It also helps that Hollywood-waisted trousers are normally very high-waisted with a rise of 12 inches or greater. Trousers with such high waists will sit at or above the wearer's navel and around the natural waistline, making them wear more comfortably than trousers that sit on the hips. It also gives the wearer a more athletic and long-legged appearance, something shorter men should utilize. Though, there is a point at which trousers can become too high waisted...

^I have to admit, those do drape pretty well.

But I digress.

Of note is the 'slubbing', those woven lines in the fabric. Slubbing could be considered a flaw in the material but is often used to good effect as decoration and texture. Slubbing is quite common in Golden Era clothing, specifically from the mid-1940s through to the 1950s.

Note the slubbing as well as the fine workmanship of the shoes:

The original tag for my trousers, priced at $6.95 which is roughly $63 in today's money. I'm happy to have paid only $25 for 'em.

Four Women and Men's Hats

2011-07-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

Paul's Hat Works of San Francisco has been open for over 90 years and is now owned by four young women who continue the old traditional way of making men's custom hats.

Watch this short video: We Continue in the Old Style

It's good to see some shops are continuing to use the old styles to make hats, especially by members of the opposite sex.

"Ricky": Quintessential Vintage Sportswear

2011-06-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

So-called "Ricky" jackets were a staple throughout the Golden Era, particularly during the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. Gabardine waist-length jackets in bright and crazy colors and patterns evoke images of cool cars, slicked back hair and youthful hipsters from yesteryear like no other piece of clothing.

Which is why I was excited to score the Ricky pictured below.

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The styling this jacket is really cool and sleek as is the color scheme: pinkish-gray and purple. The gathered sleeveheads and the gathered yoke in back add another level of drape to the already drapey rayon gabardine material.

"Super-Calisheen"- whatever that is, it must be good!

It has seen some use throughout its years and sports a few battle scars, but finding a Ricky of this style in this good condition and decent size nowadays requires a stroke of luck and perhaps a blessing from the vintage gods.

Another intriguing aspect of this particular jacket is the outline of some sort of shield patch on the left shoulder:

It would be interesting to know who put what patch on this classic jacket and why. The imagination wanders...

An Edwardian...

2011-06-23T13:08:00.000-07:00

...Something.

I don't really know what to call this garment. A Paddock Coat? A Topcoat? I'm going to say it's an Edwardian Covert Coat even though it's fairly short.

Whatever it is, it's in excellent condition for its age and very rare, especially considering its large size. The quality is fantastic, probably the best quality I've ever seen in a garment, vintage or not. Tailors really knew what they were doing back then.

Unfortunately there are no tags to be found anywhere on the coat, which is fairly unusual. Perhaps the client forbade the tailor from attaching any tags. Or the client removed the maker's tags afterward, though there is no evidence that tags were attached to begin with.

The wool is extremely heavy weight and thick; a dense wool like none I've seen before. Even the thick wool of 1950s U.S. Navy Peacoats cannot compare. And the velvour collar, it too is like nothing I've ever felt. Extremely soft and luxurious.

There's no doubt this coat cost its owner quite a bit when it was first made. The quality if first rate as are the materials used, like nothing found today.

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I love how the stitching throughout the coat is absolutely perfect and yet under the collar it's far from perfect: gives it character, a personal touch. This shows that it was handmade and therefore a custom job:

A surprisingly colorful lining:

Here's W.H. Taft wearing a similar coat back in the early 1920s.

Shoes as Art

2011-06-15T19:20:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the following vintage shoes, most pairs being Florsheims with one pair from Crosby Square, arguably the best shoe maker of the time. Another pair is from Freeman, another high quality maker.

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Florsheim

Crosby Square

Freeman

Florsheim

Florsheim

Freeman

Crosby Square

Photo Shoots, Part 3

2011-05-18T13:21:00.001-07:00

This next installment is from roughly a month ago but medium to lighter-weight suits are shown.

Again, the photos are by Cassie the professional photographer.

First, my early 1950s plaid double breasted suit. From the Bold Look era, is has big everything: shoulders, lapels, etc. A good suit to wear downtown.

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And lastly is my 1941-dated 3-piece. This suit would probably fall into the "drape" category of suit. The hat is a 1940s Royal De Luxe Stetson.

Excellent proportions.

The shoes are the Stacy Adams "Kingsman".

We'll hopefully have some more of these posts in the future.

The Palladium Pampa: Old School Tough

2011-05-13T15:18:00.000-07:00

The Palladium Pampa boot is famous for its service with the French Foreign Legion in North Africa throughout the 1950s.

As a French company, Palladium began life in 1920 making tires for the aviation industry but expanded to boots in 1947. Made of canvas and rubber, the Pampa was extraordinarily simple and tough and as a result was adopted by the French Foreign Legion.

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The canvas boot was better suited for the hot, dry climate of North Africa than regular leather ankle boots and it excelled there in service with the Legion. The Pampa was used for many years in the deserts and Atlas Mountains of North Africa before eventually being replaced by more modern combat boots. But the story doesn't end there.

In 2009 Palladium reintroduced the Pampa to a new generation. While the same basic design remained roughly the same, many new variations were created with dozens of different color schemes being offered along with boots made from materials other than canvas. The many different styles and colors of boots can be found at the Palladium website. Also check out the "Explorations" link at the forementioned website to view some neat videos and images of interesting and sometimes forgotten places.

I recently picked up a pair of Pampa boots on a whim and am pleasantly surprised. While the boots look rough and rugged on the outside, they are extremely comfortable and could easily be worn all day long if needed. The laces provided are strong and plenty long to accommodate a variety of knots. One issue I do have with wearing them is they seem to trap heat inside, cooking the wearer's feet even on days that aren't overly hot. Though, in my mind that's a small price to pay to wear such tough, historical and cool-looking boots. The sizing appears to be right on the money.

The one piece rubber sole lends itself to durability as there are no weak seams that could split or seperate from use. The soles also have very deep and aggressive treads to help the wearer keep his footing on the harshest terrain. Notice the treads in the photo below along with the company branding on the ankle, much like that of vintage Keds and Chuck Taylors:

While I haven't owned these Pampas for very long, they appear to be a quality product that will last quite a while and will provide good use.
I intend to go hiking, fishing, shooting and rough around in these for the next couple months and will report the results back here.

So keep an eye out for that.

WIW: Spring Madras

2011-05-10T18:20:00.001-07:00

Madras has recently come into fashion with younger folks but, unsurprisingly, it is a more traditional fabric pattern that your grandparents or great grandparents were putting to use long ago. Below are a few 1930s Esquire and Apparel Arts illustrations that put "Indian Madras", as they called it, to work.

click images to enlarge

And while I'd never be caught dead in this suit, the shirt did give me a bit of inspiration last Sunday:

Here is my take on the Madras shirt/jacket combination.

Madras is a loud fabric pattern and therefore should be worn with restraint. However, when worn right it will add a dash of color to any warm weather outfit.

Photo Shoots, Part 2

2011-04-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

The next installment. Again, photos taken by professional photographer Cassie.

In this series of photos I'm wearing my 1941-dated heavy weight tweed 3-piece. Thankfully this day was rather cool and windy, otherwise the heavy tweed would have been unbearably hot.

Note in these photos how well the heavy material drapes, especially in the trousers.

click images to enlarge

The hat is a 1930s fuzzy Borsalino. Great color, a light pinkish-gray. The tie is a 1950s nubby and was made for this suit.

:P

Photo Shoots, Part 1

2011-04-24T19:06:00.000-07:00

I've been off taking photos in different suits and outfits with an awesome wedding/professional photographer, Cassie. Check out her website here.

Below are some of the photos we took.

First a 1940s leather jacket with a very itchy modern wool sweater.

click images to enlarge

Then a 1930s English Drape sport coat with 1930s wool tie and modern shirt and trousers.

Cassie:

More to come in a bit.

The Duffle Coat: Unrefined Style

2011-03-21T17:08:00.000-07:00

Like many garments found in our closets, the duffle coat has its roots firmly set in the military.

Originally introduced in the Royal Navy, the duffle coat is a loose, rugged coat that was originally designed with utility in mind but can add a casual dash of character to an outfit.

A duffle coat is identified by the heavy weight wool it is made of along with its hood, double patch pockets, medium length skirt and, most notably, toggles made of either horn or wood. The coat may or may not have a hidden zipper though traditionally the zipper is lacking.

click images to enlarge

The duffle coat is usually found in traditional colors like camel, dove gray and navy though they can have many other colors and patterns to them, as my Tommy Hilfiger duffle coat below demonstrates.

Wear a duffle coat casually with either your everyday clothes or a sport coat and tie. It is a garment that was orginally meant to keep the wearer dry and warm on the decks of ships and submarines during war and as such should be paired with other hardy pieces. Wool, flannel, corduroy, denim and knits work well with the duffle coat.

WW1 RN submarine officer

A duffle coat will serve you well as these last cold days of winter fade away into Spring.

WIW: Houndstooth and Pastel

2011-03-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

A peacock is bright and memorable. But we remember the peacock for his feathers and nothing else. We don't think of his legs, beak or head as the source of his beauty, only his feathers.

The peacock can teach us a valuable lesson: one of restraint. The peacock has one feature that stands above the rest: his feathers. The same should apply to the stylish man.

If a man is to wear an outfit with a single garment that is wild and perhaps gaudy, he should show restraint with the rest of the outfit. One crazy garment will draw the eye while two or more crazy garments will poke it out. Pairing together too many gaudy articles of clothing and creating too many focus points will give the wearer an appearance of trying too hard. Keep it simple and you will go far.

For example, today I wore a rather crazy 1940s lounge jacket. No doubt I could have paired it with trousers that are just as wild and looked like a clown as a result.

However, I used pastel colors and toned down garments to counterbalance the crazy monochrome jacket while adding some color.

click images to enlarge

Note that the jacket has a fairly large houndstooth fabric pattern. Not only that, it is in black and white.

The simple pastel colors found in the hat, shirt and socks help counteract that wild pattern and monochrome color scheme, turning the sensational into something more pleasing to the eye.

Throw in a pair of vintage Florsheim shoes and you get a very nice casual outfit.

Like the peacock, show some restraint when putting an outfit together.

John Lobb: Handmade Shoes

2011-03-04T18:53:00.000-08:00

Want to take a look at how bespoke shoes are made the old way? Watch the video at the following link.

John Lobb custom shoes

You rarely find that kind of quality nowadays though it was commonplace 70 years ago.

Whatever Happened to Style?

2011-02-24T19:28:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkzoAhAS0Kg
That's the million dollar question. It's hard to find nowadays, real style. It's not something you can buy from Target, Tiffany's or Chrysler. It's something we learn or are born with.

In the olden days folks dressed up. To go to the movie theater, to the grocery store, downtown, on a trip. To go for a walk on a cool Spring evening. Just to dress up, to look nice, to be stylish. Or as stylish as one could be.
Whether their best was rags or bespoke, people wore their best.

Looking good makes us feel good. Watch how a Marine struts in his Dress Blues or how a man carries himself when wearing a well-fitting classic dinner jacket: confidence, pride, enjoyment.

It's the same with glamour. Too few women today are glamorous, but maybe that's the point.

It wouldn't be stylish or glamorous if everyone did it or was that way.

I think Chrysler did it right with that commercial, at least until the end when they equated style and glamour with their lifeless monotone plastic cars. Aesthetic simplicity does not equal style nor glamour though at times they do go hand in hand.

I enjoy cruising in my car with the windows down and wish more folks would go for a drive just for the sake of going for a drive. But that would make the roads more congested and I do enjoy an open road...

What to do, Where to go...

2011-02-02T11:22:00.000-08:00

I recently obtained 3 yards by 60 inches of the vintage material shown below. It's in excellent condition with one tiny hole and no staining or fading. It has an attractive salmon double windowpane pattern on top of a steel blue background along with a woven rectangle pattern.

Now the question is what to do with it? Three yards is enough material to make a sport coat or trousers but not both.

If I go the sport coat route I would love to get a 4x2 double breasted jacket with patch pockets including dual breast pockets. It's a sport coat, anyways, might as well go a little unusual.

If I go the trouser route I'd get them high-waisted and pleated with a healthy cuff.

It's beautiful material and I'm sure anything made from it would no doubt look great if made well. But that's the big question here: where should I go to not only get such an item made, but made well at a price I can afford.

The search begins...

WIW: Best Fitting

2011-01-23T17:02:00.000-08:00

The temperature this morning was -7 degrees Fahrenheit. I didn't want to leave the house...

So I threw on my modern Duffle Coat (more about it in a future post) and trudged out the door.

click images to enlarge

Beneath the Duffle I wore a mid-1930s 'English drape' cut (more on this in a future post) sport coat and a late 1930s wool tie. Needless to say, the sport coat fits like a glove and I love how the English drape cut looks on me. It is one of my best fitting jackets. The lapels have great shape to them and the caramel buttons are easy to look at.

The jacket is made of fairly heavy weight wool that has a pretty unique pattern to it. Nothing like playing with three patterns in one outfit.

Fashion Park

2011-01-16T17:19:00.001-08:00

The following advertisements are from my personal collection. All are from a custom tailoring company called "Fashion Park" that was based out of Rochester, New York.

I don't have much information on Fashion Park other than it was in existance from the 1910s into the 1960s. Here's a 1929 financial article about Fashion Park and related brands.

I've seen only three Fasion Park suits (one from the late 1930s, one dated 1941 and the other from the 1950s) and I own two of them, shown below. All three of the suits I've seen from Fashion Park were of superior quality and styling compared to most others from the period. Which is saying a lot.

My Fashion Park suits (click images to enlarge):

Late 1930s

1941-dated

Great suits with awesome silhouettes.

Onto the ads. These are posted in chronological order going down the page. Notice the changing styles (lapels, button stance, jacket lengths, etc.). Also note how the suits and overcoats of the late 1920s began to show the classic styling of the Golden Era.

All of these ads were illustrated by Ray Wilcox. I've been unable to find any real information about Wilcox so if you have any please let us know.

Enjoy.

click images to enlarge

October 1, 1921

December 24, 1921

October 14, 1922

March 31, 1923

July 21, 1923

February 2, 1924

September 13, 1924

September 12, 1925

March 27, 1926

March 24, 1928

September 15, 1928

October 13, 1928

March 23, 1929

Looking at the Past: Denim

2010-12-23T19:40:00.000-08:00

Looking through the wonderful photos from the early 1940s over at the Denver Post is great fun. The color photos help bring the war era alive in a way black and white photos cannot.

One thing that I noticed is the prevalence of denim in work and very casual environments.

click image to enlarge

Unlike today, denim was meant purely to be worn when the wearer was going to get down to the nitty gritty. Rarely was denim ever 'dressed up' with more formal accoutrements (sports coat, nice shoes, dressy shirt, etc.) like it often is today. One unusual exception to this were farmers who liked to wear worn out suit jackets over their denim overalls, though I doubt they were trying to 'dress up' by wearing this combo.

I like to keep denim where it was originally meant to be: at work and extreme play.

WIW: Penney's Overcoat

2010-11-14T15:31:00.000-08:00

The recent cool weather called for wearing an overcoat today. While it was fairly cold, it wasn't cold enough yet for my heavy overcoats.

Therefore, I broke out and for the first time wore my light-weight 1930s belted overcoat.

click images to enlarge

I've had this for roughly a year but it needed some alterations, including the replacement of the buttons. Even so, the arms are still a tad short but I'm not too worried about that, it's a normal situation for me.

Belted overcoats were pretty common over in Europe during the 1930s but was not as common over in the states. It's interesting that while a majority of American trench coats (both vintage and modern) are fully belted, very few American overcoats (both vintage and modern) have belts. Who really knows why, perhaps just different societies favoring different styles: a geographic and cultural thing. A plain buttoned belt-less front was enough for most American men, though you can see a belted overcoat in the 1936 New York City photograph below:

My overcoat is somewhat lightweight and unconstructed, almost like a robe. It has lazy peaked lapels that slightly slope downward along with patch pockets but lacks a breast pocket.

The back of the coat is as interesting as the front: a full-length center gusset runs down the back ending with pleats in the skirt. This helps the well-fitted overcoat move with the wearer.

The pleated 'vent' (though not a true vent) is very similar to the Paddock Coat in the 1935 Apparel Arts illustration below:

Despite the short arms I'm happy with this piece. Vintage American belted overcoats are difficult to find and this is a fine example of one.

Oddities

2010-11-06T19:14:00.001-07:00

The 1930s was a decade of sartorial oddities, at least in our eyes. Belted backs, bi-swing backs, pleated pockets, back gussets. Very unique and complex treatments that are rarely if ever seen today. But it was the norm back then.

Several months ago during some of my travels I stumbled upon the late 1930s sports coat below.

click images to enlarge

This jacket has a couple odd characteristics. First, it has two breast pockets. While this was not unheard of on leisure jackets, it was a little less common on regular sports coats.

Another example of a dual breast-pocketed jacket is shown below. These images are from the classic movie "It's a Wonderful Life" and show Jimmy Stewart's fantastic jacket with lazy peaked lapels to go with the dual breast pockets.

It should be noted that Stewart provided his own wardrobe for "Wonderful Life". The dual breast pocket feature was more of a Hollywood/dandy/higher class trend and most likely would not have been picked up by the lowly and poor small town clerk character that Stewart played in the movie.

Secondly and most unusually: all of the patch pockets are pleated with vertical 'shark gills'.

Definitely an unusual and sophisticated tailoring feature that added another layer of character to an already unique jacket. The material is also interesting, kind of a smooth yet slightly nubby tweed:

With such unusual treatments on the front of the jacket you'd expect even more craziness on the backside: a belted back at least, maybe with pleats if we're lucky. But you'd be wrong.

Just a plain, ventless back. It's a party up front, all business in back. What a combo.

This unusual jacket is a perfect example of the oddities spawned during the 1930s and has a well deserved place in my personal collection.

WIW: At a Wedding

2010-10-07T21:06:00.000-07:00

Several weekends ago I escorted my lovely lady friend to a wedding where she was the Maid of Honour.

Here are some pics from it.

click images to enlarge

We had a good time.

More Fuzzies

2010-10-01T15:48:00.001-07:00

Two new 'velvours' for me, both purchased within roughly the last month.

This first one is from the 1920s and seen better days but definitely has a lot of life left. The liner is gone.

click images to enlarge

This Borsalino "Angora" imported into the U.S. from Italy dates from the 1930s. It's in excellent condition and even has a trolley cord. Plus is a gorgeous pinkish-gray:

And they're both my size.

Quality in the Details

2010-09-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I wore my plaid "Style Mart" suit to a wedding (photos soon).

While dressing I noticed a neat little detail I hadn't seen before even though I've worn the suit in the past: the belt loops.

click images to enlarge

While it looks like a normal belt loop from the outside, there is actually a smaller loop beneath. This small loop is for narrow belts like the one I'm wearing in the photo.

All of the belt loops on this suit have an extra one underneath. The suit is from the late '40s/early '50s and was off-the-rack.

These belt loops are just a sign of quality that we don't see on too many modern suits, especially off-the-rack.

WIW: The Conversion

2010-09-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

The conversion from Summer to Fall is always an interesting time, especially when it's fairly quick.

Sunday was very cool and drizzly; the kind of weather I love. Good for staying inside and being a bum. And for sweaters.

Everything I'm wearing was thrifted and only the jacket is vintage: a 1940s suede leather jacket with a belted back. A very rugged, easy-wearing jacket.

I love a sweater with a large collar. And is it ever so itchy even with a long-sleeved shirt underneath, being 100% wool!

Combine elements (classic sweater with rugged leather jacket) to create a unique and simple yet attractive kit.

Hat Etiquette in the Post-modern Age

2010-08-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal recently had an article discussing hat etiquette in today's world. If you think about it, guys nowadays either don't know hat etiquette at all or have an outdated view of hat etiquette. Let's face it, hat etiquette hasn't changed since the Golden Era but the rest of the world has.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Discovering Hats, a New Generation Brims With Anxiety Over Etiquette
Old Rules Flummox Young Hipsters; 'I'm Wearing an $80 Fedora!'

By RAY A. SMITH

Hector Ramirez sort of knows, from watching old movies, that men are supposed to take off their hats when indoors. But the 19-year-old Brown University student wears fedoras in class—with jeans—anyway.

"If I'm wearing a hat and it's part of my look, I don't think I should have to take it off," he says. On a recent trip to New York, an usher at a church had to remind him to take off his fedora. "I was wearing it all day and I guess I kind of just forgot I had it on."

Inspired by designer runway shows, celebrities such as Justin Timberlake and even, in some cases, old pictures of Frank Sinatra, more young men are going mad for hats. But the hat renaissance is creating a quandary for a generation of men and boys who grew up without learning hat-wearing etiquette from their fathers. Many are making up their own rules about when and where to take them off.

The trend may be old hat to hipsters in areas like Williamsburg, Brooklyn, who started wearing fedoras, rounded derby hats and, in warmer weather, straw hats, more than two years ago. But now hats are starting to catch on among some men in suburbs, the Midwest and beyond. Gap and J. Crew say they have witnessed strong hat sales this spring and summer while department stores like Barneys New York have been expanding their assortments after years of general indifference to hats. Sales of designer-brand "blocked" hats such as fedoras and straw hats in particular "are definitely robust," says Jay Bell, a vice president at Barneys.

It's a bittersweet turn of events for hatmakers, who witnessed their business fall off a cliff in the 1960s, when legions of men abandoned wearing hats.

Many companies are no longer around to see the current revival. The number of manufacturers of fur-felt hats, wool-felt hats and hat forms in the U.S. totaled 185 in 1947, according to the Census Bureau. Now there are only three big hatmakers in the U.S. making fur-felt hats and wool-felt hats, says Jack Lambert, a former vice president of the Headwear Association.

Just 20% of hats sold in the U.S. are made in the U.S versus 90% in the 1940s, estimates Mr. Lambert, who is vice president of headwear company Dorfman Pacific.
In the 1930s, '40s, and parts of the '50s, a man wasn't considered fully dressed unless he had a hat on. But by the 1960s, hat wearing fell off, partly as a result of longer hairstyles, cars with lower roofs and resistance from some World War II vets who didn't want to wear things on their heads after wearing helmets for so long.

John F. Kennedy's habit of not wearing a hat was seen as the final blow for hat wearing.

Today, confusion over the rules of hat wearing is leading to some awkward situations.
Eric Soler of Hackensack, N.J., took offense when he tried to enter a bar in Hoboken recently with a fedora atop his head, only to be told there was a no-hat policy.
"It just floored me," says the 38-year-old. "I said 'I'm not wearing a baseball cap or a ski hat, I'm wearing an $80 fedora!' He grudgingly obliged and held the hat in his hand all night.

The fashion trend has prompted some rethinking of indoor hat etiquette at the Emily Post Institute. Spokeswoman Lizzie Post, the great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post, says it is now OK if a man is wearing a hat at a bar or nightclub as part of his style. "In that kind of situation, I'd feel cool with it," she says.

But when being introduced to someone, "that's when I'd remove the hat or maybe tilt it back a little so the brim isn't in your eyes and the person can see your face," she says. "It really comes down to people like making eye contact during an introduction and a hat can sometimes block that."

Several students at Lycee International de Los Angeles in Los Angeles started wearing pageboy hats and fedoras to school in the past year. When reminded of the school's dress code barring hats in the building, some students became defensive about why they should be allowed to keep them on.

"Responses range from complaints that their hair is messed up, that it is part of their outfit, it doesn't affect their work, et cetera…" says Sarah Davis-Weyman, an elementary English teacher at the school's Los Feliz campus. "Most of the time, the kids rush to put their hats back on for recess and lunch."

Sometimes, students are in too much of a rush. Harper Rubin recalls getting into a little "incident" with Ms. Davis-Weyman, who reprimanded him when he put on his hat in the hall as students were lining up to go outside.

"I didn't totally agree with that," says the 11-year-old, who admits he made a big deal out of it. "I know you take your hat off inside but I didn't think it went that far," he says.

Other guys base decisions on whether to remove their hats on how classy a joint is. Luis Quaresma, of San Jose, Calif., who likes wearing fedoras, says "If I'm going for fast food, I'll leave it on. If I'm having a nice sit-down dinner, I'll take it off." When out at a party or club, the 30-year-old says, "I don't take my hat off unless girls want me to take it off."

Some younger men do follow the traditional rules of indoor hat etiquette but it isn't always appreciated. "It came back crushed," recalls 30-year-old Vasabjit Banerjee, of the fedora he turned over to the coat check at a restaurant a little over a year ago.

The general decline in hat wearing led to the demise of proper hat racks in restaurants and bars. Mr. Banerjee, who lives in Bloomington, Ind., says he now puts his hats on a chair beside him or on the table when in restaurants.

link

"It's gone, Jim."

2010-07-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

Early last year on a clear, freezing February night and morning a fire raged in the center of Boone, my hometown. It consumed two buildings and damaged another. One person was killed in their upstairs apartment, where the fire started.

News story and video

The buildings were beyond repair.

Destruction of the buildings began on July 5 of this year. The two fire damaged buildings were destroyed first. While from the early 20th century, they were not of architectural importance: they were somewhat rundown and been changed so much that I considered them to be a bit of an eyesore.

However, today they tore down the important Mason/Meyers building. The photo below is from the very early 20th century, the Meyers building standing on the left side with the tower and cupola:

It housed businesses throughout the building (including a bank, jewelers and men's clothing store) until about the 1950s/1960s when the upper floors were made into apartments.

There's some family history in this building; my great-grandpa owned it from the early 1940s to the 1960s. During WW2 he donated the cupola to the war effort. Meyers was a men's clothing store in the middle of the century and I own a fedora and tie that were originally from Meyers.

Unfortunately the latest owner pretty much abondoned the building and let it rot, unbeknownst to the city and most folks who live here. Had he kept it up it probably would not have to have been torn down as the fire didn't do any real damage to the structure, though there was some smoke damage.

Here are some photos from today. Note the pink granite.

Unhappy me:

Here is a short news story and photos from inside a few months before it was torn down.

Thankfully my great-great grandpa's old haberdashery a couple buildings down the block survived untouched and is still standing. Boone has had bad luck when it comes to losing historical architecture, both to fires and the desire of the city. It lost it's big fancy downtown hotel to fire back in the '60s and several businesses were lost to fire some time ago on the same block as the Meyers building. At least three major fires within the last 100 years, talk about a streak of bad luck.

The turn of the century railroad station as well as the fancy old post office were both torn down by the city in favor of more modern construction. We're kicking ourselves now.

Hate to see good architecture go down the drain.

Review: Stacy Adams "Kingsman"- Modern Twist on a Classic

2010-07-14T08:51:00.001-07:00

Classics can be updated while still remaining classic. But there is a fine line that, if crossed, turns a classic into trendy garbage.

You may have noticed the shoes I was wearing in my last WIW post. They were a great match with the suit and added a bit of flair to an otherwise conservative kit (a little too conservative for my taste). It adds a touch of uniqueness without being too over the top.

click images to enlarge

But what are those shoes? What is the quality? From where did they come?
Read on.

The shoes are modern Stacy Adams, the "Kingsman" model. And while the Kingsman comes in attractive solid brown and solid black, it was the two-tone black and white version that caught my eye.
A solid brown or black shoe is the foundation upon which every good shoe wardrobe should be built, but once the bedrock is in place a sturdy wardrobe of non-conventional shoes can be created: shoes that are meant more for fun and dandyism than for work or conservative dress.
That is why I was drawn to the two-tone Kingsman: my conventional shoe wardrobe has been well filled, allowing me to concentrate on more eye-catching purchases.

Why the Kingsman? First, they are made by Stacy Adams. Stacy Adams is known as a producer of good quality shoes for a decent price. I would call them a high mid-range shoe company, a step under Allen Edmond and the like.

Looking at the shoes, you can see that they are in fact well made. The uppers are made fully of leather. The leather itself is fairly thick but soft and these shoes require a very short period of time to break in, though the shoe did rub my lateral malleolus 'bumps' raw at first.

The soles are made of man made materials (read rubber) but are sturdy and lack ugly lugs.

The heels are in a casual dark brown/brown/dark brown combination, continuing the two-tone trend throughout the shoe.

Along with the two-tone sole and leather uppers, the white stitching also contrasts the 'black' leather section of the upper. This white stitching adds a bit of a casual feeling to the shoe, allowing it to be worn like saddle shoes in combination with casual kits (jeans, casual button-down shirts, slacks, t-shirts, etc.). Even with the casual feeling of the shoes, they are still able to be worn with a suit as the top photo of this post demonstrates.

Here's where Stacy Adams put a slight twist on the classic spectator.
On the toecap of each shoe is a laser etched design much like the flames often painted on the nose of a vintage hot rod.

That subtle design adds a touch of 'rockabilly' or hepcat feel to the shoes, something desired by many these days.

Another interesting decision by Stacy Adams was the use of burn brown waxed shoelaces like those found on vintage athletic shoes. Just another piece of the puzzle that adds to the casual look of the shoe, one that I like very much.

You'll also notice that the 'black' leather isn't really black, it's a dark navy blue. Stacy Adams states that the Kingsman is 'weathered', giving it a bit of a vintage look. It is done quite well and the blue stands out nicely when compared to true black and white spectators, making it more versatile for use with both jeans and suits.

The general shape is pleasing to the eye and keeps with a more basic design when compared to modern shoes with their long pointed toes that may or may not curl upward at the end. Though it does not possess the desirable spade sole shape sometimes found on higher class shoes, the Kingsman has a classic wingtip design that is somewhere between 'sleek' and 'gunboat': an indicator pointing toward the casual.

Other than the initial rawness on my lateral malleolus 'bumps', the shoes are very comfortable with moderate arch support. An insole would only add to the already comfortable fit. They appear to be true to size.

I purchased my Kingsman shoes for $85 shipped from Zappos.com. Shipping was quick and communication was good (there are also other very nice and well priced shoes on Zappos). You can also find the same shoes on other websites for a similar price.

I give these shoes two thumbs up. Stacy Adams walked the tightrope between classic and trendy with the Kingsman but did not fall off. If you are looking for a less dressy spectator that can be worn with either jeans or a suit, I would recommend the Stacy Adams "Kingsman".

WIW

2010-07-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

Another WIW, one right after the other. Aren't you lucky.

Wasn't real hot today, just warm. And that kind of weather calls for a 3-piece suit.

click images to enlarge

The suit is a 1940-dated 'Fashion Park' 3-piece with a very subtle plaid pattern that's nearly impossible to see. Nicely fitted with a nipped waist, flat front trousers and full-cut legs. I'm not usually a fan of flat front trousers but these are nice. The fabric drapes wonderfully.

The hat is a late '40s Royal Deluxe Stetson.

As for the shoes, well, you'll have to wait until the next post to find out about those.

'Vintage' WIW

2010-07-10T19:53:00.001-07:00

I wore the following several weeks ago while on vacation and never got around to posting it.

click images to enlarge

It's an early 1950s "Style Mart" suit. The tie is early '50s as well.
Hard to see in this photo, the suit fabric pattern is an astounding red and blue plaid. The hat is a 1930s Dobbs "Cross Country", a lightweight summer hat that lacks a liner.

Here's an image from earlier this year showing the plaid to full effect.

The material is worsted wool, a good fabric for a warm day like that one several weeks ago...

For the Ladies

2010-07-05T19:25:00.001-07:00

Going off the beaten track, here's something for you ladies out there.

I know nothing about make-up but I do enjoy the short-hair 'Audrey Hepburn' 1950s look in a woman.

Embedding has been disabled on this video so you can visit it by clicking here.

Enjoy.

Storm Rider

2010-07-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

It's a manly name that evokes images of stonefaced cowboys hustling cattle in a sudden downpour of the Southwestern mesa lands...

The smell of cool rain on the hot red soil warns of a looming storm on the horizon. A gust of wind from the direction of the storm tells him it'll be a gully washer. His horse acts timid as sheets of rain rush towards him.
Thankfully the cowboy is wearing his "Storm Rider" jacket. The denim shell and wool blanket lining will keep him both warm and dry. The cowboy pops his corderoy collar as raindrops begin to fall.

The Storm Rider is a manly jacket born out of the necessity of protection on the range. Most examples found today date from the 1960s and 1970s but have that great Golden Era look about them. The Storm Rider came in two styles: lined with a blanket and unlined. The tag even shows a cowboy weathering a storm. It can't get more manly than that.

Or can it?
Steve McQueen...

...and Clint Eastwood think it can...

Day For Fathers, Day For Ties

2010-06-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

With Father's Day upon us we often debate what to get the man who has everything. The simple answer is "get him a tie".

I can hear you groan in agony. "A tie? Everyone does that, it's a bad joke. I'll get him an ugly tie and he'll never wear it. Might as well burn my money."

The thing is, we're not kids anymore. We adults should be able to pick out attractive ties for our dads. No more Bugs Bunny ties, get rid of the sports ties, nix the desire to give him that holiday tie. No one likes them, especially dad.

Encourage his desire to dress up and look nice by getting him a colorful and fun yet conservative tie. Even grown men like color and zest, just as long as it's done in a grown-up way. Try some regimental stripes. Maybe a herringbone. Or houndstooth. Get creative with it.

Heck, ties are cheap, get him two or three. And while you're at it, get him a nice dress shirt. See where it goes; he might actually catch some interest and build a nice wardrobe of his own.

Get dad a tie this year. Again.

Devil Bug

2010-06-12T20:37:00.001-07:00

I recently picked up an early '50s leisure/lounge jacket that was so commonly seen throughout the 1940s and 1950s:

It has a great 'atomic fleck' fabric pattern.

click images to enlarge

Unfortunately the devil bug got to it before I did:

A good reweaver could do wonders with this jacket but the question is, would it be worth the price and effort?

Ties of the Week

2010-06-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

I wear vintage ties to work. It can be a dirty job at times but I take good care of my ties and haven't ruined any in the 5-6 years I've been wearing them.

So I'm starting something new here on the Houndstooth Kid. Each week I'll try to post the ties I wore (excluding repeats).

So, here are the ties from this week. They date from the late 1940s to mid-1950s. Take note of the colors, patterns, sizes and construction.

click images to enlarge

'70s does the '30s

2010-06-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

The 1970s spawned some horrid stuff: 'wet' polyester; plastic pants; "imported polyester" was proudly showcased as different and high quality; fly-away collars; bell bottoms.
And the strange thing is that those styles were popular. Strange that a style that is so ugly yesterday, today and always (like that of the '70s) could have been so popular for a decade.
But at least it was its own style (even if it was bad), more than can be said for today.

There was , however, a revival of Golden Era stying early in the 1970s, often done poorly but sometimes done well. This was brought about in part by movies like "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967) and the fantastic "The Sting" (1973) as well as a surge of nostalgia for 'the good ol' days' (which helped make the 1946 boxoffice failure "It's a Wonderful Life" the holiday classic that it is today).

It's no wonder, then, that folks would want to dress like their movie heroes. Belted back jackets and 3-piece suits were the standard in the early 1970s, though often made of that same 'wet' polyester as the trendy leisure suits. But when done well they look very much like true vintage.

Take for example the two jackets below.
While definitely a '70s take on a '30s classic (note the huge lapels with a lot of belly and low button stance)...

...this first jacket has a great back with nice proportions:

Note that the back has similar styling to the garish 1930s suit below:

Next up is this '70s jacket. Conservative looking when viewed from the front...

...with full blown '30s belted and gusseted style going on in the back. Very sleek.

Again, very good proportions on the back of this one as well as the front. Also, the material, while some kind of a poly-blend, looks, feels and drapes like a heavier weight gabardine. This jacket could easily pass for vintage when paired with the right accoutrements.

And to round out our look at the '30s vs. '70s, check out this interesting discussion with illustrations.

If real 1930s clothing cannot be found in your area you *might* be able to find '70s pieces that can fill the hole in your closet. But be discriminating and choose carefully. The '70s gave life to a lot of bad stuff and finding a gem from that period is almost as difficult as finding the real deal from the 1930s.

Intentionally Wrinkled

2010-05-30T12:58:00.001-07:00

Having traveled a short distance to hang out with a friend this morning, it came to me that linen would make a very good travel fabric.

Here's why.

It wrinkles. It's supposed to wrinkle. A linen suit or jacket without wrinkles is like a car without wheels: they just have to be there for it to work. And since we sit for long periods of time when we travel, our clothes tend to wrinkle even if they aren't supposed to.

So next time you want to travel wearing a suit or jacket, be like Cary Grant and try linen. That way when you arrive wrinkled, it looks natural. It looks right.

Of course your suit or jacket can't just be wrinkled, but it has to be wrinkled in the right areas: arms, back of the jacket (from sitting), at the back of the knees, etc. You want wrinkles, but you don't want to look like you just pulled the suit out of an overstuffed closet. The wrinkles must be specific.

I took a cue from Mr. Grant today and went all linen, since it was absurdly hot outside. I paired a jacket and trousers of slightly different colors as well as different types of linen to help contrast the look. Throw in a pink 1930s "Fruit of the Loom" tie, spectators and a Stetson and we've got a great summer kit.

click to enlarge images

The jacket is made of smooth, finely woven linen while the trousers are a little more course and loosely woven. Both are lightweight and drape very well.

Give linen a try if you're travelling this summer.

The Emperor's New Clothes

2010-05-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

Often times a vintage collector will be called out for wearing "costumes". And to the average eye vintage clothing may look like costumes. The styling is different from what most people are use to but vintage is far from costume.

Speaking for myself, I don't consider vintage to be a costume. I live in 2010, own a computer (obviously), drive a vehicle less than ten years old and don't speak like an iGent. I'm modern throughout except for my taste in clothing because, quite frankly, modern clothing is terrible. I prefer the quality, styles and cut that vintage has to offer.

A few vintage collectors may fancy themselves as living in the 1930s and therefore wear a costume, but most do not.

So what exactly is a costume?

In part, it has to do with mindset. Like those few 'vintagers' who believe they are truly living in the Golden Era, costumes (the people wearing them) believe or at the very least act like they are something they are not. In order for there to be a costume there first must be something that is make believe. And mindset is the gateway through which something becomes an act.

On the other side of the viewing glass, the viewer's mindset is just as important as the wearer's. Movies and false notions of the Golden Era have shaped the viewer's mind into thinking that anything vintage looking or inspired by vintage is a costume: a fedora (any fedora) gets the ubiquitous Indiana Jones remark; a pinstripe double breasted suit becomes a gangster suit; full cut trousers transform into a zoot suit, etc. Rather than trying to learn about and understand clothing from the Golden Era and the folks to collect it, most Joes use their ignorance of the period as a crutch.

Physically, a costume is false. On the outside it looks pretty good, like the real deal. But inside, down to the details it is ugly. Costumes are thrown together with budget and ease of production in mind. Halloween costumes are flimsy. Most stage costumes are pieced together from what can be found.
And most importantly, costumes don't fit right. They're made to create a certain appearance and nothing more.

Here's where I might ruffle some feathers.
Rather than 'vintagers' being the ones wearing costumes, I argue that iGents and other folks who wear ill-fitting modern pieces are really the ones who wear costumes.
These are the trademarks of modern costumes: low armholes, paper-thin fabrics, horrible fits and cuts made by machines (off-the-rack) and even by a surprising number of modern tailors (made-to-measure and bespoke), and a super high price tag. All one must do to find such costumes is search the numberous online clothing fora.

So rather than seeing a different clothing style as a costume, first look and see if it meets the above trademarks of a costume. And if it does, rest assured that it's the emperor's new clothes.

WIW: Casual in the Afternoon

2010-05-10T20:37:00.000-07:00

The weather can't seem to make up its mind. One day it's 80 degrees out, the next it's down in the 50s.

Warm weather will come and stay, but for now I'm bundled up.

Yesterday I wore my mid-'40s flannel suit to help fight off the cold morning air. The tie is late-'20s/early-'30s French, a really neat floral design. The hat is a 1930s Adam. Mixing brown and black (very dark gray in this case) can work if the colors and shades are right.

click images to enlarge

After church I finished fixing up and cleaning my 'new' 1970s Schwinn Suburban. Nothing like riding a vintage bike! Really comfortable to ride and I love the big, padded seat.
The shirt is a ligher weight flannel from Bass Pro Shop.

Can't wait to take it out again when the weather is warmer.

WIW: Lounging

2010-05-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was beautiful. I was a bit under the weather but not enough to enjoy the weather. It was warm and sunny with big puffy clouds in the sunny sky. Isolated rainstorms rolled through the area and every so often we'd get a light rain for 5 or 10 minutes while it was still sunny outside.

There's nothing like the smell of a cool rain on the hot, dusty concrete.

The light-weight cotton shirt and linen trousers kept me cool while the hat and boat shoes added some color.

The 'Optimo'-l Summer Hat

2010-04-18T17:14:00.000-07:00

The Optimo style straw hat (not to be confused with the Optimo hat works in Chicago) is considered to be a somewhat outdated style hat by many in the mainstream.

Thankfully we're not in the mainstream, here.

The unique look of the open crown with a solitary ridge running down the center of the crown is a conservative (read old fashioned) and therefore a somewhat daring (in this day and age) shape to give a hat. So its name 'Optimo' is well deserved, as I consider it the king of summer straws.

click images to enlarge

Finding a vintage Optimo straw is difficult: while popular back in the day, the fedora-style Panama hat still took first place in the hearts and on the heads of hat wearers. Seeing an Optimo straw on the head of a man meant he was a little bit of a dandy and that the rest of his attire would not disappoint.

And so, I'd never seen let alone handled a vintage Optimo. Until a couple weeks ago.

That's when I bought this beauty from the 1930s:

It's a Stetson, as are so many fine quality hats from that era. The very finely and tightly woven straw was in perfect condition and still flexible.

No stains on the thin bi-colored ribbon and bow. The ventilated sweatband in beautiful condition. Size 7 3/8.

Pristine. Rare. Not my size.

So, I sold it the same day I got it. Truthfully, it sold within 5 minutes of being offered.
And don't ask the price. Let's just say it was fair for both the seller and buyer and that both are very happy with the deal.

But one thing's for sure: if you ever see me scouring the thrift shops and antique malls, I'll still be looking for that King, the Optimo.

In my size.

You Don't Have to be Boating...

2010-04-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

...to wear canvas boat shoes. These casual summer shoes are a classic and perfect for bumming around your place, making a quick trip in-town or exploring the countryside on a hot summer day. Go sockless to avoid that hapless old man look.

Wear with pretty much whatever you want that's casual, especially a lightweight button-down shirt, linen trousers and a Panama hat.

For those of you looking for a pair, the best deal I've found are (surprisingly) Faded Glory shoes from Walmart. They're $12-$14 depending upon your area and come in two canvas colors: blue (pictured above) and light gray. My (blue) pair from Wally World have been comfortable and durable so far this Spring and required no breaking in.

Enjoy the warm weather and check out these classic shoes.

Use Your Hat

2010-04-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

They're not just for wearing.

Have some fun with 'em.

Style: Comfortable in Your Own Skin

2010-03-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

Read the following article and know that style, while it has much to do with knowing the rules and how to break them tastefully, also has much ado about being comfortable with yourself.

Who's ever seen a stiff and uncomfortable stylish guy?

Article: The Importance of Being Oscar

“Fashion is about dressing according to what’s fashionable. Style is more about being yourself.”

Time to be Best Dressed

2010-03-19T19:07:00.000-07:00

Yup, Esquire is having its "best dressed real man" contest again and I've entered it (as of this writing you have 38 days to enter as well).

Anytime is a good time to dress well, especially for this contest put on by what many consider to the be foremost men's magazine.

In last year's contest I got as far as the semi-finals, being one of 25 that made it that far out of over 400 entries. Hopefully this year will prove to be just as successful if not more.

You can view my profile by clicking here. Also check out the other profiles, you may or may not like what you see.

The top 25 are chosen on May 1st along with the begining of voting for your favorite. The 5 finalists will be revealed on August 17th and the winner will be announced sometime in September.

May the truly best dressed man win!

WIW: Blue and Gray

2010-03-08T19:03:00.000-08:00

It may seem like this blog is turning into a 'What I Wore' site, but it's not. I've been busy with work, hobbies, guns and more work. I've more up my sleeve...

Sunday I wore this 1941-dated 'Fashion Park' suit. It's a great fit with a nice silhouette.

Strangely enough, all of the buttons are cream on the front and purple on the back. Question is, were they made like that or did they all fade? I'm thinking the former.

click photos to enlarge

The trousers are flat front, which was fairly common in the early to mid-'40s though pleats still ruled the day. While I'm not usually a fan of flat front trousers these are wonderful. They drape beautifully and the front crease is so strong, makes for a very angular appearance.

The rest of the suit is just as fine, too. The lapels nicely roll to the center button, as they should.
The tie is a late '20s/early '30s specimen with a great Art Deco pattern to it. It along with the pocket square (especially the pocket square) help bring out the very subtle plaid pattern with light blue windowpaning that pretty much can only be seen in sunlight:

It's that subtle deepness of vintage colors that I love so much. Respectful yet playful and usually won't make your eyes bleed.

Usually.

It's That Time Again

2010-03-02T18:47:00.001-08:00

Even while it's still cold outside and we pray for no more snow, it's that wonderful time of the year when we start thinking of Spring and Summer (Spring does start later this month, after all). And while the cold weather is sure to continue least to the end of the month, retailers are at that transition point when they've brought in new Spring styles while placing the old Winter styles on sale.

The best of both worlds.

This is a great time to scope out the new warm weather styles (everything old is new again), color combos and fabrics while saving a bundle on heavy winter clothing that you can still use for the rest of this Winter or save for when the cold blows in again next year.

Below are a few things that await you on this blog when the warm weather does finally hit, just to give you a small taste, a sneak peek:

click photos to enlarge

Until then, enjoy the rest of the cold weather. Hopefully we'll be able to discuss overcoats before it becomes too warm to wear them.

WIW: the Blues

2010-02-22T19:26:00.000-08:00

It was tweedy weather out yesterday so for the first time this winter I donned my blue tweed 3-piece sports suit from Kaufmann's in Pittsburgh. Why is it a sports suit?

It's very heavy tweed for cold country weather and the jacket has two feature unique to vintage sports suits/jackets: a short single vent in the back and two patch pockets on the jacket skirt. You won't see these very often on non-sport and more conservative suits before the 1950s.

Mine is dated September 1940.

click photos to enlarge

WIW: A Plaid Valentine's

2010-02-14T20:14:00.000-08:00

This is a new suit for me. Bought it to sell but the fit turned out to be pretty close and the fabric pattern is great, so it's a keeper.

Early '50s "Style Mart" suit, my first plaid one. The hat is the Imperial Stetson I showed two posts ago.

click photos to enlarge

Check out the plaid with blue windowpaning:

Definitely a keeper.

Digital Tie

2010-02-13T19:11:00.001-08:00

A couple months ago while discussing color I commented on the deadstock '30s tie shown below and how much the pattern looked like the digital numbers and letters we see so often today.

I recently received the following piece of information from a reader:

"The 'digital' font so often associated with computers and checkbooks was actually an artistic choice that was adpated into electronic use. The font was created in the 1930s, and was chosen as the basis of the font used for check OCR scanning decades later for its clear delieanation between all of the numeric characters. It is definitely yet another slice of Art Deco that continues on in the modern world.

More than 20 years ago, getting a degree in Journalism and History (double major) I took a one semester course in typography. Much of it was really a 'history of fonts overview' and was amazingly interesting."

Thanks for the tip!

Hiatus Hats

2010-02-07T18:01:00.000-08:00

I took a short hiatus and will do so from time to time. Writing, photographing and otherwise researching for a blog takes quite a bit of time and effort so a break is in order every so often.

And while I was away I did some 'vintaging'. Came across the two hats below.

First is this early '40s Imperial Stetson. This is a rare hat. Imperials are hard to find nowadays, especially in this condition. Also, the sweatband is white, something usually only seen in some '20s hats and the liner is an amazing blue; quite a striking combo. Next, the condition and color (blue-ish silver) are fantastic. It glows. Last but not least, as the last photo of this hat shows it was a factory reject. Don't ask me why, I don't see any flaws but it was originally sold at a discounted price.

I paid only $42, a steal.

click photos to enlarge

Beautiful:

Factory reject!

And the second hat is this late '30s to early '40s Royal De Luxe Stetson. A fine quality hat but not as nice as the Imperial shown above.

Fantastic shape to it, the 'perfect' vintage fedora like the ones you see in movies: tall angular crown; wide swooping brim, wide brim-edge binding.
This one was $50, another steal of a price. A nice soft gray color with contrasting edge binding.

click photos to enlarge

Deals are still around and these two fantastic hats are evidence of that. Get out there and get vintaging!

Questions From Readers

2010-01-27T18:16:00.000-08:00

Here are a some questions from two readers. Send me questions you have via the email link on the right side of the page!

From S.A. :
To recap your post on higher armholes: are they a better fit ?

In your compare/contrast picture, what are the exact flaws?

When you raise your arms, the jacket "moves" ? I notice the jacket is being pulled to the outside (tension on the top button).

Is that the main symptom? Anything else I should notice?

Houndtooth's response:

Yes, they make for a better fit.

The flaws are these: (1.) the armholes are low, creating a sort of 'web' between the arms and the jacket body when the arms are raised, (2.) those 'webs' pull the rest of the jacket upward, drowning the wearer in shoulder pads and fabric and (3.) the lapels bow outward, breaking the clean look of the jacket. As you mentioned, the buttons are also tensioned as a result. Those are the main symptoms of armholes that are not only too low but also shaped badly.

Below are photos a few examples of good and bad armholes. I use politicians because they are usually wealthy and should have no excuse for bad suits but are some of the worst committers of the crime of low armholes.

A good armhole worn by Truman:

click photos to enlarge

Note that when Pres. Truman raised his arm his suit pretty much stayed in place. The lapels did not bow out. There is no giant 'web' between his arm and body.

On the other hand, when Bush and Obama raise their arms to wave their low-armholed suits follow suit.

click to enlarge photos

The shoulders move up, the lapels bow out and the entire jacket moves. That is why even when a modern suit is well made, fits nicely and looks good, if it does not have the correct armholes it will be uncomfortable to wear.

High and correctly shaped armholes are key to a good suit.

Another question from R.K.A. :
I used to have no problem (in the '70's) finding over-the-calf dress socks with a wide welt. In fact some of them went almost to my knees, and I enjoyed the confidence of KNOWING my bare leg would never be seen.

Now all I can find for my 6'-1" frame hit me mid calf and have a sharp band at the top of the sock that feels like a tourniquet after 5 minutes. I need a sock that is about 19" tall and my calf measures about 19" around.

I found these but am I doomed to paying $40+ dollars for a pair of socks??

Any suggestions??

Houndstooth's response:

I see that 'Gold Toe' makes a few different models of over the calf socks at various prices that are fairly cheaper than the ones you linked to. I don't know the quality or the type of welt, but that might be something for you to look into.

Here are a few:
http://www.jcpenney.com/products/Cg10143.jsp

Unfortunately these types of socks aren't overly popular so finding quality examples at a decent price might be a bit difficult. And they'll probably be rather bland as well.

Send in those questions!

Too Popular For Its Own Good

2010-01-19T17:04:00.000-08:00

"...He now rose, holding a white object. And at the sight of it, I realized that another of our domestic crises had arrived, another of those unfortunate clashes of will between two strong men, and that Bertram, unless he remembered his fighting ancestors and stood up for his rights, was about to be put upon.

I don’t know if you were at Cannes this summer. If you were, you will recall that anybody with any pretensions to being the life and soul of the party was accustomed to attend binges at the Casino in the ordinary evening-wear trouserings topped to the north by a white mess-jacket with brass buttons. And ever since I had stepped aboard the Blue Train at Cannes station, I had been wondering on and off how mine would go with Jeeves.

In the matter of evening costume, you see, Jeeves is hidebound and reactionary. I had had trouble with him before about soft-bosomed shirts. And while these mess-jackets had, as I say, been all the rage—_tout ce qu’il y a de chic_—on the Cote d’Azur, I had never concealed it from myself, even when treading the measure at the Palm Beach Casino in the one I had hastened to buy, that there might be something of an upheaval about it on my return.

I prepared to be firm.

“Yes, Jeeves?” I said. And though my voice was suave, a close observer in a position to watch my eyes would have noticed a steely glint. Nobody has a greater respect for Jeeves’s intellect than I have, but this disposition of his to dictate to the hand that fed him had got, I felt, to be checked. This mess-jacket was very near to my heart, and I jolly well intended to fight for it with all the vim of grand old Sieur de Wooster at the Battle of Agincourt.

“Yes, Jeeves?” I said. “Something on your mind, Jeeves?”

“I fear that you inadvertently left Cannes in the possession of a coat belonging to some other gentleman, sir.”

I switched on the steely a bit more.

“No, Jeeves,” I said, in a level tone, “the object under advisement is mine. I bought it out there.”

“You wore it, sir?”

“Every night.”

“But surely you are not proposing to wear it in England, sir?”

I saw that we had arrived at the nub.

“Yes, Jeeves.”

“But, sir--“

“You were saying, Jeeves?”

“It is quite unsuitable, sir.”

“I do not agree with you, Jeeves. I anticipate a great popular success for this jacket. It is my intention to spring it on the public tomorrow at Pongo Twistleton’s birthday party, where I confidently expect it to be one long scream from start to finish. No argument, Jeeves. No discussion. Whatever fantastic objection you may have taken to it, I wear this jacket.”

“Very good, sir.”

He went on with his unpacking. I said no more on the subject. I had won the victory, and we Woosters do not triumph over a beaten foe..."

~Right Ho, Jeeves, Ch. 1, J. G. Wodehouse, 1922.

click photos to enlarge

The mess jacket: bathed in honor by the military, bored servitude by waiters and bellhops. No middle ground between the two.

But that was not always so.

I've enjoyed the look of the mess jacket since first seeing it. It's a sleek, dashing article that gives the wearer the appearance of long legs and an athletic figure (it helps to really have an athletic figure). That's why I bought one.

While the mess jacket grew out of military formal tradition and had been around for quite some time, it first became popular with civilians in 1933 for warm weather semi-formal dress occasions. As pictured above, regular high-waisted dinner jacket trousers were to be worn with it along with a cummerbund, bowtie and a semi-bossom shirt. An elegant and sophisticated look with, perhaps, a touch of Eastern influence.

Unfortunately during the mid-1930s the mess jacket became too popular for its own good. Waiters and bellhops eventually adopted the look, thereby relieving the stylish and fashionable of their individualistic outfit. Once the masses got ahold of the mess jacket its time as a viable fancy dress suit was up. By 1936 several influential men's style magazine were mocking the mess jacket and its wearers into sartorial oblivion. It also didn't help that the mess jacket is only flattering on athletic frames. On anyone else who is plumper it becomes fairly outrageous and reveals more than one wishes to see. Unfortunate, that.

Here is the vintage mess jacket I recently picked up. It dates from the late 1950s or early 1960s, is a U.S. Navy jacket and was tailored in the Philippines by 'Yee Fook Tailors' (giggle, snort). Like any good mess jacket it is made of lightweight cotton material for those warm summer evenings and is cream, though mess jackets can also be black or very dark blue. It is meant to be worn open as the Esquire illustration above shows but can be buttoned up if needed.

Being military, mine has a few items that would have to be removed for civilian wear such as the ribbon around the arms, the epaulette straps on the shoulders and the brass U.S. Navy buttons traded for more conventional buttons, brass of otherwise.

An unconventional look that, if done well, could be pulled off in this day and age without looking like a professional waiter. I for one would like to see the mess jacket come back into popular wear for civilians just as it did back in 1933...

WIW: Donegal Tweed

2010-01-17T20:35:00.000-08:00

Good tweed weather today: not cold enough for an overcoat but cold enough for a heavy tweed suit.

While not a new suit to me, today was the first time I've ever worn this one. It's a nice donegal tweed from the early 1940s. I've owned it nearly 2 years and it was my second vintage suit but I never got around to altering it until recently.

The arms had to be let down (they're still just a tad short)and the trousers needed to be lengthened. Unfortunately I had to sacrifice the trouser cuffs but the trousers are flat front so it's alright.

I wish I hadn't waited so long!

Many positive comments today about this one.

click photos to enlarge

The sweater vest is "American Living" brand from J.C. Penney, on sale.

Check out that material! Heavy, itchy and thick. Thankfully the trousers are lined at the knees, otherwise sitting in them would have been unbearable.

This suit really stands out in the crowd.

I believe this suit to be a drape suit as the above photo illustrates. The trousers drape beatifully as well.

A Man's World

2010-01-09T19:51:00.000-08:00

Van Heusen tie ad, 1951.

click to enlarge

I like his thinking. ;)

Classic Tie Storage on the Cheap

2010-01-05T19:40:00.000-08:00

Watching the "Jeeves and Wooster" DVD series recently reminded me of a small project I meant to undertake but about which I had forgotten.

As of recently I had hung my 100 or so ties from special vintage tie racks and on hangers in the closet. While the vintgae tie racks (with their nifty 'style chart') are an excellent but sometimes expensive form of storage, hanging ties from hangers in the closet can sometimes get annoying as the ties get twisted up, slide off or become unbalanced, tilting the hanger toward one end.

Perhaps the best way to store ties is to roll them up individally so that they are not only compact and easy to handle but also will not get tangled. Many big-name haberdasheries and men's stores display ties rolled up as it saves space in the sometimes cramped confines of a store as well as can make for an attractive display.

But how to keep these rolled up ties together and out of the way but also easily viewable? How about one or two of those cheap plastic college drawers you find at Wally World? The ones below are the 8.5"x 11" paper storage model and cost a mere $6 each. A drawer will hold 15-18 ties each, depending upon the ties of course. That means each unit of three drawers can store 45-54 ties!

Now, high-end tie drawers are usually made of fine woods with intricate craftsmanship but cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars. The average man not only cannot afford such a luxury and probably doesn't have any desire for it either. Though not quite as stylish, the plastic stackable drawers shown above (two shown, three drawers each) are affordable to most everyone and they do the job of the expensive ones just as well. Drop in a piece of cedar or a moth ball to keep the moths at bay and you're set. They can be stacked, unstacked, tucked away in a closet and can be used in ways other than storing ties.

Become creative in the care and storage of your sartorial items and you'd be suprised at the amount of money and space you save.

WIW: Zoot Influence?

2010-01-03T14:27:00.000-08:00

Haven't done one of these for a while since I've had the misfortune to work every Sunday for as long as I can remember.

For the last few days it's been below 0 degrees F. Perfect weather for overcoats, scarves and gloves.

Today:
*Astrakhan overcoat from the '30s
*Stetson Special from the late '30s
*Flannel suit from the mid-'40s
*Modern cashmere scarf
*Tie is '30s too

**click photos to enlarge**

The gloves are NOS (no longer) deerskin gloves from the '30s, probably.

The suit seems to have some zoot influence though is much more conservative in style. The sleek vertical design as well as the trouser taper below the knee points to that influence. If the jacket was longer in the body it would look very much like this zoot suit:

State of the Blog and a Contest

2009-12-29T19:23:00.000-08:00

As a special Christmas gift the Houndstooth Kid hit the 100,000th visitor mark (the 100,000th visitor was from Denmark). This website has had visitors from every state in the Union as well as 140 countries out of 195 in the world. As of this writing there are 49 followers. I consider that quite an achievement.

Of course there could be improvements, both in the quality of the postings and the variety of medium used. I've discussed with a couple influential folks about the use of video in this blog and they have been positive toward the idea. Video, of course, means more time and effort to plan, set up, film and edit and therefore possibly means even more time from post to post. But video utilizes both visuals and speech to convey a message. In this way a moving picture is worth well more the 1,000 words.

Another area of improvement is drawing you the reader into the discussion. While getting and responding to comments beneath each post is good, I'd like to do a post every so often that comes directly from the readers. One way to do this is to answer questions from readers.
So, please use the email link on the right side of the window to send me questions you'd like to see answered in a post. Or if you want to see something of interest. Or want something researched. Any number of things would work, so let me know!

A few other things.
Like any good capitalist I wanted to make a little money off of this blog project of mine. This can be done by adding advertisments to the blog that somehow relate to the topics about which are being posted. However, with commercialism slowly creeping further into our lives (as Christmas so blindingly displays each year) I've decided not to go this route. I've decided to keep the Houndstooth Kid uncluttered, so you don't have to worry about flashing ads and confusing layouts for as long as I can foresee. Rest assured.

The appearance of the blog might change though, we'll see.

And now, onto the main event.
As a 'thank you' for getting us up to 100,000 visitors in roughly two years, I'm having a contest.

To enter merely email me using the link on the right side of this window and tell me:

What is style? Is style timeless? Does style change? What is your personal style? Does vintage play a role in your personal style and how?

You can answer these questions however you want: via a written essay, photos with commentary and/or a video, etc. The length and content is up to you. Send your entry via email by January 15th and we'll pick and announce the winner by January 22nd.

What good is a contest without some loot?
The winner will have their essay/photo commentary/video posted on this very blog as well as receive several very nice vintage ties dating from the 1930s-1950s, free of charge or shipping costs. Contestants must live in the Continental United States, sorry, no entries from out of country.

May the most stylish and well spoken man win!

Yuletide Greetings

2009-12-23T19:38:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! Hope it's a safe and happy one.

I have some special news coming up after Christmas so keep an eye in here!

Winter Wonderland

2009-12-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

Winter has not officially begun but those of us in the colder climates know that he's already arrived, unofficially. The foot of snow, 50 MPH winds and freezing rain we got in parts of the Midwest is testament to his arrival.

Winter can be a bleak season when you might not want to venture out of doors, understandably so. But with the drop in temperatures and that fluffy white stuff covering the ground comes the overcoats, tweed suits, scarves and heavy weight fedoras. It is a high point in the style year just like the summer, though on the opposite end of the spectrum. The yearly cycle of sartorialistic yin and yang, winter and summer, respectively. Both are equally important but completely different in fabrics, colors and cut.

In celebration of winter, take a look at these Esquire and Apparel Arts illustrations from the 1930s. Notice the multiple different styles of overcoats and the varieties in colors, hat choices and suits.

Let's start off with a couple items that are often overlooked but are immensely important to tie a look together: socks and shoes for winter.

Click all photos to enlarge.

Argyle is a favorite sock pattern of mine and goes very well with casual looks. Argyle socks are also easily found at your nearest GAP, J.C. Penney , Younkers and other popular clothing outlets. I prefer the GAP socks because their patterns and styles change with each season, they're priced fairly and are good quality.

Notice the green Tartan socks on the right side:

Notice the large variety of overcoats pictured, from a regular wool overcoat with a nice windowpane pattern to an overcoat with a fur collar and another made entirely out of fur in the background. The Golden Era was truly an age of variety.
The man in the fur overcoat is also wearing a black Derby with a brown/tan coat. Black and brown can work together.

Another fur-collared overcoat. They weren't squeamish about the use of fur. I consider that a good thing.

The ingrediants for the collegiate winter look.

Winter offers a plethora of hats to keep our heads and ears warm. Notice the article at the bottom of the page states that only one "snap brim hat is neccessary" as well as some sort of country hat, but every other hat on the page is absolutely needed. Goes to show that one can have even a hat wardrobe.

A nice formal overcoat with an Astrakhan fur collar.

Scarves are a wonderful accessory that can help mature and liven up even the dullest outfit. Mix and match colors and textures depending upon the occasion and create an individual style for yourself. Scarves are the winter brother of the summer ascot.

Nothing says style like skiing in a suit, preferably a sport suit with a belted back, bi-swing back and/or a center gusset.

Try variety this winter.

The Color of Life

2009-12-03T18:24:00.000-08:00

For me, at least at the moment, color is perhaps one of the most important aspects of an attractive 'kit' or outfit. Color can be dull or exciting, colors can match or clash, express the good and bad of life. It is our tool with which we can paint the story of living.

The thing about the Golden Era is that we are most exposed to it through photographs and old movies that are nearly all in black and white. Just like the photo below of the stereotypical Sunday school class, we have to guess what the colors were in most Golden Era photos (click all photos to enlarge):

But as a collector of vintage clothing I know the Golden Era was a colorful time, perhaps more colorful than today and I'm able to see firsthand what the colors were like. It's an exprience that few people ever knowingly have.

Having these pieces of color history in hand is a connection to the people who wore them. The folks in those black and white photos can seem so different, so far away from what we are today. But holding and wearing the very pieces and colors that they did offers us the ability to see that they were regular people just like us who liked a little color in life. Sometimes that color was deep and mature, other times it was wild and crazy.

Click on the article below from the Feb. 21st, 1929 issue of the "National Retail Clothier Magazine" and pay close attention to the paragraph at the lower right entitled "Attractive Outfit in Brown":

Even the wild use of color today cannot match what this outfit must have looked like. It was something to behold not only because of the unusual combinations, but because vintage color, at least to me, seems better than color today. There were more varieties and while they were often crazy the colors were used moderately, maturely and in a handsome manner.

At times it can seem that the colors of the Golden Era are exaggerated.
Take a look at the colors and styles described in The Great Gatsby:

"He took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them, one by one, before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel, which lost their folds as they fell and covered the table in many-colored disarray. While we admired he brought more and the soft rich heap mounted higher—shirts with stripes and scrolls and plaids in coral and apple-green and lavender and faint orange, and monograms of Indian blue. Suddenly, with a strained sound, Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily.

“They’re such beautiful shirts,” she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. “It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such—such beautiful shirts before.”

While writers of that period were well known for their use of colors to describe certain characters and moods, it seems that the colors described in Gatsby were not too far off from the truth.

To prove my point, examine these quotes pulled from advertisements from the 1929 National Retail Clothier Magazine mentioned above:

"Fancy colors that make the rainbow pale."

"...this years colorings are cream, silver, bottle, biscuit, sunburn and nutria."

"Pearl and Cedar will be the best shades, it is believed."

"Some of these ties are in bright colors."

This sounds like something Gatsby might have worn (from the scan above):
"An attractive ensemble noted in New York City included: Suit of dark brown, with diagonal stripe, rather pronounced, in white, the jacket double breasted with three buttons...demi-bosom shirt in very fine cross stripes, in peach color; tie of black ground with orange polka dots; hat a cocoa brown Homburg; yellow gloves; socks in vertical stripes of orange and black..."

"Just the right weight, in new Algerian tans, Stone greys and Lovat."

This ad speaks volumes:

"The Era of Color Enthusiasm".
A fantastic rainbow available to the common man, some colors that most of us have never even heard of until now. Much more variety than today.

Nowadays there seems to be no rhyme nor reason for the use of color; perhaps merely to shock the eye or cause the viewer convulsions. Though, the Golden Era did have its moments like the deadstock '30s tie below shows:

As a side note, it's interesting to compare the similarities of the patterns in the tie pictured above with the digital alphabet and number set below. This tie is a precursor to the Bold Look, but is it also a precursor to the digital age?

What was it that allowed men of the past to coordinate so many colors so well while looking mature when men of today struggle with a few basic colors? Is it a lack of manly creativity or merely a lack of good colors today?

As I close let me say that color is like a fine wine: with age it will become more flavorful and more mature. Like my vintage clothing that have years and history in their pockets and buttons, I like my colors well aged. That way I stand out in a crowd, like a twinkle of kodachrome in a black and white photograph.

Meet the Fuzzies

2009-11-29T20:28:00.000-08:00

'Fuzzy' hats, also known as "long hairs", "velvours" and "kitten finish hats" were quite popular during the Golden Era, particularly during the 'teens, '20s and into the '30s. They even soldiered on through to the 1950s, though the form and style had changed significantly.

Check out these two scans from a 1922 Mont. Ward catalog (click photos to enlarge):

Notice that the crowns were very tall, over 5" while the brims remained medium to narrow width. This was fairly common during this period and into the 1930s.

The Turgis fedora below is from the late 1920s or early 1930s. Note that is has the same tall crown (5") and narrow brim (2 1/8") as the hats pictured above. The fuzziness of this hat is on the long end of the fur length spectrum, thus making it very soft and fluffy. The fur of this hat could easily be combed.

Long haired hats are made a little differently from regular fedoras. While the fur used in regular fedoras is cut short and densely compacted, the fur used in long hair fedoras is cut longer and allowed to stand up, making for the fluffy appearance and soft feel.

Next is a 1940s Royal Stetson long hair with a rather crazy ribbon. Note that this hat falls into the medium area of hair length on the fuzziness spectrum: not as long as the Turgis above but still fairly long.

Interestingly this hat is meant for warmer weather, as the lack of a liner and the company tag attached to the inside top of the crown indicates:

Last but not least, this 1950s Stevens hat is on the very short end of the fuzziness spectrum. It is still a very soft fur hat and fuzzier than regular fedoras of the time but not as soft or fuzzy as either of the two previous hats.

As a side note, Adolf Hitler favored very long haired hats similar to the Turgis pictured above. That being said, long haired hats were a very popular style in Germany during the 1930s, especially in the Bavarian region so to associate the fuzzy fedora primarily with Hitler would be a great disservice to millinery history.

And while the fuzzy fedora is thankfully not usually associated with Hitler, the 1970s turned it into something for pimps and gansters.

What a shame.

The Duke, Take Two

2009-11-20T20:36:00.000-08:00

On December 8th two of the Duke of Windsor's suits as well as some of his shirts will be up for auction. Now is your chance to own a piece of style history.

Click to enlarge:

An Audrey Hepburn collection is also up for auction the same day.

Start saving up your pennies!

Hat tip to Will.

Knapp-Felt

2009-11-17T17:43:00.000-08:00

Beginning in 1929 and ending in 1930, the Crofut and Knapp hat company published a year-long series of ads, one new ad each month. Below are three original ads from the Saturday Evening Post.

Study the artwork and style wisdom of yesteryear and enjoy.

WIW: Oddly Warm

2009-11-08T19:42:00.001-08:00

I've been absent from posting for a while. My job and an important test kept me away. And sometimes we all need a short break. But now we're back.

What goofy weather we've had. The temperature has been in the 70s this weekend so I busted out the linen and gabardine one last time for the year.

I tried a look that Ive seen in old Apparel Arts and Esquire illustrations and enjoyed immensely but had never tried for myself even though I've possessed the ingredients to create it for some time now. It is the quintessential 1930s American warm weather look.

I didn't wear a hat because it looks sleeker without one.
Other than the sunglasses, there is only one vintage piece in this look. Can you guess what it is?

Put This On- Denim

2009-11-02T19:28:00.001-08:00

Visit Put This On and watch the interesting video about denim, both vintage and modern.

WIW Sunday

2009-10-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

Went late '40s/early '50s again. The air was cool again but the sky was blue.

I wore a show-stealing "leisure coat" from the mid- to late 1950s. Unfortunately the 1970s pretty much ruined that name so whenever 'leisure' is used we most often picture this polyester abomination:

click to enlarge

Fortunately my jacket is 100% wool.

The leisure jacket shown is a later 'backwoods' cousin of the two-tone Hollywood Jacket of the late 1930s-early 1950s.

And my use of green was purposeful since it is a much under appreciated color when it comes to men's style.

Back to the Basics: Fit and Silhouette

2009-10-15T18:54:00.000-07:00

If Fabric is the soul of the suit, then Fit and Silhouette are most assuredly a suit's mind and body, respectively. For without a mind a body is useless and without a body the mind is unable to express itself.

What does all that mumbo jumbo mean?
Fit and silhouette, while seemingly the same thing are two completely different ideas.

Fit describes the way a suit (or any garment for that matter) has been tailored, molded to the wearer's body. Simply put, Fit is the way a suit fits. A suit should ideally fit or wear like a second skin; if it doesn't then the suit has a poor Fit. One major thing that affects Fit are those pesky armholes, for if the armholes are not shaped and sized correctly to the specific customer then no amount of tailoring will help the rest of the suit fit right. A suit should fit the wearer in the shoulders, armholes, waist and hips.

Below is an example of a poorly fitted suit, courtesy of Thom Browne:

click to enlarge

Silhouette describes the outward appearance of a suit. This, unlike Fit, can vary from suit to suit according to the wearer's preferences. We see great variance of Silhouette throughout the Golden Era: from the slim and trim of the 1920s, the natural and trim of the 1930s and the big and bulky of the 1940s and early 1950s to the slim and trim of the 1960s, full circle.

Silhouette is affected by the amount of padding in the shoulders, the amount of waist suppression (or lack thereof) and the length of the jacket just to name a few. And, while a suit can be made to fit nearly any body shape, certain silhouettes can only go with certain body shapes.

For example, a heavy man cannot have a well fitted suit with the same amount of waist suppression as a skinny tall man can. The physics of it just will not allow it to happen.

click to enlarge

So, which is more important? Fit or Silhouette? I would have to say Fit. A well fitted suit with poor silhouette is still well fitted and will be comfortable for the owner to wear, even if it makes him look like a blimp. A poorly fitted suit with great silhouette will be too uncomfortable for a man to wear and it will become a hated thing, a uniform. That is the problem with suits today: they are poorly fitted and so uncomfortable that most men hate them and wear them only when they must.

Suits shouldn't be uniforms. They should have both Fit and Silhouette.

WIW: Iconic '50s

2009-10-13T09:12:00.001-07:00

It's getting cold out there! Way too early...

I went for the iconic 1950s look Sunday by combining three '50s items that more or less were only popular during the 1950s.

-Early '50s "Bailey of Hollywood" fedora with a pugree and brim stitching (interestingly, Bailey is still around though, like most mainstream hat companies today, their quality has suffered since the 1950s).
-Mid-'50s Pleated tie (pleated ties became popular in the late 1940s and died off before the 1960s as ties became too narrow to hold the pleats).
-1950s 'Ricky' jacket made of long-hair wool.

click to enlarge

This fedora is fairly rare and has that casual Hollywood/western look about it.

It has a 5" crown and a 2 3/4" brim. Pretty large diameters, though common during the early 1950s.

These pleated ties are also fairly rare. This is my only one.

WIW: From the Grave

2009-10-05T06:31:00.000-07:00

The suit below was shown several posts ago in What Suits You. It's a great, high quality suit from the late 1930s but had been retired to a vintage shop where it collected dust for who knows how long, maybe a decade, perhaps longer. I first saw it 2 years ago but, like everyone else, passed it by because of a long series of holes on its right arm. Unrepairable, no doubt. Or was it?

It would be a good fit for me with a few alterations. And with a reweave, those holes would pretty much disappear. So, this last summer I took a chance and woke it from its slumber.

My alterations lady let down the arms and also told me she could do a reweaving job on the sleeve holes, so I gave her a chance. It's far from perfect but I can't complain now that the holes are darn hard to spot and she threw in the reweave for free.

I sacrificed the cuffs on the trousers and added faux cuffs, 2" deep like the originals. I squeezed all the length I could out of those trousers and they're still about 1"-2" short for proper wear with the vest (no shirt showing between vest and trousers).

Don't know if I'll wear the vest underneath the jacket again since it's rarely seen. Though even if I do, I never open the jacket so the shirt poking out will never be seen. Win/win either way.

I'm very happy with this suit, the silhouette is perfection to my eye. The broad shoulders and nipped waist of the jacket along with the full cut of the trousers really balance out well.

click photos to enlarge

About Those Gloves...

2009-10-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

...that I showcased in the collage from my last post.

They are deadstock vintage deerskin dress gloves in a relatively large size. Never been worn, found in the original box.

They have wonderful texture to them and the leather is just the way it was the day these were made. And who really knows when that day was; could be anywhere from the 1920s through the 1940s, most likely somewhere in the middle as glove wearing eventually tapered off as the decades clicked by.

click photos to enlarge

Vintage gloves like these are quite rare nowadays and these examples let's us see something that few have a chance to savor anymore, for times have changed and quality leather dress gloves are no longer in vogue. But they have permanent style.

Color Inspiration

2009-09-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

Fall is the best season for color inspiration. Nearly every color of the rainbow can be found in combination during the Autumn season. Use these colors to create your own unique look.

click photos to enlarge

Harmonize your look with the environment around you. Warm colors are king: burnt reds, golden yellows, full browns, rich tans, dark greens, deep oranges; even silver, bronze and certain blues work great when the air cools, the leaves turn and the sun lowers in the sky.

Check out these 1930s Esquire and Apparel Arts illustrations for more inspiration.

click photos to enlarge

WIW: Black vs. Brown

2009-09-14T19:59:00.001-07:00

I wore the 1930s belted back sports coat yesterday for one last hurrah before summer and the warm weather ends for the year. A nice day for it, too.

Summer is the primary time to wear the brown and cream spectator shoes I'm pictured wearing so often during this time of the year. But black and white spectators can work just as well.

click photos to enlarge

The thing about black and white spectators is that they can be both easy and difficult to wear with certain things. On one hand black and white will go with many other colors and are therefore somewhat easy to match. On the other hand most guys don't know how to use the black and white combination. They use too much of the combo by wearing a completely black shirt with a white or gray tie and dark trousers. The look is then far to monochromatic to be attractive or interesting.

The key is to blend and use as little of the white/black combination as possible. Don't use it for the main article of clothing of your look, but rather as an accessory. And liven up your look with a splash of color like the tie and suspenders in the photo below. And most important of all, keep it simple.

The herd of cats seem to be enamored with the shoes.

What Suits You: Three Eras of Suits

2009-09-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

Let's look at three suits of mine that I've never shown before. All three are from different decades, so note the styles of each of them. Also note the quality of the fabric, patterns and construction and shape.

In chronological order...

This first suit is what I would consider my 'perfect' suit: 3-piece, double breasted, navy blue material with teal chalkstripes, very nice fit and silhouette. And it fits like a glove.

This suit was made by a very high quality tailoring company that will remain unnamed. Truly, this suit blows away pretty much anything nowadays in terms of quality, bespoke or not. The material and craftsmanship of this suit overshadow the best any modern tailor can offer.

click photos to enlarge

Vest is well shaped with 6 buttons and 4 pockets, as an good vintage vest should.

Also note the great waist suppression on the jacket. The lapels are fairly wide but not yet as wide as some Bold Look lapels were. Very little shoulder padding allows for the wearer's natural shoulder shape to show. The button stance is fairly high compared to other DB jackets from the 1940s and the Bold Look.
Note the unfortunate damage to the right arm.

And the pleated trousers with the 'mandatory' 2" cuffs as the finishing touch.

This photo shows the beautiful fabric pattern of this suit. The harmony between the colors is wonderful.

The damage to the arm. How did such a long group of holes appear? Moth? Dog? Rampaging significant other? What stories this suit could tell?

Next is an early to mid-1940s tweed 2-piece. Again, you won't find fabric like this nowadays. It is surprisingly heavy and drapes wonderfully.

The jacket has medium padding in the shoulders and very nice waist suppression. The lapels are fairly wide, would be even wider had the top button been undone. Like the 1930s suit above, the lapels in the early to mid-1940s were on the wide side before flaring out during the Bold Look of the late 1940s-early 1950s.

The early 1940s weren't all too different from the later half of the 1930s except for the war effort putting a damper on some of the more exotic treatments like belted back, bi-swing backs, the Oxford Bags and the like.

Pleated with cuffs:

Again, no modern material can compare to the quality of this fabric. This is why I collect vintage clothing!

Last but certainly not least is this mid-1950s number. Note the heavily padded shoulders and the baggy jacket with little if any shape to it. Also note the 3 patch pockets. While pockets like these were popular on certain suits and jackets during the 1930s and 1940s, patch pockets boomed in the 1950s. They add to an already casual atmosphere.

The lapels are starting to narrow down again as the Bold Look died off.

Also note the very low button stance compared to the two suits above.

Trousers are still pleated with cuffs like the suits above.

But those are not the most important things about this suit. That award goes to the fabric: nubby 'Atomic Fleck'. The colors are truly amazing. The bluish gray background dances with white, medium blue and teal nubby flecks. This is a fairly rare Atomic Fleck pattern.

Hopefully this has given you a glimpse of the different eras of suits of the Golden Era. Unfortunately it was only a glimpse, for a deeper understanding of such things comes only from the touching, handling and wearing of original pieces.

Under the Weather

2009-09-05T09:20:00.001-07:00

Not feeling too well today so I threw on this comfy vintage flannel shirt I recently acquired and am hanging around my place.
It is soooo soft...

click photos to enlarge

...and the material is beautiful...

...as are the buttons.

They just don't make shirts like they did back then.

WIW

2009-08-31T15:54:00.000-07:00

Finally broke the Macy's linen jacket out of the closet after waiting for 2 weeks. The weather has been fairly cool here but warm enough for a linen jacket with linen trousers.

I think this is a fairly good late 1930s to mid-1940s summer look.

click photos to enlarge

As wrinkled as your little ol' grandma!

Last Gasp of Summer

2009-08-23T22:06:00.000-07:00

And what a nice one it has been weather-wise. Cool, dry, relatively sunny. At least in my area.

As summer slowly draws to a close the warm weather inventory rapidly goes on sale at every clothing store across the country in an attempt to make room for the incoming winter wear. It's a good time for us cheapskates.

Enter Macy's. Like any good business, they're trying to get rid of their old items. Items like this sports coat fromTasso Elba. Oddly enough, while I purchased mine online for $38 a week or two ago the same jacket is now $50 (originally $195, so still a good deal).

So, why this sports coat? Because of its vintage-inspired style.
It's 100% linen and is therefore guaranteed to wrinkle like any good summer piece should. And not just wrinkle in a chaotic manner but rather in a way that tells the wearer and observer alike that the jacket has been lovingly lived in, so it has the character of a well-trusted old dog: it's concrete, classic, comforting.

click photos to enlarge

The patch pockets are a classic summery touch to any jacket. You'll note that my jacket is different from the one found at the link I provided above in that my lacks pocket flaps. I assure you it did have them at one time, at least until I removed them. I thought the flaps gave it more of a '70s feel than a '30s one. Now the gusseted patch pockets can be fully seen in all of their glory.

But it is not the front of the jacket that is special. Plenty of other humdrum jackets look like this one from the front. It is the back that is special, catches the eye. Not even the wonderful lapel roll can match the back of the jacket.

Yes, that's a belted back with a center gusset. In a modern jacket. Mind you, it's not perfect. The armholes are, as expected, incredibly low and the belt is about 1/2" too low (no big deal, though). Not perfect indeed, but much further from hopeless than it is from perfect. Actually, this is about as close to a real vintage belted back, center gusseted, patch pocketed linen sports coat that most of us can get at that price. Unless you're a leprican carrying a rabbit's foot while chewing on a four-leaf-clover, but I digress...

Probably the best part about this jacket is the center gusset itself. At rest with arms down at your side the gusset is flat and closed as shown in the photo above. But raise your arms and a whole new world reveals itself as the gusset opens up, allowing for a greater range of movement:

The center gusset along with the belted back, bi-swing back, pleated back, knife back, etc. were all fairly common features found on suit jackets and sports coats of the mid- to late 1930s.

There are three colors to choose from though the 'natural' color is the most vintage for a summer sports coat. Great texture and subtle color variations in the linen, too.

Hopefully if you order one of these jackets there'll be enough warm weather for you to wear it as summer takes its last gasp.

Esquire BDRM Finalists- Soaring Eagles or Black Sheep?

2009-08-19T21:14:00.000-07:00

Here are the 5 finalists for Esquire's Best Dressed Real Man contest. Sorry to say I didn't make the final cut but there's always next year.

Still, it's a good feeling to know I'm one of the 25 best dressed real men in America, at least according to Esquire. Especially since most of my wardrobe comes from thrift shops.

So, what are your thoughts on these finalists? Are they anything to write home about or has Esquire gone down the tubes? Which of the finalists do you put your money on?

It's interesting to note that all of the finalists are very young, the oldest being 33 years of age. Each year in the past an older gentleman or two have been in the running. Does this mean recent definitions of stylish and fashionable include only the youthful or were there just no stylish older men this year?

WIW: Rayon and Gabardine

2009-08-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

What a great combination. The modern rayon shirt feels soft and gently hangs from the body while the vintage gabardine suit looks casual and drapes wonderfully.

click photos to enlarge

Just have to love the very high Hollywood waisted trousers that drape so well.