"As a kid," he recalled, "I used to abide by the judgment of Brooks Brothers in New York. I think I'm away from that now."

I don't think this is meant as a put down of Brooks. I think his snide remarks against the Ivy look are directed at the fashionable exaggerations of the time. By the late 1950s it had become a uniform, it was ubiquitous, and Astaire's beloved double breasted drape suits had become out of fashion.

Well, I agree about the bad taste era, I'm not sure what you mean mean about the dressed up winter stuff, though?

You can wear a grey flannel suit with plain toe Bluchers, an Oxford shirt with a repp tie or a knit tie and a herringbone Tweed Chesterfield coat. Or a tan cord suit with a cashmere turtleneck, Chukka Boots and a navy duffle coat. Tweed sports coats and corduroy trousers with tattersall shirts and Paraboots. Lots of options. I don't think that their out of style.

Last edited by Leer R. (2016-01-12 06:09:53)

As for the guy in his sports gear - as I said earlier, ivy at its most casual can just about blend in to today's ugly landscape, but that is only one end of ivy. I'm pretty sure that same gent at that time in another situation such as going out at night would have been dressed a bit more formally.

I have been noticing more and more men - at least in the hipper, younger, more affluent parts of town - wearing sport coats or orphaned suit jackets out to casual dinners and such.  Often with "nice" looking denim or some leather shoes and then a mismatched, loud pocket square.  It's rarely done well.  Point being, I'm past worrying about being over- or under-dressed in a casual situation.  If everyone else is in rags and I'm sitting there with my lady in a tweed then so be it.  And Yuca mentioned aesthetics...  I really do feel that if you're in conditions where an overcoat is practical then you may as well complete the look with a decent hat, yet there's an obvious practical element there as well.  Custom hat companies like Optimo aren't producing fedoras only for members of the lounge.  But wear the damn thing in context.  Don't wear a felt fedora with a short-sleeve shirt and shorts.  I mean, you can if you want to.  Whatever.... 

I think men are learning to appreciate style and accessories again.  Goes along with the revived interest in shaving and colognes and nice haircuts and all that jazz.  So be it.  Overall, it's a good thing, even if it is all usually thrown together in some eclectic mismash of style where you have a man in Red Wing boots with sagging selvedge denim and a tight Harris Tweed worn over a hooded sweatshirt with a beard and a pompadour.  Yeah... hipster.  In any event, it just goes back to what I've said before:  There is such a wide array of clothing styles, worn independently and thrown together, and also so many people that have absolutely no interest in clothing they can't purchase either at Target or TJMaxx.  If you feel like wearing a jacket and tie out to eat, just do it.  For every person that's casting a doubtful eye or feels like you're overdressed, there's probably another person that's admiring your style. 

It's like music...

Just because modern pop music is the most completely idiotic drivel I've ever heard, that doesn't mean every musician needs to cater to the lowest common denominator to arrive at a sense of fulfillment or value.  If you appreciate a style, an aesthetic, follow it with conviction and enjoy it. 






...I'll be over at the hat lounge if you guys need me.

Last edited by The Absintheist (2016-01-12 15:21:07)

It's not happening on the internet, but he has to use it to remind you it isn't..