For me, it's not the who, but the what.  The onset of fall usually inspires me in a way that no other season does.  Summer in the south can be a miserable experience, and can limit one's choices in a way that fall does not.

Its hard to draw inspiration from the exact present, more from the hips of tradition in the hope of building the new sartorial jerusalem: the tie on the cover of Chet Baker "In New York", the films of Jimmy Stewart, William Claxton's jazz photography and those of Steve McQueen, hard bop, ska, the works of Coleridge and Shelley. The Beats, always there, Kerouac, Ginsberg and Burroughs.  This forum.

The Romantic poet in me, demands Duchamp, but I only brave their cufflinks. 

The Beat in me and McQueen fan draws me to desert boots and vintage Levi's.

From the love of jazz - BB's and a Miles Davis smile.

All part of the sartorial journey.

I've been inspired by many of the people who post their clothes on various forums to avoid looking like I tried to hard and work in the clothing industry. It's a reminder that whatever level your clothes are on, if you match patterns and colors too consciously, you look like someone who cares too much about clothes and you lose caste and any sense of male presence. You may look pretty, you my look fashionable but you become a light weight. Thus, Ive been inspired to actively make sure I don't have every bell and whistle item in my outfits that my patterns aren't separated by solids and that the colors are more haphazard. Dressing to be pretty is not only the purview of the sissy but it is a complete and utter failure for the reasons men wear these clothes in the first place.

Talks sense, doesn't he?

Less is more.

The bicycle suit is liable to get you seriously beaten or killed, particulary if your riding a Brompton or any bike with less than 12" wheels.  You may get away with that in Laandaan or New York, but not in the provinces mate. You will be jeered and heckled, you and your family marked for special attention.  Still the first two photos are good, especially the beer.

The owner and designer (forget his name) of Dashing Tweed was on that BBC Four documentary about the plight of Harris tweed last night.

to me its about distilling certain elements that are to your personal liking, then manipulating and altering to suit certain wants or, less often needs. I enjoy those dashing tweeds, though could not pull them off in all likelyhood, nor would I want to pull them off exactly. Its not about copying, its about re-interpreting to your own comfort level. When I approach things as such I find inspiration in a variety of places. The quickly turning foliage of the midwest is currently getting my gears going, but sadly its warmed just a touch, enough for me to exclude some favorite sweaters, for the time being.

.............least that's my ramble on inspiration....

I looked more closely, contemplated, and yes, there's a mere whiff of something worthwhile in a tweedish and dapper way.  But still, its spoilt for me.  I watched the Harris tweed documentary, dashed onto the computer to seek out Dashing Tweed and I was sadly disappointed. They're writing songs of love, but not for me.

Its like where is the poetry for the man working in the factory, well, there's Bukowski and Voss. And that's exactly it, some of these designers cannot reach the common man, the man who isn't working in some effeminate, mincing industry.  We want tweeds you can drink in the Blood Tub public house in Birkenhead and not get your head kicked in.  That's a sympton of sartorial excellence.

The pure masculine suit of a man with power, a man who can walk in any pub, any bar any club, uptown, downtown, with villains, gangsters and holy poets from Oxbridge and young conservatives to chavs in shell suits and yet, regail them all with tales of daring do and adventure. This is art of the sartorialist Zen master, who will never give up on doing something dangerous with style.  An immaculate elite, and yes, whilst I'm on this forum, I am beginning to glimpse the path to the enlightened.

Last edited by The Ace Face (2009-09-17 12:03:24)