Might I feign modesty and humbly propose the bare ankle? http://sexyankles.tumblr.com/

Gil - there is the issue of online wearing and irl wearing.??

I see a lot of bow ties irl and rarely do they look right. Some, on surgeons, look practical and familiar; all but a few would look better in almost any other old tie. They seem de riguer for CEOs/ Directors of Government Funded Art Galleries and Museums here. Then there is the ironic hipsters - but I guess they are a too easy target.

Hats are a difficult one here. Increasingly men (and women) sensibly wear hats when out in the sun to prevent melanomas. USA tractor hats/ baseball hats are worn by a few idiots but are generally seen as a bit infra dig. Some men try to pull off the outback Akubra look in the city with wide brimmed brown squatters hats  or Auctioneers hats and to me it always looks stupid, although it seems to work as a signal/sign/signifier (cant remember the right term) , a shorthand of signaling that the wearer is patriotic and in touch with rural Australia (Patriotic and rural are conflated here - The only "real" Australians are white rural Australians even though 80% of us live in large cities withing 30 ks of the coast).

Many men, and many young men, have seen the damage the sun can do, like killing you, and seriously wear hats. Many, as I think I've mentioned before get too old to wear them ironically and have gradually begun to sort out a way to wear hats without looking like a dork or a hipster. Outdoor workers usually have to wear them mandated by OH&S. Shiney bum workers are still working it out, but each year I see more and more hats being worn without self consciousness with suits.

IRL, I hate the statement or power tie, usually bright shiney yellow or bright shiney red.

The statement floral shirt...

Bloody pocket hankies are popping up everywhere on the street too.

Last edited by fxh (2012-04-04 10:38:55)

Last edited by Gilgamesh2003 (2012-04-05 08:00:47)

I will admit to be a bow tie and hat wearer.  I like the function of both.

Bow ties are good when a regular long tie could get in the way.  Going out for dinner or when the kids are with me, it is one less thing to worry about.  I don't wear them often but they have their place.

Most days I wear a hat.  I have a collection of fedoras, panamas and flat caps.  They keep the sun off me all year and keep my head warm in the winter.  Brimmed hats can be a pain dealing with the car or finding a place to put it indoors when in public.  This is usually where flat caps come in.  They aren't as good in the sun but can be stuffed in your pocket when need be.

The problem with many hat wearers is they are trying to pretend they are something they are not.  I don't want to be Indiana Jones or a 30's era gangster.  When the proper wearing of pith helmets comes up you know they have completely lost touch with reality.  These people should spend more time trying to accomplish something in their own lives and learn to be comfortable with who they are.


My red flag item is a large watch.  No offence to anyone visually challenged since you are the only ones who should be wearing these boat anchors on your wrist.  When the lugs are wider than your wrist the watch is to big for you.  It is no different than buying a suit a couple of sizes too big.

While on watches I will also add sport watches with a suit.  Are you going diving or to the office?  People should make up their mind.  Sport watches were the original boat anchors since they started out larger than other watches for a purpose and seemed to be latched onto by the look at me crowd.  The Alpha males need to separate themselves even further from the masses so theirs are usually encrusted in diamonds.

End of rant.

Last edited by g- (2012-04-06 20:48:04)

^ Red pants are on the list twice!

Actually, I have a pair of royal blue khakis that get more looks than the red ones do. You wouldn't think that would be.

Everything on the list can be worn well, of course. Pocket squares per se are not a red flag, but ugly or weirdly obtrusive ones are. Insouciant or beautiful pocket handkerchiefs in tune with the rest of the outfit are beyond criticism.

Pocket squares, like hats, seem to be getting way more popular. This means that many men with no sense of style are starting to use them, often folded into fussy geometric shapes. This is a major red flag.

I suggest that red flag clothing demonstrates a lack of context - it is in harmony neither with the rest of the clothes or with the wearer's milieu. Thus, the 30 year old with the bright red pants and the schlubby jacket in the stereo store looks odd; the older man wearing the same pants at a garden party looks great.