I wear my odd vests (all of which were made for me -- I do not have any OTR) both with suits and sportcoats. I don't wear them between May and September, however, just because they are too warm. If they are "costumey", I cannot imagine what of?

The problem as I see it is that some of these people seem to think they're on some sort of sartorial crusade, that they have some sort of "standard" of dress to maintain, that's fine, what they unfortunately don't realise is that the standards have moved or in some cases no longer exist. There is also some belief that men actually enjoyed dressing in that way, ignoring the fact that they probably HAD to dress that way as opposed to WANTING to dress that way. Basically it was a UNIFORM. Clothing was once used as a class signifier and I think some have picked up on this, now that we live in a more democratic age some men still want to be elitist and one way to do this, in fact an easy way to do this is through clothes This comes through in the way they write and in the language they use. Many also cling to the rules of more "elegant" era because rather ironically they haven't got a clue how to dress and I think this gets to the heart of the matter, they cling to the rules because it easier to copy than to originate, some men just feel safer operating within the confines of the "rules" even if these are outmoded, whereas others are more happy to "trail blaze" whereas other still just want to dress "appropriately" for their current audience.

Since some are quite fond of quoting from obscure, unread novelists. Here's one...

'...Never in your dress altogether desert that taste which is GENERAL. The world considers eccentricity in great things, genius; in small things, folly...'

From “Pelham: Or the Adventures of a Gentleman”
By Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1828

Emphasis mine.

Last edited by yachtie (2008-06-16 21:43:54)

When does style become costume ?

If it is not retro it is not costume. So all the new fashions were never costumes, though they may have been said to be uniforms.

Is there anything wrong with costume ? Not really if they are happy with it. You could make a case for hats on practical and  aesthetic grounds. So I give Fedora Lounge some slack for that. It is not for me because I would not want the attention it generates.

^ And that's the trick - Reference the past, but remember that this is 2008, not 1924, not 1958, etc.

Last edited by Alex Roest (2008-06-18 07:41:38)

I had never heard of Phillipe Noiret. I had to google him.

You intellectuals and your French films.