Category Archives: Style

@Baron’s Take on ‘Tailored Contemporary Casual’

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baron elevated basics tailored contemporary casual styleforum

It’s rare that long-time member @Baron posts a photo in our WAYWT threads, but in this case the quality makes up for the infrequency. I love outfits like these that blend contemporary brands with a sharper, tailored look; all the more impressive considering the cut of the oversized shirt worn as outerwear. I suppose I could go on, and refer to a style like this as ‘tailored contemporary casual’ in true internet speak, but instead I’ll leave @Baron to tell us more about what he’s wearing:

I bought the shirt and trousers from NMWA. I’m a big fan of the store and their whole aesthetic, especially the Japanese and Korean brands. I mentioned in my WAYWT post that I took inspiration from the recent editorial they published, styled by Antonio from Eidos. That shoot was in my sweet spot. I realized I could do a few of those looks with things already in my closet. Some new, some old or vintage.

I’ve bought several pieces from the store over the years – I try to find things that are versatile and easy to wear in a variety of contexts. Elevated basics, I guess, to use a #menswear cliche. The shirt is a band collar flannel from Document. The fabric is unusually dense and textural for flannel, and the band collar is in a heavy oxford cloth. The pants are from Scye, pleated and slightly cropped, in a slubby olive cotton. I really love the pants – they’re “overbuilt” with a few unusual details. Scye seems to be influenced by traditional English tailoring, from what I can gather online, and you can see that influence in the waistband and fly construction.

The over-shirt is from this season’s Uniqlo U/Lemaire collection. I’ve picked up things from this collection for a few seasons running now. This shirt didn’t catch my eye online, but I saw it in store and I really liked the boxy cut, the heavy flannel and deep indigo color, the interior pockets. The shoes are Loake Camdens. They’re desert boots, more or less, which I’ve been wearing since I was a kid, but they have the structure and welt of a regular English dress shoe.

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A Talk with Ian Segal of Nine Lives Clothing

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If you haven’t heard of Tokyo-based brand Nine Lives clothing, you’ve been missing out. Their line of high quality denim, cutsews, and heavy outerwear is produced in Japan, and combines the quality and material know-how of a heritage brand with the razor-sharp edge of Japan’s v-kei and mod scene; all of it seen through 9L’s particular, ‘piratical’ lens. If you’ve been looking for a new rider’s jacket, a sashiko-embellished varsity-jacket-turned-chesterfield, or beautifully realized jacquard-weave flannel shirts, you’ve come to the right place.

I spoke to Ian Segal, who’s approximately one half – the American half – of the operation, and asked him about the brand, about his clothing, and about how he went from being a poetry editor in New York to making rock ‘n roll clothes on the other side of the world. 

Jasper Lipton:  How did you end up in Japan in the first place, after working as – correct me if I’m wrong – a poetry editor for the New Yorker? Which is also awesome.

Ian Segal: It was fun. Yeah, I always say I was a Lehman Shock baby. I graduated into the maelstrom there, and I took a consulting job in LA to get home – my dad was sick, so I wanted to be close to home. When the market looked like it was turning, I headed back East, as that was still where it seemed I had to be to build a career. I was making electric guitars – shittily, I might add – in my girlfriend’s basement in central New Jersey while I was applying for jobs, and in the same week I ended up interviewing at the distressed debt desk at Merril Lynch and the assistant poetry editor position at the magazine. While I was in the Merril interview – and mind you these buildings were directly adjacent to each other; Condé Nast was in what’s now the H&M building. So the same week, I go in for these diametrically opposed job interviews, and the Volcker rule was announced while I was doing the Merril Lynch interview, which more or less iced the job opening.

I mean, I was happy to have Obama win the Presidency, but he was sort of surreally speaking through the television while I’m in the middle of the interview, and everyone was sitting there a little dumbstruck as to what we were all still doing having the conversation. So I ended up at the new Yorker, and that was really fun – did it for about a year and a half and met basically all the people I wanted to meet, in terms of meeting all my heroes. It was an honor to do it. But I was young – I was 25, maybe, and I’d have these experiences where I’d go to parties and people would be like “Oh, you’re the New Yorker guy,” and I was like “No, I’m Ian.” Have you done any New York living?

JL: I’ve been around a little bit, yeah.

ian segal nine lives clothing styleforum nine lives brand

Kotaro and Ian of Nine Lives

IS: The thing about New York, in contrast to LA – and this is an LA partisan thing to say – is that New York is a renter’s city, and LA is a homesteader’s city. There’s this idea in New York that there are all these great jobs, all this great opportunity, but there’s always a line of 100 people to jump into that position behind you. You’re still a cog – you’re maybe a beautiful cog, and it’s an honor and a privilege to be a cog in that industry, but nevertheless you’re a cog. Whereas to me, LA still has a little bit of the – you can go and build your own fuckin’ life.

So anyway, after about a year and a half at the New Yorker I realized that everybody was either only there for a year and a half or two, or they were lifers. And it’s one thing to be a lifer there if you’re coming in as a journalist and you’re 35, and you’re like, “This is it, pinnacle of journalism, I’m gonna do this,” but the idea that you’re gonna be a lifer as a poetry editor is sort of an oxymoron to begin with, and I just was like…I just needed to do my own shit.

So very randomly I was given a job doing real estate, like, asset management and finance stuff in Tokyo – that was 2011 – so then I came over here, and I was doing that for a little while. It wasn’t a very good gig, but I didn’t really have enough money to get home, and I didn’t really want to come home with my tail between my legs just totally flamed out on something. So I was just in a holding pattern.

I went out to dinner with an acquaintance of mine, who I’d met through Josh Warner, of Good Art Hollywood; he was a Japanese designer and we went for drinks, and he was asking what he could do to do a little better in the States, and in the West. We were a little tipsy, and I was like, “Here’s an idea for a brand, here’s what you have to do,” because I thought he was a good designer and that the product he was making was really nice, it was just – very Japanese. Very Tokyo mod. And you know, I’m a half-Irish, half-Jewish kid from LA, so sarcasm’s my first language, and Japan’s a very earnest country that doesn’t really understand sarcasm, so he was just like “Great! Let’s do it!” and I said “Great!” and the next day I had pretty much forgotten about it, and he was like “Oh, I’ve opened an account and we have production meetings next week.”

[Laughs]

IS: Yeah, so I just said ‘Fuck it.’

JL: Nice.

IS: Yeah, and that’s it. That was 2015. And this guy, he was doing his own brand called ‘Cruce,’ and it was very – well, it was connected to the visual kei world, right? So I met this guy originally through Josh, but it was actually through Die, from Dir en Grey, that I actually ended up following him, so Die was a sort of a casual acquaintance of mine, and Die wore a lot of this guy’s brand. I saw him posting about it on some – I don’t know – but I was like ‘Oh, I’ll go take a look.’

JL: That’s kinda wild. Were you, like, a clothing guy beforehand? I feel like landing in Tokyo, and then your first interaction with the clothing business is some guy’s visual kei brand, that might be kind of overwhelming.

IS: Yeah. So, my cousin, when I was younger, owned a clothing company. And so when I was in middle school, without really knowing it, there was a lot of osmotic exposure to clothing, because we’d just go and hang out, and I just ended up spending hours walking the racks. I mean, I didn’t pay heed at the time – I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t anything that lasted – but what did last was that my cousin became very good friends with Josh Warner of Good Art, and so it was through my cousin that I ended up becoming very close with Josh, and it was through Josh that I met Kotaro. So that’s the whole daisy chain.

JL: So, Good Art seems much more in line with what Nine Lives is, currently.

IS: Yeah, I mean, that’s certainly got to be a part of it; it’s gotta be partially the air we breathe, and partially because I’ve known Josh since I was, what, fourteen or something. He’s family now. One thing I’ll say is that Nine Lives as a name was actually partially inspired by Good Art – I love Good Art as a name because of its vacuity.

JL: Right.

IS: And I mean I tell this to Josh, I love it because it’s so empty. It’s almost a meaningless shell that you have to backfill – this is the product and this is what it is – and that informed picking ‘Nine Lives,’ because Nine Lives is kind of a generic name. I’m sure that there are a thousand brands and, y’know, projects in the universe – not to mention, apparently, a terrible movie a couple of years ago –

JL: Yeah, that comes up a lot on Google.

IS: Nine Lives, it’s a cliché. And it was picked slightly for that reason – I liked the idea of picking something that, y’know, it’s not that it sounds bad, it’s fine; it has on a literal level a sense of the varied life and various energies that are being brought to the project, but in a sort of literal sense is trite, and is not that memorable, and people have to focus on product and have to actually see what it is for that name to take on life and take on meaning.

That’s actually a terrible business decision. I don’t know that any marketing MBA would tell you that was the right move. But that’s probably where I share DNA with Josh; a little bit of the punk rock, fuck you, I’m not gonna do it by your rules.

ian segal nine lives clothing styleforum nine lives brand

JL: ‘Zen as fuck,’ I think your website says, which also seems like an oxymoron. There’s also something a little bit of Baudelaire, of the flaneur, especially when you link it to clothing – but then it’s, like, a cat thing, and you guys are into coyotes. So where do the coyotes come from?

IS: So that’s one of the funny things. Yeah, I like animals – I mean, cats are fine. But Kotaro and I are very much dog people, and we basically started the whole project and were eventually, like, “Ehhh, I don’t know, we’re not the ‘cat guys,’ we gotta push against that.” So I thought, okay, what’s a really weird, cracked thing? And I said, “Coyotes have nine lives.” And that’s – we had a dog living with us that wandered in off the street when I was eleven, and was with us until he died twelve years later, and the legend was that he was half coyote. He certainly looked it. He was a feral, noble, prince of a mutt.

It sort of dovetails, because I have one line of poetry that’s sort of deliberately a purple prose line, and it says ‘Glinting mongrel in a dying land,’ and we ran with that line, and have adopted the coyote. You’ll see it a little more – this winter, we’re doing a little more Americana, whereas last spring was this pop horror, Lovecraftian Jurassic Park response to the Trump. This collection is a little bit more going into shadow country, and doing some more mod Americana.

I don’t love putting our brand name on stuff, and that sort of speaks to the ‘Zen as fuck’ line; y’know, even when stuff is more pugilistic and strong, I still hope that there’s a certain degree of minimalism, and it’s obviously not that branded – and we’re not really making money by selling a brand. So there’s an essentialism to it, and because of that I always feel funny making a t-shirt that actually says ‘Nine Lives.’ We did it that first time, because we just kind of didn’t know what we were doing, and now we’ve finally managed to be making a full collection where we’re excited about everything – from the crazy outerwear down to the t-shirts – we feel like we’ve hit our stride. In that context, well, okay, we still want to do some printed t-shirts, we want to do a remake of a 70’s nylon Kawasaki long-sleeve jersey. And it can’t say “Kawasaki,” so we won’t put that on there, but I don’t want it to say Nine Lives, so we’re gonna use ‘mongrel.’ So that’s what we’re using in place of the brand name when we want to do text.

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Incorporating Vintage Menswear Silhouettes

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After my last article detailing the differences of suit silhouettes from past eras, I thought that it would be helpful to offer some advice on how to mix pieces from different eras and incorporate vintage menswear silhouettes into your wardrobe. It’s something that I’ve done for the past few years as a lot of my wardrobe was thrifted, found on eBay, or purchased from a vintage store.  Be sure to look at my guide to thrifting as well!

The first thing that I take a look at are the shoulders, which in turn usually points toward the structure of a jacket.  Each era of menswear has a different treatment of a shoulder, which corresponds directly to the overall silhouette. Broad, padded shoulders usually requires a wider, fuller pant leg while natural, narrow shoulders can work with a slim trouser.  Interestingly enough, this reflects the 30’s and the 60’s respectively as well as contemporary tailoring styles around the world.  You wouldn’t wear a structured British jacket with a slim chinos, would you?  Probably not.  It just so happens that soft jacketing is how tailoring has moved in recent time, so anything soft or unstructured (from the 1960s especially) would definitely work well today.  

The next thing I look at is length and buttoning point.  Like shoulders, each era had their own treatment too.  Typically jackets with a “classic buttoning point” (with the last button on the pocket line) lead to a classic and versatile proportions.  Jackets that have a low buttoning point usually have a longer body and will look much more dated.  Suits and jackets from the 1930’s and 1960’s are the best and creating this aesthetic and can be worn with most contemporary pieces, while other “bold eras” like the 1940s-50s and the 1970-90s are much too out of place.  Obviously 1920’s and earlier jackets were designed to be slightly edwardian and have an exceedingly antiquated look to apply today.  

Fabric also plays an important part.  It’s important to remember that looming technology has changed significantly since the 1920’s, which is why older vintage clothing has a certain weight and texture to it when compared to contemporary fabrics.  To make them work today, I find that it’s best to combine vintage garments with similarly weighted and textured garments like flannels, tweeds, and brushed cottons.  Try to avoid novelty fabrics like sharkskin, since they’re hard to pair.  Personally, I find that most vintage garments looks quite odd when worn with super fine worsteds. Patterns will definitely play a part, as old fabrics will usually have some heavy striping or checks, so it’s best not to over do it.  Grey flannel trousers will usually be your best friend when wearing a vintage jackets, though creams, navy blues, and browns can help too.

Lastly, the main way to pull off vintage garments is to style them classically.  Usually the jacket (or suit) is the star of the outfit, so it’s best to keep everything else toned down.  Resist the urge to “complete” the vintage look with bowties or skinny 60’s ties.  Wearing normal striped shirts with repps and foulards is what I always recommend to people, since it’s inoffensive and classic enough to not look like a costume.   Obviously you can mess around with details like collar lengths (like rolled OCBDs or long point collars) or accessories (like a collar bar/pin) but I find it best to keep things simple, especially if you don’t normally wear vintage garments.

As I’ve written before, buying vintage is not only a way to save money on a quality garment but it’s also a great method to add some statement pieces into your wardrobe. Most people avoid vintage since they assume it’s too costumey and aren’t sure how to style it.  I’d like to think that this article helps put a different spin on vintage pieces and while they are a little quirky when compared to contemporary garments, they still have a great place in a classic menswear wardrobe.  

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How to Style an Overshirt, with Erik Mannby

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how to style an overshirt styleforum erik mannby overshirt

Overshirts, or ‘shackets’ – as our friend Kyle refers to them –  are often the province of casual-wear. Leave it to Erik Mannby, friend of Styleforum and editor of Plaza Uomo, to make the garment shine in a semi-tailored context. In this case, the added length of the overshirt helps balance out the proportions of the outfit. You might call it cheating, and if we’re being honest it’s about the same length as a short jacket, but as far as I’m aware there’s no universally agreed-upon length for an overshirt, so in my mind it’s fair game. Beneath that, the outfit is a well-considered blend of autumn textures, noticeable largely because of the light colors. Many of us – myself included – gravitate towards darker tones once the days begin to grow shorter, but I like the use of the cream cardigan in particular. Also worth noting is the brown tie which, as the sole point of saturation outside the overshirt, stands out in a good way and looks very nice against the striped shirt. I find it difficult to wear shawl-collar cardigans as a mid-layer, but again, I like the way it’s done here. Erik has really mastered the slim-but-comfortable silhouette, and it’s nice to see layering that doesn’t get bulky.

We haven’t addressed the best accessory, which is of course the puppy. Experts have long known that dogs make an excellent counterpart to a good outfit, and Mr. Mannby has perhaps found the ideal complement to his autumn tones in a dark-haired companion. The sheen of the fur goes well with the overshirt, and the tiny, adorable nose adds some welcome gloss to an otherwise matte ensemble.

 

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What’s so Great About Tweed?

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This article originally appeared on Styleforum in 2015.

Words and pictures by Ian Anderson

I have mixed feelings about tweed. This standard-bearer for autumnal fabrics does not fill me with excitement, like it does for so many on Styleforum; rather, I can’t help but feel a bit put off by the sight of it. I could pretend that this ambivalence stems from the fabric’s rough texture, loud patterns, or stuffy Ivy-style connotations, but that would be a lie. My struggles with tweed comes from the fact that I simply can’t wear it – the weather in San Francisco is just too mild to require something so warm, and that alone fills my sunny autumns with deep pangs of jealousy.

Since I rarely enjoy tweed the traditional way – by wearing it – I find myself getting my fix in any way I can. I pore over vintage photographs, run my hands over the old tweeds in thrift stores, and watch documentaries on the history of the textile. These substitutes may not replace the real thing, but they are less sweaty than wearing tweed in the sun. Moreover, they’ve given me a lot of time to think about how I would wear tweed if I had the opportunity.

As many members of this forum will know, tweed is a woolen textile known for its hearty texture, earthen color palate, and British heritage. The fabric’s warmth, texture, and rich patterns and colors make it ideal for the cooler months. Tweed can be found in many forms – suits, hats, luggage, and more – but the quintessential item is the sportcoat. From fox hunting in Ireland to the Fall semester curriculum at Ivy League institutions, this item has become the go-to garment for tweed novices and experts alike.

What's so Great About Tweed? styleforum tweed

Tweed jackets can come in a variety of forms, but I feel that the best ones are those that stay true to their classic iteration. Flap pockets, soft shoulders, center vents, leather buttons, and so forth are all design details that suit the fabric well. As for colors and patterns, the options are extremely vast. There are classics like herringbones, twills, and donegal tweeds, as well as checks, plaids, and tartans. All of these can generally be found in an assortment of dusty browns, mossy greens, and other earthen colors. Tweed can be as bold or as muted as you’d like, so take the time to find a fabric that suits you.

Wearing a tweed jacket is not difficult – assuming the weather is cooperating – as long as it is paired with other pieces that play well alongside its heft. The safest bet is to wear tweed with other hearty or textured fabrics. For instance, a tweed sportcoat will pair wonderfully with flannel, moleskin, and even denim (although purists may disagree). With regards to footwear, the same thoughts apply – leave the chiseled oxfords in the closet, and instead reach for suede bluchers, wingtip boots, cordovan longwings, or even a Norwegian split toe if you’re feeling adventurous.

What's so Great About Tweed? styleforum tweed
Tweed and leather: a perfect cool-weather combination

When looking for an off-the rack tweed jacket, the best options are typically from the trad-leaning retailers – stores like J. Press, Brooks Brothers, Southwick, O’Connell’s, Polo Ralph Lauren, and even J. Crew typically have a few pieces to choose from every Fall season. Even so, the incredible durability of tweed and the steadfast nature of its style makes it a fantastic candidate for thrift shopping. Any solid secondhand store will likely have a hearty selection of vintage tweeds worth looking at.

If you have interest in going the custom or bespoke route, there are many British mills that produce exceptional tweeds in cut lengths. Harris Tweed from the Outer Hebrides may be the gold standard, but there are many more options available. For instance, Molloy & Sons is a small two-man operation out of Donegal, Ireland that specializes in the tweed named after the region. Other British mills like Holland & Sherry, Moon Mills, and more will always carry a robust selection. Lastly, cloth merchants like Harrison’s (which owns W. Bill, Porter & Harding, and more) will have a variety of tweeds available.

Looking ahead, I anticipate that this autumn will be as bleak as the ones before it – full of sunshine and temperatures in the low seventies. For those of you preparing to enter a season of crisp morning air and crunchy fallen leaves, don’t waste a moment of it. Hold your tweeds close and use them often. Wear them with frayed oxford cloth shirts, flannel and denim, and your favorite pair of country boots. Whether you’re planning on hunting red grouse, teaching an undergraduate course on Shakespeare, or just keeping the fall chill at bay, your tweed jacket will be an ideal companion.

Embracing The Styleforum Uniform, with @jcmeyer

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The Styleforum uniform security guard look styleforum jcmeyer

Ah, the Styleforum Uniform, affectionately (and sometimes mockingly) referred to as “The Security Guard Look.” At its core, it comprises a navy jacket and grey (or neutral) trousers, with the option of rotating a wide range of colors and styles of footwear, neckwear, jacket silhouettes, and other accoutrements. In this case, @jcmeyer has opted for a trouser that tends towards ‘oatmeal’ in coloration, which helps to take away some of the flatness that pure grey can bring to an outfit. It’s a nice touch, and offers a pleasant depth of color. The tie is a good choice as well, as it’s fall-friendly without being costume-y, and finally, take a look at that collar roll! Finished off with a pair of brown suede chukkas, this is one of the most versatile combinations you can have in your wardrobe. All that remains for you to do is nail the fit and finish of each item – easier said then done, but you can see how much of a difference it makes.

Here’s what @jcmeyer has to say about his take on the Styleforum Uniform:

“I probably do some version of the security guard every week or two. It’s especially good for a few reasons: 

  • one, it takes very little brain power to put a successful combo together with this as the base, which is especially nice now that I don’t get to sleep through the night with an infant in the next room
  • two, it’s akin to a grey or navy suit in that it’s basically invisible to people at the office – in other words you could wear it just about every day and no one would really notice
  • and three, it allows for easy, nearly infinite, variations by accommodating a wide range of ties, shoes, and shirts (collar styles too) and it also gives you the option to change the color of the trousers to oatmeal (like in the pic), tan, and even subdued patterns

As for how to make it distinct, I kinda have to dodge the question by the nature of what I said in my second point above. To me the best part about this look is that it isn’t distinct. Fit and the quality of the items/fabric is going to make you feel good about it, and maybe a few people will notice that, consciously or otherwise, but in the end the best thing is that you blend in. For those of us who wear #menswear to work, that’s actually pretty important!”

Now, the relevance of that last point will of course depend on your job and lifestyle, but I’m not sure I completely agree with @jcmeyer’s impression of the results – buddy, if you didn’t want to stand out, you shouldn’t have done such a good job.

Developing Personal Style with @eddiemczee

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You may remember Styleforum member @eddiemczee from a recent post on white denim, but as usual, there’s more to his story. Today, this CM member tells us how he first decided to upgrade his wardrobe, describes the pitfalls he experienced along the way, and reveals his secret to developing personal style.
My descent down the menswear rabbit hole begins with an umbrella.
In 2009, I received my first-ever Christmas bonus. It was also raining a ton and I needed a new umbrella. So instead of saving the money for a figurative rainy day, I decided to go all out on an actual one. I Googled “best umbrella” and after reading a few articles, settled on a Brigg. I knew nothing about the brand other that they had been around for a long time, so I hoped for the best.
When I received it, I discovered that “best” was an understatement. This umbrella became the nicest thing I owned. Made from a continuous piece of maple wood, the umbrella was both stylish and durable. Most important, it felt good to hold.
After that umbrella, the rest of my wardrobe paled in comparison. My closet consisted of cheap dress shirts, ill fitting pants, and squared toe shoes. I wanted to upgrade all my clothes.
I started to follow a lot of menswear blogs where I learned more about fit and construction. I discovered new brands and stores that I had never known about. Soon after, I found Styleforum.
My first Styleforum experience wasn’t on the forum. It was the 10th anniversary party in San Francisco.  At the event, I met Fok and a lot of the affiliate vendors like Epaulet and The Hanger Project. I also made quite a few friends. Afterwards, I made an account and kicked off my forum career with this brilliant thread:
developing personal style styleforum eddiemczee

I actually got helpful advice.

For a long time, I only posted in the Epaulet affiliate thread. I loved the brand and would get excited to see what Mike and Adele were up to next. It also helped that everyone who posted there was super friendly.
As I developed my style, I made some great decisions, but plenty of terrible ones too. My biggest mistake was not focusing on the fundamentals first. I tended to buy things that I thought looked interesting and were on sale. I had a small collection of loud, plaid sport coats but no navy blazer. Without a solid foundation, I created an incohesive closet that made it hard to get dressed.
developing personal style styleforum eddiemczee

When a #menswear closet throws up on you.

After spending way too much on clothes, I stopped buying things for a while and looked through my closet.  Out of all the many, scattered purchases, there were quite a few gems. Items that evoked the same feeling of excitement I had felt when I first bought my Brigg umbrella.
I started to sell a ton of things. As I went through my closet, I used my umbrella as my litmus test. Did this item feel as good as my umbrella did? I was performing the Konmari method before there was a Konmari method. (On a side note: it looks like I missed an opportunity to write a book on this).
developing personal style styleforum eddiemczee

Umbrella still going strong, eight years later.

By 2015, my closet was shrinking more that it was growing. Getting rid of clothes actually helped me hone my style more than any thread I could read. I was able to distill my unwieldy collection of clothes into curated wardrobe of items I loved. Things like a loden tweed sports coat, pebble grain dress boots, and of course, my Brigg umbrella.
The interesting thing was that all these pieces that I kept looked great when worn together. Turns out that I had figured out my personal style – I only had to get rid of the noise that was obscuring it. On the weekdays, I like to wear tailored clothing with sports coats to work. I spend my weekends in workwear and leather jackets. Sometimes I’ll even wear jeans with a sport coat!
Photo 4:
developing personal style styleforum eddiemczee

Current style.

I still browse online stores and read menswear blogs. When I buy clothes now though, I try to only buy things that fill in gaps or upgrade something I already have. I’m much more excited to wear what I already have and develop beautiful patinas.
Styleforum is a great place for a person in any stage of their menswear journey to come and hang out. I’ve since ventured out of my favorite affiliate threads and have even posted some WAYWT pics. I’ve made some good friends through the board and even in real life. A big shout out to Gus for planning all the San Francisco meetups.
Currently, I’ve been taking a ton of inspiration from posters in the WAYWT threads. My current favorite posters include Mossrocks, FrankCowperwood, StanleyVanBuren, and Gerry Nelson. Not only do they all have great style, but also their posts aren’t an endless parade of new items they bought. Instead, I’ll see them all re-wear their favorite garments over and over as we all should.
It’s fun (and expensive) to buy new clothes. But for me, I’m trying to enjoy what I have now versus what I want to get next.

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How to Style a Corduroy Sportcoat with @thefoxtooth

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How to Style a Corduroy Sportcoat styleforum

 

Ok, so maybe you don’t have the hair. Or the mustache. Or the musical skill. Or the cat. However, don’t let that stop you from dressing like you do. This week, @thefoxtooth offers up some fantastic autumn inspiration while showing us how to style a corduroy sportcoat, and also gives us a good reason to consider joining the Streetwear and Denim Wes Anderson Challenge.

Corduroy, like flannel, is a fantastic autumn fabric, and earth tones and neutrals make it easy to work into your wardrobe in both tailored and casual contexts. Here, thefoxtooth is wearing his corduroy sport coat with a pair of washed jeans, although the same jacket could certainly be worn with trousers – perhaps a sage green. Similarly, I can imagine the shoes being traded out for a pair of boots – western in style to go with the guitar, or even a country brogue for a slightly different take on the same outfit.

Anyway, the whole thing is awesome, and I really like that thefoxtooth is using corduroy in a way that doesn’t connote ivy-covered brick buildings. I’m sure we’ll start seeing more corduroy as the weather continues to change, so keep this in the back of your mind when you’re working your pieces into regular rotation.

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Gus’ Guide to Casual Autumn Style

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I always look forward to the change in wardrobe that comes with cooler weather and the colors of autumn. Fall is the time to enjoy plush corduroy, cavalry twill, moleskin, rich tweeds, heavy flannels and deep-colored suedes and leathers. Whether your personal style is modern or classic, great fall menswear allows you mix and match fabrics, neutrals and earth tones with very little effort required to put together great seasonal looks. The following are some of my seasonal favorites to combine with year-round staples for comfort and casual autumn style.

Quilted Vest

Casual Autumn Style styleforum

Worn with any shirt or sweater and paired with jeans or corduroys, a quilted vest projects an air of warm nonchalance. This isn’t the tailored vest look of your three-piece suit. Instead, the quilted vest has a country pedigree that is ideal for travel, football games or a visit to your favorite café on a chilly morning. It is an ideal transitional garment from cool to cold weather – so when winter arrives, it also becomes a practical layering piece worn under your favorite coat. A few of my favorites are the green Barbour Waxed Cotton Vest at Sierra Trading Post ($179), Parisian label Kitsune’s quilted grey herringbone tweed vest ($399) and Paul Stuart’s quilted, down filled, dark brown leather vest with a wool lining($1,487). And my favorite? These exclusive Monitaly quilted vests, shown above, $365 at No Man Walks Alone. Perfect with cords, jeans and a chambray shirt for your next craft beer tasting event. Any of these will serve you well for years to come.

Donegal and Fair Isle Socks

Casual Autumn Style styleforum

Paired with your favorite boots, moccasins, or LL Bean Hunting boots, thick wool and alpaca or mohair-blend socks are guaranteed to keep you warm. Donegal flecks or Fair Isle patterns add autumnal color to your wardrobe, and no one will confuse these with your typical dress socks. My favorites for many years have been from the British mill Scott-Nichol where they know a thing or two about avoiding chilly feet. An excellent source is O’Connell’s in Buffalo, NY, which carries several brands including Scott- Nichol ($28-$35). Paul Stuart also offers Donegal socks and a heavy wool mohair blend in rich fall colors ($42.50).

Brown Rubber-Soled Shoes

Casual Autumn Style styleforum
For casual comfort and classic fall style it’s hard to beat a pair of dark brown chukkas or derbies with a substantial rubber sole. My favorites have Dainite, Ridgeway or similar style rubber soles originally intended for field use but are equally practical in urban settings especially in rain and snow. You can dress them up with a tweed jacket or corduroy suit, and they will always look great with your favorite leather jacket. I take a pair on fall and winter trips to battle the cobblestoned streets of London or Paris, and with silicon waterproofing, suede is as weatherproof as anything out there. Take a look at the Paraboot Chambord Tex Gringo ($511) at Unionmade and Heschung Ebene Leather Derby ($485) at Mr. Porter. Or, for an altogether lighter look and modern aesthetic, check out Bontoni’s brown leather sneaker ($595) at Wilkes Bashford.

Scarf

Casual Autumn Style styleforum

A scarf isn’t only practical for warmth; it also offers an opportunity to add an accent of color or texture. A few of my favorites for fall are simple herringbone patterns or multicolored prints in burgundy, purple or a muted “paprika” color. But it’s also nice to have at least one colorful mixed print. For casual style avoid shiny silks and reserve those for formal business attire. My favorite expressive scarves seem to come from the Italian brand Etro ($270), which is available at Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus. There are also more whimsical options such as the Drakes London animal print scarves($470) at Barneys or 19 Andrea’s 47 colorful prints (GBP295) from Exquisite Trimmings.

Fair Isle Sweater 

Casual Autumn Style styleforum
You probably already have plenty of solid navy and grey in your wardrobe so why not add some pattern? Popularized by the Duke of Windsor, Fair Isle sweaters originated on the tiny Shetland Islands and are a cold weather favorite. My wife grew up on the Islands and has fond memories of local women hand knitting these colorful sweaters, gloves and hats. Their distinctive rows of multi-colored geometric patterns add punch to Fall’s typical, muted solids. There are many copies, but to be a true Fair Isle it must be knit on the Shetland Islands, as is this one by Jamieson’s ($195), available from No Man Walks Alone.

Knit Ribbed Hat 

Casual Autumn Style styleforum

A classic fisherman’s knit ribbed hat seems to make any guy look bit more manly. I especially like the look of this Donegal tweed example in navy wool and cashmere by Inis Meain ($100) at No Man Walks Alone. For those who like cotton, try the black indigo dyed watch cap from RRL ($85).

This article was originally published on Styleforum.net in 2015

Dressing Well When You’re Tall

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CM regular and well-dressed dude @Chocsosa is 6’8, which you may remember from his member focus. We asked him to share some of his tips for dressing well when you’re tall, and he obliged with both personal insights and some good rules to follow.

Starting out trying to build a functioning wardrobe of your dreams is not for the faint of heart. That is one of the first things I came to realize when I started this journey 15 years ago. Of course, things were very different for me then. Information was not as free flowing as it is now in relation to the nexus of style and quality.

I made a lot of mistakes early on trying to figure out what worked for me. To be honest, I’m glad I made those mistakes, because it was a journey I needed to take to figure out who I wanted to be. I know that it sounds very cliché but it’s interesting right now that I look and certain looks and think to myself: “You know, that looks good, but that’s not for me. It’s not something I would want to wear for myself.”

It takes time to get there. However, when you do get there, to me it’s sartorial nirvana. You are comfortable in whatever you are in because it works for who you are – and in the process, you save yourself money. For me, it was a relief to figure out what worked for me and dress down my height as much as possible. I know, tall people problems. However, this is something I struggled with for a very long time.

Measurements

it’s hard for tall people. I would trade my height in right now for something shorter if I could, because it’s more of a deterrent than a help. Cars are never big enough, long flights are always a pain, stares can be annoying, and clothing can be a lesson in futility if you don’t know what you are doing.

First thing I suggest is really know your body in terms of measurements. My brother in law will run purchases by me from time to time. He does not know the intricacies of online shopping, so he will see a blazer in his supposed ‘size’ and he will purchase it. The said blazer arrives and it is either too tight or too big all over. He is learning that every label has their interpretation of varied sizes and the only way to navigate that craziness is to really know your measurements and check the listed measurements being sold online (whether on Ebay or an online site for a label). If a seller does not put measurements then I ain’t buying. That mantra has saved me money the last couple of years.

The Financial Investment 

Saving money is a wonderful thing, but understand that with height come certain financial realities. I love a deal when I get my hands on one, but I also understand that most of those deals are not for people of my size. It kills me to scour Ebay to see something in my size and then look at the measurements and see that the inseam is nowhere near what I need it to be to work.

Never compromise on this. I promise you that you will regret it. With that out of the way, you must understand (if you are really tall, like over 6’3), a lot of the time you are going to have to pay the price on a NWT item. I have a 38-inch inseam and I love me some cuffs on my pants. This means I must find a pair of pants with an inseam of 44 inches. Do you know how hard that is? I will rarely get that with a pre-owned item. That’s why I thank my lucky stars for Ebay. I may not buy a lot of pre-owned items, but I am able to get a high end RTW item at a huge discount versus going into a store and trying to purchase them. When I do find a pre-owned item that’s within the parameters of an acceptable fit, then I have my tailor work on it to make it work for me.

Tailors and Tailoring

Knowing what you want out of tailoring and having an awesome tailor is key. My size presents a whole host of issues when it comes to tailoring and tailors in general. I’m 6’8. I have broad shoulders and a somewhat barrel chest. I have a 9 inch drop and long limbs.

When I was searching for potential tailors it was tough, because I had tailors trying to force their view on how something should fit on me which would go against what I saw for myself. You have to stand your ground and tell them that they can either help you achieve what you are looking for (as long as it’s do-able and in somewhat good taste) or that you’ll keep looking. However, you also have to understand the boundaries of tailoring for your height. My tailor always says it’s better to take in than to let out. What this means is I have been able to re-cut a suit from a size or two up down to my size, but it’s virtually impossible to take a suit from a smaller size to make it a size bigger.

Silhouette

Silhouette has also played a huge role in what I look for in clothing. The silhouette that I go for differs between what kind of clothing I am looking at, but each article of clothing I pick has to look the way I want it to look for myself. Suits/sports coats are usually a mixture for me. For the most part I am partial to a structured look (strong shoulders, built up chest and nipped waist) but, when it comes to sports coats, that can differ. Soft or structured does not matter as long as it works for my body.

When I am looking at outerwear pieces, then that’s pretty simple. I like a higher armhole and a slim profile. The main problem I run into is sleeve length, and that’s where patience becomes a virtue in the search for something that fits. A short jacket does no favors for a tall guy, but a long jacket can make a fit look a little less contemporary. So I always try to find the middle ground when it comes to jacket length. I also favor a slightly lower button stance. I think with a somewhat longer jacket it can do wonders for a tall frame.

It really comes down to how you want to build your wardrobe. Your mental image of the tall person you’re trying to bring to life should encompass your personality, your emotions, and how you see yourself. You have to keep in mind, however, that it’s a journey, and you are going to make some costly mistakes along the way. If you are committed you will eventually get where you want to be with your wardrobe. That’s been true for me, and I am still learning something new all the time.