Category Archives: News – Musings

Clothing and Memory: What Makes a Garment Special?

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Can you think of a piece of clothing or an accessory that has a special place in your memory? Oftentimes, we consider clothing as one part of the various paraphernalia that fills our lives and we don’t give it much importance. The truth is – and I’m not proclaiming groundbreaking news – life is filled with lots of small things. 

There may be events that mark major changes and phases in our existence – an educational degree, a new job, the loss of a loved one, a marriage, a child – and any other smaller occurrence is inevitably located “before” or “after” such events. However, I think of these moments as if they were painted in black and white, and that they acquire vividness only after we color them with those small things that we so often neglect.

Clothing and Memory

My graduation day

The day of my graduation wouldn’t be such a sweet memory if I didn’t fill my mind with the smell of the beautiful flowers my parents handed me when I finished defending my thesis; one of the first memories I have after moving to the United States is the burst of flavor of the glaze coating my very first yeast donut; when I think of my last trip to Florence, I remember with a shiver of pleasure the feeling of raindrops running over my lips and down my neck when a shower surprised me.

Clothing falls into this category of apparently trivial details that give color to our lives and make memory a comfortable (and sometimes dreadful) place to be.

Perhaps the most influential piece of clothing I owned was a simple white shirt that my mom bought me when I was about 17. It was the first “professional” item to appear in my closet, and it was really nothing special or great quality. On the contrary, it started to show wear quite soon, and I had to ask my grandmother multiple times to mend it and reattach the buttons that kept coming undone. However, I never felt the need to purchase another white shirt, and this one served its purpose and went through many stages of my life: castings during my years of modeling, job interviews, opera concerts. I even wore it the day of my graduation, and the familiar feeling of that dreadful poly-blend on my skin soothed my spirit and hid the tumult of the heart underneath.

Clothing and Memory

In Florence during Pitti91

The last time I wore it was at Pitti Uomo in January, to the great disappointment of my husband, who tried to persuade me to buy a new, better quality shirt to bring to Florence.

I finally threw it away shortly after, and replaced it with a sartorial shirt I found during the sales in Turin.

Some pieces of clothing are like people: you run into them and think they are nothing special or relevant at all, but they end up being there when you’re most in need, or inspiring you when you least expect it. My shirt had finally exhausted its purpose, and shuffled off its mortal coil along with zillions of other white shirts. I like to think that in the afterlife they’re as immaculate and pristine as they were when first handed to their owners. 

I’m going to ask you again: can you think of a piece of clothing or an accessory that has given color to your life?

@AriannaReggio

Why You Should Repair Your Clothing

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It’s easy to get caught up in the cycle. You see something on Styleforum (or anywhere else), you think “I must have that, this purchase will make my life complete,” and not long after you’ve bought it there’s another must-have on the horizon. Eventually, you have more clothing in your closet than you can possibly wear. At that point, you either embrace it, or you start downsizing.

What happens to the favorites, though? If you’re lucky, you eventually land on garments that you keep returning to, and they turn into something special. At this point, we’ve all heard the raw denim marketing pitch: that it molds to your body, that you write the story of your life into the fades of the denim. That’s all fine and good – clothing holds memories the same way that scars do, albeit less painfully, and far be it from me to take the romance out of your favorite pair of jeans.

One problem we run into when we’re surrounded by so much newness is that it’s hard to be content with what we have. Not taking the time to enjoy your clothing has several effects, one of which is that your clothes don’t get worn before you give them away or try to flip them. Used clothing, regardless of brand or trend, has a magic that new clothing doesn’t. It’s not just denim – the worn spots on the elbows of a jacket, a frayed cuff or collar; all of this is enticing in a way that proves the wearer is real, is human.

Personal style changes over time. There’s no point denying that, and I don’t know why you’d want to. However, part of personal style comes from combining garments in interesting ways, and in developing a look that suits you. Just because your favorite shirt – the one you wore to death – doesn’t really go with your newer interests, doesn’t mean you can’t say the hell with it and wear it anyway. So, when I say that you should patch your torn shirt instead of throwing it away, it has the twin benefits of bringing you more use out of a piece you love and adding a personal touch to a garment that makes it 100% your own.

Styleforum is no stranger to threadbare elbows and patched denim, and for good reason. Well-worn clothing encourages you to take a little bit of your past along with you as you enter each new chapter in your life. Patches, stitches, and repairs – it all adds to the personality of the garment, and it’s a fine reminder of where you came from.

Of course, everything dies, and that includes clothing. Eventually, you’ll come to the end of a garment’s life, and no amount of darning will be able to save it. That’s when you lay it out, thank it for its service, and let it retire honorably. Unless you don’t want to do that, in which case you end up with something like this:

My mother purchased this shirt from Banana Republic at some point in the early 80’s, and she wore it and washed it until the fabric turned see through. Then she wore it more. Eventually, it started ripping – everywhere. The hems unraveled. The collar isn’t much of a collar anymore. Every seam has, at some point, come undone. At last, the entire back of the shirt started to give way in a spiderweb of tattered fabric. She retired it, until I insisted a couple of years back that it could be saved. Which it more or less has been, thanks to endless patching, darning, and stitching. Now it’s an heirloom, a work of art that’s spanned two generations and almost four decades.

The next time you think about throwing out an old garment, think instead about what you stand to gain from repairing it: not just a functional piece of clothing, but a testament to life, and proof that you lived one.

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How to Enjoy your Clothing

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I think that once you hit a certain point in your tenure as a veteran Styleforum Member, it becomes perversely easy to lose sight of what attracted you to clothing, style, and fashion in the first place. This is something I’ve noticed on all corners of the forum, from our Should I or Shouldn’t I threads, to the Wedding Style thread, to the Sales Alert thread – and, well, basically every corner of our little community.

What I mean, specifically, is that members forget about the brands and styles that they like because they’re overwhelmed by the quality/value proposition and, to an extent, brand name as well. People start thinking “Why would I buy X, when Y is a better value?” when really we ought to be thinking “Why do I want this in the first place?”

There’s no right answer, of course. That said, I’d argue that the most right answer is that you love it. There are many reasons we end up loving clothes – design, construction, and the materials used are just some of the features that draw us to particular garments. However, there are also plenty of more subjective reasons to buy or covet a piece of clothing, and they’re no less valid.

For example, you may discover a character in a movie that you admire, and you may be attracted to their wardrobe – both because of how it looks, as well as what it represents. Similarly, you may find that a garment you’ve seen reminds you of your favorite book, or your favorite song, whether by description or due to a reason you can’t quite put into words – yes, I speak from experience. And sometimes, the garment you’re immediately smitten with isn’t – *gasp* – the best value on the market. Maybe it’s some cheap thing you walked past in the mall. Maybe it’s an obscenely expensive experimental knit. My point is that it doesn’t matter: somehow, men have managed to demonize buying what we like in favor of buying garments that we can point to as objectively good or utilitarian, as though we’re still trying to pretend our interest in clothing is different and more fulfilling than other people’s (read: women). It’s too simple. It doesn’t show how worldly we are. We could be doing better.

Bullshit.

That – looking purely at the “quality” (intangible at the best of times), “value” (more or less completely invented), and “utility” (nonsensical) of your clothing – is a great way to end up with a wardrobe full of garments that do nothing for you. The same goes for garments you think you should be wearing, either because they’re ‘basics that every man should own’ or things you’ve seen on cool Instagram accounts that nevertheless don’t inspire an emotional response other than the animal urge to find the item in question and click ‘buy.’

I once had an elderly British soccer coach who used to tell his players that they ought to be running around at half-mast all game, just because they were so goddamn excited to be out on the field. Notwithstanding potential injury, it’s a not-terrible metaphor for how you ought to feel when building a wardrobe. Maybe a take a minute to stop researching the ins and outs of every purchase. Maybe let yourself like the things you like, for no other reason than that you like them. That shirt you like doesn’t have to be hand-made by arthritic Italian men in order to have value. Your shoes don’t have to be the pinnacle of construction in order to be wearable or worthy of your love. It doesn’t matter if you could have gotten a different thing that’s better for less money. It doesn’t even matter if you’re treating your wardrobe solely as a tool for social interactions.

What matters is that enjoy your clothing – and more specifically, what matters is that you give a garment value through your enjoyment of it.

My First Good Suit was a Zegna Suit

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I bought my first good suit in the spring of 1999, on the way back to school from rock climbing in Joshua Tree National Park.  It was a suit by Ermenegildo Zegna, a brand that, as a grad student, planted romantic notions in my brain.

Back then, a few grad school friends and I used to go out to Joshua Tree to rock climb on weekends.  Several of them were pretty good, but I remain terrible to this day.  So, while the highlight of the weekend for them might have been to finish a few good 5.10 rocks, mine always came after all that climbing, when I’d get back into the car and doze until we hit the stores (yes,  we mixed rock climbing with shopping).

ermenegildo zegna defining moments styleforum zegna suit

During my second year of grad school, I decided that I’d buy a “good suit.” This could have been because I’d gotten the deluded idea that I might become a management consultant, or because a lot of my friends were getting married – but mostly, I wanted an excuse to get a good suit, just so that I could own one. And after one of those rock climbing trips, I walked into the Ermenegildo Zegna store and made that dream a reality.

This was in the days before Styleforum, so while shopping I had to rely on the recommendations of sales associate, how the suit felt, and the shop mirror to make my purchase. The suit I chose looked great on the rack, and it also had a great, cool, supple, hand. I didn’t know much about cloth back in 1999, but it really did feel great to touch. It also made my fairly nondescript frame look sharp and lean, which most young men will tell you is a great feeling.

And there I was, a man with a good suit.  First time in my life. And like many of the men in my generation, it was a worsted grey Ermenegildo Zegna beauty. I still remember how it felt to put it on and look at myself. All that romance, all that Italian ineffability – well, I was wearing it.

ermenegildo zegna defining moments styleforum zegna suit

I never did get into management consulting, but I did wear the suit to many weddings, and then for job interviews after that.  It was my first grown up suit.  I bought it with money I earned, and it  was the one of the first things of value that I’d purchased for myself. It made me feel like an adult.

I wore that suit for an average of three weddings a summer for the next three years, in addition to some New Year’s parties and the occasional awkward reception. I felt more comfortable in it each time. It taught me that you don’t really own a suit until you’ve worn it a half-dozen times, and to this day, whenever I buy a new piece of clothing I wear it around the house for at least a week before I wear it out.  That experience is also the basis for the only pivotal piece of advice I give to everyone who asks me about clothing:  “If you feel comfortable in your clothes, people can sense that you feel comfortable in your skin, and that is the seed of style.”

ermenegildo zegna defining moments styleforum zegna suit

Of course, I’m far from the only person who knows this – but I am at least among good company. Robert DeNiro is one of the two faces of Zegna’s new Defining Moments campaign, and his is a face I grew up with and followed from Godfather II and Raging Bull all the way up until the recent The Intern. McCaul Lombardi, a Hollywood newcomer, is DeNiro’s co-star in the new Zegna campaign, the focus of which is to connect with its customers and hear the stories – or the Defining Moments – that we have to share. Because, as you can no doubt guess by now, clothing can operate just as Proust’s madeleines; transporting us back to a defining moment in time. For me, one of the defining moments not just of my young life – but of my adult life, my professional life, my life as a co-owner of Styleforum – came with the purchase of that first Zegna suit.

Clothing is such a personal part of our lives, and I’m looking forward to reading the other stories that Zegna’s customers submit. I’d encourage you to do so as well – not only because it will give you the excuse to relive your own defining moment, but also because once a month you’ll have the chance to win a made-to-measure Zegna experience. If you do, I’m sure you’ll feel the same way I did when I bought my first good suit – and I’m sure it’s a memory that will stay with you.

I brought that suit out of my closet and tried it on again in while I was preparing to write this essay, and it didn’t fit the 42 year old me as well as it had the 24 year old me. But as soon as I put it on, there I was, asleep in the back of the car after a day of rock climbing, dreaming of my first nice suit.

And man, did it still feel nice to the touch.

Share your own Defining Moment on the Ermenegildo Zegna website by clicking the banner below, and be entered to win a Zegna made-to-measure experience.

ermenegildo zegna defining moments styleforum zegna suit

Styleforum and the Styleforum Journal are supported through sponsored content such as this article. 

Peter’s Picks for Shoulder Season Style

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Spring in San Francisco is onerous.  It’s as if winter is on its deathbed with a wet cough that keeps drenching you with incessant gloom as it slowly releases its grip on daylight.  It’s pathetic.  Long after the novelty off sweater weather wears off, you just feel like pulling the plug and ending the misery.

My first spring in New York was unforgettable.  For months, the trees surrounding me in Putnam County had been shivering naked during the long winter like so many desiccated toothpicks, reaching up to a sun that would give them no warmth.  The trails circling Mountain Brook were surrounded by dirty snow that blended into the granite horizon and ashen sky, painting a dormant landscape filtered in desolation, until finally the earth awoke.  I remember buds shooting from the branches while it was still cold in March, offering hope of renewed life.  I was so excited I walked around in jeans and a t-shirt; 36 degrees seemed almost warm.  The snow began to melt, and within weeks, the whole valley of the east branch of the Croton River exploded in an intense, waxy green, sparkling in the breeze with hues of malachite in the sun and viridian in the shade.  I’ll never forget that sight; it could have made anyone a believer.

It’s no wonder, then, that our clothes reflect spring’s renewal of life and color.  The changing of seasons brings longer days and blossoming flora, prompting us to put away our heaviest winter coats in somber hues and exchange them for something lighter and cheery.  For men, this traditionally means oxford cloth button-downs in soft pastel hues of robin’s egg blue, pale pink, and dusty yellow.   Since it won’t get really hot for several months, now is what some call “Shoulder Season,” when moderate temperatures can accommodate items from both summer and winter wardrobes, without necessitating full-on shearling or head-to-toe linen.  Lamentably, many places have pathetically a short Shoulder Season.  This is a shame, since spring and autumn have arguably the most pleasant temperatures of the year – the Golden Mean Climate – perfect for for a variety of menswear.  Here are some of my favorites for spring:

A faux tweed sport coat.  I’m considering sending this fabric to my tailor in Sicily.  A lightweight wrinkle-resistant wool from the long-gone Hardy Minnis Riviera line, the dusty kelly green expresses just the right amount of “spring” without being garish.  A jacket in this color goes great with light grey trousers, tan chinos or faded jeans, so I expect I’ll be wearing this a lot come March.  One of my favorite online stores, No Man Walks Alone (also a Styleforum affiliate), headed by longtime forum member Greg Lellouche, has a jacket in a solid olive green and a houndstooth patterned blue and brown in fabrics that are perfect for spring and would transition well into summer.  If you’re not a plaid person, try a suit or jacket in a fresh sage green cotton instead of traditional tan.

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A suede safari jacket.  Last year I scored one from Polo Ralph Lauren at Goodwill for less than $30.  It quickly became one of my favorites, and I found it went surprisingly well with a variety of outfits: beat-up denim and white sneakers, fresco trousers and tan chukkas, and hunter green khakis and boots.  The four utilitarian pockets carry just about anything, and the jacket can be worn open for ventilation, casually belted for a quick jaunt to the market, or buttoned-and-belted for when the wind starts to pick up.  Fair warning: people will want to touch you.

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A mid-weight sweater.  Twenty years ago, a sweet girl from Hyde Park named Liz gave me a periwinkle blue cotton cable-knit crewneck sweater from LL Bean, and I ended up wearing it all spring.  In fact, they still offer the same one, available online.  Perfect for those in-between times when you don’t have to worry about shedding layers of clothes.  Sweaters such as this one feel wonderful against your skin, and when the temperature changes you can either roll up your sleeves or throw on a Baracuta.  Later on, I picked up a shawl-collar sweater in a cotton-cashmere blend that serves more or less the same purpose, worn either with a simple white t-shirt or taking the place of a more formal jacket.

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A Day in the Life of a CM Wife

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SCENE: Florence, Italy; famous menswear boutique.

Alan’s head is buried inside a jacket, where he’s scrutinizing the lining and trying to decipher the inner tag.

Apparently, the tag inside a man’s garment is the key to reveal whether a piece is worth the price or not. Just from looking at that 3-inch piece of fabric, you may be able to identify the maker of the item, and therefore judge the quality of a piece of clothing. Burberry, Tom Ford, Ralph Lauren: these names don’t mean anything to a man that is into classic menswear, because he knows that behind them there’s someone else maneuvering the making process. And the first step of a purchase is identifying that maker.

I look around and I notice that two sales assistants are staring at my husband, debating whether they should offer him help or kindly ask that he removes his nose from inside the armhole of the jacket. After confabulating for a bit, one of them starts walking toward us. Alan doesn’t notice, as he’s now concentrating on pinching the jacket to understand if it’s fused.

“Good morning, may I help you?”

He speaks in English, probably figuring  we are not Italian, judging by Alan’s English-looking suit and shoes. And, y’know – the beahvior.

The thing is that I am very Italian. Born and raised in the Piedmont region, and only recently relocated in California. I offer the man my brightest smile and I explain to him in Italian that my husband and I are looking for a light sport coat.

Meanwhile, Alan emerges from the inside of the jacket and gives the sale assistant a dazed look, his glasses crooked on his nose.

“We are fine, thank you,” he says. “I’m just having a look around.”

I keep smiling and nod encouragingly, hoping that the man will leave us alone. However, I know that this is not going to happen. Italian clerks are trained to be a pain in the customers’ ass, and there is no way he’ll let us “have a look around” without making sure we are receiving proper assistance.

Alan is back at pinching the jacket, this time with less conviction, clearly upset that someone is watching his moves.

The salesman frowns and turns to me. “What is he doing, may I ask?” he asks me in Italian.

I keep smiling but I freeze.

What is he doing? He’s inspecting the sport coat to make sure that there is no trace of fusing and that the maker is reputable. In order to do so, he has to decipher the code on the tag, check Styleforum on his mobile device, and then track back to the history of the fabric employed in the realization of the garment, to make sure that the latest production was not spoiled.

I can’t tell him that. The fact he’s a salesman and he’s probably used to weirdest requests from his customers doesn’t justify the mental asylum situation.

His eyebrows rise so high that I’m afraid they’re going to merge with the spare hairline on his forehead. My mind is desperately trying to find an excuse for the fact that Alan is now running his finger under the collar of the jacket, as if it were a bra he wanted to strip off a woman.

C’mon Ari. Think.

“Ahem. He is…a fabric trader.”

I don’t even know what I’ve just said, and I immediately regret it.

The clerk stares at me for a few seconds.

“A fabric trader?”

“Yes! My husband trades fabric for some of the biggest names in fashion. He buys only the finest on the market, for his clients as well as for himself. We are here in Florence to study the history of brocade, and its rise during the Renaissance.”

I still don’t know what I’m saying, but I feel suddenly thankful that I read the biography of Lucrezia Borgia in college.

“You probably know that brocade is the reason Italian silk fabrics became the finest choice in all Europe in the 15th century, as the demand for intricate designs forced the production to get better.”

I can tell from his vacuous eyes that he is not impressed, so I decide to make up an even more unlikely scenario in order to give my husband the time to decide whether the jacket is worth the splurge or not.

“We are considering working with some Italians mills in order to bring brocade back into favor. In fact, we are attending Pitti this summer to discuss the chance to create a whole collection of suits and tuxedos made of Italian brocades.”

Finally, his eyes brighten up and I silently rejoice. Ah! You didn’t expect that, did you, Mr. Grumpy Clerk?

He looks at me with new respect, as though I’m the wife a fabric trader deserves.

“That is so very interesting, Madame,” he says with genuine admiration, his pupils glistening.

“Uh-uh,” I mutter, “Big names. Kiton and stuff.”

Okay, I need to stop now. I don’t even know why I’m putting myself in this unpleasant situation only to allow my husband to indulge in his crazy operations.

My husband, the fabric trader. The thought is so ridiculous that I have to pretend to receive a funny text on my iPhone to justify my grin. However, the whole story starts making a lot of sense in my mind and I can’t help myself: I have to keep going.

I lean towards the man as I lower my voice to a whisper: “I just got a text from Armando at Kiton. They want to meet us at the Boboli gardens tonight to see some samples of brocade they just got from Venice,” I say, bringing my hand to cover the mouth.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t reveal too much. A few competitors are already trying to make contact with the brands we are in touch with and we suspect some insiders leaked the idea.”

The poor man’s eyes widen as he reassures me that my secret is safe with him. He gives me one more admired glance before apologizing and pacing away.

At last!

I turn to Alan and I notice with horror that he’s trying to bite the buttons of the sport coat, probably to make sure that it’s real horn. He hasn’t heard a word of my nonsensical dialogue with the salesman.

“What the hell are you doing? Can you please try on the jacket and make your decision?”

“Knock it off. I’m almost done inspecting. Then, I’ll try it on.”

I let out a big sigh, but I stiffen when I notice the clerk walking back towards us, with an old man at his side.

“Ciao!” I squeak, trying to hide my husband to their sight, as his mouth is still perilously close to the buttons of the sport coat.

“Madame, this is Ernesto Valanza, the owner of the shop.”

“Pleased to meet you, Ernesto”, I mumble while casually checking Instagram on my phone, as I always do when I am bored out of my mind. I wonder how long it’s going to take Alan to decide on the jacket.

“Mr. Valanza comes from one of the most respected families in Como; one of a very long tradition of yarn-making.”

“Right? That sounds interesting,” I jabber while taking in a picture of Kylie Jenner at Coachella. Perhaps I should dye my hair turquoise.

“He’d like to ask you and your husband a few questions on your project.”

“Uh? Sure…” I say as I put away my phone.

Wait, what? An alarm bell starts ringing in my head. Yarn-making? Como?

Shit.

I look at Alan, who’s finally trying on the jacket and inspecting the length in front of the mirror.

“I understand you can’t reveal much of the project, but would you mind telling me the maker you’re in contact with? We are truly a big family of fabric makers in Como; I’m sure I am familiar with them.”

Fuck. Now what? I can’t confess that I have no contacts in Como, that I knew about brocade only because it was in Bloomingdale’s last shopping issue, and that I’m in Florence with my husband, watching as he goes on a shopping spree.

Thankfully, Alan approaches us wearing the sport coat.

“Hey, do you guys have a tape measurer? I’m not sure about the length of the jacket. It may be a few millimeters too short as it doesn’t seem to divide my body in half.”

The two men exchange a look that clearly says that my husband has a mental issue.

“I’ll fetch one for you, sir”, says the first clerk I spoke to.

“I think it’s time to go,” I say firmly, indicating the door with a gesture of the head like only an Italian can do.

“Honey, don’t be ridiculous, I’m almost done here. What do you think? Is it too heavy for California?”

“It’s perfect, amore. I love it. Now let’s get the hell out of here because I’m going to cry if you don’t feed me gelato within the next five minutes.”

“Alright, then. I just wanted to make sure that the length in centimeters is less than or equal to my average jacket length. I wouldn’t want to have to tailor the length.”

The sale assistant stares at me intensely and I know exactly what he’s thinking: If this man is as picky at choosing women as he is at choosing clothes, you must be a saint.

“Listen to me,” I whisper to Alan’s ear, “I’ve been in this shop with you for more than 40 minutes. The jacket is fine, and you know it. If you really hate it, you can list it online once we get back and you’ll probably make more than what you spent considering it’s a bargain.”

“Well, aren’t you cranky today? Alright, I’ll take it. Gentleman, could you please check me out?”

“Oh, sure. Come this way. Your wife was just telling us about your work here in Florence.”

Oh no. Please not again. I can’t deal with this.

“My job in Florence? Yeah, that’s like the ideal job, right? Shopping and everything,” mutters Alan reaching for his wallet.

“Ah-ah! Yes, I guess that us insiders can call it shopping after all, eh?” says the man winking at Alan.

“Thank you very much for your help. I’ll certainly visit your store again before leaving.” Alan shakes Mr. Valanza’s hand and I have a spasm of horror when I see that he is handing him his business card.

“Would you please give me a call if you get any more Caruso suits within the next 10 days?”

Mr. Valanza studies the business card for a few seconds, and then he stares at me for a time that seemed forever.

“Sure…Mr. Alan Jones, attorney.”

Whatever.

I squeeze my husband’s arm and I waltz towards the exit, encouraging myself with the thoughts of a big gelato.

@AriannaReggio

The Rise of the Shoe Enthusiast

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Something is happening in the world of shoes. Or rather, in the world of quality shoes. It’s not a tidal wave, but then again, few things are when you’re dealing with classic menswear. It’s more like a small trickle that’s turned into a steady stream of obsession. It started out with a few enthusiasts and their newfound interest in this ancient craft, then merged with the new-ish ability to connect through the internet, and found a home at a place in time where appreciation for tangible, luxurious objects is higher than it’s been for decades.

I’m a Swede, so naturally my perspective is mainly Swedish, but at the same time I think what’s happening over here may be at least mildly indicative of a global trend. In 2012, Skoaktiebolaget (a fine men’s shoes store and Styleforum affiliate) opened the doors of their brick and mortar shop in Stockholm, not only to the Swedish market, but to an international market that was just about to boom. I remember my initial reaction as being: “Is it a viable business idea to sell premium shoes in a city as small as Stockholm, when the price of a pair of shoes may very well be as high as some people’s monthly wages?”

Rise of the Shoe Enthusiast My friend Jussi wearing a pair of handcrafted from shoe artist Mario Bemer

Apparently, the answer to this question was a resounding “Yes!” And they didn’t just appeal to a market consisting of the financial jet set. A fairly newfound appreciation for workmanship, construction and leather quality had – and has – flourished among enthusiasts from all walks of life. Students saved up on their bursaries to be able to buy a pair of MTO’s from Carmina, maybe a first step down the slippery slope towards top-name makers in the business, such as Gaziano & Girling, St. Crispins, John Lobb, and others of their ilk.

Rise of the Shoe Enthusiast A picture I took in Skoaktiebolaget’s former store. They have since moved to a much bigger location, on one of Stockholm’s most popular addresses

I’ve heard some people attribute the success of Skoaktiebolaget to a fortunate timing of exchange rates between the US Dollar and the Swedish Crown, where the Dollar became very strong in comparison, and gave the US customer base a chance to buy European premium shoes at a very competitive price.

In my opinion, this is an oversimplification. I think Skoaktiebolaget managed to tap into something that’s more complex than basic economics. Exchange rates and a fairly steady Swedish economy can explain some of the business, but it can’t quite explain why the interest for artistic, well-crafted crafted shoes of the highest quality keeps going up, for an ever-growing number of men from widely-differing demographics.

My layman’s guess is that it has something to do with the times in which we’re living. A lot of people are stumbling around, trying to make sense of things. Economic markets don’t behave according to old predictable patterns of booms and recessions in perpetual cycles (in fact, nowadays booms and recessions can even exist simultaneously). Digitalization of practically every type of business has created a longing for something tangible, something lasting, as opposed to the ephemerality of the internet. Hence the reemergence of old crafts, hence the appeal of products that will not only last a lifetime if treated properly, but actually grow more beautiful with age, hence stores like Skoaktiebolaget.

With an everyday reality that currently feels increasingly volatile, the idea of long-lasting, quality products seems more attractive than ever. The re-popularization of Goodyear- and hand-welted shoes has naturally drawn the interest of people who see a gap in the market for quality shoes, where price is a boundary that still keeps a major part of an untapped market out. When I tell uninitiated people about the cost of even one of my “cheaper” pair of shoes, they look at me with an understandable amount of skepticism. Some of them could probably afford several pairs of Lobb’s every month, but the idea of paying these amounts for shoes, or clothing for that matter, is still a high threshold for the majority of men to step over.

However, there’s plenty of room for growth. One Swedish brand that has capitalized on this idea is Myrqvist Shoes. Swedish company Herrstil decided to launch their own brand of good year welted shoes with a good price/quality ratio, so they started a Kickstarter campaign and managed to even exceed their original funding goals. The idea was simple, they cut off all the middle men and went straight to the factory and suppliers of raw materials, and then offered the shoes directly to their customers without the added retail-margins. Other companies have used similar business models to get into the coveted “budget price market” (in reality this is still a premium price for most people). For example, Styleforum favorite Meermin sells Goodyear-welted shoes at a very competitive price, much due to their business being mainly online, and because they can do self-funded MTO-shoes for small groups of customers.

Rise of the Shoe EnthusiastWearing a pair of Chelsea boots from Myrqvist

Naturally, there are also makers catering to buyers who want nothing but the finest in shoemaking – the bespoke shoemakers. Gary Tok (@Gazman70k) recently wrote a book on this subject, called Master Shoemakers: The Art & Soul of Bespoke Shoes (also available at affiliate The Hanger Project). In this book, Tok sets out to capture the allure and beauty of bespoke shoemaking. The book consists of beautiful photographs, accompanied by written portraits of the different shoemakers. These are men whose shoes have more in common with art than with commodities. They are the masters of their trade, most of whom still do everything as they have always done it. If I were to make a wild guess, their business is more resistant to fluctuating markets and predictions of recessions than most shoe makers’. They make a product that attracts the sort of clients who don’t splurge on loud items to showcase their wealth, but rather the sort of clients who appreciate the craft and see their purchase as a good investment.

Master Shoemakers: The Art & Soul of Bespoke Shoes rise of the shoe enthusiast gary tokSpread from Master Shoemakers: The Art & Soul of Bespoke Shoes. Picture courtesy of Skoaktiebolaget.

The connection between the new entrepreneurs on the welted shoe market, and the old craftsmen and artisans may not seem like an obvious one. But, a merger of these two worlds could actually be the future of the trade. Not only in the manner that welted shoes in the lower price tiers are “gateway drugs” for future bespoke customers, but also in the general idea of how the most traditional makers will be doing their business.

The World of Shoes, yet another Swedish company, has set out to be a bridge between some of the less attainable shoemakers and customers from all around the world. The concept is rather unique, at least when it comes to shoes. They run an online editorial platform, on which they write about classic shoemakers, and they also have a market place, where people can buy some of these shoes. This, at least, takes away the geographical barriers between the traditional shoemakers and their potential customers.

rise of the shoe enthusiastHannes Rebas, editor at The World Of Shoes, talking to Olof Nithenius

Who knows, with the development of 3D scanning/printing and other technological advances, the next step may actually be to be able to produce proper bespoke without having to physically meet your shoemaker. I’ve talked about these, and other kind of developments with my friend & bespoke shoemaker, Norman Vilalta, and he embraces the advantages new techniques bring to the table. If his benevolence towards this evolution in traditional shoemaking is embraced by the next generation of makers, I’d dare say the future looks bright for this craft.

rise of the shoe enthusiastSpanish shoemaker Norman Vilalta in focus

rise of the shoe enthusiastFernando, Vilalta’s business partner, shows us around their trunk show in Florence last month

Erik is co-founder of EFV Clothing. You can find him on Instagram at @ErikMannby. 

Dress Like Gianni Agnelli – Sort Of

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dress like gianni agnelli

If you’re a menswear nerd, you’ve probably heard of Gianni Agnelli. It doesn’t matter who he is, really (you might even know already); what matters is that he’s regularly pointed to as a sort of fairy godfather of sprezzatura – known for, among other things, his propensity to wear his watch over the sleeve of his shirt and to regularly wear hiking boots with suits.

These days, the internet #menswear set has largely adopted these and similar ‘quirks’ as a method to attract social media followers, which in our humble opinion, does not have the immediate result of making the adopter stylish. Neither does simply buying everything in the outfit grid pictured above, but we all have to start somewhere – particularly when it’s nearing springtime, and we’re all looking forward to shaking out the lightweight wardrobe and getting on with getting outside.

My point is that part of being stylish is rolling with your own quirks, rather than adopting someone else’s. And one – slightly quirky – look I have always favored is a tailored upper half with a more casual trouser-and-shoe combination. I tend to do this in the name of “utility,” though I understand that many see this as a poor argument against elegance. However, when springtime muddiness comes around, I can’t think of a better excuse to wear boots like Agnelli than because everything turns to mud. And that, my friends, is a time of year when it’s not a bad idea to wear hiking boots.

Think of the above as a starting point for developing your own style. You may not like the way everything in our grid looks together, but it may spark some creativity in you. Perhaps you like the look of the cement-colored Mackintosh raincoat as an alternative to a classic navy. Perhaps you favor the idea of pairing slim cargo trousers with a lightweight, easy-wearing, tailored jacket. And perhaps you salivate at the thought of wearing said jacket with a pair of Danner Mountain Pass boots.

Or, if you’re stuck on winter scarves but at a loss for what to do when the weather starts to warm, consider a floral-print stole such as this one from Paikaji, with a lovely hibiscus-print. And feel free to a pull out a seasonal fragrance – although these things are personal, I have always associated Chanel’s Coromandel with cummings’ mud-luscious smell that accompanies spring.

Again, we’re not telling you to do nothing more than dress like Gianni Agnelli. Instead, we hope that these selections help you to encourage or reveal your own quirks. Embrace them! Being stylish doesn’t mean being one of an army of identically well-dressed men. You need to bring something of yourself to the party.

1. Mackintosh Trench Coat

2. Ermenegildo Zegna silk/cashmere/hemp blazer

3. Luigi Borrelli shirt

4. Wings & Horns Bush Pant

5. Danner Mountain Pass boot

6. Paikaji Hibiscus Stole

7. Chanel Coromandel Frangrance

Top 10 Valentine’s Day Netflix Binges

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Valentine’s Day sucks.  Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t celebrate your undying love, nor even to not celebrate Valentine’s Day at all.  However, the day itself sucks.  It’s a money grab, and every even peripherally-related industry knows it.  Roses are about four times the price of roses the day before or the day after, and restaurants change their menus to hackneyed Valentine’s Day menus that are designed to be able to be easy to prep and serve.  Every chef I know hates the Valentine’s Day menu.  None of them want to cook yet another molten chocolate cake.  Do you really want to eat food that is cooked with that degree of hate?

No, of course not.   Choose love, choose life.  Choose to stay in and netflix and chill.  Literally.  Here’s my list of the top 10 Valentine’s Day Netflix binges.  Your date night can wait until the 15th.

  1. Daredevil (Netflix)Starring that guy from Numbers, and also Hannibal (Charlie Cox), the first and second seasons of this adaptation of Marvel’s blind ninja-like superhero mixes complex characters with a somewhat convoluted, but still generally compelling, narrative.  It also features some of the best fight scenes since, well, Old Boy, which inspires single take fight scene in a hallways full of henchmen.  The Valentine’s Day tie-in: the muddled relationships between the main characters.
  2. Orange is the New Black (Netflix)

    This adaptation of Piper Kerman’s novel is a bit less gritty than the memoir, and a lot less “authentic,” but that goes for pretty much any adaptation.  No one really wants a police procedural in which a moose wandering in the park is the main crisis, anyway.  The later seasons get a bit flabby, and then bam, you are hit with a doozy of a season.  Of course, in the memoir, the protagonist is in the system for two years.  So, to fill out so many episodes, either she has to get stuck in the clank for much longer, or things just happen at a frenetic pace in prison.  Romance?  It’s a choice between Jason Biggs and Laura Prepon.  C’mon now.  Of course, then you get a season of Ruby Rose.
  3. The Walking Dead (AMC)The Hospital Scene in the very first episode of the series, when Rick wakes up from coma into a world that has taken a decided change for the worse, still resonates.  It’s hard to describe the awesomeness that is the first two seasons, and “survivors navigate lawless, zombie-ridden America” seems somehow inadequate to describe one of the best shows of the decade.  Enjoy  the first two seasons as our protagonists navigate couples counseling in the zombie apocalypse.
  4. Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (Netflix)This was much anticipated, and it doesn’t disappoint.  At least, not the first few episodes.  No spoilers, please (my kids finished this one well before me). The show follows the three talented and precocious Baudelaire children, who constantly outsmart the villainous, vain, and only semi-competent Count Olaf, who is after their vast fortune following a mysterious house fire that apparently claims the lives of their parents.  The series plays out like a collaboration between Wes Anderson and Tim Burton, and it’s really an excuse – I mean vehicle – for Neil Patrick Harris to ham it up.  And there is nothing wrong with that.
  5. Narcos (Netflix)I thought I was practicing my Spanish, but it seems that the joke is on me. Apparently, Wagner Moura, who plays Columbian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, speaks terrible Spanish. Nonetheless, he gives an amazing performance that is charismatic and terrifying, and sometimes, touching.  Besides, the series is visually stunning.  The entire show drips the heat and the fecundity of jungles and blood, although I think that the setting never moves further north than Miami).
  6. Black Mirror This is the American release of a British anthology set in a dystopian near-future (or even a future-now).  That it’s an anthology means that unlike the other, character-driven series I’ve been recommending, it will be easier to stop watching so that you can get to more Valentine-y activities.  Note: if you are looking to engage in after-the-show intimacies, maybe skip the pig-fornicating (really) episode.  Unless you like that type of stuff.
  7. Justified (FX, on Amazon Prime – I know, I know)If ever there was an American hero, it would be Timothy Oliphant’s Raylan Givens.  That is to say, he embodies being crap at relationships while being hyper-competent at his job, which he demonstrates by acting constantly insubordinate in the name of efficacy and efficiency.  In other words, he sucks at relationships, but that’s okay because he is a badass who gets things done and is a rugged individualist who has no time for bureaucracy.  Also, he is great with one-liners.  If you have ever dreamed of being this hardcore even once, this show is for you.
  8. Shameless (Showtime)Robert H. Macy plays the drunken, narcissistic, father of a large Irish family in South Chicago.  The family copes with the turd pie life serves to them, as well with all the romantic, legal, and other mad troubles they get themselves into.  What’s to not like?  It’s like your family, but with much better acting.  Plus, you have Emmy Rossum as Fiona, the oldest sibling.  The show is worth showing for that alone.
  9. The Leftovers (HBO – on Amazon Prime)What if 2% of the population of the world suddenly disappeared?  The Leftovers explores the world after something that could be the rapture.  On Valentine’s Day, a day dedicated to love, counteract all those gooey, icky feelings with a marathon spent watching of a show dedicated to the themes of isolation, grief, and disorientation.
  10. Westworld (HBO – on Amazon Prime)In Westworld, androids called “hosts” cater to the whims of the paying customers, or “guests,” in a virtual western setting.  But what happens when the hosts start to realize that maybe not everything is as it seems?  You can see this as a treatise on artificial intelligence.  Or, it could just be a fun and scary science fiction show.   This was one of the HBO’s biggest names of 2016, and for good reason.

    Valentine's Day Netflix

There you go.  Hours and hours of passive consumption.  After all of that, you should have at least some energy left.  Enjoy yourself.

Here’s What Women Want You to Wear on Valentine’s Day

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They say a well-tailored suit is to a woman what lingerie is to men.

I wholeheartedly agree with that, if by “well-tailored suit” we mean a lightweight, effortless, Neapolitan-style suit in an interesting color combination.

Perhaps it’s the Italian blood pumping in my veins, but I love a man that is confident enough to pull off a spezzato and walk into a room and throw his cashmere coat on top of something, suede loafers softly tapping on the ground (I’m still not over the crush on my ex-Latin professor. Don’t judge me).

However, a suit is not the only garment that can cause hormonal upheaval in women. Here’s a shortlist of my favorite menswear items:

  • A Turtleneck
    I believe that there is a science behind my love for turtlenecks. The fact that they protect one of the most delicate parts of the human body triggers in me the idea that the man wearing it is sensible and vulnerable – my favorite type of people. The fabric rolls gently on that spot between the jawline and the ear that is made to whisper secrets and give furtive, breathless kisses. Plus, the Italian word for “turtleneck” is dolcevita. Need I say more?

 

  • A Black Leather Jacket
    I like a man wearing a black motorcycle leather jacket for the exact opposite reason I like a man wearing a roll-neck sweater. It screams confidence, and it gives off an attitude women cannot resist. We all pretend not to be submitted to the charm of an asshole, but the reality is that, while in our minds we swear we would never fall for someone like this (“Who, him? That pretentious, self-centered, reckless egomaniac?”) he is already smoking his #cigaftersex.

 

  • Imperfection
    I know I’m walking on eggshells here, but I’d like to stress the point that perfection is not sexy, and neither is an obsession with clothes and how they fit. Please understand that no woman will ever be up at night thinking “Sacrè Bleu! That half-break on his suit pants was so neat!” or “Hell, that blazer had no pulling whatsoever,” nor will any woman ever cradle the fantasy of involving your tailor in a hot ménage à trois. If you really want your suit to look sexy, throw it against a wall right after buying it, and don’t show up without a glass of whiskey in one hand and a cubano in the other. Ties are hot only when they’re loosened up and don’t squeeze your neck to the point your eyes look like they’re about to pop out any minute, but just FYI, when it comes to going at it, they’re the male equivalent of a bra: we never know where to start taking off the damn thing.

 

@AriannaReggio