Category Archives: Style

Autumn Style: Odd Flannel Trousers with @Heldentenor

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odd flannel trousers

A pair of odd flannel trousers is one of Styleforum’s universal recommendations, and in addition to featuring heavily in WAYWT, flannel is a staff favorite. It’s not hard to see why: it’s soft, warm, and adds lovely visual texture to any outfit, especially if you choose a fabric – as @Heldentor has – that has enough character to stand up to patterns.

Even so, my favorite part of this outfit is the fit of the sport coat. It’s not often (or ever) I see a combination that I think could be simultaneously referred to as “sharp” and “soft,” but I believe this qualifies. “Rumpled elegance” is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot in discussions of menswear, and when referring to tailored clothing it often seems to be used as an excuse for poor fit. In this case, however, I think it’s an apt descriptor largely due to the weight of the fabric (of both jacket and trousers) and the moderately built-up chest and shoulders of the jacket.

Note how comfortable @Heldentenor appears when seated, and how well the fabric hangs. Not only are the proportions impeccable, but the outfit is wonderfully evocative. Of course, that’s partly due to the quality of the photograph and the setting, but everything – from the crisp blue shirt to the patch pockets to the knit tie and lack of pocket square  – suggests comfort, confidence, and an absence of pretension.

This is a great example of how classics and standbys can be styled in a way that’s far from boring, and a wonderful appetizer for the fun of seasonal dress. Hats of to @Heldentenor, and to the rest us – now we now what to aim for.

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7 Member Tips for Developing Your Style

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Styleforum’s members have built a reputation for offering fantastic, if highly opinionated, tips for great men’s style. They range from simple suggestions to take to your tailor, to complete philosophies encompassing life, the universe, and everything.

Are you looking for rules? Guidelines? Confirmation that your own way is the best way? Here, some of Styleforum’s best-regarded members give their take on developing your style

“Instead of spending so much time and energy learning about clothing and style, I spend more and more time taking good care of my health (physically and biopsychosocially) as Mr. Armani alluded to with exercising, eating, drinking, and sleeping well. I am also more choosy about who’s ideas I take to be of value (his “friends”).

As much as “what’s stylish?” is on my brain and pursuits, so is “whats physically, mentally, and socially healthy?”

In short, less collecting and more selecting, while maintaining a healthy overall balance.”

– @mmkn

 

“Why do we really needs such extensive rules??????????

Surely good sense and style are entirely unwritten things – rules are for those of little discernment.”

– GBR

 

“Style often has to do with strategically breaking the rules. Certain stylistic tendencies can be a product of upbringing or social class and almost impossible to articulate. Mostly, it’s a matter of what one — and others — finds aesthetically pleasing, and this depends more than anything on innate sensibilities. It’s not amenable to lists of rules, and going by the pronouncements of various fashion magazine idiota pushing some hidden agenda is bound to confuse the issue.”

– Nantucket Red

 

“I hesitate, in the context of “modern” dressing, to ever use the words “should”, “never” and “always”. I think that it is much more accurate to use the phrases “For most men, and especially for those who are becoming interested in clothing and style for the first time, the following guidelines will usually prevent them from looking ridiculous”, “On most men, XYZ usually does not look good for the following reasons ABC”, and “In general, I have found that”.

If you adhere to a prescribed, archaic style, then determining a set of rules is relatively easy, because that style has come and gone, and thus, static in history. However, “modern” conventions are extremely fluid, and what may be acceptable in 2007 may be ridiculous, or at least quite dated, by in 2010 (if the style is directional) or in 2015 (if the style is quite conservative.)”

– LA Guy

 

“Keep in shape – the single most important thing you can do. Then deal with the clothes…”

– Gutman

 

 

“When working from home a jacket and tie is simply self serving. It would be like wearing a football helmet to watch the Sunday game. However nothing says you can’t look good no matter where you are. What is a person to do when an unexpected guest comes over? Magically insert oneself into stylish clothes? No, always be able to answer looking respectable enough to confidently greet a colleague.

In Canada, where the weather is colder, it is perfectly acceptable to wear a dress shirt with a sweater around the house. Comfortable trousers and house shoes might be a good bet also. If you want to be even more casual you can still wear a t shirt but make it a v neck in some interesting colors with chinos and house shoes. During warmer weather I will sometimes wear something similar so that if I need to go out I can slip on some shoes and a flat cap and be on my way.”

– Caustic Man

 

“The best advice I think any of us can give you is peruse the WAYWRN threads…see what our poster boys wear and then take what you like to make your own style.”

– KPO89

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An Interview with Déborah Neuberg of De Bonne Facture

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I’ve been a fan of Déborah Neuberg’s De Bonne Facture since the first time I saw it at Pitti Uomo. I’ve been lucky enough to see her collections (or éditions) numerous times since, and she’s not only a talented designer but a thoughtful, intelligent person.

I reached out to ask if she’d be willing to talk about “The brand, fashion, and style in general,” which I admit is an impressively vague request. What followed was a discussion not just of De Bonne Facture, but of style, gender, and the importance of discovering your own style.

Jasper Lipton: Let’s start from the ground up, and talk about the name of your brand. Not just what it means literally, but what it means to you, and what it means to your ethos and who you are as a company.

Déborah Neuberg: I had a really hard time finding a name. I didn’t want it to be a brand, at the beginning – I still don’t really want it to be a brand, in the sense of a traditional brand. As in, the word brand comes from the brand you’d put on cattle. It’s the mark you put on something to identify it, which is quite the contrary of what I’m trying to do with De Bonne Facture – which is to not have any visible signs of what it is, such as a logo. That is also the way a lot of consumer goods are marketed to the public: ‘We sell milk, but we want our milk to be identified, so we’ll put whatever – Jasper milk – on it.”interview Deborah Neuberg De Bonne Facture Styleforum

JL: I’m sure there’s a market for that.

DN: It’s huge, dude. You should tap into that. No, I’m just saying that the idea of a brand that visibly identifies a product – if that’s all that a brand is, I’m not a brand. I wanted to make well-made and brandless – as in this sense of a brand – products, and I wanted to communicate that it’s well made.

I had a friend who had a really old-fashioned way of speaking French, and he would say expressions like “Ah, this is de bonne facture,” but say it tongue in cheek, because de bonne facture means ‘Of good make.’ I was sitting with my cousin and my ex-boyfriend, and talking to a writer friend, and I kept saying “I just want it to be de bonne facture,” thinking of this old friend who always said that, and the writer said, “Well, why don’t you call it that?”

It’s not a very pretty name, I mean, I didn’t think it was pretty at all, or evocative – it was just kind of funny. You know, that’s what it is – you get what you get. It’s de bonne facture. It has to be good because it’s well made.

JL: Does that tie in to the reason you choose to disclose all your manufacturers? Most brands want to do the opposite.

DN: Yeah. If they’re working with subcontractors – which is hugely the case in the textile industry – they totally keep that a secret, and they will never say that so-and-so made their scarves. When I was working with Hermès, we would work with beautiful ateliers and subcontractors and we would just say “Made in Italy,” “Made in Nepal,” “Made in India.”

I always thought it was kind of a shame because we were working with those manufacturers because they specifically had the know-how and craftsmanship that came from their history and location. They all have really interesting backgrounds, and I was excited as a product manager to be working with those people. I thought it was a loss of information that it wasn’t mentioned, and I didn’t see why it was better not to disclose them. I don’t get it.

Maybe it’s the story I’m telling myself, but the fact that you’re not acknowledging the people you’re working with totally enables you to shed responsibility if you’re making another manufacturing choice. It’s just product. It’s not about where it’s made, it’s not about your subcontractors, it’s not about your supply chain, your economic entity is about the brand you’re going to put on your garment.

interview deborah neuberg de bonne facture styleforum

 

DN (cont): I feel it’s pretty dangerous, and there’s been a lot of stuff about what happens in the textile industry with all this opacity. You’ll make another [manufacturing] choice and it’ll be “Oh, it’s cheaper to go there and I don’t have to tell my consumer, I can just write on a tiny label that it’s made in somewhere else.”

I don’t believe in that way of creating brands and immaterial value, while dishonoring the material steps that go into the product. It’s not anchored in reality, or in the industry. I really wanted to honor the industry and the craftsmanship – wherever it is.

Making it part of our label is a way to be responsible, or a guideline you can’t really go away from. Because once you decide to do it, you’re like OK, this what I’m doing, I need to be proud of what I’m doing.

JL: Was the decision to be so heavily invested in the manufacturing and textile industries made at the same time as you conceived of your label, or did that come later?

DN: No, it was part of what was driving me to create the label. Initially, I didn’t even want to create a collection. I had this fantasy that by going to all of these local manufacturers with specific talents I would be able to put together a very essential men’s wardrobe – a white poplin shirt, or flannel trousers, or knitted ties, or a Breton sweater – I was just imagining that by going to these ateliers they would all have their own factory brand, and that it would be very well tailored to whatever I thought was cool.

It wasn’t the case at all. They just didn’t have that. At the beginning I saw it more like a federation of makers that I would put together. It was much more coming from the craft, and the regions, and the makers. My naive idea was that I would find what I was looking for already there.

interview deborah neuberg de bonne facture styleforum

I had a huge impostor syndrome about being a designer, because that’s not what I studied, and the system in France is very rigid. When I went to people with my project they’d say “You went to business school, you’re not a designer.” And I was like…yeah, yeah, I’m not a designer. So they’d say “You need to find a designer.” I was uncomfortable with it, but I was like yeah, you’re right, I don’t know what I want.

That syndrome is widespread in women – to lose confidence very easily when you’re trying to do your own venture and everyone seems like they know better than you. So I was really confused – I knew what I wanted, but it was like ‘either you’re going to be a platform for factory products, or some kind of brand but then you won’t be a designer.’ That was the feedback I got when I was looking for advice.

In the end I was like, fuck everyone, I don’t care who you are, I don’t care about you, I know what I want, I want to do this project in the way I wanted. But it took me a long time to own my idea, because everyone was telling me, no one does that. They didn’t get it.

JL: Let’s talk about that moment of knowing what, exactly, you wanted. The poplin shirt, or the flannel trouser. How did you go from the idea of a collection of makers to the idea of a collection?

DN: It was just being so frustrated. What actually made me own it was having that idea but not really being able to take the space to put it out there, because I was too dependent on other people’s opinions, or I was afraid to disappoint or be judged by people in the fashion industry because I was working at Hermès before – which is like, the epitome of luxury and taste and creation – and I thought, “Oh my god, what if the art director at Hermès saw I was starting something and thought it was so horrible?” I would make psychological barriers for myself.

She actually started following my brand [on Instagram] – I say brand because it’s like, whatever – about two years ago. I don’t even know if she knows it’s me, but it wasn’t a big deal. At the time, that was a huge deal! Am I going to be approved of? Fear of being approved of was a big barrier.

I think that what made me actually take that step was that first of all, I spent money – because I trusted people who told me I needed a designer – working with a designer. It was a catastrophe. I explained the concept – very simple, understated garments; French modern classics made by all of these factories that we’re going to be co-branding with.

The guy told me he needed magazines to get inspired, so we went to this fashion magazine shop and I bought 100 Euros worth of magazines for him. And I was really trusting this whole thing, because so many people told me I couldn’t be a designer! So I thought he would have the answer to whatever I was looking for.

Then he started cutting out these various, random inspirations that had nothing to do with my original concept – and just came up with this collection. He said “OK, it’s going to be inspired by this really beautiful series I saw about cosmonaut suits, and I think that’s really inspiring and interesting so we could take these details from that.” And I was like, ok, is this a joke?

JL: You mean you don’t reach for your cosmonaut suit every morning?

DN: Yeah, it’s a modern classic! It was so absurd, but he was so serious about it. This guy was creating a collection from thin air, it had nothing to do with whatever. He thought being a designer was just doing whatever is commonly thought of as being creative. As in out there, eccentric, which was for me totally disconnected – it was just producing, kind of like a hamster rolling in one of those hamster things. Yeah! Let’s make product! Let’s have ideas! Oh, a cosmonaut! Let’s make something like that!

I was so scared and anxious, because I really thought he was going to help me – because I had been told that he was so talented. And so at one point I was actually paying this guy – not a lot, but I was paying him…I realized I’d gone through one year of trying to set up my idea, and paying people, and it just became unbearable to be wasting time and money on something that was clearly not what I wanted.

At that time, I was also paying to go to the ‘incubator’ of my business school. It was not in tune at all with my ideas. It was super start-up culture – raise a lot of money, very technology oriented, very innovation oriented, maybe 1 in 15 of those companies will make it and the others will die and that’s the game. It was like Hunger Games.

I didn’t think that’s what creating a company was about. I was super old school about it, and wanted to be working with all these factories that are still linked to regional culture, and work with them to make garments. The response was, “What is the innovation in your business?” And I said, “Uh, co-branding and re-enchanting that culture of craftsmanship that is being lost, making a collection that honors that craftsmanship, that is durable and lasts a long time and is sustainable – and that’s what’s innovative, because the industry is very driven by fashion.”

And they were like “No, there’s nothing. That’s not an innovation. There’s nothing interesting about your project.”

In French, there’s a saying: conseilleur n’est pas payeur – the person who gives you advice is not the person who pays. It’s easy to give advice. So, shut up, I heard your advice, very interesting, thank you, bye.

I was too frustrated with having wasted all that. And then I decided to go to all the factories, do all the documentaries myself with a photographer, and decided to work with a pattern maker. I had a little experience with the technical files. I had shopped for these vintage pieces, gone to Première Vision [the French fabric fair], and looking in the hundreds of booths for these fabrics eventually I found my way. I said okay, I’m going to make one pair of flannel trousers, and this one poplin shirt I’m imagining, and I’m going to make the Breton sweaters with this really cool factory that I found. I told myself I was just going to make a few garments and see where it took me.

interview Deborah Neuberg De Bonne Facture Styleforum

JL: The last time I saw you, you said that someone had asked you when you were going to make a women’s line. And you said “I am making a women’s line.” So, why menswear? Is it menswear?

DN: The first answer is that I’ve always liked craftsmanship. I’ve always liked concrete product. In 2010 or 2011, all of the interesting brands or companies that were highlighting tailoring and craftsmanship were menswear companies. All of the women’s companies were more style-oriented, or fashion-oriented in my perception at the time.

That’s a reason, but it’s also because I always thought it was really cool to dress in menswear. Classic menswear always really appealed to me. I always liked to steal my brother’s clothes, or my father’s clothes. When I look deeper into it, the men’s wardrobe – the way traditional genders are constructed – what is associated with the men’s wardrobe is more powerful in mainstream culture than what is associated with the women’s wardrobe. At least, that’s the way I perceived it.

I didn’t want to be associated with doing women’s clothes in the way the fashion industry does them – “Oh, that dress is so wonderful! Why don’t we just talk about dresses, and being pretty for parties!” – I didn’t want to be associated with that part of what being a woman can be. It’s not my style.

It was helpful for me to appropriate the codes of masculine garments to express myself, in the way that was the most empowering. It might not be empowering, in the end. I don’t know if it is. I felt it was something that gave me more confidence. It seemed like there was more freedom and power associated with being a guy, and I think it would be hard to argue against that, although it could be said that being imprisoned in those binary genders is keeping men from expressing a part of their personalities.

JL: Would you ever design a dress? Or is that antithetical to your entire conception of clothing?

DN: Hmm. Today, I have no desire to design a dress. None. That might evolve. I don’t know. I follow a lot of non-binary, trans, and gender-fluid people. Sometimes they’re biologically male and dress super feminine – traditionally feminine – or be one day like this and the next like that, and I think it’s interesting how we’re trapped in these worlds.

We think we choose our style, but it’s also very much determined for us by what we think it should be. Style says a lot about who we are – what age we are, what social class we’re from – sometimes it’s not even conscious. Sometimes we think we’re doing a great job, and something escapes that’s a tell of who we are.  I’m interested in the way that people – bravely – break that trap, or that binary, of ‘men should dress this way, and women are like this, and so they should dress this way.’

De Bonne Facture is a lot about me being a woman, and designing this men’s wardrobe and wearing it myself and wanting women to appropriate it and play with it, precisely because it’s associated with masculinity. It can be kind of like a charm, a talisman – I can be who I want.

JL: It seems very quiet, though. What do you make of a brand like Rick Owens or Rad Hourani?

DN: I think it’s great. Obviously, what I’m making is way more conservative, but it’s also because I was socialized as a woman that I find this magical, powerful quality and designing men’s clothes, you know? As a man like Rick Owens or Marc Jacobs, designing dresses or skirts and wearing it themselves or putting them on their male models, I think there’s something that must feel so transgressive and so empowering and make them feel like they’re breaking barriers. Femininity is so devalued.

JL: It’s much more of a taboo for a man to go outside in a dress than for a woman to go outside in a suit.

DN: Exactly. The whole of the structure relies on the inferiorization of women, and the fact that if you take on those codes that are attributed to women – style of dress, speak, voice – you’re going to be effeminate, and that’s the worst that can happen to traditional masculinity. Rick Owens, Marc Jacobs, all of these trans activists that I’m following, they’re very brave and courageous – they’re reclaiming their own power in feeling themselves in this kind of dress.

Very personally, I find those clothes disempowering. I want to maybe have the choice to wear a dress and heels – very rarely, like never – but I want to not be harassed. One time recently I was wearing something moderately feminine and I followed in the streets for 15 minutes by this guy, and he asked for my number and told me he’d been following me.

100% of women have been harassed in a public space in their lives, and when I’m dressed in De Bonne Facture I feel more protected. Which is fake! I just read about an exhibition on “What Were You Wearing When You Were Raped?” and it was everything from dresses to baseball tees to trousers – it can be anything. It has nothing to do with clothing – but symbolically, in my head it does.

JL: “She was dressed like she was asking for it.”

DN: Yeah, exactly.

JL: In addition to the ‘fakeness’ of that feeling, is there a ‘hiding-ness’ to it?

DN: Oh, yeah. Women’s bodies are so sexualized. It’s so problematic – what you are covering and what you’re not. Hiding has to do with what we were brought up to find “sexy.” There’s this cultural battle where people are always trying to see your body.

JL: There are so many men who think this same way, just on a different tack. You know, who think that men should look as though they don’t care. You get up in the morning and you look in your closet and you think “OK, I could wear that, but I don’t really want anyone to notice it or talk to me about it. I just want to look like nothing.”

DN: Neutral.

JL: Completely neutral. For example, last week I met a stranger who told me that he – he was telling me about how expensive his jeans were – was so into clothing that he was ‘verging on f****ry.’ There’s always been this idea of clothing as armor, in these different ways.

DN: Wow. Yes, but I also think there are women’s lines – like Olivier Rousteing at Balmain – his woman is very much a conqueror, an Amazon, wearing very sexy dresses with an armor-like quality to them. I think this idea of what can be armor is very personal. I’m expressing mine in my way, that is very connected to my story. It’s what I’m comfortable in and what I aspire to make.

But if I were to wear an Olivier Rousteing dress in the street…I don’t want that experience. I admire women who do it, I admire activists who fight against all of those stereotypes. What this guy told you is that an interest in fashion makes you feminine, which makes you inferior.

[Laughs]

He’s a victim of the system too. High heels were invented for men, in the court of France – men were like peacocks.

 

JL: So that was never a question for you – menswear vs. womenswear.

DN: No, it was very natural. If I was every dressing up for a carnival or a party, I loved to dress up as a man.

JL: What does that mean? At this point, as a grown woman with successful business, do you get up in the morning and say “Today, I’m dressing like a man?”

DN: No, I meant as a teenager for Halloween and things. Instead of being a nurse, or a prostitute, or these social archetypes. I would dress as a man and paint on a mustache and wear flannel trousers. Right now, I’m dressed in De Bonne Facture trousers and a Paris tourist t-shirt. I bought it from a guy on the street and I really enjoy it.

JL: What was it about these essential pieces that you decided to make for De Bonne Facture that made them ‘French’ to you?

DN: That’s a really difficult question, because I think that what is commonly associated with France is a very narrow-minded vision.

There’s something about being born and brought up in Paris that makes you value clothes that are understated, simple, effortless, but still studied. When I was in Shanghai, people didn’t dress that way. It was much less understated. I think [French] brings to mind something quiet, refined, and subtle, and it’s what I associate with Frenchness.

But it can be so many things – when I was Beijing, I found the same understated quality in some of the people I encountered. Old people walking in the park with very simple camel or black coats that I would never see in Shanghai. And I would think ‘Whoa, these people remind me of Parisians!’ so it’s not only French, but there’s an element of Parisian style in that aesthetic that’s French.

Kind of like Boston, also. When I was living in new York I went to Boston and everyone was in navy and white and it was so quiet and serene.

JL: Boston is still kind of a bastion of East Coast prep style, and it’s interesting to hear your admiration for it as someone whose life outlook is so far from conservative.

DN: I see in certain types of aesthetic conservatism a minimalism, or quiet – stillness, maybe – which can be bad, too, but I find beauty in it. I also love the idea of dressing conservatively and being very anti-conformist, in personality or culturally. I’m interested in that imbalance between exterior minimalism and interior fantasy. I like serenity. Using the navies and whites and camels is so appeasing aesthetically.

In Boston, everything was white – it was covered in snow – and all these silhouettes in camel and navy were out walking. I had this very calm experience of it.

JL: I think that classic is very different from quiet – does that idea of an interior fantasy help bring to life an idea that might otherwise be dull?

 

DN: Maybe. I like the idea of having this very still picture of the white, WASP-y persona – or the French equivalent, such as my style is born out of – but have it appropriated by me, and Asian people, and African people, and the diversity of the American people. It’s like, anyone can walk in your shoes, dude. I can wear your costume. It’s kind of like vogueing. You have a costume of power, and I’m going to wear it.

There’s something subversive about putting out that aesthetic, but having it worn by a diversity of models and people. That’s where I want to go moving forward. It’s kind of why I finally asked my [Japanese] friend Jumpei to model the brand, instead of a white guy who would seem ‘French.’

JL: Is there a healthy way to develop a style, then? I think you could point to 23 out of 24 little boys in America, and they probably all learned to dress from their fathers. How do you balance the desire to imitate with the desire to branch out without knowing what you’re doing?

DN: I started this project called Patina – it’s on the website, but not linked to the products -that’s about pieces and garments that you own and have acquired patina with use; have acquired your character, and telling stories about how clothes are linked to identity or memory. They can be frivolous, but they can also be part of who you are. You’re wearing your dad’s shirt, and you’re connecting to your memory and your history.

JL: You’re not scared of talking about other brands.

DN: It’s very stifling to think that your brand is some kind of tyrannical system.There are certain guidelines in my brand that I will respect, to warranty some kind of cohesiveness, but I’m not afraid to talk about other companies. Being a brand doesn’t have to be about “Oh, you’re not wearing the latest Dries trousers! This is last season!” It’s so fucking stupid, and so disconnected from reality. And very anxiety-inducing. People can get very petty, and in the end it’s really very sad, because it becomes about making people buy stuff out of fear. It’s not building confidence in people. I don’t like making decisions out of fear.

I think this happens in style as well – you’re afraid of being judged, or you’re afraid of what will happen to you. But fashion – not wearing the latest – is not a matter of life and death. I don’t really like that aspect of fashion. I’d rather see experimenting with costumes, and who you can be, and various aspects of identity and gender.

As a designer, I will never say “Yes, this is style. This is how people should dress. Follow me, I’m a guru.” I hate that. People should feel comfortable. Today I was dressed 100% in De Bonne Facture, but under my sweater I had on this souvenir t-shirt, and it made me feel more comfortable and more myself.

Building a healthy style has to do with educating yourself with what style can be for you; understanding the politics of style can be interesting too. Style is very political – it connects to class, gender, race, culture, age – if you’re a poor, black, inner-city kid, vogueing as a rich white prep student, it says something. You can experiment with so many parts of you through dressing up, but it does take experimentation. Being fearless, and confident, and not caring about judgement. I would say that’s what a healthy sense of style is.

JL: You have real economic concerns weighing on you a lot of the time. How do you balance this love of weird things, or your love of vintage things, with the need to keep creating new product?

DN: It’s complicated. When I was starting this project I was measuring my desire to get on with it with my desire to ponder the necessity of another label. Do we need new products? I try to be conscious about the ecological impact of the clothing industry. The fashion industry is so polluting, in all ways – from cultivation of cotton that causes desertification, to pesticides used on the crops, to all of the chemicals used in fabric creation or dyeing, the manufacturing, the usage, the water usage, the fact that you’re renewing your wardrobe all the time…I believe that there is a way that we can connect with clothing that is cultural, that is not some unhealthy, neurotic way of over-consuming stuff. I do believe there is a cultural need for a clothing scene. It’s kind of like an arts scene, or a food scene. It’s a cultural object. That is ‘fashion,’ in the good sense. Clothes are cultural artifacts.

My love for old things makes me conscious of the need to make things that are nice when they are old. I’m studying ways to make our clothes more ecologically-friendly, but I’m trying to balance that with durability and other concerns about development. In the meantime, we have to make collections to make a living, so that our suppliers can also make a living. It’s a long process – there’s a rhythm you have to respect.

I think my love of old things also has to do with how appalled I am with how quickly we consume things. So I’m trying to find a way to make things that is respectful to all the people who make our clothes, and to the person who is buying and wearing them, and the earth, and honoring the craft that needs to be kept alive to manufacture things.

JL: You mentioned that you find the idea of sharing your ateliers romantic. Over the last few years, there has been a focus in menswear on the nitty-gritty, on the details. How do you keep romance alive in what you do?

DN: What comes to mind is streetstyle. I find a lot of romance in watching people in life. Sometimes when I’m walking I see someone with an interesting detail, or observe the way they’re carrying themselves. Whatever is expressed I find romantic or interesting – watching people making style real. I mean, I do also find runways and presentations romantic, but I find people romantic in their diversity. Recently we were choosing fabrics, and one reminded me of an old professor – and I know you have met someone in your life who exuded that geography professor aesthetic or character. Anything can be an inspiration, and that’s where I see the romance.

JL: Once, I texted you a photo of LeBron James wearing one of your sweaters, and you got a kick out of that. What are your thoughts on celebrity style?

DN: I was so mad. I made this really nasty Instagram post and everyone told me to delete it. I got tagged in this random celebrity Instagram post, and realized LeBron James was wearing our turtleneck. I was in the office, and I said “LeBron James is super famous, right?” And it gave me an up, like an endorphin, so I posted about it on Facebook, and it was probably my most-liked post ever.

And then I started getting super bitter about it. “Oh, you need an NBA player to think my stuff is nice?” Everyone on the internet was commenting about how beautiful and wonderful my work was, and I thought, is this what you need to see that I’m doing great work? So I made this post on my personal account about celebrity culture, and how dispiriting it felt that people only thought that what I was doing was good when this NBA star wore it. I was so pissed. And then my friends talked me down and told me to delete it, which I did.

There are people interested in our fabric, in our manufacturing, in what we make – and there are others who are like “Oh yeah, you got LeBron!” Yeah, cool, you like my brand. Thanks. I was happy, and then I hated it when I realized it was the only reason people were interested.

Photos: Sports Illustrated

JL: If you could strip your collection down to its four most essential pieces, which would they be?

D: Definitely the jockey jacket – the bomber – and I like the flannel carrot trousers. I wouldn’t wear those together, though. I would wear the trousers with my souvenir t-shirt, I would wear the bomber with some really run-down jeans and trainers. The oxford shirt – the button down, with the American placket, now it’s in Japanese brush oxford, which is an oxford fabric but flannel-ized, so it’s kind of confusing because it looks like a normal shirt but when you get closer it has this vintage-y, wabi-sabi aspect. And I’m thinking of the bathrobe, that I really like – that you inspired….

[Laughs]

I’m kidding –

JL: I hope you know that’s on record now, and I’m claiming credit for it.

DN: Probably the piqué sweater, the crewneck with the enlarged polo knit.

JL: I think I’ve only ever seen you wearing one thing, which is a striped essential shirt and navy trousers.

DN: Yep.

JL: Is there such thing as authenticity in fashion? Is there anything wrong with never settling?

DN: No! Maybe there are four essential pieces of De Bonne Facture, but I would never wear them together. I think authenticity is being in tune with yourself, with whatever choices you’re making. Being authentic is being honest and sincere, finding your voice through experimentation. It’s not an equation. There’s no solution to style. That’s a good way to sell magazines, to have people be fearful instead of carrying on with their lives.

I think a lot of the media surrounding style perpetuates the fear of not being up-to-date, that’s feeding into the nasty part of the fashion system. Do you remember when we were making fun of the minimalism trend ?

JL: In Paris last year, yeah

DN: Yeah. “Be a minimalist, buy my magazine, I’m gonna teach you how to be minimalist, and the way to be minimalist is to throw out everything you own and buy a minimalist wardrobe.” It’s cool to be evolving. There’s this culture of the rules of style in menswear –

JL: You don’t say.

DN: Yeah, and it kind of drives me crazy.

JL: One criticism I’ve read – on websites that will not be named – is that De Bonne Facture looks like just another minimal French brand.

DN: Yeah, like APC or whatever.

JL: How do you prevent that? How do you –

DN: I really don’t care. I don’t give a fuuuuck. I care about what my customers think about it – if their coat is not well cut, if the fabric isn’t warm enough, then I care. But I’m trying to speak with my voice. I’m not trying to be out there so that I’m making the point that I’m different, like everything I make is orange because I’m so original and it’s unlike any other French brand you’ve ever seen.

Buyers at big department stores have told us “Oh, we’ve already got the minimal French whatever, we don’t want you.” I think “Well, you have a brand that’s made in Portugal, and uses plastic buttons, and the fabric they use costs 2EUR a meter, and oh, this other brand’s shirts are made in Bangladesh for 8$ and they’re selling them for 160EUR.”

They’re selling to customers that don’t care about those details, and don’t care about our ethos that I admit is kind of invisible. It’s subtle. It’s all the choices we’ve made. It has soul. We hope to sell our clothes to people who care about that.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Lookbook photos via De Bonne Facture.

Photos of Déborah by Eric Hanson for Styleforum.

 

How to Style Country Tweed with Mr. Knightley

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style country tweed styleforum

Okay, I’ll admit it: I’m American, and half the reason I like this outfit from Mr. Knightley so much is that all the brands in the original post sound so charmingly British. I’ve been streaming a show over Netflix called “Escape to the Country,” which is kind of like a super chillaxed British version of House Hunters where everyone just wants to buy a cottage in little countryside villages that all end with ‘-shire’, and let me tell you, I could really go for a nice walk through the Dales these days. Imagine it! No cars, no coffee shops, no Macbooks, no jokers on the internet telling you to adjust your sleeve pitch or change the cuffs on your jeans; just you, your binoculars, country boots, maybe a walking stick, and some tweed. Ideally, I’d drop my iPhone in the mud, look down at it, shrug, and move on. The only problem is that every house on the show has a 6-foot ceiling since they were all built in 1308 or whatever.

The other reason that I really like this look is that the colors are fantastic. Regardless of whether or not you’re actually in the countryside, earth tones have always been a go-to for fall, and we all want to look as though we haven’t got a care in the world beyond viewing seasonal foliage and maybe some sheep, especially when the exact opposite is true.

In this case, the overall effect is kept very handsome in part because Mr. Knightley hasn’t country-fied everything in his outfit – a smart shirt, shoes, and trousers tie things together very nicely while serving to keep those earth tones from getting too muddy. All in all, this is a great example of an outfit that features seasonal fabrics, pleated trousers, and even a bit of romance.

You can see Mr. Knightley’s original post here. 

Member Tips: Dress Well While Losing Weight

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Many men struggle to dress well while losing weight – especially if it’s a large amount of weight. It can be difficult to know what, if anything, to buy while your body is changing. However, many Styleforum members have gone through the same transformation, and if you find yourself in a similar position it may reassure you to know that you’re not alone.

Here, we’ve compiled some of the best member-submitted tips about how to handle a wardrobe while dropping pounds, and how to look forward to building a new closet. We’ve also included a handful of inspiration photos to help you hone in on your style throughout the process.

The following responses were originally posted in this thread, while the following inspiration photos have been taken from Styleforum’s various WAYWT threads.

“If you don’t have a job that requires suits, no need to invest there. Go to a local store and try on some dress shirts that fit you well…Try and get a spread collar in a white, blue, striped, and pattern to carry you through any interviews/weddings/events, etc. Invest in flat front pants, standard rise, no more than 8.5″ at cuffs. Get blue, grey, and one black.

For casual fits, get a few pairs of well fitting Levis and som

e crisp new polo shirts in new colors. Shoes – plenty of other shoe posters more knowledgeable than me to offer help there, but find the basics and get them.”

– Spoopoker

 

“Don’t spend a lot of money now. Buy interim clothes until your weight stabilizes. I wouldn’t drop big bucks until I hit my goal weight and managed to stay there. If you’re like most people, you’ll go up and down, especially at first.

In the meantime, look around and decide what you like. Check out WAYW and flip through Esquire and the like. Then think about how you could incorporate the styles you like into your own wardrobe.”

– DocHolliday

 

“Finding a good tailor should be your first goal, then go for a progressive move towards better quality and fitting clothes. Do not underestimate the effect of a good tailor. Looks for sales of quality stuff and good shoes.”

– Eight

 

” Look at your situation right now as research, research, research while you move towards your end goals. Sure, you want cool better looking stuff now – and it’s hard to argue when you’ve already lost 30lbs, I’d want to reward myself too. But if you’re not done yet, don’t bother. You’ll end up junking everything again or tailoring the heck out of it…Go crush it in the gym and think about the Partenopea you’re going to score in a couple more months.

Seriously, keep your powder dry for now – stockpile cash for once you get rid of your self described gut and use that as a motivator (“I’m not getting that 42 blazer until I can fit in it,proper!”). Once you get there, or near there, you’ll be ready to go big.

That said, maybe a couple of better items in the meantime, but think of them as a bridge from where you’re at to where you’re going – ie. disposable. Otherwise you’re going to waste a lot of money, time and effort – trust me (us!).”

– razl

 

“Been there, doing that. I still have 30 pounds to go, so I can speak from first hand experience of how frustrating it has been. I’ve dropped 145 pounds in the last 2 years, but have gained and lost the same 15 pounds repetitively over the last year.

But more to the point, I have also held off having any major suits or coats added to my wardrobe at this point, till I reach and maintain my goal for at least 6 months. But in the meantime, you can do what I do, and pay more attention to the smaller details, i.e., shoes, socks, ties, belts ( which can be shortened very easily by a cobbler) and if they suit you, even the smaller things like cufflinks and wallets, etc.

While most of these things aren’t wardrobe staples, it is fun to pick up things like these as a reward for the progress you make. Even things like dress shirts can be bought now, since your neckline wont likely shrink much more, but at least not enough to affect casual fitting shirts like a classic oxford cloth button down.
And these can be tapered in at the sides and sleeves if necessary by any competent tailor.

But save the suits, sports coats and dress pants, even the casual chinos and such till after you settle out. A pair or two of jeans would be fine, but just keep in mind you’ll likely replace them in about 3 more months.”

– Chips

 

“Just finished the same journey – lost 70 pounds over the past 15 months. Advice:

  1. Spend as little as you can until you hit goal weight. All you really need is one pair of jeans (levi’s are fine for now), one pair of khakis, grey wool trousers, a pair of khaki shorts (since you live in Florida), and maybe some other light-weight semi-nice pair of slacks (I went for seersucker). For shirts, a nice white tee shirt (I liked Alternative Apparel) a couple of polos (two of your favorite / most complimentary colors), a short sleeve linen or cotton shirt, a long sleeve cotton or linen shirt (white and blue), and maybe a rugby shirt. Be disciplined and try not to buy anything else. But as you loose weight, keep buying new items to replace the old. This is your way of rewarding yourself and staying good looking during your slide down the weight scale.
  2. If you want to spend, spend on ties. But since you don’t wear suits every day, you don’t really need to do that unless you just love ties.
  3. As you lose weight, your feet will narrow. Buying shoes now will mean that, when you’ve lost all the weight you plan on losing, your shoes will be too wide. Wait on this … trust me.
  4. Use your weight-loss time to keep reading about clothes and keep your eyes open. You think you like X now, but a couple of months from now, you might start migrating to look Z. A lot of people get the bug and discover how to dress well with a bunch of patterns and colors only to discover down the road that a more pared-down, monochromatic look is their preferred style. No need to rush anything during your weight loss though.
  5. Plan your purchases in advance. Make a budget for what you’re going to do when you hit goal weight and research what you will want. Try to resist the temptation to buy a lot – better to keep a smaller wardrobe that is high on quality than a larger wardrobe that is somewhat lower on quality. Replacing a wardrobe is very expensive, so you need to be disciplined about what you really need versus what you might want. A secondary benefit of this is that your “dream” wardrobe (that is, your planned purchases) will be a wonderful incentive to keep going – a big psychological reward at the end of the tunnel. That helped me a lot. A tertiary benefit of a high-quality wardrobe when it’s all done is that it increases the marginal cost of subsequent weight gain. You just invested a ton on some really great clothes – if you start going up the scales again, they will all have to go. That should provide some degree of deterrence.”

– J. Cogburn

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Member Focus: Protagonist Style with WBaker

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WBaker is a denizen of the Streetwear and Denim subforum, and mostly favors brands that make him look like a movie protagonist. Here, he tells the story of a moment that made him think about the way he dresses, and even the way he thinks about clothing.

“Your jackets’ on inside out”

‘Chayyim’ is the code word. Take a left out my front door and you’ll trip into the block’s corner bar, a busy basement where the going rate for a stool is half an hour on the curb. You say ‘Chayyim’ to the door guy. Chayyim is the owner, so he’s not to be confused with the toast ‘l’chaim’. Once you’ve ‘Chayyim’d’ yourself past the door guy someone will sherpa you down a flight of stairs that make you realize how bad stairs can be. The door at the bottom opens to a low-ceilinged, bowling-lane-sized bar. The stools are for people who waited on that sidewalk; you’ll stand on a perfectly empty two square foot plot of land at the edge of the bar. I see this as a plus, drinking to the point of oblivion on a bar stool comes without the buckling and bending alarm system thoughtfully provided by the legs.

One late night, drink in hand, I stood alone following protocol. Saying ‘Chayyim’ doesn’t guarantee a plus one. On this night, however, a friend of a friend’s roommate’s landlord – a random lady – decided she was my plus one.

I like my two by two at the bar because it looks like I got in trouble and people aren’t supposed to talk to me. Mind you this isn’t that ‘saucy bad boy’ type of don’t talk to me, rather its that ‘I might talk at you about Japanese Blade Runner Blaster model kits for three hours’ type of don’t talk to me. When I go to a bar alone I talk to my drink, and find most beverages to be well spoken.

“Your shoes are all ‘GQ’, how much did you spend on them?” she said, taking perhaps her first stab ever at talking to another person.

“Tomenosuke used way too light an amber tint in the resin for their blaster grips, considering how well they got the knurling…” I gurgled into my drink.

She called my cardigan ugly. Asked if it was on inside out. Suddenly I felt like I was on the receiving end of some negging pickup routine ala The Game: See How You Like It.

“I mean if they’re gonna get the underside of the Steyr .222 bolt action dead-on with a working receiver, why cop out on a spray gun paint job over vacuum metalizing…” I said, abiding by the cone of silence that is Chayyim’s 2×2.

She was setting up this point about, to quote her, how “A portrait is any painting in which there is something wrong with the mouth”, thereby meaning she liked my outfit because the cardigan was wrong. She spoke with this bullshit-meter-ticking ‘just thought of that’ tone. I’ll admit to listening to Radiolab and stealing its better talking points for casual conversation with friends, so maybe the devil met the devil that night.

wbaker styleforum member focus

She said she was an artist, and to prove it she gave me a business card that did in fact say “Artist” on it. I want to get business cards that only say “You just gave me a business card and I didn’t want you to feel left out”.

I’ll have to talk with Chayyim about upgrading to a three by three one day. Maybe Geller will make a “do not pet” vest I can don like a service dog.

Like a top 5 song, the portrait shtick bounced around my head for a week or two after. I’m hasty to mistrust others so I did some googling and it’s a quote from John Sargent, a new-to-me turn of the century American painter. Oh sweet nirvana! Not only did I learn something new, but my reflexive mistrust had been vindicated. There are only so many days in one’s life where you can both learn something new and be proven right. I’ve learned to hold dearly to those fleeting moments.

As I first got into dressing myself with gusto I made the error of becoming obsessed with the individual garment. I’d hunt for these epic-overdone-protagonist pieces because when they’re draped alone on a white plaster mannequin they seem like the solution to life’s problems. I got into garments that excited me from the hanger without even thinking about the outfits they’d be Frankenstein’d into.

I started posting outfits onto Styleforum around 2011 to mostly negative response, and rightly so. Once combined, my “über-cool” pieces were a muddled mess. Without strangers on the internet and even stranger ladies in bars I’d still dress like The Dude got hired by UPS:

wbaker styleforum member focus

Mr. Sargent’s words capture how visually satisfying it can be to defy a base reality. Hearing a trite line about portraits broke my habit of dressing in a way that was putting sprinkles on my sprinkles. I found my outfits more exciting when the effort I put into the crazy stuff was matched with the effort I put into my basics. Basic button downs, trousers, and T’s can make a better canvas for when I wanna wear that single button belted officer jacket and cream side-zips.

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How to Style White Jeans with @eddiemczee

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style white jeans

I think that a pair of cream trousers is one of the most enjoyable and versatile garments to be had in a man’s wardrobe, and I’m likewise a fan of white or cream jeans. That said, some men may struggle with how to style them. It’s understandable, given that denim is a relatively rugged fabric generally associated with workwear, and as white is usually a warm-weather color, not many people are interested in wearing denim when it’s hot out – especially as it’s not known for being breathable.

Fall, then, is really the perfect time to ignore the rule about white after Labor Day (we all know it’s bunk anyway) and pull out your white jeans. That means, however, knowing how to style them. Ignore the advice about heavy boots and denim – nothing looks more awkward than a heavy workboot and white pants. Instead, opt for either a slim, lighter boot, a pair of sneakers, or as @eddiemczee shows here, loafers. His are cuffed, but white jeans usually end up being easier to hem than washed denim, as the stitching is less noticeable and you’re less likely to alter the wash in a funky way. Don’t be afraid to buy white jeans with no or minimal break, as they arguably work better for these purposes than dark jeans do. Just don’t buy white jeans too slim, as not only does it mean you’ll run hotter, but white denim has a very real sausage casing effect when the thighs are too tight.

If you find a comfortable fit, however, you’ll realize just how versatile they can be. As Eddie says:

“The great thing about white jeans is that they can be worn casually and with tailored clothing. In the summer, I like to wear them with a linen button-down and navy blazer or denim jacket. In the winter, I’ll sometimes wear them with a navy sweater and olive field jacket and boots…I wear jeans over trousers when I want my outfit to look more casual. For white jeans, I feel like they’re the perfect middle ground between standard indigo denim and trousers. Plus, if you wear them to a picnic and get some stains on them, you can just throw them in the wash instead of having to dry clean them.”

This is another look that doesn’t need to break the bank, and exemplifies the standard Styleforum philosophy of spending your money on shoes and outerwear. White denim and chambray shirts can be found anywhere, including the Levi’s sale rack. The Land’s End model that Eddie’s wearing has a comfortable rise and leg, however, and is a good choice if you’re planning to wear loafers regularly. While a nicer leather jacket is almost always worth the expense, there are of course models that won’t set you back quite as much. Eddie let me know that his A-1 came from Schott’s ‘Perfecto’ line, from which you can often find steals. Unfortunately, that has since sold out, but if it is ever restocked you can expect to pay a bit less than you would for the Valstar jacket featured below.

Spezzato: Mixing Suits like an Italian

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Spezzato: the past participle of the verb to break in Italian.

Many things can be broken, both in the Italian and English language: a vase, a mirror, a heart, a dream. However, one thing the Americans and the Brits do not break, unlike their Mediterranean fellow menswear enthusiasts, is the suit.

To the Anglophone population, there is no greater shame than being spotted wearing suit trousers without a jacket. This is probably rooted in a conservative mentality that considers suits a garment to wear when the wearer is required to look their best: business hours, ceremonies, or a house of worship. These are all occasions that require a suit, and why would anyone break something that in itself represents following protocol?

Italians, on the other hand, wear suits for leisure time as well as on formal occasions, and the difference is that they take pleasure in wearing them.

I will never forget my biggest college crush, my Latin professor, who used to march into the classroom, throw his jacket on the chair, and then reveal a painfully perfect single break by placing his feet on the desk and shout “BONUM MANE!” to a crowd of fawning students of both genders. You can tell I was a weird kid back then because I always noticed his jacket and pants were never matching, and it wasn’t because he was a young and broke professor who couldn’t afford a trip to the tailor. The man knew style.

Unlike the average American, who typically scoffs at the idea of having to dress up, for an average Italian it’s completely normal to seek that degree of sophistication for even the most trivial of circumstances.

Since dressing up is fun, Italians don’t mind fooling around with their clothes, and that’s how they oftentimes end up mixing up the tops and bottoms of different suits, in order to create new outfits and color combinations. Breaking up your suits is also an excellent way to repurpose those items that you can’t fully enjoy because they don’t meet your degree of satisfaction, or because you simply got bored of them.

In the broader sense of the word, spezzato indicates an outfit in which top and bottom show a bold contrast in either color or material. A white sport coat with peak lapels will create a beautiful spezzato with some blue linen pants, and you’ll still get the feeling of a “curated mismatch”. The same can be said of jeans; Styleforum has more recently started to embrace the charm of sport coats worn over denim, a form of spezzato Italians have always cherished.

Here is a guide to create awesome spezzato combinations that will revamp your wardrobe and awaken the #menswear god that hides inside your closet.

Color is everything

You have probably already noticed, but the best outfits out there are those that flirt with the most intriguing color combinations. You have to train your eyes to capture the shade of blue that goes best with that precise shade of green, because – everyone knows – god is in the details. You technically can just throw on a pair of grey suit pants and a blue suit jacket, and chances are it won’t look terrible. But will it look good? Will it make feel the way you feel standing in front of a painting by Monet? That precision, that careful research of color, should live in our daily life just like if we were crafting our own artwork.

Pay close attention to how you mix fabrics

It goes without saying: you can’t just grab a cream linen suit and your beloved Harris Tweed sport coat and call it a day. Try mixing fabrics – and therefore textures – while remaining within the limits established by the season. Cotton and linen are a beautiful combination for summer and spring, while wool and heavy silk work magic in fall and winter.

Go for contrast

If you’re doing spezzato, you gotta go spezzato all the way. Don’t break your blue suit just to choose another blue pair of pants to go with it. Don’t pick two shades that are too similar, or it will look like you got dressed in the dark after one too many gin tonics the night before (which can be charming, in a way, but we’ll talk about the disordinato effect another time.) Don’t choose two textures that are similar but different, or it will look just as bad. Go for a bold yet tasteful contrast that will tell people that you chose to be bold.

The fit must be consistent

As tempting as it may be to grab your first suit from the college years to take her out for a spin, perhaps it’s not that good of an idea if your current collection of clothes fit completely different. Try to make a clear distinction between slim cut, regular, and classic fit, so you don’t end up looking like you raided your older brother’s closet.

That seems a lot of things to pay attention to, doesn’t it? And aren’t the Italians the people don’t give a damn about looking too good; screw the rules, life is too short not to laugh at an espresso spilled on your shirt?

That is absolutely true – life is way too short to worry about the state of your garments, and this is usually that point where I tell you to forget everything you just read and go wear whatever the hell you like, as long as it makes you smile. But at the same time, life is too short to miss out on the pleasure that comes from caring for your person, and present the best version of yourself to the world that’s hosting you.

That barista you saw yesterday; the one who had the most radiant smile you’ve seen in a while? She deserves to see your extravagant cufflinks peek underneath the jacket you’re wearing while you thank her for your coffee.

Even the asshole that cut in front of you on the 405 deserves to know that the effort you made to look at your best today is also a gift for him.

One of the most fulfilling moments of my life – and you may very well laugh at this – has been walking on a street of Naples and being greeted by two old, impeccably dressed gentlemen, who took their hats off and smiled at me before returning to their conversation.

Those two men left their home that morning – it was a scorching day of July in Naples – looking as if they were going to attend their daughter’s wedding, and all they were out to do was enjoy each other’s company and walk along the seaside. They took two seconds of their time to acknowledge my presence, and they interrupted their conversation to smile and take their hat off for me. They didn’t do it because it was me – they would have done it for anyone else, and that was the beauty of that gesture. I was honored to be part of the bigger picture in the micro-world of those two Italian men.

But what if people won’t notice, you might ask. What if they don’t care?

It is true that we are living in a world that doesn’t train people to understand and appreciate beauty, and that’s perfectly okay. Those two Neapolitan gentlemen couldn’t possibly have known that their gesture would have made my day.

We don’t do it for anyone in particular, just like flowers don’t care if there isn’t anyone admiring them while they bloom. They just bloom, because that’s what we’re supposed to do in this flawed yet beautiful world of ours. We contribute to its beauty.

Whether it is menswear or something else – it all adds up to create the bigger picture. Practice elegance religiously, and become a master of the small things, and people will remember you as well as they do those details.

And if that still isn’t enough, we will always be there to stroke your ego on the What Are You Wearing Today thread on Styleforum.

Nailing Trad Style with Roycru

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nailing trad style styleforum

You may remember Roycru from his member focus, and this week we’re looking to him for some American inspiration. It’s nice to see one of our members nailing trad style, since it’s a look that has grown rarer on Styleforum over the years. And if you, like me, aren’t often found singing the praises of ‘timeless’ style, this tidbit from Roycru should make you take notice: “People often say things like ‘nice vintage clothes’ to me. I always thank them and then mention the clothes I am wearing were new when I got them.”

It’s easy, when battered by advertising on all fronts, to forget that we really don’t need to buy new clothes every season, and that smart purchases can make for a wardrobe that lasts a lifetime. Take, for example, the gunclub sport coat featured above. No, it’s certainly not the universal constant that is the navy blazer, but look at how easily it’s worked into a great outfit that doesn’t look like it came from a cookie cutter. There’s no reason to limit yourself to the most basic of basics; what matters is finding clothing that you know you’ll wear regularly.

I’ll also note that in Roycru’s original WAYWT submission, he’s wearing very accessible brands. In a sea of bespoke Italian suits, high-end denim, and hand-made shirts, sometimes it’s refreshing to be reminded that the key to looking great isn’t necessarily to bankrupt yourself.

 

 

Anu Elizabeth on Menswear for Women

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You may recognize Anu Elizabeth from Styleforum’s regular Pitti coverage; as one of the tradeshow’s well-dressed female attendees she makes her way into a lot of pictures. She’s often found in tailored clothing, which prompted Arianna to reach out for a discussion about what inspires her stylistic decisions, and how she thinks about menswear on women.
Arianna Reggio: Anu, you told me that you’re a “jeans kind of girl” most of the time. However, we’ve seen you at Pitti in tailored clothes wearing men’s accessories. Where does that come from?
Anu Elizabeth: I have always disliked uncomfortable and ill-fitting clothing. I haven’t been able to find blazers or sports coats that fit me – for a reasonable price, at least. I only got into wearing jackets and blazers after I got together with my fiancé Jussi Häkkinen (@jussihakkinen on Instagram), who started making those pieces for me. The suits he has made for me are mostly made according to my wishes. I’ve chosen the fabrics and what style I would like in general. Jussi creates the pattern and makes the smaller stylistic decisions according to the house style of their company, E-F-V Gentlemenswear, as my suits are also concept studies and prototypes for their future ladies line. This suits me just fine, as I love their classic yet slightly rugged style.
I’d also like to emphasize that I don’t consider suits to be menswear per se, just a type of clothing that can be womenswear just as well. Accessories, like neck ties and pochettes, are considered mainly as menswear, yes, and sold in menswear stores, but I’d like to see that to change in the future, too. They can complement the outfit, adding interesting details to it. They make the wearer look more dressed, and show an effort. Of course the same dressed-up effect could be attained with “ladies” accessories, too, but I personally find men’s accessories more interesting and versatile. I like, for example, to wear pochettes as scarves, too.
Arianna: What’s your style on a daily basis?
AE: For the office I generally wear jeans or chinos with collared shirts and knits. I like heavy boots and military parkas for the winter and field jacket with loafers or sneakers in the summer. I don’t see customers face to face in my job, so relaxed, smart and comfortable is the way to go. I mainly use Uniqlo and army surplus stores for my everyday clothes.
Arianna: Do you dress in tailored clothing on occasions outside of Pitti Uomo?
AE: I do, on weekends and holidays and other special occasions, although I do wear dresses and heels for parties as well.
Arianna: Your fiancé works in fashion; what differences do you see between men’s approach to clothes – specifically tailoring – and women’s?
AE: Not that big a difference, in the end. In the menswear circles, classic tailored clothes and bespoke are the thing now. Outside that group, however, men and women are pretty equally into disposable fashion and, of course, some could not care less about what they are wearing, as long as it’s comfortable – this group seems to increase with age. I don’t see much difference between sexes here.
It does seem, though, that in women’s fashion comfort and classic style seldom meet, at least at the commonly available and affordable vendors. There are far fewer bespoke makers for women’s suits and shoes than there are for men. I know maybe two women who use bespoke and dozens of men, but my view on this is probably a bit distorted because we know so many menswear people.
Arianna: Do you see differences in terms of quality between menswear and women’s clothing?
AE: Outside of bespoke circles, especially in the lower price range, there might be some difference, favoring men. Maybe it is due to the faster rotation on women’s fashion. I really can’t say. I try to avoid buying disposable fashion items.
Arianna: What has been the response of you wearing men’s tailored clothing?
AE: Surprisingly positive, although I still do not consider it as men’s clothing – but I know what you mean. I have felt very comfortable and well-dressed in a suit or similar styles everywhere I’ve been. No one has ever commented anything negative or told me that I’m dressed like man. Rather, I feel I have just been viewed as “well-dressed” when Im out in a suit. Compared to the more traditional way of being a well-dressed woman, the power and comfort of the well made suit is something different. It makes one feel very confident.
Arianna: Lastly, if you were a man, what do you think your style would be?
AE: Pretty similar to what it is now, I think. Jeans and parkas for everyday wear, suits for weekends and occasions. I might have a lot more shoes than I do now, because there would be more well made, comfortable and stylish shoes available in my size – assuming my feet would be somewhat bigger than they are now. I do like the way high heels look, but I’ve never liked the way they feel.