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::Hook, Line & Sinker::

2/24/2014

In my last post, I shared a little bit (ok maybe a lot) about my fondness for suits. Like most #menswear fanatics, I enjoy a well made custom suit, but for me nothing beats finding one that fits pretty damn well off the rack, so much so that you can get away with not taking it to the tailor. I consider those extremely rare finds, but this Stafford suit falls firmly into that category.

It's almost shameful to admit how much time and money I've spent at J.C Penney in the last 15 months, so we won't go there, but the Stafford brand there has come through in some unbelieveable ways in that time frame. This is where I regretfully mourn the ongoing downturn of the menswear department there and continue to stock up whenever they have a sale, which at this point is almost every weekend. More on this later.

The biggest selling point when it comes to off the rack for me are the shoulders. I want to avoid shoulder divots, so I look for clean lines and then I look at how the jacket hangs once buttoned up. Again with the avoiding, you don't want to see it pulling across the middle or the back.

Suit, Shirt & Tie x Stafford, Unsigned Pocket Square, Gold Fishing Hook Tie Bar via eBay, Burgundy Tassel Loafers x Johnston & Murphy, Watch x Omega, Burgundy Leather Briefcase - Thrifted.

If you want to learn more about suiting, check out Primer Magazine's "Visual Guide to Understanding Common Suit Features" Here.

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Blue Skies

2/17/2014

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I love suits. All of my close friends know this. I could wax poetic for hours about the beauty of a well made suit; salivating over button stances, gorges, soft shoulders, drape, lapel rolls....I could go on and on, but you get my drift. The point I'm getting to here however is that to get these things dialed in precisely to your tastes, you normally have to pay for them through any of the numerous made-to-measure, "custom" or if your wallet is big enough, full bespoke options out there.

Even though the number of companies offering these options at lower price points is growing, they can still be quite out of reach for many. Immediately after Nick Wooster's unfortunately (for me) short stint at J.C Penney, I picked up this Stafford plaid suit for a song while they were trying to clear out as much of the stuff he was behind as possible.

For an off the rack suit, I was pleasantly surprised by the fit of the jacket. The jacket fit nice and trim around the middle, which lately has become a bigger issue for me. I really need to spend a bit more time in the gym. Anyway, back to the jacket - The sleeves are slim with no un-necessary hangtime even though the right one may be about a half inch shorter than I would like. The pants could probably benefit from some minor tweaks by my tailor as could this duffle coat but as of right now, theres nothing I can't live with.

The color blue has solidly worked its way to being the number one color of choice in my closet. In between eBay, thrifting, gifts and just regular old shopping, I've picked up more shirts and ties in the varying shades of blue than I admittedly know what to do with. However, it also happens to be one of those colors that should be a wardrobe staple for any man whether you're talking oxford cloth button downs or extreme cutaways.

Grey Plaid Suit x Stafford, Light Blue Extreme Cutaway Collar Shirt x Trashness, Wool Tie & Blue Trim Pocket Round x The Tie Bar, Split Toe Oxford's x Santoni, Hooded Duffle Coat x G.H Bass, Flyback Watch x Vince Camuto, Glasses x Tom Ford.

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::The $150 Wardrobe - The Art History Professor::

2/14/2014

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So, I'll be honest.....I planned on spacing the $150 Wardrobe series posts out a bit more than this.....but I have this thing about rules, guidelines etc, for some reason, I struggle with them.

Anyway, this jacket and vest combo from H & M have got to be some of their best selling pieces of all time considering how much I've seen them on social media, which quite frankly I consider a positive thing. Someone over on their social media/marketing team should really consider doing an online "Who Wore It Best" competition or something (just make sure I get credit for the idea....j/k or am I?). Even though I don't necessarily hold the quality of most of H&M's products in particularly high regard, it indicates to me an ongoing shift in the wardrobe conciousness of the everyday man; that there is a desire to dress better or "dress up more even when I don't have to" as one of my friends so succintly put it. Long story short, when I came across them in my local store and had a coupon that knocked the price low enough, I figured "why not?" I keep going on and on about the weather, but it really has been particularly shitty here and while some folks may have their thoughts on clothing being intended for wear regardless of conditions, I have this thing where I want to keep my nice things....well, nice.

For me, they met the exact parameters I had in mind at the time - inexpensive, so I can wear and beat the crap out of them and flexible enough to rock with cords as seen here, denim or even a cotton chino. I've seen these pieces paired with pretty much everything from your standard shirt and tie to a t-shirt, so I decided to go in a different direction with it, primarily inspired by an old art history professor from my college days. My earlier comment regarding the quality of H&M's products is not meant to be disparaging of the overall brand as I own quite a few things by them but to highlight that there is a time and place for everything. I am fortunate enough now to choose where and when for the most part (although if anyone wants to slide me some Givenchy or Gaziano & Girling's, please feel free to), but I recognize that for a college student looking to improve their wardrobe, H&M provides some decent enough options.

Wool/Poly Blend Jacket & Vest x H&M - $80, Green Corduroy Pants x J.Crew - $13, Black Cotton Turtleneck x H&M - $10, Black Suede Sneakers x Superga - $20, Silver "Phantom of the Opera" Mask Pin - $1.50,
Not included in wardrobe budget: Glasses x Warby Parker, Vintage Watch x Vacheron Constantin, Steel Cuff Bracelet x Street Vendor

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:: The $150 Wardrobe - A Winter Weekend ::

2/10/2014

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Over the next month or so, I will put together a range of outfits for different scenarios with a total clothing cost not to exceed $150. I may not recall exactly how much I paid for specific things, but I gaurantee we'll stay in that ball park.

How much should a man spend on this wardrobe? Can't say I have an answer for that question as there are things I consider worthwhile when it comes to the value exchange. You know, the whole "Buy Less, Buy Better" thing. But let's be real for a moment, regardless of how much one may want to, not everyone can afford to spend money on a Belstaff jacket or hell even a J.Crew field jacket on "sale". Luckily enough, there are other options that play just as well.

The focus then turns to knowing how much you're willing to spend per item and how to get the highest quality for the lowest price. Here with the right combination of sale, coupon and timing, great things happen.

Considering how St. Louis has been blanketed in snow for almost a week (and counting) and being the weekend, this seemed like a very good place to start. Every single item here was purchased while on sale....and by sale, I mean 'red ticket, pink ticket, we gotta get this out of inventory clearance' sale which to me is the perfect place to start the search. By now, we all know this stuff is marked up for the highest profit from the minute the new season stuff shows up, which is fine with me, the companies need to eat too. However, so do I which means I make every effort to avoid paying full price for anything...I know, I know I'm like a broken record when it comes to this...but its the truth. As much as I hate it, I'm signed up for emails from the stores where I shop the most so I'm aware of when there's a sale, coupon etc. I also rely heavily on blogs like Dappered for almost real time information from other guys as equally interested in #menswear as I am and will unashamedly admit to spending a considerable amount of time trolling eBay for a good deal. I spent this weekend with my wife catching movies, grabbing dinner and at church and this was an outfit that worked in all of those situations.

Tan Field Jacket x GAP - $45, Brushed Flannel Button Down Shirt x St. John's Bay - $11, Blue Quilted Vest x Stafford Prep - $3, Green Corduroy Pants x J.Crew - $13, Weatherproof Duck Boots x Sporto - $12.

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:: A Walk In The Park ::

2/4/2014

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Trying Something New - One of my favorite things about #menswear is that there is no lack of inspiration and new ideas. One such idea to become popular fairly recently amongst the men's style cognoscenti is the dress shirt under a turtleneck with the collar flipped up. I'll be honest, the first couple of times I saw it, I didn't quite understand it. But then after seeing a few more executions, it began to grow on me and I finally worked my way up to giving it a shot using a low-risk shirt (didn't want to ruin a shirt collar).

Double-Breasted Coat x Banana Republic, Wool Turtleneck x H&M, Cotton Shirt x Van Heusen, White Denim with Cut-Off Hem x H&M, Leather Gloves x Fratelli Orsini, Wingtip Boots x Studio Ink, Glasses x Warby Parker.

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::Hook, Line & Sinker::

Blue Skies

::The $150 Wardrobe - The Art History Professor::

:: The $150 Wardrobe - A Winter Weekend ::

:: A Walk In The Park ::

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