Do clothes make the man?
My mother used to say "A woman's best accessory is a well-dressed man."
I don't think men dress as well as they once did, do you? I sift through photos of my Dad and his friends, in their trench coats and tweeds, fedoras and homburgs. Shoes built for nearly a lifetime, held on cedar trees.
Years ago, I dated a man who wore ratty jeans and tired t-shirts. In my mind's eye I pictured him in Armani suits. I castigated my shallowness: if he was enjoyable company, did it matter that he looked like a laundry basket? While his clothes were not a deal-breaker, I decided that the long haul across from his indifferent attire and nonexistent grooming would be like living in an apartment with no windows. Functional, but not uplifting.
For many years I've had a partner who spends most of his time in jeans. I am occasionally treated to seeing Le Duc in a bespoke jacket, fine shoes. At that point he assumes gravitas and a different tenor of allure.
Derek Jacobi, in the brilliant film "The Fool" (1990) laments his early constricted social mobility (before faking his way into the upper echelons as an entirely different character): "I had no coat and no connections." Set in London, 1857, Jacobi's con is relevant today, though the barriers of class have eased, at least in North America.
Is it because we're more egalitarian that men have lost the desire to dress well? I know a few men who enjoy their clothes, but in my large Canadian city, it's the exception. Rubber-soled Rockports with company-logoed polos are standard business attire.
Even most "suits" lack style: ill-fitting collars, frumpy cuts, dull ties.
That's why when I see a man dressed like this, I sit up and take appreciative notice. There is nothing trendy here, it's in fact rather conventional until you notice the harmonious blend of three patterns in the shirt, tie and jacket and the beautiful suede shoes. (Photo of writer Bruce Boyer from The Sartorialist.)
But men need not benefit from decades of practice to look sharp. Another Sartorialist shot of a man on the street in New York, near left, shows even young men can wear clothes that fit.
Who embodies the era when men dressed with care and glamour?
My favourite well-dressed man of all time is Marcello; he once said that for over fifty years, he visited his tailor every week to select the next item and be fitted for something.
While there's a lot to be said for the comfort of business casual and super-casual, I do miss the pleasure of precise, flattering menswear and and beautiful accessories.
You can admire some of his suits, and Marcello, in this montage:
I don't think men dress as well as they once did, do you? I sift through photos of my Dad and his friends, in their trench coats and tweeds, fedoras and homburgs. Shoes built for nearly a lifetime, held on cedar trees.
Years ago, I dated a man who wore ratty jeans and tired t-shirts. In my mind's eye I pictured him in Armani suits. I castigated my shallowness: if he was enjoyable company, did it matter that he looked like a laundry basket? While his clothes were not a deal-breaker, I decided that the long haul across from his indifferent attire and nonexistent grooming would be like living in an apartment with no windows. Functional, but not uplifting.
For many years I've had a partner who spends most of his time in jeans. I am occasionally treated to seeing Le Duc in a bespoke jacket, fine shoes. At that point he assumes gravitas and a different tenor of allure.
Derek Jacobi, in the brilliant film "The Fool" (1990) laments his early constricted social mobility (before faking his way into the upper echelons as an entirely different character): "I had no coat and no connections." Set in London, 1857, Jacobi's con is relevant today, though the barriers of class have eased, at least in North America.
Is it because we're more egalitarian that men have lost the desire to dress well? I know a few men who enjoy their clothes, but in my large Canadian city, it's the exception. Rubber-soled Rockports with company-logoed polos are standard business attire.
Even most "suits" lack style: ill-fitting collars, frumpy cuts, dull ties.
That's why when I see a man dressed like this, I sit up and take appreciative notice. There is nothing trendy here, it's in fact rather conventional until you notice the harmonious blend of three patterns in the shirt, tie and jacket and the beautiful suede shoes. (Photo of writer Bruce Boyer from The Sartorialist.)
But men need not benefit from decades of practice to look sharp. Another Sartorialist shot of a man on the street in New York, near left, shows even young men can wear clothes that fit.Who embodies the era when men dressed with care and glamour?
My favourite well-dressed man of all time is Marcello; he once said that for over fifty years, he visited his tailor every week to select the next item and be fitted for something.While there's a lot to be said for the comfort of business casual and super-casual, I do miss the pleasure of precise, flattering menswear and and beautiful accessories.
You can admire some of his suits, and Marcello, in this montage:
Comments
I love seeing a well-dressed man. There were some on the streets of Paris who took my breath away with the impeccable tailoring and the embrace of a bit of color.
E Marcello! Che bel uomo, dalla gioventù alla vecchiaia!!!
materfamilias: Once watched two Italian men in a cafe in Paris fuss a full five minutes with the belts and buckles on their trenches before leaving. Could tell they do this all the time. I like the middle ground, conscious but not obsessive. Really bugs me when a man has scuffed and run down shoes.
Pseu: Le Duc says the men in Paris have the best sports coats- not afraid of colour and a bit of drama.
Duchesse, a funny "flag war" incident on my street. A couple in my co-op have their balcony (still) bedecked in Québec flags, and a neighbour of theirs, obviously of a Federalist persuasion, has hung an equally large Maple Leaf flag from his.
I only have flowers, ivies and potted herbs on mine.
Yes, I would be disgusted si mon homme visited the tailor once a week; such preening bespeaks -- to me, at least -- great narcissism.
As Imogen pointed out in her wonderful blog, much of looking nice does depend on grooming. For a man, smelling fresh, a good hair cut (even if that hair cut is of the more relaxed, shaggy fashion), well-tended facial hair and, agreed!, shoes that are not scuffed do wonders.
I love the way my late father dressed. He owned several simple dark suits and every year or two my mother would take him to Fortnums (department store in London owned by a Canadian family) and buy one truly beautiful one that'd fit him like a dream. He had, perhaps, a totaly of 8 pairs of shoes (including tennis shoes and winter boots). He owned no jeans but had 2 or 3 pairs of cords which he wore with a plain belt and cashmere sweater: no brand names or logos.
Of course, growing up I was jealous of my friends whose fathers wore the latest cool clothes, Ralph Lauren and Armani and leather jackets, trendy tie widths and labels. But now I have admiration and nostalgia for my father's frugal, WASPy style. There was such simplicity and neatness. His shoes were made in Italy or England and were not inexpensive, per se, but probably cost pennies/ wear since many (no joke) lasted him 20 or 30 years: re-heeled and re-soled decade after decade.
I am tired of our generation's disposable fashions. The trendiness and poor quality of so much that we -- myself included -- tend to wear. We spend so much more money and yet look so much worse. Men's fashion, at least, tends to be less trend-drive than women's and of that I am deeply jealous.
lagatta: I just love seeing a man in a summer suit, a light coloured tropical wool is nice but I especially admire linen, the jauntiness of seersucker and a preppy cotton suit. In Toronto few men wear them- between the air conditioned offices and the prevalence of business casual, they make do with 'all season' attire. But when I see a beautiful summer suit, it stops me in my tracks.