The Latest: Friday 27 January 2012
Poster Series: Herr Hugo BossWe pick on Hugo Boss because we love Hugo Boss. And no, we're not counting on an endorsement deal anytime soon. | |
In praise of ivoryWe're not going to call it the new white, because... well, light grey... but a lot of things we'd never wear in white suddenly become appealing when the brightness is dialed down just a little to an ivory or cream tone. Whereas white is neither warm nor cold, ivory is always warm. Think of it as the difference between fluorescent and incandescent light. Shown: Uniqlo ivory scarf and cashmere sweater. Jack spade olive corduroy blazer. Bonobos navy wool and cashmere trousers.25.jan.2012 style | |
Tie Bar Spring / Summer 2012 Pocket Squares | BuyThe Tie Bar has rolled out some new cotton pocket squares for spring / summer, and we particularly like how fabrics normally associated with other kinds of apparel—things we wouldn't normally wear—somehow seem a lot more interesting when peeking out of your chest pocket. Few of us would attempt a full-on southerner's seersucker suit or the neo-prep's madras shorts, and the chambray workshirt is frankly pushing it since the death of faux-workwear, but the fabrics normally used in these pieces all make for nice pocket accents.23.jan.2012 style | |
Poster Series: Necktie OvercompensationApparently not everyone got the message about tie boners, so kindly post and help us spread the word on this important issue of our time. | |
Mailbag: Velvet, in generalJuice asks: "Velvet? Ever?" Answer: Sort of. We'd file velvet shoes under "never", seeing them as fussy foppish anachronisms from the age of pocket watches and monocles. We're going to admit we love velvet blazers but it's really hard to justify buying anything that only really works for a select category of social event taking place during the last three weeks of December and the first few hours of January. On the other hand, velvet makes for nice details, such as elbow patches and collar trim on overcoats. Shown left to right: Del Toro slippers. Charles Tyrwhitt blazer. Holland Esquire overcoat with collar detail. | |
Tom Ford Spring / Summer 2012Ford's Spring / Summer collectons are typically where he loses us a bit, and this one is no exception. We aren't going to start liking the huge baggy pleated pants thing no matter how many times he rolls it out, but as always there are a few truly great pieces rendered in lush materials and patterns. And of course the experience of viewing the lookbook is a lot like how we'd picture a party at Ford's house: beautiful if slightly weird-looking models everywhere; lush environents full of marble, silk, and fur; and everybody's naked by the end of it. Left to right: Hemp / linen / silk basket weave jacket. Textured silk knitwear and pretty cool overcheck swim trunks. A most excellent brown silk / linen dinner jacket.16.jan.2012 style | |
Mailbag: How to henley (and how to f**king NOT)Matt asks: "Sign me up for the unrefilter, but what is it specifically about layered henleys? And not just henleys period?" Answer: Henleys are inherently really casual, because let's face it, we're basically talking about a design whose origins lie in pajamas and long underwear. When unbuttoned they look a little sloppy, and if you're not going to unbutton them, what's the point. But on its own, a henley can (at best) look no worse than a t-shirt in purely casual contexts. Layered under anything—anything at all—there's no situation in which it won't look like crap. We've also observed that only extremely douchey people even attempt it. Granted, there are going to be bloggers who don't agree with this, and one of the goals of The Unrefilter is to ensure we never come into contact with them. Shown left: Alternative Apparel, acceptably deployed. | |
The kick-ass $125 cotton suit | BuyL.L.Bean Signature's sale includes one of our favourite cotton suits ever, The New Traditional Twill, at a tremendous out-of-season discount—$90 for the jacket, $35 for the trousers. This mostly-unlined summer suit has a flattering shape and lots of nice details like working cuff buttons and a small, high lapel notch up at the collarbone. We'd recommend this to just about anyone in need of a casual warm-weather suit, with a few pieces of advice:
09.jan.2012 style | |
Haiku: That Rockin' Santorum Tucked-In Gutbillowing Sweater Vest, Giant Blouse And Pleated Pant Look | FailHA HA HA HA HAHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA no. | |
Announcing the Unrefilter | WaitSo it's 2012, and let's be honest, the online menswear community is in a pretty goddamn sorry state. While the ecosystem of fora, blogs, and (sigh) tumblrs is larger than ever, alas, endless reblogging and groupthink are largely wasting the potential of the medium by burying the rare imaginative thought in a sea of "dressed by the Internet" clichés.We're therefore proud to announce that our first foray into software development is nearing completion. The Unrefilter (1.0) is a browser plug-in that combines simple text pattern matching with advanced image recognition to filter out anything and anyone that perpetuates the navel-gazing noise which so often drowns out those poor souls who think—God forbid—that style might be at its best an expression of the individual rather than a discussion of which 3.25" grenadine tie is permitted with your navy blazer, grey Incotex trousers and brown shell cordovan monk straps. We think the default settings will be highly effective, but the system will be updated to support emerging threats (we're keeping a wary eye on pocket square explosions). You should soon be able to breeze through the leading menswear forums in record time. And with a properly installed and updated filter, you need never see or hear from Dan Trepanier again. We're in beta testing now. Wait in suspense. | |
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