Why Wear an Ascot?

Recently, on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart made fun of CNN's Roland Martin for wearing an ascot on national television.  I appreciate Roland Martin's impassioned response:

Jon Stewart asked, "Why?  Why wear an ascot on national television?"  Because this country is going to hell in a hand basket.  We're lost.  We've succumbed to the insane desires of this new generation that is devoid of the common purpose of Americans. ...  Why an ascot?  Because I want my America back.  I want to reclaim the soul and the style that made us the greatest country on Earth.  We have abandoned the stylistic principles of the founding fathers and their wigs and tophats, and their ruffled tops, for the god-awful look of flip flops and t-shirts and baggy pants and sweats.  Jackie O. took us to new heights.  Now we have the fashion sense of James Carville.  Look, I want to help restore the values of America. ...  I want us to be great again.  I want an ascot for every god-fearing boy and man.  And it's time that we reclaim our history. ...  It is time that we return to our roots as a leader in fashion.  Join me in this fight and accept this call to arms and may we all rediscover what it means to be an American.

Preach on Roland Martin.  Can I get an "amen" from the congregation? 

Amen.

Bespoke Belt

While shopping the post-Christmas sales last Saturday I bought a new pair of jeans in a size smaller than I had previously been wearing.  I decided that I also needed a new casual belt because my current ones were too long.  You can tell that a belt fits properly if you are buckling on the center hole.  If you are using a hole towards the middle of the belt then there is a bunch of excess leather wrapping around your hip.  You end up looking like a twelve-year-old kid wearing his dad's belt.  If you're on the last hole then it looks like you enjoyed too many Christmas parties and packed on about fifteen pounds. 

There is no real feasible way to lengthen a belt, but it is possible (at some expense) to shorten a belt.  I have had one of my alligator dress belts shortened.  A leather craftsman basically removes the excess length from the buckle end and reattaches the buckle.  If I recall correctly, that service cost me about thirty-five dollars.  If your belt is too long and not worth shortening, or if your belt is too short, then it's time to go shopping.

When buying an off-the-rack belt you should typically look for one that is a size larger than the waist of your pants.  For example, if you wear a size 34 pant then a size 36 belt will probably fit.  The belt must be a size bigger because it's worn over the pants; the fabric of the trouser adds additional bulk that must be taken into consideration.

While shopping on Saturday I had in mind that I wanted a tan casual belt with edge stitching and a silver buckle.  I did not think that was an unreasonable item to locate.  After checking at Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren, J-Crew, Gap, Abercrombie and Fitch, Dillards, Belk, Macy's, and JCPenney I started having some doubts.  Department store Made in China belts are absolutely cheap and awful, and at those stores I couldn't even find a poor quality one that matched my mental image.  I came close at Smith & James in Greenville.  They had a nice seventy-dollar British tan Bills Khakis belt, but in the end I decided it was a little too orange for my taste.

When I arrived home empty-handed I decided to search online for a purveyor of bespoke belts.  I was delighted to discover Leather Goods Connection.  They offer a number of leather accessories including bespoke leather belts.  You get to choose from a multitude of options including length, width, color, buckle style, and edge treatment.  With all the options available, there are over 614,400 different belts that can be made.  On Saturday evening I ordered the pictured British tan harness leather belt with wheat-colored edge stitching and a silver buckle.  I was stunned when this lovely belt arrived in the mail yesterday.  I am amazed to have ordered a bespoke belt the day after Christmas and have it arrive before New Years.  More importantly, the belt is exactly what I wanted.  It was beautifully handmade, in America.  It fits perfectly because it was made to my specifications.  And it was only fifty-one dollars.

The next time you need a belt, forget about those cheap and limited department store choices.  Consider going bespoke.  You won't regret it.

Southern Proper

I hope that everyone is enjoying the holidays.  Yesterday I received several lovely, thoughtful and stylish gifts that will be fodder for a number of posts in the days to come.  I received three pocket handkerchiefs as gifts.  Two were white linen hanks that are always appropriate and infinitely useful.  Both pocket squares were purchased in South Carolina; one came from Ben Silver in Charleston and the other from Rush Wilson in Greenville.  The third is the pictured pheasant-themed plum and olive pocket square from Southern Proper, headquartered in Atlanta, GA.  Southern Proper, run by two proper young Southern belles, markets clothing that could best be described as Southern preppy.  Here is some background on Southern Proper from their website:

Men of the south have always been noted for their distinguishable décor and dress. Their honey-soaked accents and captivating manners charm women from all parts of the world. However, it's the tradition of sophisticated and influential attire that completes their status as gentlemen; for field or fancy, men of the South are always well-dressed. Furthermore, southern men with their modest but strong sense of style have admittedly been dressed by the daintiest of hands.

With this in mind, and after several years of dressing their own southern beaus, Emilie Claire Henderson (fondly known as Emmie) and Reagan Elizabeth Hardy, decided it was time to take their respect for men and their love for fashion to a new level; combining elements of southern heritage and classic haberdashery, they developed Southern Proper, a southern-inspired line of clothing, neckties, bowties and accessories for men who have a deep appreciation for style and heritage. Complimenting the southern gentlemen's courteous manners and sweet humility, this line of clothing is pleated and tied, crisp and certain.

If women can be described without insult by a recipe, then Emmie has all the ingredients for a cool, glass of lemonade. Her style is classic and refreshing, with a touch of prim sweetness. Born and raised on a farm in Ripley, Tennessee, Emmie's demeanor is as soft and simple as the cotton she helped harvest during her childhood. Whether she's planting or politicking, Emmie casually flips her collars and delicately drapes her sweaters.

With a twist of pearls and a twang of spirit, Reagan is all sass and shag. Her eclectic wardrobe is silky and strawberry, with a little bit of posh tucked in the corners of her closet. Raised in Kinston, North Carolina, Reagan spent most of her time on the front porches of the Carolina Coast. Her graceful and extravagant style is best for walking after midnight, and if you meet her on the path, you realize she might still have a little sand in her too-high heels.

Using elements of their own distinct styles, Reagan and Emmie, women who believe in old-fashioned love and new-fashioned trends, have created a company for the southern men they adore. As the old saying goes, "Look your best, but more importantly, hang your arm on someone who looks his best too." These belles of the barn and beach tie together timeless with down home southern heritage like a well-knotted bow tie. Reagan and Emmie are all things southern, and certainly all things proper.

Fall Pocket Square from Ben Silver

Ben Silver is located on historic King Street in Charleston, South Carolina.  The Ben Silver Collection, available online and through print catalogs, is a tribute to classic style.

I recently purchased this wool and silk tapestry theme fall pocket square from Ben Silver.  The Moghul Knights Game Hunting pocket square is woven for Ben Silver by Drakes of London.  It is from the same collection as the Bird of Paradise hank that I featured in a previous post.  Both patterns were inspired by paintings from India's Moghul period.

Green Gloves

Yesterday a package arrived in the mail from Chester Jefferies containing a new pair of hand-made green capeskin driving gloves that I ordered online just a few weeks ago.  The Chester Jefferies website is quite easy to navigate.  You may select the style of glove, the type and color of leather, and the lining.  When it comes to fit you may either request a standard glove size or mail a tracing of your hand for a perfect fit.  With all that, the prices are still surprisingly reasonable.

I took my inspiration from this photograph from The Sartorialist.  As a side note, I have recently noticed an interesting twist on breast pocket decoration.  Instead of wearing a pocket square, some men are adorning their breast pocket with a pair of gloves.  I first noticed this practice in some of the photographs from The Sartorialist.  The Paul Stewart Holiday 2009 catalog that came in the mail yesterday also includes a photograph showing a jacket breast pocket decorated with a pair of gloves.  I like the look; maybe I'll give it a try with my new green gloves.

Contrast in Texture

Texture is one thing to consider when selecting the day's tie and pocket square combination.  A contrast in texture adds interest to your attire.  If you plan to wear a lustrous silk tie, consider a matte pocket handkerchief like linen or cotton.  It is hard to go wrong with the classic combination of silk tie and white linen pocket square.  On the other hand, the dulled surface of a wool or linen tie benefits from the sheen of a of silk hank.

Pocket Handkerchiefs: Coordinate, Don't Match

Your pocket handkerchief should not match your tie.  Instead, your pocket handkerchief should coordinate with some other element of your attire.  For instance, you may wish to coordinate your pocket handkerchief with a secondary color from your tie or a stripe in your shirt.  A solid colored tie might coordinate with a patterned pocket handkerchief.  You could display a white linen pocket square to complement a contrast collar dress shirt. 

Coordinating a pocket handkerchief with your attire is admittedly a challenge, primarily because there are no hard and fast rules to guide you in the selection; once again, that selection must be an expression of your own personal style.  I encourage you to experiment with your attire.  Display a pocket handkerchief that you believe coordinates well with your outfit and then listen to the comments that you receive, both positive and negative.  Through that experimentation process you may begin to refine your own personal style.  But along the way, keep this advice in mind:  coordinate, don't match.

Silk Knots

While I was in Charleston over the weekend I stopped in at Brooks Brothers on King Street.  Their silk knots, regularly nine dollars each, were on sale at four for twenty dollars.  And I had a twenty-five percent off coupon.  Needless to say I picked up a selection of them.

Silk knots are a colorful alternative to metal cufflinks used to fasten French cuffs.  These silk knots, or monkey fists, are made from three strands of elastic silk interwoven to create two round knots connected by two of the three elastic strands.  Because the knots are made from three strands of elastic silk, they may be produced in one, two or even three color combinations.

Consider coordinating your silk knot with a stripe in your shirt, a check in your tie, or even your socks.  The quite adventurous might even try coordinating a tri-color silk knot with three similar colors in a tweed jacket.  Because of the multitude of color combinations available, the possibilities are limitless.

In Support of the Cravat

A cravat is a type of silk neckwear descended from scarves worn knotted at the neck of seventeenth century Croatian mercenaries enlisted in the French military.  The word cravat derives from the French pronunciation of Hrvat, an individual of Croation heritage and ancestry.  The cravat is the predecessor of the modern necktie.

In a business-casual or weekend wardrode, a cravat is an appropriate substitute for a necktie.  A cravat adds a splash of color to an open-necked shirt and sublimely elevates an otherwise ordinary and mundane ensemble.  Consider the photograph of Cary Grant from Alfred Hitchcock's 1955 classic To Catch a Thief.  Grant's gray jacket and open-necked white shirt would appear lifeless without that splash of silk at his throat.

My source for handmade silk cravats is Beau Ties, Ltd. of Middlebury, Vermont.

If you elect to wear a cravat, be forewarned that you will receive the occassional comment regarding Thurston Howell, III.  Do not be dissuaded.  The person making the comment is probably wearing SpongeBob SquarePants underwear.

A Pre-Folded Pocket Handkerchief Lacks Sprezzatura

I mentioned in a previous post that one issue you must consider in the display of a pocket handkerchief is the manner in which you fold it before placing it in your breast pocket.  I intend to discuss in future posts a number of possible folds that you may employ; some are quite conservative, while others could be considered flashy.  In the end the choice of fold is a matter of personal preference.  Remember that part of dressing stylishly involves making clothing choices that reflect your personality.

I would recommend that you avoid using a pre-folded pocket handkerchief.  A pre-folded pocket handkerchief is a piece of fabric that is pristinely folded and attached to a piece of cardboard that holds the cloth perfectly in your breast pocket.  Using one is akin to wearing a clip-on tie.  The problem with a pre-folded pocket handkerchief is that it is too perfect.  It lacks the carelessness necessary to be stylish.

Count Baldesar Castiglione in The Book of the Courtier (1528) coined the Italian word sprezzatura which generally translates as "deliberately calculated nonchalance."  Castiglione warns that one should "avoid affectation to the uttermost and as it were a very sharp and dangerous rock; and, ... to practice in everything a certain sprezzatura that shall conceal design and show that what is done and said is done without effort and almost without thought.  From this I believe grace is in large measure derived, because everyone knows the difficulty of those things that are rare and well done, and therefore facility in them excites the highest admiration; while on the other hand, to strive ... is extremely ungraceful, and makes us esteem everything slightly, however great it be."

When applied to your wardrobe, sprezzatura means carefully making clothing choices so that it appears little thought was put into their selection.  In other words you don't want to look like you are trying too hard.  A pre-folded pocket handkerchief has that affected and unwanted look.  An imperfectly folded pocket square is perfection.  That is sprezzatura. 

In Support of Pinned Collars

A collar pin, or collar bar, is a item of men's jewelry that connects the tips of the shirt collar and passes underneath the knot of the tie to elevate it above the front of the shirt.  This accessory functions much like a tabbed collar in that it keeps the collars tidy and provides an aesthetically pleasing arc to the necktie.

There are three varieties of collar pins.  My preference is the "barbell" style that I wore today (see the picture above).  One end of the bar is unscrewed so that the pin will pass through special eyelets sewn into the collar.  This style of collar pin almost certainly requires the purchase of bespoke shirts because it is nearly impossible to find a ready-to-wear shirt that features these eyelets.  The second style of collar pin looks like a large safety pin.  It may either be used on shirts with eyelets, or pierced through the collar tips of a shirt that lacks eyelets (the very idea makes me cringe).  The third style is a bar with clips that grasp each collar tip; there is some danger that this style of bar may slip and go askew because the clips merely hold the collar ends with a friction fit.

Wearing a pinned collar is not for the stylistically tentative.  Some people may find it elegant; others may think it's fussy.  In either case, a pinned collar will likely draw attention because it is so rarely seen these days.  To wear one you must be willing to suffer the consequences of being a non-conformist.  A pinned collar is not fashionable.  But it is stylish.

Theme Tie Haiku

Tabasco on silk.

Spilled hot sauce on a Hermes?

No. Worse.  A theme tie.

In Support of the Pocket Square

The arrival of a package from Will at A Suitable Wardrobe containing the pictured fall pocket handkerchief spurred me to express my support for this much ignored accessory.  After a survey of his readers last summer, Simon at Permanent Style revealed that seventy-four percent of the men polled did not regularly wear a pocket handkerchief.  Keep in mind that the men who were surveyed are the regular readers of a blog on men's style.

Have you ever wondered why each of your tailored jackets has an empty, lonely chest pocket?  The purpose of that pocket is to display a harmonizing square of fabric.  Alan Flusser, in Dressing the Man, wrote that "[w]ithout some form of pocket rigging, an outside breast pocket appears superfluous, and the outfit incomplete."

There are a number of issues to consider in the selection and display of a pocket square.  These include the mixture of textures, the type of fold, whether to wear one without a tie, and with what other article of clothing the handkerchief should coordinate.  I suspect that many men shy away from the display of a pocket square because of insecurity over these issues and a concern about committing a faux pas and looking silly.  In future posts I intend to discuss these issues with the hope of allaying concerns and emboldening more men to elevate their attire through the display of a pocket handkerchief.

The Proper Length of a Tie

Standard wisdom dictates that the tip of your tie should hit at the center of the beltline on your trousers.  Any longer and you risk looking like Steve Urkel.  Any shorter and you could be mistaken for one of the Three Stooges.

Ready to wear ties tend to be fifty-five to sixty inches in length.  For the average male most ready to wear ties are the appropriate length to conform to the stated convention.

If you are either very short or very tall, or if you wear high-waisted trousers, then you may need to invest in bespoke ties in order to obtain the proper length.  If you are in need of such services, Sam Hober is a much-praised purveyor of bespoke ties.

The Dimple

I'm am often surprised to notice otherwise well-dressed men who display sloppily-knotted ties.  It appears that they must tie a quick knot, cinch it up roughly and settle for the resulting mess.

Look at these photographs of the current and former leaders of the free world.

These photographs illustrate the sloppy knots that I despise.  In fairness to President Obama, in most of the photographs I have seen of him he has an impeccably knotted tie.  But you would think if you were getting your photo taken for the cover of the Rolling Stone that you could straighten your tie in the mirror.

I am a proponent of the dimple. Notice the photograph from Robert Talbott. See the symmetrical concave cavity below the knot? See how it adds shadow and dimension to the tie? This is the dimple.

To form a dimple in your tie, first tie a loose knot.  Then place your index finger in the center of the tie below the knot.  Using your thumb and middle finger pinch the fabric around your index finger to form the cavity.  Continue to pinch the fabric firmly, but gently, while you tighten the knot with your other hand.  Pay attention to the symmetry of the dimple and avoid any errant folds in the fabric.  You may have to start over several times before you make it look right.  You will find that ties have a memory and will dimple much easier after the first few wearings.

Alan Flusser in Dressing the Man wrote that the "triangular sector formed below the chin by the 'V' opening of a buttoned suit jacket constitutes the cynosure of a man's tailored costume."  The knot of your tie falls squarely in the center of this sector.  Avoid the sloppy knot.  Embrace the dimple.