No one is going to reinvent the way men dress on any real scale in our lifetime, especially with tailored clothing. Barring variations in color and pattern, the problem of what to wear has essentially already been solved. Where a new entry in the menswear game can shine is in the way that problem is solved. A company called ShirtCycle is a new startup that presents a solution with real possibilities.
A reasonable and experienced person would look at a $150 price tag on a suit and see a huge red flag. The fabric must be cheap, the construction has to be horrible, the buttons and lining probably melt near an open flame, and the people actually making the suit are likely grinding out an 18 hour work day with a 10 minute lunch break in an un-airconditioned fire trap in eastern Asia.
I get bludgeoned with emails from startups in the over-saturated menswear world looking for free promotion in the blogosphere. At best, some of these brands might have fine ideas that are poorly executed. At worst, they’re amateur gimmick magicians who wouldn’t get past the first audition for Shark Tank, offering an ill-conceived fix for something that was never broken just to make a buck. Then there is the rare diamond in the ruff, compentently presenting an elegant solution that meets my four criteria, which dictates that the product or service be 1.) handsome, 2.) well-made, 3.) affordable and 4.) workable, i.e. have an actual application in one’s life. Combatant Gentlemen is one of those rare diamonds in the ruff.
Though the terms are often incorrectly interchanged or confused, topcoats and overcoats basically serve the same purpose: to provide an elegant outer layer of warmth for the urbane gentleman when he’s wearing a suit or jacket (or not). The two coats are similar in many ways, especially from the waist up where they have a design and structure that resembles a jacket or blazer. Their shell is usually a fine wool, cashmere or a blend thereof. Where they differ mostly is in the length. Overcoats extend below the knee, and topcoats hit above the knee.
My preference has always been the topcoat. It’s an essential piece in my fall/winter rotation. While the overcoat technically provides more warmth since it literally covers more of the body, I find the topcoat to be lighter, less cumbersome and better for travel. It also manages to provide all the warmth where it really counts. And the shorter length has a slightly less formal or aristocratic look to me, which makes a topcoat a really versatile garment that can appropriately complement dressier suit and tie situations and nicely punch up a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.
The group of “New Disrupters” in the menswear game offering affordable solutions without the middleman is large. Once these brands establish their ability to deliver goods at a reasonable cost, what separates the men from the boys is a certain intangible and unquantifiable thing called taste. The new disrupters who actually have a level of refined taste that puts them on par with more established influential brands is a much smaller group. Ideally, the taste level filters through all levels of the brand experience, from the design and presentation of the actual merchandise to the logo and slogans to the execution of the website, which had better give first (not last) consideration to smartphone and tablet users. Jack Erwin is among this group.
A bespoke suit from Gieves & Hawkes at No. 1 Savile Row in London is way out of range for most men, myself included. But Gieves & Hawkes is a great example of a master upholding the tradition of fine…
Yesterday, The New York Times ran a piece in the Style section about the disappearance of the political “power watch” – a watch that seemed to really suit a world leader. Dwight D. Eisenhower wore a Rolex, Franklin D. Roosevelt wore a Movado, John F. Kennedy had a Cartier and an Omega, and Lyndon B. Johnson had a collection that included a Patek Philippe, a Vulcain Cricket, a LeCoultre and a Rolex.
Such displays by an elected official in today’s America, where absolutely everything is scrutinized, would be criticized as un-American, out-of-step with the average working man or too flashy. Even if a candidate or elected official is well known to be wealthy, like Mitt Romney, George Bush or Bill Clinton, he is expected to play it down to something with which his constituents can identify, especially in times of great economic inequality.
I’m a sci-fi geek. Not a total one, though. There are a lot of things I’ve just happened to miss, like The X-Files, Comic Con and everything on the SyFy channel (I don’t have cable), but many movies from the genre are on the list of films I could watch over and over again. Star Wars (the original trilogy, please), Alien, Aliens, Blade Runner, The Terminator (1 and 2), The Fly, Total Recall, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Scanners, Gattaca, Showgirls… I could watch these sci-fi movies anytime, anywhere. I never get sick of them. The film that is probably at the top of that list is Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
For several years now, men’s wear has been plagued with a trend that does a grave disservice to the wearer. Though not as covert as the no-iron shirt epidemic, it is doubly insidious in how its unfortunate effect can be detected from a great distance.
I speak of the short jacket/blazer thing.
Writer and director Dean Fleischer-Camp and actress and writer Jenny Slate have done it again, having just released the third installment of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. Enjoy.
I don’t expect to get anything for free (though I’m delighted on the rare occasions when I do). As someone who appreciates quality and standards, I fully understand that worthwhile things cost money – money that enables the creator of worthwhile things to continue producing and uphold quality and standards. I gladly pay for my clothes, my entertainment and, of course, my news.