There is a select group of trend-proof garments that have been in style since they were created and will remain in style in perpetuity. I'm thinking about the original Levi's 501 jeans in raw selvedge denim, the Brooks Brothers button-down…
After some tailoring, a recent eBay purchase turned into one of my favorite new/old garments.
After ruining the faux fur hood trim on my beloved snorkel jacket, I needed a solution. I found one.
A friend invited me to be his plus-one for a concert of Brahms at Carnegie Hall this past weekend, with a supper in a fancy restaurant immediately following. Though I certainly appreciate classical music and often listen to it while working, the classical music scene is not my world at all. I basically feel like Tom Ripley in these situations. The music, however, is always gorgeous, and my friend is smart, funny and fantastic company.
The combination of classical music and Carnegie Hall says suit and tie to me (and my friend, thankfully). As I looked around the audience before the performance started and at intermission, it was obvious that the combination of fine musical art and an iconic Manhattan venue inspires something quite different in other people’s sartorial inclinations. Of all the men in attendance that evening, I’d say about 40% were in a suit or jacket, with even less wearing a tie. For a classical music performance. At Carnegie Hall.
In this video, I talk about two very common mistakes men make when wearing a single-breasted jacket or blazer with two or three buttons. The mistakes involve 1.) how to button the jacket, and 2.) when or when not to button the jacket at all.
This past week was a fun week in home entertainment media with the Democratic Debate and its send-up on SNL, the announcement of Bill Murray’s Christmas special on Netflix and Amy Schumer’s HBO Comedy Special.
On a sartorial note, I got a new fall/winter tweed from J.Crew. The new jacket is a replacement for a beautiful Harris Tweed I got last year that just hasn’t worked for reasons I explain in the episode.
I also catch up on the latest with my new(ish) puppy Lenore and how it’s been with a second dog in my life.
Listen:
It was a long time coming. For years, I had struggled through each winter with a modern remix of a snorkel jacket by a brand I won’t mention. (I will offer that I bought it at Urban Outfitters for around $100 in winter of 2007.) It was reasonably warm, but it was shorter in length than a classic snorkel jacket, which typically dips below the hip. It had some trimmings of a basic snorkel, like a faux fur hood trim and plenty of pockets inside and out, but it was most definitely a younger pop version that was looking and feeling a little dated. It was trendy, cool and of-the-moment, but the sun had set on that particular moment. It was also starting to show wear and tear around the seams. It was time for something new: something more timeless and something built to last.
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.
Fashion is an industry that employs a lot of people. It has to move and change its colors at least twice each year in order to sustain itself, which is why we have Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer seasons. (Then there are those extra “Resort” and “Capsule” situations we’re supposed to get excited about now, too.)
As I see it, the right width of a jacket lapel, the right width of a tie and the right width of a shirt collar are all connected. It’s about proportions, not trends.