Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Go Pack, Go

This Super Bowl, I was invited to a party on 5th. While I'm not a fan of either team, I, being a good Tailored American, still needed to watch it. Since it was a football game, I needed to dress casually, but I knew that I could still add some "bling" to my outfit. It was also decently warm on Sunday, so I took the opportunity to wear lighter clothes that I haven't been able to wear since the fall.

Since I was invited to a party, I thought it would be a nice gesture to bring a gift to the hostess. I brought a pot of tulips. (The nice weather on Sunday made me think of spring flowers).

It's been too long since I was last able to wear my hunting jacket (Barbour). 

 I believe that one of the essential items that every man should have in his wardrobe is a gray, V-neck cashmere sweater (mine here is Hickey Freeman). It can be both formal and casual. Today it was the later.

 Like the cashmere sweater, a pair of wingtips are extremely versatile. They're my go-to shoe. These particular shoes are Allen Edmonds. I love them because they're amazingly comfortable and have been made in America since 1922. They also have a great recrafting program.

Also, nothing adds an accent to a wardrobe like a pair of patterned socks. Boom!

And again, my favorite watch, the Raymond Weil. 

 Since men don't have as many accessories as women, it's important to make them count. Sunglasses are a great way to add substance to an outfit. These are my favorites, tortoise Oliver Peoples. I had been looking for round, tortoise sunglasses for months before I was able to find these. They were actually being sold as prescription glasses, but I had them put in polarized sunglass lenses.

 The evening was a great success. The Packers won, the tulips were a hit and the 1995 Barolo was an unexpected treat.

My outfit:
Jacket: Barbour
Sweater: Hickey Freeman
Scarf: Burberry
Pants: Gap
Socks: JCrew
Shoes: Allen Edmonds
Watch: Raymond Weil
Sunglasses: Oliver Peoples

Flowers: Tulips 

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Rain, Rain, Go Away! I have a suit to buy today...

My girlfriend convinced me to start a blog, due to the fact that I always have an opinion about men's fashion. I don't think men need an excuse to dress well. Why do the bare minimum when it doesn't take much more effort to look like a gentleman?

I am currently looking for a new navy blue suit for work, as I have some conferences and business trips coming up where one would be useful. Here's what I wore to Soho to find one:


It was raining out today, so my Bean Boots came in quite handy.



And, knowing I would be trying on suits, I decided to wear a dress shirt and a bow tie.


And my Raymond Weil watch that I bought while on business in Geneva last year. I changed the band from black to brown this fall to better fit my fall/winter wardrobe.


I felt like a country gentleman, but the weather seemed to require it. All I needed to do was switch my coat to a Barbour and get my shotgun and I'd be ready for a pheasant hunt. Or a Ralph Lauren ad.

Sweet!:


While I would love to buy a Paul Smith or Prada suit, my budget isn't quite there yet. I tried Topshop, Bloomingdales and the Jil Sander collection at Uniqlo. No luck.

But we will try again next weekend...

My Outfit:
Shirt: Brooks Brothers
Sweater, bow tie, coat: JCrew
Pants: Gap 
Boots: LLBean
Scarf: Burberry
Watch: Raymond Weil