Casual glen plaid

While tradition (and many others) says you probably shouldn't wear a tie without a suit, blazer, or sport coat, I'll admit that it's one of the rules I break sometimes. I've written before about mixing more casual shirts (and a tie) with more sporty jackets, and I'll probably do it again at some point in the future. There are days where I require at least a thin extra layer in the morning and after work, but barely leave the office during the day, and sometimes I find myself with this combination.

I fell into this look recently, during a week when work was a grind and the temperature was just a pinch below the heat oven it's been for months. It made even more sense given my bicycle commute.

It is summer, and a cherry red linen tie popped over a brightly-colored striped shirt. Showing a complete disregard for eyeballs everywhere was the lightly-colored glen plaid jacket over the top.

The jacket itself is a vintage (I'm guessing 60s or so from the tag) piece that I picked up years ago, and despite being lightweight, it's held up incredibly well (the talon metal zipper alone is massive and feels indestructible). It's not really a windbreaker and it's certainly not waterproof, but sometimes it's the perfect jacket for layering, tradition be damned.

Here and back again

Almost three months ago now, I made a post about a rather insane sport coat that had lived in our household for a great deal of time despite not fitting me or anyone else I immediately knew. I figured that someone would try to claim it in the comments, and was surprised when nobody did.

About a month after I originally made the post, though, Giuseppe of An Affordable Wardrobe dropped in and staked his claim. He was not only one of the inspirations for me starting my own blog, but someone I really look up to in terms of style, so the decision was an easy one; I sent it on its way immediately and hoped that at some point he'd make a post with him wearing it and I could find comfort knowing that it went to someone would get some use out of it.

As it turned out, the coat didn't fit him and no alterations could change that. Being the good chap that he is, he passed it along to Yankee Whiskey Papa, another fellow blogger that I had exchanged pleasantries with and who has on multiple occasions participated in Style Share and produced winning returns each time. Needless to say, I was excited, especially since he actually spends time on sailboats.

Over a month ago, he sent me back these pictures of the coat in action, and they got buried in my inbox until I remembered them this week*. As YWP tells it...

I wore it with signal-orange pants, red pocket-square, and striped scarf, all nods to the colors of sailing.

Needless to say, he knocked it out, and I'm glad it has found a new life being worn and enjoyed instead of hanging on a hanger.

* I was reminded of the photos because I had the fortune of hanging out with YWP earlier this week. Not only did we have a delicious meal, but were fortunate enough to enjoy it outside on one of the nicest days of the year. Much good discussion was had and he even hooked me up with an excellent, older lightweight navy Gant SC in my size. Brass buttons and all. Thanks again for the curry, conversation, and coat, YWP.

Landlocked skipper

In addition to hunting for great things for ourselves and sometimes others, my wife and I often just keep an eye out for interesting items in general when we're at the thrift store. A couple years ago, my wife picked up just such an item, and it's been sitting in a closet or hanging on a rack in our house since.


Blue chambray-colored vintage jacket with sailboat schematics print. Effing amazing.


Here it is from the front, pictured with vintage Maus And Hoffman raw silk tie.


Here's a detail of the front button and the Neiman Marcus tag. I have no idea where this one was sold, but I'm guessing it wasn't originally from my landlocked state.


Here's another detail shot from the front. It's unique and cool enough that I think it's worth seeing one more time.

So, the real question is what happens to this piece? It doesn't fit me (nor anyone else I know), and there's a minuscule stain on one lapel that makes me leery to try to sell it (although a decent dry cleaner may be able to remove it). But seriously though, a small stain does nothing to diminish the total cool factor of this thing. Technically, it could be labeled as "go to hell," but that sounds far too crass for something so breezy.

Maybe it will live with us forever.

Yay or nay: The patchwork madras jacket

I always have a shortlist of items in my head that I'd like to add to my wardrobe. For the past year or so, I've been wanting to add not only a decent seersucker jacket (or suit), but a madras jacket as well. When I ran across a vintage patch madras number on ebay a couple months ago, I put my bid in and ended up getting it for incredibly cheap.


On a casual Friday at the office, I paired it with a white OCBD, some dark denim, and some red suede bucks. As you can see, it's not the typical madras jacket, as the fabric patches are made up of much darker colors, include black watch plaid and others. Kinda crazy, but that's what these jackets tend to be.


Plain cotton pocket square here on the detail shot.


Another shot of the shoes. I'll write more about them later, after I've seen how well they wear and hold together.

Veering back to the jacket, I have to say that I caught more flack for wearing it than I have just about anything I've donned in the past couple years. One co-worker called it a, "crazy old man jacket" and even my wife added to the chorus of boos. It was kind of tough to hear, because I actually like it quite a bit, but what say you, fair reader? Is it as bad as others have stated, or should I keep it in my arsenal for future GTH days?

Form and function

During a trip to San Francisco last year, I acquired a jacket that was a bit of an oddity. It's a Kenneth Cole (try to stifle your laugh) 3-button number that's styled to close up with a Nehru collar. It's actually one of the nicer garments I've seen from their label in general, with a cut that fits me nearly spot-on. Plus, I got it for cheap. So yeah, no complaints.


Being able to close up the jacket has also served a real and important purpose on several morning commutes, as many times the temperature is still freezing when I leave the house. It blocks the wind (which was especially important riding into a 25mph northwest blast this morning) and the closed collar helps me conserve some heat on the ride to work.


Once I get to work it transforms into a somewhat normal-looking three-button jacket, albeit with the interesting lapel details. Today, I paired it with a blue OCBD, a silk/cotton blend vintage Lands' End tie, and a cream-colored pocket square with just a bit of a pattern.


I'd mentioned these vintage Florsheim Imperial ankle boots a couple times in recent posts, but I hadn't really gotten a good picture since I'd re polished them. They're a little odd looking, but the leather on them is really taking on a great color after giving them some love.


Here's the whole get-up, along with our other dog Zoey, who amazingly had yet to be pictured on this blog. She had been laying in a sunbeam sleeping just before walking over and joining me for this picture, which explains her sleepy pose.

Camera as a mirror

I'd seen references to surcingle belts popping up in my reader more and more lately, and with a nice rush of warm air to round out the week, I decided to break one from an estate sale I went to last year then build my outfit around the colors in it. I picked the navy and red one (which happened to be unworn), and went from there.


They were certainly fertile colors to work with, and I pulled out a vintage Lands' End tie, my blue and white herringbone silk jacket, and some navy pants.


Down below, I went with burgundy penny loafers, which actually happen to be the same exact color of the leather on the belt (not that anyone would see it).


Red and white university striped OCBD and a burgundy pocket square with a red flared edge rounded things out, and I felt like the colors and textures played off each other pretty nicely, with little accents of red popping nicely out of the blue. I even got a couple nice compliments on it from co-workers.

And really, I should leave it there, because I felt good wearing it and that should probably be enough. When I got home from work and looked at the shots I'd taken at lunch, though, I realized that things didn't look quite as good as I'd thought. Since this blog is about the process just as much as anything, I'll go ahead and post what I saw to give a bit more context.


It's pretty obvious what the problem is, and it's something I should have realized even sooner (as this was far from the first time that I'd worn this jacket). It was, however, the first time that I'd gotten decent photos of myself in the jacket, and after doing so I realize that it needs to not only be taken in at the waist a fair amount, but the arms need to be taken in a smidgen as well.

I went back and forth on even posting the above picture, as it's not very flattering. At the same time, though, I felt it was important because it's something I can learn from. I don't really view this blog strictly as an outlet to post pictures of my own personal style (otherwise I would have ended this entry after the first three pictures) and finds, but more of a document of progress in the overall journey.

I don't know it all and won't ever pretend to, and while I've learned a ton from my readers over the the past 15 months or so, sometimes a single click of the camera is all it takes in order to take another little step forward.

Jacket not jacket

If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say that I probably wear a tie to work about 90% of the time. When the temperature is blistering hot in the summer, I get away with open collars a lot more often, but in the winter it's pretty much steady tie for months.

That said, I don't always wear a sport coat. There are days in the spring and summer that I pair up a long sleeve shirt and tie (sometimes with a vest) with a cotton canvas, denim, or even leather jacket then shed said jacket while in the office.

Today was one of those days, and I broke out a cream-colored Ralph Lauren medium-weight cotton number I'd picked up in the fall.


It's a nice solid cotton canvas number that works well both on the cooler ride into work in the morning while breathing enough to not make me break into a sweat on the way home. Here, I paired it up with a cotton striped blue shirt and Ra La linen tie in baby blue.


The cut of the jacket isn't perfect, as it's a size XL, which fits in the arms but leaves a bit to be desired in terms of the fit around the midsection. It's not completely slouchy, though, and goes nicely with a pair of chinos and a canvas/leather belt. I could probably find a slimmer cut jacket that also fits my 37" arms, but it would probably cost me more than $2.99 (and maybe I'll find one yet and retire this one).

Speaking of sport coats, if any of you readers and fellow thrifters run across any nifty lightweight (linen or cotton or something similar) ones in size 42l (or 42xl, as I need at least 27" from shoulder seam to arm opening) for a reasonable price, gimme a holler. I'm looking for a couple more decent late spring and summer weight numbers to add to my arsenal and everything I've run across in the past six months is either trashed or way too short (in the arms) or way too big (in the body).

Can't explain it

There are a few items of clothing in my wardrobe that I have a somewhat hard time explaining why I like so much. They either have somewhat dubious and/or dated styling, and yet I keep them around and break them out on various occasions.


This oxblood leather jacket is one of those items. The styling is very 80s (see detail picture below), with zippers on the chest and a slim cut that makes it looks like something out of The Warriors crossed with a jacket that a backup dancer in a Michael Jackson video might wear.


That said, I like it. The color is deep and rich and it fits me really well (if a bit tight when I'm wearing a sweater underneath), and really, there's not a lot more to explain than that. On this particular day, I paired it with an older Lands' End knit tie, a Brooks Brothers v-neck sweater, my Pendleton driving cap, some cream corduroys and rather nondescript Florsheims.

Speaking of the aforementioned tie, it was actually a gift from The Cable Knit Collegian, who sent a great selection of them to me awhile back. When I started up Style Share, I certainly didn't expect anything in return, and yet I've gotten several awesome things from those who have participated. I've been incredibly flattered by this gesture from my "internet friends" (as my wife calls them when she sees me opening a package), and I've been working the pieces into my wardrobe recently and will be featuring more of them in the near future.

Considering all the outright dissing and petty bickering that I read on some men's style blogs, the return kindness is one of those damn cool things that proves there are plenty of good guys out there. More to come.

Playing it safe

Despite some of the suggestions in the comments when I first found it, I broke out my vintage velveteen jacket today and paired it with... jeans. It was the first day that it's really been warm enough to wear it, and it just happened to coincide with a rather mellow day at the office, so on it went.

In honor of the slightly warmer temps, I broke out the Lands' End shirt that I picked up recently, and paired it with a vintage cotton lisle knit tie in electric blue.


Below were the dark blue Levi's and some newer Florsheim black wingtips that I throw on when there's going to be much walking that involves trudging through slush.


Considering the light colors of the shirt, the whole thing came off as rather understated. I think my inner peacock (if I even have one) will have to wait until even warmer temperatures to unfurl.

Yay or nay? The vintage velveteen jacket

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time at all, you probably know that while I enjoy finding quality traditional clothing items, I also have a bit of a weakness for rather unique pieces as well. This is especially true when they're vintage, as a good portion of the time you simply don't see anything like them being created still today (and if they are, they're by a new designer and priced out of the range of anyone with modest means).

I had just such a find about a week ago. Gliding through the rack at a particularly poorly-lit thrift store, my fingers glanced across some fabric that stood out during the split-second touch. Based on the price ($4) and the tags inside, I knew that it was coming home with my regardless of whether it fit or not, so I paid and left for home without even trying it on.


It may be hard to tell from the picture, but it's a black cotton velveteen jacket. Based on the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America tag inside the pocket, it's from the mid-60s or so, and it's in absolutely mint condition. The best part is that when I tried it on upon arriving home, it fit me nearly perfectly.

So, I have no idea when the occasion will arise to wear such a jacket, but I was incredibly excited to find it. It's one of those pieces that simply doesn't come around that often, and the fact that it fit me made my day.

Yay or nay? The vintage dinner jacket.

If you're a person that celebrates a holiday during this time of year, I hope that you've had a good one. If not, I hope that you've at least had the chance to spend some quality time with family and/or friends.

I've been incredibly busy, but things are calming down now and I have a good little batch of posts I plan on making. Since the last entries were fairly popular, I thought I'd kick things off with a post highlighting a rather interesting find that I made in the past week.


It's a vintage After Six dinner jacket in khaki, with decorative braiding along the lapels and tops of pockets. It has one button in front, as well as on the sleeves, and it caught my eye immediately when it was hanging on the rack.


It's a bit on the oddball side, but it fits me like a glove, and I figured it would make for a nice change of pace when the weather gets a bit warmer.

By definition, it's formal wear, but it's such an unique piece that I think it can inhabit a real crossover area in my collection, pairing it with everything from light khakis to blue jeans.

So yeah, I bought it (for 5 dollars). Would you have?

Yay or nay? The Hickey.

A wise man probably would have thought twice in starting a style blog, knowing full well that they are often incredibly self-conscious. I am not a wise man, though.

Despite not posting regularly, I have been scooping up some interesting things over the past couple weeks, and I might as well lay out a few of them, including this amazing/atrocious vintage Hickey Freeman jacket.



Did I mention that it's insane?



Sized at 40 Long, this jacket is by default a, "nay" for me (I wear a 42XL or 44XL, depending on the cuts), but I bought it anyway due to the cheap price ($3.50) and the good name of Hickey Freeman. I'm guessing it's 60s or so from the tag. It's definitely 100% wool and doesn't have even a slight nibble of damage, so I'll have to find a good home for it at some point. The pattern-matching is impeccable and the tailoring is fabulous, as one would expect.

Speaking of homes, this is the sort of jacket that certainly would take a certain... je ne sais quoi to pull off. Or perhaps just a bit more swagger than I have right now. In all honesty, though, it's not too far off from some of the louder Huntsman Tweeds that I've seen crop up in the series of posts on Permanent Style.

Be honest. Would you wear it?

I left my heart (and part of my wallet) in San Francisco

While long stints with no updates are certainly nothing new to this blog, the reason I've been silent this past week is because my wife and I went on a much-needed vacation. Our destination choice was San Franciso, a city I hadn't been to since I was a teenager (and then for only a short time). We had our minds set on relaxation, food, and seeing some sights, with a bit of shopping thrown in for good measure.

There have been numerous other people write about the city more eloquently than I'll be able to in this entry, but I will say that this trip bumped it to the top of my list of most-loved cities in the United States. The international flavor, west-coast vibe, and sheer number of places, people, and things to see in the city were overwhelming for our short visit, yet I felt like we took a lot in during six days and over 30 miles walked (plus many more covered by mass transit).



We saw the coast (and three dolphins swimming together!), walked through a bunch of different neighborhoods, visited 3 museums, ate a ton of great food, went to the farmers market, saw some city landmarks (City Lights Bookstore, Haight & Ashbury, etc, etc), and generally tried to take it all in.

Wearing my favorite vintage chambray with sleeves rolled up, getting ready to dig into a plate full of Ethiopian food.

If you've been there, you know that San Francisco is something of a shopping mecca. Within 4 blocks of Union Square alone, there are flagship stores for just about every high-end outfit that you could possibly think of. Saks Fifth Avenue, Burberry's, Harry's Of London, John Fluevog, Alden, Allen Admonds, Brooks Brothers, Hickey Freeman, Hermes, and probably 100 more. The Levi's store even had a custom, made-to-order shop.

Needless to say, most of these places were completely out of my league in terms of prices. I do like to look at clothing and fabrics and cuts of things (and sometimes snark at prices), so I went into some of the aforementioned stores (and several others) while there. In the midst of all the madness, I even managed to find a couple deals.

First off was a pair of gun metal gray Alfani desert boots. I'd been looking for a pair and even held off an a sale pair of Clarks the day before leaving town, so when I ran across these for $26.00 (plus tax), I made them mine.

Yes, the soles are man-made, but for less than 30 dollars including tax, I could live with it.

Speaking of Clarks, a few days later I ran across a pair of desert bucks in the clearance section of a store that shall not be named. They were the only pair of shoes in my size in the entire section and looked like they had been drop-kicked around the store a few times, but after breaking them in the past couple days, they already have a killer patina. Crepe soles and totally excellent, especially for $27 (plus tax).



It wouldn't be a true vacation without hitting a few of the thrift stores that San Francisco had to offer, and since my wife had already mapped out locations, we managed to make our way through about 8 or so during our visit. Again, I managed some pretty good finds.

First off is a Kenneth Cole three-button 100% wool jacket with a Nehru collar. Many will scoff at Kenneth Cole (and I know I certainly have), but this one fit me perfectly and has a lovely cut. For $7 I couldn't resist it.



Next up is another jacket, this one from the St. Michaels (so, pre 2000) Marks & Spencer line. Like the Kenneth Cole, it's not exactly a high end jacket, but it's made from a nice, light super 100s wool, and I have a feeling I'll get some use out of it during these hot months.

Look at those arms, this thing needs a good steam after being rolled-up in the carry-on.

Lastly (and possibly my favorite) is a vintage Pendleton tweed jacket that fits like it was tailored for me. Super nubby 100% wool made in the U.S.A. with some super-bright pinpoint flecks of color woven in. Oh, and leather elbow patches and braided leather buttons.

My gosh, it's full of colors.

Even though the last day was completely socked in with fog, blocking our view of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco is a city I would recommend anyone visit.

I can't wait to go back.

Overcast and oppressive

Today was one of those strange days where the sky was overcast, but the layer of clouds were thin enough that one still had to wear sunglasses. The temperature hovered in the upper 70s all day, but it actually felt much warmer because the humidity hung out at about 70% or more on front end of an impending storm.

I had a meeting a couple miles from my office and I didn't want to perspire too much on the bike ride there, so I decided to drop the tie and still try to keep some semblance of dress. I'd just found a fairly interesting unlined jacket ($2.50, on half-off day) a couple weeks previous that I'd been meaning to break out, so it was the perfect occasion.

A lightweight wool (possibly a mix), the jacket has a light brown / grey / white check pattern with a hint of blue running through it.

An obligatory shot of the label. Pretty swank I think.

Pardon my disheveled look, I had just pedaled 3 miles into a 25 mph head wind.

This last photo is somewhat blown-out, what with the weird, hot, overcast haze we had at mid-day, but it's somewhat representative of how it works with some khaki's.

Sunday scores

One of my wardrobe goals for 2010 was to add a few more jackets, just so I would have a little more variety. Of course, I'm sure it's partially lust after seeing the massive collection put together by Guiseppe over at An Affordable Wardrobe, but my closet is still a bit on the slim side in terms of choice. If I had to guess, I'd say my limited palette is somewhat dictated by my odd measurements, but it might just be a bad time of the year for finding decent jackets at the thrift store.

The last six months or so have been pretty much complete busts in this department, so I was incredibly excited when I ran across not one, but two great jackets in my size yesterday (for $5 each, incidentally).

First one is a super unique slubbed silk (100%) jacket in a navy and white herringbone. It's light enough that I should be able to easily kick it for a couple months yet and versatile enough in color that I should be able to mix it up with chinos or jeans alike. At 44xl, I was worried that it would be too wide in the body for me, but it actually fits more like a 42xl.







The second jacket is a little more understated, but even nicer in terms of quality. It's brown/cream herringbone design that is made out of what I'm guessing is camelhair, as it's incredibly soft (no fiber content tags anywhere). Like the other jacket, this one fits me spot-on, which is a rarity, so it really wasn't too difficult of decision for me to make.







Pictures of them being incorporated into my daily wear coming in the near future.