The London Lounge

does anyone know, what was his favorite store or where he bought all his clothes? specially his off work clothes, sweaters, hats, socks, glasses. I'm trying to find this out, it might help me look better.

Santy, I believe you are on a dead track in your pursuit of elegance.
Elegance is not a cooking recipe and the ingredients are not the same for everyone. You don't buy hats where CG used to and expect you will look better for that reason. Instead, you look at pictures, read books, watch movies and ask the right questions (and you CAN get some illuminating answers here) and try to understand WHY CG had such great style, HOW he created it (mostly with bespoke commissions, not buying off the peg in this or that store) and how you can apply the principles to YOUR dress. CG looked good not because someone told him where X or Y bought his clothes and he rushed in to do the same, but because he understood dress. Then you will know what hat to buy (or commission) that fits YOU and, more importantly, how to wear it.
What do you mean with off-work clothes talking about CG? He was surely not a bank officer. Then, when do you suppose CG of the movies last bought a pair of socks that you expect THAT store to be around today?
If you like what is going on here, in the LL, allow me to suggest some background reading from the archives - it will help you enormously come up with the right questions. And, if you admire CG's style, you will also understand why tall leather boots are not streetwear.

Excellent point, Costi.

I've already been down this road; the most annoying thing about CG is that his style doesn't suit me--to my extreme and everlasting frustration. CG was dark, had a large head, narrow shoulders, and long legs. I am fair, have a small head, broad shoulders, and short legs. CG was graceful, I am. . . . . . not. My efforts to emulate him have been a disaster.

You might want to give this some thought before you commit serious funds to the persuit of somebody elses's style, or you may discover one day that your closet's full of things you don't wear.

Of course you can still learn from him.

santy567 wrote:does anyone know, what was his favorite store or where he bought all his clothes? specially his off work clothes, sweaters, hats, socks, glasses. I'm trying to find this out, it might help me look better.

First, you have to look like Cary Grant.

Cary Grant bought from a number of tailors and stores, some of which are no longer in business.

In Los Angeles, the extant ones include:

a) Carroll & Co.;

b) Jack Taylor; and

c) Battaglia (I believe).

The George Frazier article mentions that he sometimes used the "low priced geniuses of Hong Kong", but there is mention of names.

In London he patronized Kilgour and either Maxwell or Tuczeks for shoes.

There is a recent book entitled "Cary Grant Style" but I do not think that too many names are mentioned.

Good luck.

I have learned much from Cary Grant over my years here on earth, but you must also remember, some of the stores he went to are sadly no longer around.

He did do some shopping at Brooks Brothers, Jack Taylor in Beverly Hills, Kilgour French & Stanbury of Savile Row, also he wore suits from Cardinal of Canada in the movie "That Touch of Mink."

Costi makes an excellent point about how elegance is not a cooking recipe and the ingredients are not the same for everyone. As much I enjoy Cary Grant, there were a few things he did that I would not do, such wear cuff links with a button down collar.

There is a great book on Cary Grant's clothing it is entitled "Cary Grant: A Celebration of Style."

Here is a link to amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Cary-Grant-Celebr ... 346&sr=1-1

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

Mark Seitelman wrote:

santy567 wrote:does anyone know, what was his favorite store or where he bought all his clothes? specially his off work clothes, sweaters, hats, socks, glasses. I'm trying to find this out, it might help me look better.

First, you have to look like Cary Grant.

Cary Grant bought from a number of tailors and stores, some of which are no longer in business.

In Los Angeles, the extant ones include:

a) Carroll & Co.;

b) Jack Taylor; and

c) Battaglia (I believe).

The George Frazier article mentions that he sometimes used the "low priced geniuses of Hong Kong", but there is mention of names.

In London he patronized Kilgour and either Maxwell or Tuczeks for shoes.

There is a recent book entitled "Cary Grant Style" but I do not think that too many names are mentioned.

Good luck.

Of course Henry Maxwell still exists (with Foster's) and they still have CG's lasts too - although they can't always find them! I have seen them in the window. Niklaus Tuczek was bought up by Lobb's but George Cleverley had managed the old firm before it was subsumed and so the tradition lives on there.
NJS

Gentlemen:

In addition to the above, some of Cary Grant's purported favorites:

*Brooks Brothers tennis collar shirts;
*Cartier timepieces;
*The To Catch a Thief sweater was apparently Avon Celli;
*Creed Green Irish Tweed and Aqua di Parma Cologne;
*Brilliantine & Dixie Peach pomade mixture.

I agree with the comments of others. Emulate or borrow, but do not copy. Master the "rules", then comfortably do what best works for you.

As CG said, "happy thoughts"!

Trey

CG also gave good advice about investing in good quality clothing. His father was a pants presser and learned that from him. His father also gave him the advice of when starting out with a suit wardrobe to buy a staple color such as solid navy, grey, or black. His father also told him to wait until you've built up a good rotation of suits to get various colors and patterns.

Cary Grant's father then went on to say to him, "That way when you're coming down the road people won't say," "Here comes the suit."

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

http://www.carygrant.net/fotogallery/portrait.html

if you see these pictures you'll find many sweaters, scarfs, ties, bandanas, hats, even a leather jacket, It would just be nice to know where he got most of this stuff, but yeah is true stores close down, styles change. It was a bad question from me, sorry. but, anyway I don't know much about style, i just try to find the best stores, and then just wear whatever makes me look nice, I'm sure that's what Archibald did. also, yeah I'm a bit of a neurotic and fanatic, and watch too many old movies, read dandy texts and fashionable books, but i can't take more science about style. Can only good genes and expert artisans make a well dressed beautiful and attractive men. If it's more complicated than that i give up.

santy567 wrote:http://www.carygrant.net/fotogallery/portrait.html

if you see these pictures you'll find many sweaters, scarfs, ties, bandanas, hats, even a leather jacket, It would just be nice to know where he got most of this stuff, but yeah is true stores close down, styles change. It was a bad question from me, sorry. but, anyway I don't know much about style, i just try to find the best stores, and then just wear whatever makes me look nice, I'm sure that's what Archibald did. also, yeah I'm a bit of a neurotic and fanatic, and watch too many old movies, read dandy texts and fashionable books, but i can't take more science about style. Can only good genes and expert artisans make a well dressed beautiful and attractive men. If it's more complicated than that i give up.

Santy, I do not mean to be impertinent, but I am finding it rather hard to make sense of your posts. Could you perhaps adopt a less James Joyce-like manner? I ask for the sake of those forum members who speak English as a second language and may not be able to decipher what you are writing.

Elegance is not exclusive to those with good genes and/or the labours of artisans. These things help, to be sure, but there must be some sort of innate appreciation to guide things, or the whole outcome will just appear contrived.

yes, my writings are a bit difficult to follow, i guess is my bad education. But you see English is also my second language.
And i have never read anything by James Joyce, but literature is what you make of it, what you can understand. I've read many badly written pages too.
As for the rest what if Cary Grant had bigger ears or was of a smaller height.I think genes are very important and what if his tailors was a mediocre one, he would not have looked so perfect and we would not be writing about him now.
I'm just writing my opinion, a simple and probably incorrect one.

santy567 wrote: literature is what you make of it, what you can understand.

This is very true, and it also appplies to style, not only to literature. In other words, if you start reading Kant tomorrow while all you have read so far is the morning paper, you will probably end up with some very funny ideas after a couple of days. Similarly, if you have no knowledge of classical style, you will easily end up making comments like the ones about Sator's suit.
But this is not to criticize you and I very much appreciate your frankness. Instead, it is to encourage you once again to start reading through the LL archives - it will be excellent education, both for your English and for your sense of style. You need to start somewhere if you want to educate yourself on this subject and that can't happen by instantaneous Zen illumination. If you like watching old movies, that will help you a lot. As you move on and your knowledge base grows, keep the questions coming and we will try to help with what we know. But there is nothing to give up yet, you have not even started

wait, sator suit is beautiful and fits him perfectly, i just mentioned that he forgot to button up his jacket for the pictures.

Costi wrote:

santy567 wrote: literature is what you make of it, what you can understand.

But there is nothing to give up yet, you have not even started

And don't be put off by the fact that, once you have started, one thing is for sure (as it is for us all), you will never finish - but the road doesn't "lead uphill all the way"! I think that what pv patty meant was: try to keep your sentences shorter and more contained. That's all. The best definition of 'literature' that I have come across is this:
it comprises worthwhile thoughts, memorably recorded. Thinking, out of the blue, to apply this to a phrase, this comes to mind: speaking of the early death of a brilliant scholar, his friend and obituarist wrote: "all that most delicate web slit and gone down the wind". Another great line, also on an early death, is: "she died, as those must die, who dare, too vividly, to live." These are both simple phrases but both, because of their simple directness, very memorable and, also, moving.
[The first is Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch on Charles Henderson (in The Times Obituaries' column) and the second is F E Smith on Mona Dunne (in The Daily Express).]
NJS.
NJS.

santy567 wrote: i just mentioned that he forgot to button up his jacket for the pictures.