The London Lounge

What are the things you have the most trouble with when conceiving of style? It might be a question of dress and it might be something all together different. Let's here about those nagging questions, those chunks of marble hanging on you that you need to chip away.

Cheers

Michael

The problem I struggle with the most is this: classic dress is meant to be inconspicuous, but dressing classically today (especially for someone in their 20s) leads to conspicuousness in most social settings. My solution, if I can call it that, is to wear only elements of classic dress most of the time, unless the occasion justifies a more traditional get-up. In a sense I give priority to wearing (some) classic garments over being classically dressed, which is somewhat unsatisfactory.

I agree with radicaldog above, in that being in my mid- to late-20s, dressing with any sense of classic style inevitably leads to the question of "Why are you all dressed up?", especially in ultra-casual Canada.

In addition, I have found myself with an over-abundance of "event" pieces, and not enough non-descript suitings designed to be worn more frequently with various accessories. A loud plaid suit, an excess of peak lapels... All items that call attention to themselves and are of only limited utility as "blend in" work wear.

Radicaldog, I think your approach can work nicely if the combinations are harmonious. We see it in architecture, arts - why not dress? But it can get very wrong if the accent is ostentatively on contrast rather than harmony (probably not your case). I remember one of Michael's posts several years ago about what he called "the dressing yo-yo". http://www.thelondonlounge.net/forum/vi ... own#p28719
The idea is that, once you find a style with which you always feel comfortable, there is no dressing up or dressing down from that - just dressing, according to your tastes, adequately for the occasion. Your friends get used to your look if it is a constant. If you show up in jeans and T-shirt one day and then in flannels and blazer the next, they will notice that you "dressed up". Wear your classically cut jeans and an odd jacket with a nice shirt and proper shoes, for example, and maintain a consistant style; you won't get any more of those remarks from your friends.
Levi, the world of bespoke is full of temptations. To build a useful and stylish wardrobe, you need to have the strength to steer clear of the islands where the Sirens are known to sing their songs. Work with simple means (in dress and other aspects of life) and find the pleasure in the associations and structure you give them. The ingredients needed to make cookies are plain and little fun if eaten alone (flour, sugar, butter or raw egg yolks), but if you know how to combine them well, you'll get a delicious result. Master the art of imagining the results you can get with simple, quality ingredients and create your own recipes.

That is very good advice, Costi -- thank you. And I do remember that insightful essay by Michael.

What you describe is more or less what I do: my standard uniform consists of classic selvedge jeans, oxford cloth shirt, and tweed coat. I usually wear desert boots (an obsession from my teenage years I am sentimentally attached to), but sometimes proper shoes. In fact I mostly wear proper shoes when I'm wearing a sweater instead of a sportscoat, and desert boots when I'm wearing a tie (usually wool or silk knit). See, I try to counter-balance the most formal elements with something decidedly informal. Yet this look still makes me stand out at work (academia) and in most social settings (I frequent Guardian reader-populated establishments). My friends and colleagues don't notice it any more (because of the mechanism described by Michael), but others probably do, which is less than ideal. I guess shedding ties and below-the-knee overcoats altogether would probably solve this problem, but I'd rather live with it.

Sadly, making any effort with your appearance will make you stand out these days. I think we each need to have confidence in our own style and ignore the rest of the world! A friend of mine was on a cruise and his wife commented, without approval, that he was the only man wearing a suit for dinner. He replied "If everyone else wants to be a scruff bag that's up to them but I will wear what I want."

Dressing to your own style is one thing (however odd it may be) and dressing to attract attention is another. Both get noticed, but people generally do sense the difference. So it's one thing if you can't help getting noticed for dressing well (and that's fine, I think) and another if people feel that you try to make an impression through dress. And it's not so much (or exclusively) a matter of choosing your clothes, but a matter of attitude and whether you wear your clothes naturally or as if they were costume.
Hardy Amies was right: "A man should look as if he had bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care, and then forgotten all about them." And the last part is the most important if you are to get noticed for being stylish, rather than for trying to.

Spot on, Costi.
NJS

Costi, you have put it perfectly!

Wow, how did I do it? Thanks, Nicholas and Andy

Costi wrote:Dressing to your own style is one thing (however odd it may be) and dressing to attract attention is another. Both get noticed, but people generally do sense the difference. So it's one thing if you can't help getting noticed for dressing well (and that's fine, I think) and another if people feel that you try to make an impression through dress. And it's not so much (or exclusively) a matter of choosing your clothes, but a matter of attitude and whether you wear your clothes naturally or as if they were costume.
Hardy Amies was right: "A man should look as if he had bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care, and then forgotten all about them." And the last part is the most important if you are to get noticed for being stylish, rather than for trying to.

Excellently put, there's nothing worse than being too precious about your clothes and appearance, as there's the fop! Such ideas have great pedigree Herrick in the 1500s wrote 'A slight disorder in the dress, engenders a certain wantonness'

Think of a linen suit: if it's freshly ironed to perfection, it looks too crisp and new, like a sheet of paper - so unnatural on the body. If it hasn't been ironed for months, it looks like a wrinkled rag - The Threepenny Opera style is not what we're after. But a linen suit that looks like it was once ironed and put into shape, then worn a couple of times and rumpled just so much as to have recorded some history (some of the distant - the careful ironing - and then some of the recent - the wearing) strikes the perfect balance between carefulness and carelessness. Having a linen suit ironed after every wear is maniacal (and purpose defeating), while never having it ironed at all is unpleasantly neglectful.
I think that's the kind of "degage" look we should be after - the kind that shows how we chose a thing right perfect, but then "appropriated" it, made it our own through wear and use, imparted some of our own imperfection to it; that's what wins us friends, doesn't it?

Costi wrote:The ingredients needed to make cookies are plain and little fun if eaten alone (flour, sugar, butter or raw egg yolks), but if you know how to combine them well, you'll get a delicious result. Master the art of imagining the results you can get with simple, quality ingredients and create your own recipes.

Less is more, as with all good things. These are the words of a sartorial smart cookie!