Sartorial heros

[rjman]

Anyone named the late Ed Bradley?

[storeynicholas]

I now understand who Charlie Rose is - probably the equivalent of the BBC's Jeremy Paxman and have to search for an image of Ed Bradley. There are some things and people in their own respective worlds which Brits and Americans take for granted but about which the other knows little or nothing!! Charlie Rose looks extremely well turned out and at ease.
NJS

[culverwood]

19th century style

Barny Barnato


Mr Keppel

And another composer

Verdi

[storeynicholas]

Vanity Fair cartoons are tremendous and an invaluable guide to what men were wearing in late Victorian and Edwardian Britain and America. Keppel and Verdi are known to me but not Barny Barnato. I will need to look him up. Done - diamond magnate.
NJS

[Gruto]

I wouldn't call them sartorial heroes, but I have always found Helmut Schmidt and Giscard d'Estaing to be among the most stylish European politicians.

[storeynicholas]

From these pictures, I think that I'd give Giscard the edge - out of the two. I am afraid that modern British politicians don't dress very well at all.. Indeed the current PM once went out of his way to attend and speak, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, at a white tie City dinner, dressed in a dowdy lounge suit - presumably to make the point that he was a Leveller. Now he goes to these functions in Timothy Everest-made tails. American Presidents are always well turned out but then there is probably a team devoted to the project. I did see a photo of Ed Bradley - an American newsman - like Charlie Rose - and also well dressed - but once again, these people have teams devoted to making them look their best.
NJS

[couch]

RJman: I think Ed Bradley is an excellent addition:

http://www.jalc.org/about/2006_gallerie ... radley.jpg

(note: large format)

Thinking of his longtime association with jazz reminds me that we should not overlook two of the most elegant men of the last century: Duke Ellington (especially in the '20s and '30s) and Miles Davis ("The Warlord of the Weejuns") in the '50s and '60s, prior to the "Bitches Brew" period when he adopted ethnic-rock costume.

Duke and band, 1929:



Duke:



Miles:

[storeynicholas]

A while ago, someone said, let's broaden this out, across the whole gamut - so - let's! Any advance on Louis Armstrong?

[iammatt]

Concerning European super dressers, I find it hard to find some, who consistently display sublime style. Marcello is one of the best, I think, but he cannot compete with guys like CG:

Vittotio de Sica was one of the very best:




and of course from the world of clothing, especially top right and bottom left.:






I have very little interest in looking like somebody from a bygone era, so these are much more appealing to me than some of the others. The Miles Davis pics above are also great.

[storeynicholas]

Take your point - but we are not seeking to be exactly imitative of the particular dress of any of these people but to seek out their demonstrated attitudes, which tell us a great deal - and I still think that the Puccini pictures (together with the Baron portrait of Jack Buchanan) tell us something - which we cannot precisely define in words - about style. The suit maybe the frame of the picture but the whole ensemble is the mirror of that within which, often, will show an appreciation of three main expectations: of time, of place and of company.
NJS

[couch]

Iammatt: Thanks for the de Sica photos. I had mentioned him near the top of the thread, but did not have any images.These are great. They really capture his natural self-possession.

[uppercase]

Sica is a real champ . His DB, in another recent thread here, is just fabulous. His Neapolitan suits are somehow different to what is made today but I can't pinpoint why.

Rubinacci looks great in those pictures; simple but great. All repp ties, too. I wonder if they are those damn 7 folds!?

I don't know what it is but the older guys either wore their suits better or just had better suits, even when going to the same tailors: for example Agnelli vs. di Montezemolo.

[angelo]

iammatt wrote:
I have very little interest in looking like somebody from a bygone era, so these are much more appealing to me than some of the others

Iammatt, I completely agree with You.
I never get tired of looking at the splendid Esky/AA dress drawings from '30 (again great thanks to the wonderful Etutee's posts) ,but in my opinion they should be considered as an ideal anthology from which derive continuous inspirations as far as fabric patterns, tailoring styles ,correct and avant-gard suits /accessories matchings as well as the proper dressing for every occasion. The final goal of this educational journey ( I call it "visiting/revisiting") should be the achieving of an unaffected elegance based on softness and simplicity.Vittorio De Sica and Mariano Rubinacci have fully accomplished this goal , together with a lot of other anonymous persons that have learned the same lesson.

Angelo

[iammatt]

iammatt wrote:
I have very little interest in looking like somebody from a bygone era, so these are much more appealing to me than some of the others

Iammatt, I completely agree with You.
I never get tired of looking at the splendid Esky/AA dress drawings from '30 (again great thanks to the wonderful Etutee's posts) ,but in my opinion they should be considered as an ideal anthology from which derive continuous inspirations as far as fabric patterns, tailoring styles ,correct and avant-gard suits /accessories matchings as well as the proper dressing for every occasion.

I see what you are saying, but find myself less fascinated than you are. Perhaps this is my loss.

The final goal of this educational journey ( I call it "visiting/revisiting") should be the achieving of an unaffected elegance based on softness and simplicity.Vittorio De Sica and Mariano Rubinacci have fully accomplished this goal , together with a lot of other anonymous persons that have learned the same lesson.

Angelo

I agree. I remember back to my golf teacher telling me to "train it and then trust it." That is what these two have obviously been able to do.[/quote]

[Andre Yew]

Rubinacci looks great in those pictures; simple but great. All repp ties, too. I wonder if they are those damn 7 folds!?

Agree, and his repp stripes are even going the "wrong" way!

--Andre