Put This On

Conservatively Patterned Socks

There’s an old piece of wisdom that says men should match their socks to their trousers. Doing so elongates the leg line, which in turn supposedly makes the man look taller. I’ve never been quite sure of this rule (or the logic). It works fine for navy or charcoal trousers, but matching brown socks to similarly colored pants and shoes seems off to me. I also don’t care for light colored socks, so wheat and mid-grey trousers need a different colored hose. 

In the end, I’ve found that navy socks go with everything. It’s richer than black and complements any color next to it. Thus, most of my socks are a solid navy, with charcoal a close second. I also have a few pairs in odd colors such as dark bottle green and aubergine, which I wear whenever I want a bit of irreverence. Those are never worn to match trousers, of course, though sometimes they complement a secondary color in my tie. 

It can be a bit boring to only have solid colored socks, however, so you can mix in some conservative patterns. This takes a bit more focus in the morning, but can add real character to your ensemble. Time-honored combinations include a two-toned houndstooth with glen plaid flannels, fine herringbone with a chalk striped suiting, or well spaced pin-dot hose with windowpaned wools. The key here is to find a pattern that both complements and contrasts your trousers. If you stick to neutral colors and conservative, traditional patterns, this should be easy. 

Marcoliani and Bresciani makes some of the best patterned socks out there. Marcoliani can be found through Kabbaz & Kelly, Howard Yount, and O’Connell’s. If you’re in the Bay Area, you can also find them at The Hound Clothiers. Bresciani can be bought through A Suitable Wardrobe, Berg & Berg, and Mr. Porter. Both of these brands are expensive, but the construction is top-notch and the patterns are tasteful.

For more affordable options, keep an eye out for Pantherella socks on Sierra Trading Post. They have more synthetic fibers in their composition, which means they’re a bit less breathable and durable, but their patterns are equally tasteful and they can be had for as little as $5 a pair (just wait for the heavy markdowns). Uniqlo also has these dotted socks which you can buy through Suddenlee, but they’re cotton and not over-the-calf. I recommend waiting for the Pantherella sales instead, if you can wait. 

Photo credits: MostExerent, SpooPoker, and Pocket Square Guy.

I strongly agree with our friend here, GW. Most trousers these days either sit below or just at your hips. In my opinion, this gives you odd proportions and makes your torso look unnaturally long. It’s much better, I think, to have your trousers come up a few inches higher. 

I don’t necessarily wear my pants at my natural waist, but my waistband seam does sit above my hipbones. This means that the pants themselves come up to my navel. If you think this will make you look geriatric, look at these pictures and ask yourself - does GW look old or just better proportioned? 

Lastly, you should know that according to the Canadian Medical Association Journal, low rise pants can give you medical problems. Consult your doctor before wearing “hipsters.” 

mostexerent:

Yes - I sometimes tuck but always wear my pantaloons at my natural waist not on my hips.

*Hipsters are better for jeans or on women or boys..

Sharkskin and Howard Yount

I ordered a pair of brown sharkskin trousers from Howard Yount two months ago. Sharkskin, also known as pick and pick, is a twill weave with a sort of “stair step” pattern. When made with two strongly contrasting yarns, you get a cloth that looks very striking. When made with yarns that are more similar in color, you get a subdued fabric that relies more on texture.

Many people think of sharkskin as shiny, but it doesn’t have to be. It largely depends on how tightly the yarns were woven and how the fabric was finished. Howard Yount’s sharkskin trousers, for example, are quite matte and I’ve been wearing them easily as odd trousers. When put together with a white button up shirt, navy sweater, and charcoal wool coat, this fabric can lend a bit of a visual interest to an otherwise simple ensemble. As always, it’s good to know how to rely on variations in textures and fabrics to make things interesting, especially if you have a very basic wardrobe. Fabrics such as nailhead, pinhead, birdseye, herringbone, and sharkskin can help achieve that for you.

The quality of Howard Yount’s pants, by the way, is fantastic. There are nice features such as hand stitched details and a belt prong loop. Most importantly, however, is the fit. Most men experience one of two problems when wearing trousers. The seat is often too full, thus giving the wearer a “diaper butt,” or the fork (the part of the leg that joins the trunk) puckers, pulls, or ripples. Obviously, every man is built differently, but I’ve found that these trousers suffer none of those problems. All the lines are uninterrupted and everything fits cleanly, thus forming a strong and elegant silhouette. At $185, they’re not the cheapest pants around, but they’re a great value and the company stocks a wide range of colors and fabrics every season. I’m already looking forward to my next order.

BespoKenN recently showed me these flannel trousers by Paul Stuart. For those unfamiliar with flannel, it’s a densely packed, soft fabric that has wool fibers of varying lengths laying in different directions. The close up pictures here show it well. The fabric can come in various weights and it always feels amazingly comfortable. It’s also very efficient at trapping heat, so it’s great for the fall and winter seasons.

I have a few flannel trousers in various shades of grey and brown, but have been wondering what would be the next best color to get them in. I’ve been contemplating olive, and after seeing these Paul Stuart flannels, I think I’ve come to the right decision.

We Got It For Free: Tailor4Less Sport Coat and Pants

Some men, like me, have a very difficult time fitting into off-the-rack garments. They may be too thin or heavy; too tall or short; or perhaps they are just unusually proportioned. For such men, custom clothing is usually the best solution. This is traditionally done by local or traveling tailors, or higher end brands, such as Ralph Lauren, who offer made-to-measure (MTM) programs in addition to their ready-to-wear lines. 

In the last ten years or so, however, the internet has made it possible to reformulate the custom clothing business model. Customers can now place orders online, submit their own measurements, and have custom made garments sent to them anywhere in the world. The upside to this model is that it’s typically more affordable. The downside is that the garments are often not very well-made and the customer is ill-equipped to make important decisions. By ordering online, you don’t get to see how the fabrics feel or move in the light. You also risk measuring yourself poorly, or at least differently than the tailor would. Still, these companies have made custom clothing much more viable for most people and that’s to be applauded. 

I was recently approached by one of these online MTM companies, Tailor4Less, to review some of their products. I’ll admit that I was pretty skeptical about the company from the name alone. There are few things I’m willing to trust a “4Less” on - Paintball4Less maybe, but tailoring, no. Their website didn’t inspire much confidence either. Nonetheless, I placed an order for a custom-made sport coat and pair of trousers, and they arrived remarkably quickly.

The results are a bit mixed. The sport coat buttons at the waist (which is great) and the lapels are well proportioned for the jacket’s size. The back fits nicely and the vents don’t flare. The sleeves are also made with non-functional buttonholes, which make them easy to alter. On the other hand, the collar doesn’t hug the neck as closely as it should and the shoulders are a bit boxy.

The pants fit slightly better, but they’re a bit too slim. The leg openings, for example, taper to a 7.5” opening, which is a good quarter to half an inch smaller than I think is recommendable for a guy my size. The material used for both garments are also pretty poor. The wool is cheap and the lining is polyester. Still, both garments are much better than what I thought I was going to end up with.

I’ve had a hard time deciding whether I should recommend this company. On one hand, I think you should just save up for a better custom garment, but a well-made custom sport coat can cost between $1,000 and $1,500. Even then, you’re not guaranteed to get something satisfying if you don’t know what you’re doing. Tailor4Less, on the other hand, will make you a sport coat for $150 or so. Yes - the  material isn’t very good, the jackets are fused, and the fit is a bit boxy. However, if you’re impossible to fit with an off-the-rack garment, and you can’t spend $1,000+ for a jacket, then you might want to consider trying something like this. If you decide to, I would leave you with four tips:

• Get lots of measurements: Though I took my own measurements for the pants, I had the benefit of having fairly reliable measurements for the sport coat. I’ve been to seven or eight custom tailors, and through those experiences, have honed down on a set of measurements that I think translate pretty well to an online MTM order. If this is your first time getting a custom garment, I recommend you get measured by seven or ten different people - most of whom should be professional tailors. The more data you can get, the better. Weed out the anomalies and figure out the averages. 
• Keep it simple: When people get their first custom garment, they often hang themselves by over customizing. You should keep it simple. Skip the wacky linings, hacking pockets, monograms, etc. until you really know your preferences. 
• Know your other options: Though I haven’t tried them, you might want to also check out Indochino. They also do this sort of thing. You should also know that some suits fit very, very slim. A 36R in some lines actually fits like a 34R, and if you’re smaller than that, you might be able to find something in the boy’s section (this is not to be insulting). 
• Know your fabrics: In my opinion, if you’re going to get a more structured jacket, it’s better to go with a heavier fabric than a lighter one. Tweeds and heavy wools will work better than linens and tropical wools. Of course, this is just a stylistic opinion, so take it for what it’s worth. At the very least, if you can, try to get fabric swatches. It’s easier to pick between fabrics once you’re able to handle them.

It’s On Sale

To celebrate their new store opening on 5th Avenue in New York City, Uniqlo is offering a pretty big discount on some of their most popular items. Cashmere sweaters are $59.90, Heattech long sleeve shirts are $12.90, and their Japanese denim jeans are $9.90. The prices online don’t all reflect these sale prices, but the offer is indeed going on. Note that I have no personal experience with any of these, but a few trusted friends of mine in NYC have said these items are pretty good. A search on StyleForum yields the same opinion. 

Uniqlo doesn’t have an e-commerce store, so if you’re outside of NYC, try using Suddenlee. You can see how their service works by watching this video. There has been some confusion as to whether they’ll ship outside of the Northeast, but I’ve confirmed with them that they indeed do. To get them to give you the Uniqlo discount, just enter the prices above and you’ll only be charged that amount. 

Uniqlo’s offer ends tomorrow. 

ethandesu:

Ghillie and Flannel

This photo is a perfect illustration of the power of flannel trousers.

See how pleasing the contrast between the soft finish of the flannel and the hard finish of the shoe is?

I have to admit that I’m also drawn to the audacity of the ghillies. Ghillies are a traditional Scottish shoe - the distinguishing feature is the unusual lacing system. True traditional ghillies, which are worn for Scottish dancing, don’t have tongues. This shoes off the hose, but like brogueing, its roots are practical - the lack of tongue left an easy egress for bogwater. They’re also tied around the shin, so the knot doesn’t get muddy.

The tongue-less style are really only practical to wear with other elements of traditional Scottish dress, but this toned-down version looks beautiful, doesn’t it?

Ochre, Burnt Orange, Rust, and Camel

It’s easy to wear color in the summer, but it takes a bit of thinking to do it in the fall. One way is to start with a foundation of your basic blues, browns, and grays, and then add one item from a non-traditional, but still autumnal, color. Racing green, burgundy, and eggplant can all be good. For example, a white oxford-cloth button-down shirt, navy sport coat, pair of grey trousers, and dark brown shoes would all look great with a racing green v-neck sweater. 

Some of my favorite autumnal colors, however, are in this muddy, orangish range that includes ochre, burnt orange, rust, and camel. I particularly like it in casual trousers such as chinos or corduroys. As you can see above, you can wear them with cream or charcoal colored sweaters, but I’ve also found that they work just as great with white button-up shirts and mid-grey sport coats.

If you already have your standard khakis chinos and dark brown corduroys, and you’re looking to incorporate some more color into your fall wardrobe, pants in this kind of muddy, orangish color can be a good place to start.