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today in detail

MistahWong with another spectacular combination.  Note that the blue blazer / great trousers combination has been de-fogeyfied with some spectacular attention to detail.  Amazing texture on the shirt and tie combination, a silver safety pin holding the tie, a beautiful square, and big (2”?) cuffs.  Elegant, classic - but also distinctive and noticable.

“MistahWong” is always on the road for business, and lives out of a suitcase as he travels from his home in Australia to Oceania and Southeast Asia.  That makes his difficult achievement - perfectly elegant warm-weather casual clothes - all the more remarkable.

This is a very simple outfit, but the quality and fit are absolutely impeccable.  It’s also perfectly accessorized, with a beautiful pair of suede Alden chukka boots, what look like Randolph Engineering aviator sunglasses, some charming beads and a lovely rucksack.

Another in our series of photos of real men dressed well - this time a triptych from Florian, of Germany.  I love the way the relatively neutral tones of the coat and scarf give way, upon close inspection, to a riot of color.  Florian is dressed for the cold, but he isn’t letting winter win.

We continue our look at real men in real nice clothes with this photo of Barima, who lives in Accra, Ghana, taken by his friend Jamie Archer.

Barima’s in quite the dandy outfit here.  He’s got a loud pocket square, a flower in his lapel that looks as though it may be porcelain, a Mont Blanc pen, a loudly striped shirt and a patterned bow tie.  That’s a lot of elements to juggle, but he’s doing it admirably.  The color pallette is actually relatively modest - mostly blue and white, with accents of pink and gold.  He’s also balancing his very traditional shirt and tie with a coat of very contemporary proportion - narrow lapels, a high gorge and a slim fit.

I also think that Barima’s race gives him a little more leeway to play with the conventions of traditional dress.  One’s picture of a man in traditional British business dress tends more towards the father in Mary Poppins than towards a young, good-looking black guy like Barima, and it makes the traditionalism of his outfit feel a little subversive without losing any of its elegance.

This photo, in our series of pictures of real men who dress well, is of Rob, from Brooklyn (and his adorable daughter).

Rob’s dressed for the serious weather they’ve been having in New York lately.  The coat is the boldest statement here - that pattern is called a gun club check.  It’s traditionally a country pattern (yes, there are traditional city and country clothes), but I think given the weather and the Brooklyn milieu, that’s entirely excusable.

Greg’s wearing this heavy coat with a pair of dark jeans.  I think jeans are best paired with more casual fabrics like the tweed Rob’s wearing - they both have a more utilitarian feel.  Rob’s shoes, a pair of heavy brogues which toe the line between city and country and form and casual, tie the jeans to the coat.

Rob’s also committed to growing that beard until he and his fellow teachers have a contract, which we’re on board for 1000%.  The good news for Rob is that it looks great on him.

All this week, I’ll be featuring photographs shared by men (not models, not industry pros) that illustrate distinctive, well-executed style.

This one comes from a well-dressed gent named Bill.  What I love is the way the group is greater than the parts.  The tweed in the coat is, taken as a whole, a neutral color, but each other element of the presentation brings to the fore one of the tweed’s constituent colors.

The shirt is as simple as it gets - a classic blue with a moderately spread collar.  The tie is also quite simple, but it offers a textural contrast both to the smoothness of the shirt and the roughness of the tweed.  Both shirt and tie pull a bit of extra pop from the tweed, which has undertones of maroon and blue.

The real piece de resistance of the combination is the pocket square, though.  Note that the colors in the square (while muted) aren’t found anywhere else in the combination.  They compliment the colors of the tweed wonderfully, though, and the green in particular is a lovely contrast to the wine red of the necktie.  Bravo!

A gentleman from Toronto shares this photo with us (and prefers not to be named).  I love how bold the check is in this coat, and I love the way it’s grounded by that navy sweater.  It’s a pretty outlandish pattern, but with that simple, dark base layer it seems almost conservative.

Look at how well Richard from Kent (UK) handles the mix of colors and textures in this fall ensemble.  You wouldn’t necessarily think of baby blue as a fall color, but when it’s woven into the knotty wool and popping out in that silk square, it works beautifully.  It reminds me of those moments in fall when the sky pops out behind a line of trees, and it’s as blue as it could ever be.

Greg in Phoenix demonstrates some astonishing derring-do in this combination of shirt, tie, coat and pocket square.  It’s busy, but it works remarkably well.

Note that each pattern varies in scale from those next to it.  The busy (but beautiful!) coat is grounded by the simple, bold stripe of the shirt.  The contrasts with the shirt in both pattern and texture with small white dots on a burgundy ground.  The ivory pocket square matches nothing in the rest of the outfit, but it’s a comfortable neutral between the earth-toned neutrals of the jacket and the white neutrals of the shirt and tie.

This is a lot of moving parts.  AP-level stuff.  I don’t recommend this for the beginner or the faint of heart.  I’m not even sure it looks better than would something a little simpler.  Greg looks absolutely wonderful, though, doesn’t he?

George from Beijing in a beautiful gray flannel double-breasted suit.  Flannel has a wonderful combination of softness and weight that makes it perfect for men’s suits.  The way it falls and moves are unparalleled.  The suit is bespoke, from Naples.  Look at the lovely shoulders, and the high armholes.  Notice that while the suit is double-breasted, it also has a wonderful shape, with a lovely waist and a slim, height-accentuating form.  And what you can’t see is that George is wearing chocolate brown suede shoes, the perfect accent.

Sheesh.  Can you tell I like this suit?  BECAUSE I DO.