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Although Proper Cloth built their reputation as an online made-to-measure shirtmaker, they do a lookbook every season to give their customers ideas on how to wear their shirt fabrics and growing selection of ready-to-wear items. This season, they went to the coast of Italy, where they shot photos showing how you can wear lightweight, soft-shouldered tailoring in pastel colors paired with cream-colored trousers, airey merino-linen T-shirts with drawstring shorts, and leaf-print camp collar shirts with lounge-ready pants. Among the more versatile items is a loose-fitting, taupe linen polo with a distinctive Johnny collar (sometimes called a Skipper collar). The style, seen above, is a little more louche than the button-collar polos you typically find at the mall. Proper Cloth made theirs from a blend of cotton, linen, and Tencel—the third of which gives the knit a kitten-soft feel.
In the 4th-century historical Chinese text Chronicles of the Clans of Wei, it’s said that Queen Himiko gave the Emperor of the Wei dynasty over 200 yards of “spotted cloth.” It’s believed that this may be the first historical recording of shibori—a Japanese resist-dye method similar to tie-dyeing in the West. Shibori involves manually tying, pleating, or even wrapping material around a pole before dunking it into a vat. What comes out are these complex, repeating patterns that can look like gentle waves, tortoiseshells, or geometric shapes. Shibori fabrics are used in Japan for everything from tea towels to kimonos.
Gustin bought a bunch of shibori fabric recently and is running a pre-order to turn them into summer-ready shirts. These short-sleeved button-ups have a gently scooped hem, single-needle stitching, and mother-of-pearl buttons. Like almost everything Gustin produces, these are made in the USA. However, since they sell directly to customers on a pre-order basis—eliminating middle-man mark-ups and potential wastage—they can offer these at wholesale prices. There are pre-order windows for three slightly different shades of blue. The dark one will pair effortlessly with things such as tan chinos, while the lighter version will go easily with blue jeans. Choose the mid-shade if you’re unsure which pants you’ll wear most often.
If you’re starting to build a better wardrobe, it’s a good idea to get at least a few pairs of solid navy, over-the-calf socks for when you’re wearing things such as suits, sport coats, and tailored trousers. Navy goes with everything except black suits (which require black socks). Over-the-calf also means your socks won’t slip down throughout the day, exposing the bare calf that can otherwise spoil a cleanly tailored outfit. Dapper Classics’ socks are unique in that they’re made at a third-generation, family-owned North Carolina mill (in which they’ve invested equipment). Since you’re not paying for overseas shipping and duties, you can get the same quality as top-end European suppliers but at about half the price.
Get these in merino wool and mercerized cotton for winter and summer, respectively. After you have a few pairs of navy over-the-calf socks, get some more over-the-calf socks in colors that match your trousers—grey with grey, tan with tan, and so forth. When your socks match your trousers, they elongate the leg line. You can also pepper your sock drawer with subtle patterns, such as houndstooth, pin dot, and grenadine.
Life wouldn’t be fun without at least some variety, however. A solid sock wardrobe can also use slightly more cheerful colors and patterns, especially for summer. The company just stocked a new, richer-colored Kelly green. When would you wear Kelly green socks? As long as you are not going to a conservative office, you can wear them whenever you want. Kelly green socks can be paired with tan gabardine suits, sand chinos, and pearl grey tropical wool trousers. Use them to add a touch of cheer to a summer ensemble.
Before Spier & Mackay debuted on Styleforum nearly ten years ago, it was difficult to get quality, affordable tailoring in the styles and silhouettes that online menswear guys obsessed over—soft shoulders, a trim but not tight chest, and a classic length that covers your rear. Above them are dearly expensive Italian clothes that start at four figures; below them are fast fashion brands that sell awful tailoring. Spier & Mackay’s tailoring begins at around $300, but the coats are half-canvassed and fit many guys well.
In the last few years, Spier & Mackay has applied their expertise on classic tailored clothing to more casual pieces, such as waxed cotton field coats, suede bombers, and Donegal topcoats. For the spring/summer season, you can check out their range of washed chambray button-downs, linen shorts, and retro-styled polos. Prices are generally about half to a third of what you’d pay for similarly styled items elsewhere. They even have chore coats right now for $128—less than what many stores charge for button-ups.
Over the last thirty years, suspenders have gone much in the way of hats. Once common in men’s wardrobes, they’ve become something of a relic of the past. But why might you want to wear suspenders? For one, they’re more comfortable than organ-squeezing tourniquets. Since your waist expands when you sit, and returns to its smaller circumference when you stand, belts are only comfortable in one of these positions. Suspenders, on the other hand, allow you to have a little extra room at the waistband to accommodate these changes. Plus, they’re better at holding up your pants. Belted trousers tend to slip down throughout the day, which requires you to adjust them continually. You can set the desired length with suspenders, put them on, and never bother with them again.
Chipp Neckwear has the most affordable ones around, at least if you’re looking for something well-made and produced in the USA. The price is $45.50, which is lower than their competitors — much like the price of their grenadine ties. They offer 20 solid colors and three stripes, the choice of black or brown leather kips, as well as gold or silver-colored adjusters.
Thirty years ago, if you wanted to clear out your closet, your options were mostly limited to donating things to Goodwill or seeing what you could get at a local consignment shop, which would typically pay you pennies on the dollar. These days, there are many more options, including resale sites such as eBay, Etsy, and Grailed. Unfortunately, listing things can be a pain, which is why our friends at LuxeSwap have been able to build such a good business. They do all the hard work of helping people clear out their closets and earn some cash in the process. They take professional photos and measurements of your items, create the listings, answer questions from buyers, and fulfill the orders. In return, they take 40% of the profits. And since spring closet cleans are in full swing, you can expect better-than-usual listings.
On the auction block now, you can find Cucinelli racing jackets, Ralph Lauren loafers, Trickers boots, Wythe shirts, SNS Herning knits, and tons of high-end scarves, pocket squares, and ties. LuxeSwap also recently picked up a ton of stock from the recently closed Alex Kabbaz shop—a legend in menswear fora—which includes high-end brands such as Gran Sasso, Zimmerli, and Lorenzo Conti. And while we can’t give too much information yet, we’re told that they’re helping a legendary menswear figure clear out his wardrobe. Be on the watch for some seriously nice goods.
