February Menswear Essential

It’s mid-month so time for the next monthly installment in the learning what every man’s wardrobe should contain. For February let’s not look at a single item, but this time have a look at a pairing that we should all know how to master. The sport coat and denim look is one that might not meet every stylist’s approval, however it is a practical look to be above the crowd. By going slightly upscale compared to the rest of the guys you’re meeting for a drink you will improve your look and shoot a little confidence your way. A quick word of warning though; and that is to wear this style where it’s appropriate and for god’s sake “keep it classy”.

Since the 1980’s, the blazer and jeans look has been a round. Back then it was Avant Garde to wear a skinny black leather tie with a heavy shoulder padded blazer that glowed in neon pink or green. The look wouldn’t be MTV Music Award night ready without a pair of ripped jeans. Today your look should be tailored properly. That means a jacket that looks like it is yours and not your big brothers. Dark denim that end right at the shoe are to match in their fit.

For consultation, I used Brian Sacawa at hespokestyle.com. Brian is an elite athlete, a writer for the Robb Report and a sharp dresser. From my review of his site, I found Brain to definitely be in favour of dressing up jeans with a number of posts he has on the topic.

The diversity of the sport coat fabrics will give you the opportunity to execute this look for any season. Starting with the Fall and Winter the jacket should heavy texture like a tweed or flannel. Choosing colours of brown through grey and even green will work with a dark navy denim. The shirt would need to line up with the occasion. Pints and nachos after work, then try a neutral solid polo, or t-shirt with a v-neck cashmere. That white button down collard shirt you rarely wear will give a preppy look when needed.

Meeting your lady friend for ice cream while walking in the park? Then double down with a patterned shirt and patterned jacket.

Trying to dress down (or up in the tech industry) for a Friday? Then go with a tie and a wolf.

Don’t forget to add brown boots on your feet. 

In the Spring, a smoother wool jacket would work and try going lighter for the summer. The  denim you slip on your legs would have to lighten up as well, but here too, you need to think a lot about the occasion. If it is going to be dinner out on the patio, then a super jet black jean will give you a James Bond weekend look, but please no tie. Remember it’s Summer so you'll be talking about the Riviera and not your river of mutual funds.

Personally, I think that going all the way to a white jacket is too bold for a short guy like me. Linen, fabric as well, is off my acceptability spectrum, but if you're tall and have access to a clothing steamer everywhere you go throughout the evening then you can keep your jacket looking great.

Shoes, again, should be right for the season and occasion. No boots in July! A suede loafer is top notch. I’d avoid lace-ups unless you are truly coming direct from the office.

Currently, I am shopping obsessed with putting together the right jacket and jeans look. Working it with my navy blazer now is only marginally acceptable, and I’d say completely off limits if your blazer has brass buttons. However, if you own a boat then give it a try with Bermuda short and top-siders, but you will look like the douche-bag from a Molly Ringwald movie.

Now that I have covered the right ways to pull off the look, I will mention the potential doucheyness of doing it wrong. Make sure you understand at what height above the crowd you are going for. You look dickish when your wearing a sport coat with a pocket square and patent leather loafers on a pub crawl. No one will take you serious. No velvet jackets either, unless your name is Bruno Mars!

In the opposite direction towards casual, remember jeans are not an equivalent for semi-formal so under-dressing for a lounge will give others a slob like impression of you. (note: watch for a future post on what “semi-formal” really means).

Sport coat and denim. Do it. But do it right.

Cheers!

Dandy diversions 1

Devonte and the Giant  

As he looked across the alleyway, back towards the rear exit of the Edge Club, Devonte saw LaStephanie’s eyes full of tears. Her mouth was open and twisting in a slow silent yell. His ears rang with a deafening buzz after his head had made impact with the ground. Slowly his beautiful, young girlfriend disappeared behind the shadow and then the broad body of a hulk only identified by the word STAFF worn on his purple employee shirt. The man paused staring down at Devonte. His grin stretched across his square white face displaying his eagerness to engage Devonte in an overmatched physical challenge. Devonte turned his panicked face slightly while still watching the giant through the corners of his eyes. Suddenly, as if cured from his malaise the time continuum shifted in the opposite direction for Devonte. The speed of his movements accelerated instantly. Scanning the techno-colour graffiti layering brick corridor in which the three people stood, his eye fastened on an object propped up against the garbage buckets. Within his reach he leaned to his right to wrap his slender fingers around the middle of the iron pipe. Its wet stickiness did not deter the young man in fact he saw the odds shift towards his favour. The bouncer felt the same as their expressions swapped faces.

Raising the pipe in his right hand above his head and pointing his left hand fingers at his opponent. “Oh ya. You ain’t shit now.” Devonte announced proudly.

“Come on boy. You still a foot shorter than me with that pipe”

Devonte’s tribal yell echoed up through the alleyway as he made long strides accelerating quickly. His eyes narrowed in on the bouncer’s features who was unfazed even under attack by remaining firm in his position. The impact shook Devonte when he felt the perfectly placed punch crush into his ribs. His eyes closed with the feeling of time once again slowing seconds into minutes. His motion was reversed causing his feet to rise up off the ground. Crashing sounds of his back striking the garbage woke him. The pipe had dropped from his hand.

“Listen he’r boy. Take your skank girl ‘nd get the fuck home. I ain’t taken your shit in the club or out here. Get goin!” Devonte sat silently paralyzed in defeat.

“SKANK?” Devonte hear LaStephanie yell in defence of herself and for her man. She appeared so tiny as she clung on the bouncer’s back with her newly French manicured nails dug into his eye sockets. Obviously, no match for him LaStephanie was dispatched to the pavement with a mere shake of his shoulders. Now energized by the risky display of courage by his love, Devonte jumped upon the pipe laying between the men. With is weapon raised ready above his head he slowly came at the crouching injured bouncer.

“Muther fucker?” LaStephanie’s questioning screech broke the moment from the anticipated next step in the battle. “Din’t you Mama tell you not to wear your slippers outside?” Simultaneously as the bouncer uncovered his scratched face, Devonte leaned to the left to see the man had made a curious shoe selection for the evening.

The tussled and wet woman continued her impromptu analysis “Thems looks like Pelle Santina’s. You won’t be catching my Devonte here in no fuckin’ velvet slippers outta his master’s chambers, that for fuck sure!!”

The vibration of the pipe as it entered the unsuspecting man’s skull upon the first strike forced Devonte to tighten his grip whitening his knuckles. Screams from LaStephanie rang in his ears when he watched the giant’s limp body hit the ground bludgeoned, wasted. Clanging of the pipe as it rattled on the other end of the alley. Devonte and LaStephanie ran toward the lights of the street in search of sanctuary, crying away their innocence.

- W. Sanderson.

- Inspired by link

What’s wrong with my watch?

The answer to that question is: it’s not a watch. It’s a fitness tracking device. It is for fitness, and step counting! I’ve owned it for nearly two years and there are two things I have proven with it. First, it has given me proof that my heart’s pacemaker is keeping me at a perfectly chilled and controlled 70 bpm while I am doing nothing. And secondly, I do nothing; a lot. On any weekday at the office It is near impossible to push back from the desk to punch out five thousand steps, so what is the point to know that on Tuesdays past I set a monthly high watermark of 4,568 steps. Decision was made today that the fitbit is for weekends and a watch is for weekdays and evenings.

Now I had to go find my watch. After 10 minutes of serious searching I found it. Onto my wrist it slipped; only to see that it was no longer fitting my wrist. With a pair of pliers and the determination not to spend $40 at a jeweller I had a watch that fit again. It’s an old one and maybe an upgrade is needed. Research was on!

(Before I get to that, I will acknowledge your snickers about the daintiness of my bone structure. Go ahead and have your fun as I will have the last laugh since science has proven I will live longer than all you husky brutes. On to the watch hunt!)

My consultative research came between Jo at www.dappered.com and the amazing women at www.stylegirlfriend.com. First, I needed to know if the old Casio I was now rocking would pass off as an uber budget substitute.

Both sources of information, point out that the cost of a timepiece can do major damage to your budget that would (should) be going towards the shirt and suit that the watch is hiding under 90% of its time. The tips on making a solid choice for a cheap watch are here thanks to Jo.

The make could be the simplest decision on how you decided, since stating the brand might be the first response to the comment you receive “I like that watch”. But be careful, Megan makes plenty of arguments why it might not matter that much (http://www.stylegirlfriend.com/i-dont-care-about-your-watch-good-thing/). Her response to the watch aficionados who have chewed her out for suggesting “less than stellar” watches in the past seems to sooth my concerns about being too cheap: “I don’t claim to be an expert in men’s watches. I just know what, as a woman, I like to see guys wearing. I want to see you in slim suits. I want to see you in chukka boots. I want to see you tuck your shirt into your pants every now and then. What I don’t want? I don’t want to hear about the details of a watch that costs as much (or cough*more*cough) than my rent.”

The choice on style is another thing for me to notice. The watch is a valuable accessory to the wardrobe, but maybe it is more equal to the accompaniment to the suit or style. Traditional style in what I wear should steer me towards a slim piece on a leather band. Maybe a classic piece that looks and feels like a new version of that heirloom watch your grandfather passed on to you. (My grandfather gave me a Playboy pen that when you turn upside down the bathing suits fall off the models. To this once 9 year old, it was way f*cking better than a watch).  Annnnny way...If I’m swinging a modern look in a crisp suit I would need some man-bling which a metal band and broader face would give me.

With my dainty features and all, I won’t be off to ebay for this purchase and likely I will need to come up with two that I like for all the styles that I need matching. Having two watches doesn’t seem like a big deal when I look at the pile of brown shoes that the Mrs has for every occasion. Am I right?

Cheers!

I think I’m on The Spectrum

What do you know, there are spectrums and they are every where. Sexuality spectrum. Autism spectrum. The Dandyism Spectrum.

OK, it’s not a common term yet, so we’ll see how far I can stretch this into the need for formalizing the concept. The hard coded term definition for a dandy is a man unduly devoted to style, neatness, and fashion in dress and appearance.  The inclusion of the word unduly (def: to an unwarranted degree) is not well placed as it implies that the devotion to style is unnecessary, when in fact for some this devotion is quite necessary to the individual. In ways one needs to be unique and to be an individual above or outside the crowd. A dandy is therefore one who is outside the norm. It is through this uniqueness that the dandy expresses their personal needs to be their own individual, a sub-culture of one.

Since my declaration is that dandyism exists across a broad spectrum of style and then uniqueness, it is possible that my goal of improved personal style might not meet the target of coming “short of a dandy”. I might be able to achieve dandyism after all.

Writing this post in the aftermath of studying the Pete Burrows’ July 2014 post The Elements of Dandy Fashion for Modern Gentlemen (link) has brought some realization of the spectrum. Burrows points out that some dandy gentlemen appear flamboyant while other side to the dapper end of the spectrum. “Some dandies dress to stand out from the crowd, while others opt for a more understated sort of elegance with muted colors and minimal ornamentation.”

The modern dandy has so many choices and in the right environments, or crowds, the respect of their uniqueness. Being influenced by historically “over the top style” can be equally accepted (or unaccepted) as “a dandy dresser sporting an impressive (but well-groomed) beard, gauged earrings, or a tasteful and meaningful tattoo”. If you want your style to be unique and outside the crowd’s norms you too could be, intentionally or not, a dandy. Congratulations and welcome to the Spectrum!

January Menswear Essentials

To begin a twelve part piece (one can dream can’t they?) on men’s fashion essentials, I have chosen to discuss my latest purchase. But before I begin the essay on ebay purchases, I will ask the reader to go deep into their beatnik-self with an exert of an exert:

David Mamet on The Black Cashmere Sweater from The Handbook of Style, Esquire 2009

Like the black beret (which one is always told is blue, but mine is black), the black cashmere turtleneck is a perfect garment (cf Horst, Avedon, Irving Penn, et. Al.)

It accentuates the jawline, or in its absence, suggests it and, by extension, character.

It frames the face; it renders the torso more unitary and shapely; it warms; it can be worn casually or under the sport coat or suit as the closest approximation to the required-but-absent shirt and tie in that contest one will likely but not necessarily lose to the maître-d’…I have tucked the sweater into my jeans, clinched the belt tight, turned the tweed cap brim-to-the-back, and felt the complete Martin Eden.

Such an ensemble will make one look good, or as good as one is ever going to look, and, therefore make one feel good. No wonder I associate the sweater with love: It shares its job description…

We were plagued in philosophy class by the question of the Hammer: The handle breaks, and we replace the handle. Later, the head breaks, and we replace the head. Is it the same hammer? The question of the Hamer could be argued yea or nay, and when the new one comes out of the box, it will be, by acclamation, by courtesy, and in fact, my same clack cashmere turtleneck.

So doth the philosophy serve Humankind. Shantih

Originally published in full as “Diary of a Sweater,” Esquire, May 1996

I determined that the way to avoid the $300+ crush of a true cashmere sweater was to buy for look and not feel. Merino comes in as an adequate substitute of wool and if your lady friend(s) is intrigued enough by your handsomeness to lay her softly manicured fingers on your chest she will not pay attention to the server discounted price the merino gives you over the cashmere. And besides that money saved could go into the bank to offset the price of that dinner you just shared with her; or them.

Turtleneck sweaters and the shorter man do not always mate well. A mock neck would be good for me, but with my recent purchase I went crew neck. In fact, I pulled a new J. Crew black merino off ebay with shipping for C$80. That ended up a squeak over my $75 budget, but worth it when I got my hands on it.

The first wearing was a casual function with a jeans and the collar of a white T shirt peaking out the top. The thickness of the knit would work, as Mamet describes, under a jacket, and that evening it sure made my dark Levi’s look better. Brown belt and brown lace up shoes capped off the look.

Going upscale with the sweater is easy as Mr. Craig does it with his jeans and a tie. Personally, not for me unless the jeans were dropped for some crisp trousers. I can’t get the tie and jeans thing together.

In general, and over my fashion history, merino is great. I also slip myself into a black cardigan when feeling the fall or early spring chill come across me. In the drawers of my dressers there have been many so well loved sweaters. A holiday red was worn every fashion possible before it met the demise of not following the laundry instructions; and should the need come again it will be happily replaced.

Next month’s essential…Sport coats and jeans.

“Hashtag: What is this all about”

Short of a Dandy is a lifestyle blog for me and all of the people I never expected to read it. The initial direction is to write about men’s style, men’s health, and men’s lifestyle although the eyes, ears and fingers (typing) of me, a man with little qualification to be an expert. So maybe it’s a journal of growth, and adventure for me more than a how-to guide for others.

I’m planning to borrow and steal from bloggers, sites and writers (with full credit given) before I repackage it into my own brand of “advice”. If someone does read from these posts, they’ll likely learn more about my tangled internal workings than I care anyone to know; so be warned it will be a ride of mystery, discovery and soul shaking internal strife.  But it will be fun along the way.

The blog’s name is simple. I’m short. I’m feeling too old and too budget strapped to set a goal of becoming a full on dandy. Put the two together and there’s not only the title, but a sense of where all the writing will take us. The rest of the non-style content all comes from the periphery of being a man. Which means in addition to reading about the best tie pattern to wear with a bold striped shirt, watch for posts on sports, fitness, parenting, women and all sorts of manly things.

Shall we begin?