Don’t Clash or Crash: Cycling to Work in Style

Sometimes getting out of bed in the morning and groggily making your way to work is enough energy for your morning routine. However, a new craze has come along! Biking to work is now becoming increasingly more popular. People have always biked to work, whether its your environmentally conscious friends or your freakishly fit acquaintances, and others just like to avoid the rush of traffic in the morning hours. For whatever reason you bike to work, there has always been one complaint, “I always have to change my clothes after.” This age old problem has kept people from slipping on their spandex and packing their work clothes for the day.

With the popularity of biking to work at an all time high, a new industry has been created. Suits designed to bike to work and take meetings in. Companies like Parker Dusseau have developed a suit you can bike to work in using Marino Wool-Spandex Blend, a stretchy material. The crtoch has a diamond design instead of a four way seam, providing flexibility and comfort.

Although these suits are pricey, $495 for the jacket and $295 for the pants, it still provides a gateway to new designs and new ways to get into this niche market. So, next time you think about grabbing your bike rather than your keys, don’t hesitate!

Why Custom?

Custom tailoring is almost a lost art, but there’s nothing like having a suit designed to your exact specifications and body or wowing other gala goers with a one-of-a-kind suit no other man in the ballroom

 — let alone the world — could be wearing.

I have earned a loyal following among business leaders, executives and major NFL players whose sheer size can create additional measurement challenges. All of them realize the benefits of having their clothes custom-made.

So why custom? Naples is a small town and you don’t want to run into anyone else with the same suit, which is why I only make one suit with each fabric. If you buy a Joseph Wendt custom suit, you won’t see it on anyone else!

I think a lot of men don’t realize the tremendous power of dressing well and being unique. It’s an absolute advantage when you utilize it. I have always said, clothing is psychology. It’s a visual psychology versus a verbal psychology, but it’s totally psychology.

Plus, fit is so important, and it’s hard to get that with a department store suit. It’s so difficult to get that perfect fit with a suit you buy off the rack. That’s another reason, custom is key. I understand that young guys just starting out need a bunch of suits and maybe have to go to Men’s Wearhouse or a department store. If you do have to buy off the rack, make sure you spend time to have it properly tailored.

Joseph Wendt Custom Clothier now offers tailoring services at our Fifth Avenue South store. Tailoring services are available during business hours to assist customers with altering suits and dress shirts, resizing and hemming pants, re-lining jackets or pants, special occasion dresses and more. Customers are asked to call ahead for an appointment, but walk-ins will be accepted. Call (239) 530-0070 to make a reservation, or visit our Fifth Avenue South store, located in Downtown Naples, Florida.

The Heat is On! How to Dress in Warmer Climates

It is that time of year. The afternoon rain is approaching, the humidity is increasing.. well at least here in Florida it is! I’m not complaining, summer is one of my favorite times of year, but it certainly proposes some challenges for men who like and/or need to wear suits to work everyday. Just thinking of business suits and Florida’s heat can make one sweat, but summer is right around the corner and that’s the reality for Southwest Florida businessmen. Here are some tips on how to stay cool and look cool all at the same time:

The right suit? No sweat

The best choices for business suits in climates like Florida are made of breathable fabrics such as tropical wools and wool/mohair blends that are 120-gauge thread count. These suits wear well, are lightweight and keep their shape. Luxurious Italian cotton and linen suits also are great for staying cool but may require pressing from time to time.

For the evenings, opt for a sport coat made of lightweight wool or a silk-linen blend. These fabrics have a light/lofty feel with a beautiful textured look that is great in either solids or patterns. Another ultra-lightweight option would be a cashmere and silk-blend sport jacket. These jackets wear well and are very comfortable.

Cool leather

A lightweight shoe can make a big difference in keeping you cool and comfortable in tropical climates. Footwear made of Italian calfskin leather is the best choice. The construction of these shoes is lighter in weight and features either a terry cloth or ultra thin lining. In some instances, you can even purchase a shoe with no lining. Also, the structure of these shoes is soft and breathable and is available in a variety of styles, including wingtip, loafer, monk strap and cap toe.

Bond, James Bond, Part 4: Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig (1995-Present)

It’s time to wrap up our four-part Bond retrospective in honor of the 50th anniversary of the James Bond films with a look at the two most recent actors to take on the role: Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.

After the disappointing performance of “License to Kill,” the Bond franchise went into a bit of a hibernation period. There were briefly plans to do a third film with Timothy Dalton, tentatively called “The Property of a Lady.” However, serious legal issues going all the way back to 1961 and the rights to “Thunderball” finally came to a head, effectively killing the project. By the time the ball started rolling again, Dalton was no longer interested in the role. Pierce Brosnan, who had come within an inch of being Bond in 1987, was called up once again, and eagerly jumped at the chance in 1994, and began to film the first of his outings, 1995’s “GoldenEye,” named for Ian Fleming’s old Jamaican home.

Not pictured: giant doomsday laser cannon to hold the United Nations hostage.

By this point, the Bond series had fallen into a sort of dated, formulaic pattern, punctuated by strangely campy moments that seemed both out of touch with modern audiences’ tastes, as well as Fleming’s original stories.

You think?

Also, in the interim, the Cold War had ended, ending the main dynamic the Bond films had centered on: the espionage-heavy era of an undeclared war fought in secret over decades.  Suddenly, the world was a lot more peaceful, as well as a lot more complicated.  And so it was decided that for this new Bond film, all of the old mistakes and stagnation would be jettisoned, including the wardrobe, starting completely from scratch.  Enter Lindy Hemming.

Hemming, at that point best known for her work on “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” was a huge fan of Bond in her own right, having actually written her college thesis on Bond’s film wardrobe!  The film’s producers wanted her for the job of Costume Designer almost immediately, and decided early on that unlike in earlier films, which featured a cornucopia of people making decisions on Bond’s clothing, only Hemming would be making decisions, making Bond’s entire wardrobe the product of one person’s taste.

That hair really is impressive…

The increased production quality for the series created a new hurdle.  In earlier films, there was frequently only one copy of each suit for the film.  Now, up to FIFTY suits would be necessary for the action scenes, for the sake of continuity.  There was absolutely no way any of the small firms on Saville Row would be able to keep up.  So Hemming turned to Italian firm Brioni, who had offered to give 50 suits to the production for free.  The quality is certainly different.  Brioni’s suits are tailor-made, but they are not bespoke.  The day of the bespoke Bond was officially over, thanks to the needs of the modern action film.  But c’est la vie, Bond must go on!

Now that that’s taken care of, where’s did I park my invisible spy car?

For all four Brosnan Bond films, Hemming settled on a system for dressing Brosnan, based around carefully planned and coordinated outfits.  She is fond of unusual color combinations, like blue and brown with charcoal accents.  She also is fond of three-piece suits, and of using the classic Brioni straight shoulder to good effect.

In 1997’s “Tomorrow Never Dies,” (originally titled “Tomorrow Never Lies,” which makes far more sense, but that’s another blog…) Hemming kept the same style, but added in an unusual 1930s touch to Bond’s dinner suit from early in the Hamburg portion of the film.  Five buttons in a V-formation on the vest, strong shoulders and wide lapels are unusual indeed for a 1997 dinner suit.

Also in the film, a very interestingly atypical bronze tie/blue suit combo, with an overcoat matching the tie rather than the suit!

Continuing into 1999’s “The World is Not Enough,” Brosnan’s look remained fairly consistent, which the major exception being one of the black-on-black suits Brosnan wears in his outings, a Cheviot tweed suit in charcoal, appropriate considering the character had just attended a funeral…

…And a herringbone linen suit worn near the end of the film in Istanbul, which is absolutely bonkers for the dark tone of the scenes it appears in.  A three-button fronted, four-button cuffed, with tan chorizo buttons, the suit otherwise has the typical Brioni lines.

Finally for Brosnan, in 2002’s “Die Another Day,” his wardrobe stays the course, including the same one-button midnight blue peak lapel jacket that both the Brosnan and Craig Bonds pretty much always wear to formal engagements.

Well…  There was one out-of-nowhere outfit in “Die Another Day”…

…But the less said about that, the better.

At this point, Brosnan retired from the series under slightly mysterious and acrimonious circumstances.  Once again, life in the meantime had a way of influencing the direction the films would go next.  The Jason Bourne series had effectively one-upped the bloated Bond franchise, showing a much more gritty and realistic look at espionage.  And 2005’s “Batman Begins” showed that taking even the most iconic of characters deadly seriously could work wonders.  The Bond producers chose Daniel Craig for the role of James Bond, deciding a very different-looking (blond!) actor was necessary for what would essentially be a reboot of the series.

Behind the camera, however, the cast of characters remained mostly the same, including Lindy Hemming.  But while she may have carried her basic sensibility with her, both Craig’s look and the gritty and deadly-realistic portrayal of the character he brought to the role invariably took Bond in a more rumpled, informal direction.

How YOU doin’?

However, 2006’s “Casino Royale” and 2008’s “Quantum of Solace” did provide plenty of opportunities for Bond to look his best in-between all the dressed-down action.  Case in point, this great worsted wool suit in a subtle plaid of charcoal grey and navy blue.

Or the now-iconic perfectly tailored dinner suit from “Casino Royale’s” poker scenes.

Or, for that matter, an amazingly perfect, but updated, copy of Sean Connery’s dinner suit from “Dr. No.”

And this slick charcoal suit from “Quantum of Solace.”

The Hollywood Writers’ Strike of 2008 threw a lot of the industry out of whack, and it took a few years for the Bond film series to get back on track, just in time for the 50th anniversary of “Dr. No” (and this blog!), with 2012’s “Skyfall.”

With “Skyfall,” a new costume designer was on board, Jany Temime, and Craig had gotten, somehow, even craggier and more gritty-looking in the meantime!  Temime decided to go with Tom Ford on suits, and to bring back the more basic color scheme of the earlier Bond films, likely as part of the “everything old is new again” direction of the film in general.  This includes this number, a glen plaid in mid grey and black.

 She also added a true British icon to the film’s climax, the waxed cotton Barbour jacket…

And, of course, the dinner suit for the film, a dark navy Tom Ford O’Connor outfit, very tightly fitted and a tad too short, deliberately, apparently, Temime said she was going for an “iconic for 2012” look.

In short, the lines and lapels of the suits in the film were very ’60s, but the cuts and the fits were very modern.

And with that, we’ve caught up to the present.  What does the future hold for everyone’s favorite bespoke superspy?  Well, another film, for starters, already in pre-production, supposedly with Craig still on board.  But whoever is holding the “shaken, not stirred” martinis, there are two things we can always count on: he will be dressed in gorgeous, tailored suits, and he will save the world in them.

With an equally bespoke Lord Voldemort always at his side.

Bond, James Bond, Part 2: Sean Connery and George Lazenby (1962-1971)

It’s time to return to the world of spies and vodka martinis, “shaken, not stirred.”  And just in time, too, because today marks the North American release of the 23rd official James Bond film, “Skyfall.”  We’ll be first in line to see it!

But before we head on an adventure with Daniel Craig’s Bond, it’s time to take a trip to the past, to where we left off in the James Bond fashion chronology, all the way back to 1962. The process of bringing James Bond to the screen from the page was not an easy one, to say the least.  We won’t go into the details here, it would take far too long.  But the lasing legacy of the long process was the choice of Sean Connery as James Bond.
As we told you last time, Bond in the novels was a sort of portmanteau of Ian Fleming himself crossed with his former buddies in British Intelligence circles.  When Fleming imagined Bond, he basically imagined a more dapper version of himself.

“Goldfinger,” starring your Fifth Grade math teacher!

The film’s producers at first didn’t stray too far from the idea, wanting Cary Grant for the role.  Grant, though, refused to sign a multi-picture deal, and the producers were banking on a franchise.  They went through British actor Richard Johnson, Patrick McGoohan and David Niven, never able to reach consensus.  They even ran a contest to choose bond, eventually settling on a 28-year-old model named Peter Anthony, who was nowhere near prepared for the role.  Legend has it they even considered future Bond Roger Moore, though he denies it.

Finally, a scruffy, 30-year-old Scotsman in unpressed clothes came in to try out for the part, and absolutely oozed a macho, devil-may-care attitude.  He didn’t look like the novel’s description, but he felt like the character, through-and-through.  The producers knew on the spot that Sean Connery was their man.

How could they not?

There was, however, a problem.  He had zero fashion sense, and was as sophisticated and cultured as a dump truck.  Director Terence Young, himself a suave and debonair playboy of the highest order, took Connery under his wing, introducing him to the high life and high fashion of London.  He took him to his own personal tailor, Anthony Sinclair, at 43 Conduit Street.  The paired-down look of the suits Connery ended up wearing throughout his time as Bond became known as the “Conduit cut”: lightweight 100% wool in navy blue and shades of grey with a subtle check, “waisted” in a slimline, single-breasted, two-button format.  The idea was for Bond to look well-dressed, but not stand out in a crowd, sound advice for a spy.

Connery had never worn a suit for any length of time before, and was apparently insanely uncomfortable in one.  So Young had Connery wear the suits CONSTANTLY, all day, every day, during pre-production, until they felt like a second skin to him.

It seems to have worked…

For all intents and purposes, Young turned Connery into a more gruff (and Scottish) version of himself, rather than of Fleming.  This act has influenced the way Bond has been portrayed ever since, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, dark with a dash of humor, as opposed to the more brutal, cold-hearted version of the character from the books (although that’s come back a bit…more on that later).  Bond became a fashion icon in his own right, now that his internal monologue was missing.  Instead of commenting on what other people were wearing, he dressed to the nines himself, but then, so did his adversaries and allies.

In the first of Connery’s Bond films, 1962’s “Dr. No,” Bond informs CIA agent Felix Leiter that his suits were tailored in Savile Row, even though they were not, a slight nod to the books and to Fleming.  The fashion in the first two films, “Dr. No” and 1963’s “From Russia With Love,” retains the basic look that Young gave Connery, all designed by Sinclair, and all accompanied by shirts from Turnbull & Asser.

The suits are remarkably simple, and, in fact, Bond never even dons a belt, so as to keep the sleek lines of the suits uninterrupted.  The pants all sit at the waits, not the hip, another way to keep the lines more unified.  Bond wears, almost exclusively, dark blue grenadine ties for the entire films.  He frequently wears a white linen pocket square, neatly folded into the front of his jackets.  And, hilariously, despite Bond’s hatred of Windsor knots, he wears them in “Dr. No,” before properly shifting to four-in-hand knots from “From Russia With Love” on.

Interestingly, the suits in the first two films are more timeless than suits in the films that followed.  They could all be easily worn today.  The next three films, 1964’s “Goldfinger,” 1965’s “Thunderball” and 1967’s “You Only Live Twice,” all featured far narrower lapels, muted browns, and old-fashioned three-piece cuts, all very, very ’60s, though we do mean that in a good way.

Rumor has it that some American tailors were used in “Goldfinger,” which makes sense, since more fashionable (for the time) details like pageboy waistcoats suddenly show up.  The number of materials and colors also expands dramatically.  But the basic cut remains the same, until the next film in the series, 1969’s “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.”

OHMSS brought in not just new fashion, but a new Bond, in the form of Australian model George Lazenby, after Sean Connery declined to return for a sixth, extra contractual film.  Peter Hunt, director of OHMSS, was a fashion-conscious gentleman in his own right, and was given broad leeway in the way this new Bond would be presented, using his own favorite tailor, Dimi Major of Fulham, London W1.  Possibly because of Lazenby’s more “pretty” look, and experience as a model, as well as acknowledgement of the more brazen and colorful styles that had come to dominate fashion in the seven years since “Dr. No,” Bond was given a much larger and more colorful wardrobe.  A modified version of the “Conduit cut” from prior films was still used in the London scenes, but unlike before, Bond wore more than that sleek, simple cut when out of the glare of MI6, even wearing an astonishing cream-colored suit at one point.  Did we mention the ruffles?

But come 1971, Connery came back for one more Bond, “Diamonds Are Forever.”  The film is a bit of a wacky outlier for the Bond series, and even though Connery brought the more muted styles and colors of his films back with him (likely along with tailor Anthony Sinclair), some of the OHMSS style remained, likely a result of the American side of the production not collaborating with the English side completely.  Connery even wears a cream-colored suit himself, at one point.  And even the muted, London suits are slightly changed, with the wider lapels of the ’70s making their appearance felt.

This brings us to the end of Connery’s tenure, until his brief return with the unofficial “Never Say Never Again” in 1983.  Roger Moore and excesses of the ’70s are next, and we’ll pick up there in Part 3.  Until next time…

Ahhhh!

The Wide World of Fabric

The wearing of clothing is unique to the human species, and is a feature of nearly every society on the planet. Exactly when the practice started has been lost to the mists of time, but much evidence suggests that it may have begun as far back as 100,000 to 500,000 years ago. What appear to be sewing needles have been found and dated to around 40,000 years ago. The earliest examples of these needles originate from the Solutrean culture, which existed in what is now France from 19,000 BC to 15,000 BC. Meanwhile, the earliest dyed flax fibers have been found in a prehistoric cave in what is today the Republic of Georgia, and date back to 36,000 BC. Anthropologists have conjectured that animal skins and vegetation were first used as coverings as a method of protection from cold or heat or the elements, especially as humans settled areas in climates alien to them. Another possibility is that the coverings may have been first used for other purposes, such as belief in magic, as a ornamental decoration, as part of cult rituals, or for additional prestige, and then was later found to be practical on its own accord.

For these reasons and much more, clothing and textiles have been important throughout human history and reflect the materials available to a civilization as well as the technologies that it has mastered.

Now, we are not going to provide a whole walkthrough on the history of fabrics! We all know textiles are as ancient as time. Instead, what we want to provide is a better understanding of what we have available in today’s market. And today, thanks to technology, we have evolved so much from the prehistoric methods that the diameter of the fiber (which will contribute to a finer yarn, and therefore provide a more luxurious comfort and pleasure for the wearer) is less than of the human hair!

How does this work? The fineness of a fiber is measured in micrometers (microns). 1 micron=one millionth of a meter. The average diameter of a high quality fiber is 12-24 microns for wool fabrics. The human hair is about 100 microns in diameter. Hmm, hello Super 230s!

But beware the quality of the cloth, or what we refer to as “Super 100s” up to “230s” does not necessarily mean that finer is better. You could have a good 15-micron wool or a bad 15-micron wool. Fineness is just one of the quality components. Length, strength, color and crimp are the others. With the first two particularly so. Length is critical: the longer the fiber the stronger the yarn that can be spun from it. Strength is also essential because the yarn must be twisted tightly to achieve a fine weave.

That said, here is a look at what our most used suit and casual wear fabrics are:

Wool

Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals and is the most widely used textile in the world. Often refered to as “the plywood” of fabric, you can make almost anything out of it. Because of the structure of its fibers, wool has a unique insulating quality and excellent elasticity (meaning that even if wrinkled and stretched, the fabric will recover its original shape). Its fibers’ thin outer membrane is paradoxically water-resistant while also being very absorbent. This means it absorbs moisture away from the body while preventing outside moisture from penetrating. Pure genius!

Wool Gabardine

A tightly woven fabric that is ribbed diagonally on one side and smooth on the other, with a slight sheen.

Wool Crepe

This is a “broken” twill, which means that its yarns are highly twisted to provide a slightly irregular texture.

Wool Silk

Lightweight and semi-sheer. This fabric is softer than wool, but warmer than silk. One of your summer suits’ best friends.

Cotton

Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The fiber is most often spun into yarn or thread, and used to make a soft, breathable textile. The use of cotton for fabric is known to date to ancient times; fragments of cotton fabric have been found and dated to 5000 BC.

A brushed cotton suit provides a polished look for a hot day, just make sure, if worn separately, both parts of your cotton suit are washed together to keep color on both pieces to fade at the same rate.

Linen

Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather. Linen textiles appear to be some of the oldest in the world, dating back to 8000 BC.

Linen is a bast fiber. Flax fibers vary in length from about 25 to 150 cm (18 to 55 in), and average 12-16 microns in diameter. There are two varieties: shorter tow fibers used for coarser fabrics, and longer line fibers used for finer fabrics. Flax fibers can usually be identified by their “nodes,” which add to the flexibility and texture of the fabric.

Linen fabric feels cool to the touch. It is smooth, making the finished fabric lint-free, and gets softer the more it is washed. However, constant creasing in the same place in sharp folds will tend to break the linen threads. This wear can show up in collars, hems, and any area that is iron creased during laundering. Linen has poor elasticity, and does not spring back readily, explaining why it wrinkles so easily.

Seersucker

Seersucker is a thin, puckered, all-cotton fabric, commonly striped or checkered, used to make clothing for spring and summer wear. The word came into English from the Hindustani languages (Urdu and Hindi), and originates from the Persian words “shir o shekar,” meaning “milk and sugar,” probably from the resemblance of its smooth and rough stripes to the smooth texture of milk and the bumpy texture of sugar. Seersucker is woven in such a way that some threads bunch together, giving the fabric a wrinkled appearance in places. This feature causes the fabric to be mostly held away from the skin when worn, facilitating heat dissipation and air circulation. It also means that pressing is not necessary (play blissful music here)!

Bamboo

Because the fibers of bamboo are very short (less than 3mm long), they are impossible to transform into yarn in a natural process. The usual process by which textiles labeled as being made of bamboo are produced uses only the rayon that is being made out of the fibers with heavy employment of chemicals. To accomplish this, the fibers are broken down with chemicals and extruded through mechanical spinnerets. Retailers have sold both end products as “bamboo fabric” to cash in on bamboo’s current ecofriendly cachet. Be aware of the chemicals involved in this process if you are really going for the “green” effect, though.

Silk Bamboo

Created by spinning the pulp of new bamboo canes into threads, which are then blended with pure silk and woven into a luxurious fabric. It has the softness of cashmere, and is even more breathable than cotton. Perfect for luxurious sleepwear and casual apparel.

Dress to Impress at the Derby

Oh, Mr.  Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr…  Your 1872 trip to England introduced us to a fantastic sport that is as fashionable as it is grand.  The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports, as they refer to it these days, as if you ever dreamed it to one day be this big.  Sir, thank you!

Everything is grand on this famous first Saturday of May.  The hats.  The tickets (if you haven’t inherited a Derby box from grandpa, it can be a very expensive pleasure, with tickets ranging from $655 at the Grand Stand Section to $11,592 at the Clubhouse Box near the finish line).  The Thoroughbred industry is a large agribusiness, generating around $34 billion in revenue annually in the U.S.  Even the prominent blanket of red roses is grand (all 554 of them).

An event of this magnitude comes with a fantastic and celebrated dress code.  You know we love this type of gathering.  So read on, this is your guide for Kentucky Derby Fashion and Southern style that is traditional, which means pretty preppy!

The Derby is one of the few times that gentlemen can dress up and stand out more than the ladies.  Classic styles of seersucker and linen are nothing to miss, but this year, men have the chance to really turn some heads thanks to the fantastic color pants trend that is the staple of this spring season.  Pair them with a gorgeous plaid jacket and gorgeous accessories and it should land you in the winners circle!

Here is what you must have…

Seersucker suit

White Crisp Shirt, off the press, preferably.

Some of our favorite white shirtings, priced upon request.

Tie/Bow tie.  Remember, this is one of the very few times you will be actually encouraged to wear something festive, so go for it.  Just keep it on the preppy side, not the crazy side.  And if you really want to get into the spirit, go for a needlepoint belt.

Shoes. Wing-tipped two-tones are a must.  We really love these Fratelli Rosetti ones!

Fratelli Rosetti two-tone leather in brown and white creates a classic Oxford style shoe for a sleek country club look, accentuated by a brogued wingtip design at the toe.

Now that you are all suited up, you can enjoy the “alpha” of horse races in the U.S.  The excitement of this event is palpable, believe us.  We can’t quite decide if we want to grab a mint julep with “El Padrino” before joining “My Adonis” for burgoo dinner first, or to make the most “Optimizer” time management move ever, so that we have time to meet the “Gemologist” and discuss that big sparkle before we are “Done Talking.”  “I’ll Grab Another” Mint Julep, party all night and celebrate the unofficial beginning of the ever so preppy Seersucker season!  Confused?  You won’t be after a day at the races!

FYI…

“Interestingly, most publications focus on the hats that women are wearing to multi-million dollar horse races, but there is an exception.  This year, at the Dubai World Cup, their Style Stakes contests included a category for ‘Best Dressed Man’.”

Music to our ears, my fellow sartorialist, we are taking over the world, again!  To that, another mint julep!  Cheers!

Fashion Back Then

Since the beginning of time, man has relied on clothing for numerous reasons.  Cavemen used fur to protect themselves from inclement winter conditions.  Much further ahead in time, there was the doublet, a snug, fitted and buttoned jacket with minimal stitching and a quilted lining (“doubling”) that originated from under armor wear who’s main purpose was to add warmth.

We browsed back in time and found some important garments from different eras along with their purpose and meaning.  Some of them are still part of trends or the everyday fashion of today.  Some others were left behind, thank God, like the cod piece: in the 14th century, men wore two separate leg hose over linen drawers, leaving a man’s genitals covered only by a thin layer of linen.  The codpiece covered this gap.  …Well, it still does exist in some way, as the protective cup in the jockstrap.

Many of these items appeared and were, at the time, stylish, but their main purpose was usually functional, like the ruff (a detacheable colar and cuffs that could themselves be laundered separately, preventing the jacket from getting soiled).

During Elizabethan times, a Sumptuary Clothing Law controlled and specified social structure.  English Sumptuary Laws governing the clothing that Elizabethans wore were well known by all of the English people.  Penalties for violating such laws could be harsh: fines, the loss of property, title and even life (hello, Fashion Police).

Further back, Roman clothes separated the social castes of the Empire.  Slaves, merchants, nobility and Roman Senators could all be easily identified at a distance by their clothing.  Even before that, Egyptians also had a flair for fashion, but the most attention on dress for both men and women was reserved for decorative collars and headdress.

Men’s fashions through the years have been highly influenced by military models.  Changes in the European male silhouette were frequently forged in the theatres of European wars, where gentleman had the opportunity to make notes of foreign styles: an example is the “Steinkirk” cravat or necktie.  Another European example is the frock coat, a knee-length men’s coat that was characterized by a larger chest circumference and smaller waist circumference.  The bottom of the coat, extending from the waistline, resembled that of a flowing skirt.  A frock coat was first seen during the Napoleonic Wars. The Austro-Hungarian and German army officers would wear them during military operations to keep warm and protect their uniforms.  It became more popular and viewed as a fashion statement amongst non-military men during both the Victorian and Edwardian periods. A double-breasted style topped by peak lapels would be worn in a more formal setting, whereas, a single-breasted version with notch lapels would be seen in an informal one.  Could this be one of the causes of today’s common notion that peak lapels are directly associated with a tuxedo or dinner jacket while notches are associated with a suit? It might just be, however, in our world of custom suit design, we like to leave the choice of whether or not to override these traditional views to the individual’s discretion.

In early 1900, King Edward VII aparently grew so rotund that he was unable to fasten the last button of his waistcoat and jacket.  To not offend the king, those associated with him started doing the same.  The custom then gradually spread the world ’round, or so the legend goes.

King Charles II, another noble to be, was known to have a flair for fashion and sported cufflinks regularly, quickly influencing public opinion on this new clothing accessory.  A fashionable and elegant way to fasten their cuffs, earlier fastened by a string.

Trends started and spread widely, and a generation of very well-suited men arised in mid-18th century England.  These men were known as “maccaronis.”  Later on, a similar movement referred to the male taking such pride in dressing as dandy as possible.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Beau Brummell was a model of this movement, claiming to take up to five hours getting dressed.  He also changed men’s fashion in England.  He established the mode of men wearing understated but fitted and beautifully cut clothes adorned with an elaborately knotted cravat.  Brummell is also credited with introducing the modern men’s suit.

So, as we said, fashion back then was mainly functional (well, not to Brummell, at least) and a way to establish social status (silk was only sold to the rich).  But that makes us think that we probably have not evolved much from such methods.  It’s just now a matter of labels: Cartier, Loubotin, Aston Martin, Hermes, and, of course, custom clothing.

A White Canvas

These are classic pieces.  Completely trend-free, definitely part of your sartorial foundation.  But why are they so frowned upon?  We are talking about whites, beiges and that entire neutral spectrum on the lighter side.

So, the next time you think of these lighter shades of neutrals as plain and boring or too complicated, think again.  You might be just experiencing a lot of creativity.  Neutrals are to a sartorial guy what a white canvas is for a painter.  Are they complicated?  No way, neutrals are the easiest way, not just to put together, but to acquire that super chic look all year-round.  If you’re still not convinced, think of those bright colors and hard-to-do accessories, which is exactly what neutrals are for.

Can you think of a style icon that is known for wearing loads of color?  If you were told to go to your closet and assemble your coolest outfit, would it be colorful?  Is “effortless” the reason why we love it?  Dress in shades of neutrals.  It may not be a dynamic look, but it is sophisticated.

Start by mixing your neutrals: for example, the darker ones with the lighter ones and then move up to different shades of one color, then, finally, add texture to that mix.  Hopefully by summer, you’ll be ready for that super stylish white suit.

Don’t be afraid, here are some good tips on wearing neutrals.

Keep your whites spotless and in good condition (skip the trip to the dry cleaners when possible, this just adds to the yellowish look and obviously shortens the life of your garment).  We prefer hand washing.

If you’re wearing more than one item that’s the same color, make sure they are either exactly the same color, or clearly different shades of the same color.  Nearly the same but not quite is not a good look, as it looks like you’ve tried to match exactly and failed.

Since neutrals are soft and easy on the eyes, all-neutral ensembles can read a bit bland.  A great way to spice ‘em up is to add a variety of textures: leather, wool, tweed, rough linen, smooth cotton.  Pieces with pick-stitching and other 3D detailing also add textural interest.

And finally, it can be messy out there.  This is magical and worth keeping in your bag at all times: a Tide pen!