Archive for July, 2014

The Party Sport Coat: Batik

by oxford cloth button down on July 27, 2014 in Historical Fashion, Lifestyle, Men's Clothing Reviews, Style with 4 Comments

Summer means vacation and that means it is time for fun. Clothing used to be one of the main ways that was used to communicate to others that you were not working. However, times have changed. With today’s dress codes being so relaxed the ability to distinguish office wear from casual wear is difficult. I am not going to go down that rabbit hole in this post, but instead focus on a classic piece of resort wear the Batik sport coat.

Batik sport coats were popular party jackets. They are loud. They are colorful. They are fun. They are not for the timid and no they will not work in the office not even on GTH Friday.

The exact origin of Batik fabric is unknown. What is known is that it is ancient art form has existed in Egypt, India, the Middle East, China, and West Africa for over 2,000 years. Traditional Batik is made using a wax resist dye process which gives it its distinct look and it has a very distinct look.
Club Monaco Batik                                    Club Monaco 3/2 Batik Sack Sport Coat (Southwick Cambridge Model?)

While the demand for Batik jackets is close to non-existent they are still being produced. The inspiration for this post was not a vintage image of a man on vacation, but rather the Batik jacket that I found on the site of the often overlooked (and under remembered) member of the Ralph Lauren family Club Monaco. It is a great looking jacket. They do offer pants, but I would not go whole hog. I would do one or the other.
O'Connell's batik-ish                                                    O’Connell’s Navy and White Batik-ish Sport Coat

Club Monaco was not the only brand with a Batik offering.  I also saw a great looking Batik-ish jacket offered on O’Connell’s website that was not new old stock. Last, but not least I spotted a Batik pocket square on Sid Mashburn’s site for those who aren’t ready to dive right into a sport coat.
Batik Pocket Square                                                                 Sid Mashburn Batik Pocket Square

Batik may never again experience the popularity that it did in its heyday, but it is not gone yet. It can still be comfortably worn in a party or vacation setting, but be warned that  it will draw attention. I have aspirations to wear one at some point. I think that I will wait until I reach senior citizen status and don’t have to worry about getting too much attention. At that point in my life I will be most likely be ignored by almost everyone and those that do notice my fancy jacket will just chalk it up as something that was popular back in my day.

A (Calendar) Year in Japanese Trad

by oxford cloth button down on July 20, 2014 in Lifestyle, Style with 1 Comment

I have mentioned that I enjoy illustrations in the past (Art, Ads, and Classic Style). I may have not mentioned that I am especially interested in Japanese illustrations of Trad/ Ivy/ Preppy Americans. These illustrations can range from extremely accurate with all the right details to caricatures sporting outlandish looks.

Here I present illustrations by Hiroshi Watatani from the 10th anniversary calendar for the Japanese trad brand Select Store Septis. Not only do these illustrations focus on American style and culture, but they even pay tribute to the American illustration styles such as the ones that can be found in the artwork from the Saturday Evening Post.

There is something extremely interesting about viewing something that I am very familiar with through the lense of a foreign culture. It may not be that different from how older gentlemen today view the younger generation’s take on the classics. In both instances it is sometimes done very well and at other times it seems as if it were lost in translation.
10th anniversaryJanuary - Sierra DesignsMCGregor - FebruaryFelco - MarchSperry - AprilTailgate - MayJune
septisjulJulyAugustSeptemberNovemberDecember

To Crease or not to Crease?

by oxford cloth button down on July 13, 2014 in Men's Clothing Reviews, Style with 17 Comments
To Crease or not to Crease

I used to never crease my chinos. It seemed too fussy. Not that it looked overly fussy, but rather that it said to others that I spend an excessive amount of time thinking about and prepping clothing which is exactly the opposite reason that I am attracted to a classic American style. However, in pursuit of the perfect pair of chinos I began experimenting with the crease…and liked it.
Creased Chinos & Blazer
Creased chinos with madrasFar and away the biggest reason that I liked the crease is the tapered silhouette that it creates. This makes perfect sense when I started to think about it. Ironing pants without a crease actually increases the amount of chino visible from the front presenting the viewer with the widest possible leg. By ironing a crease down the middle of the pants the amount of visible chino is reduced and instead of a flattened chino the viewer is presented with the edge of a diamond shape. The tradeoff is that profile of a creased chino is wider which is more than a fair exchange in my book.

No Crease     For comparison, here is a picture of the same pair of chinos featured above, but without a crease.

There is another reason that I am growing fond of the crease and that reason is formality. A crisp pair of chinos ironed with a knife blade crease is better suited for a blazer than those without. The crease takes the chinos from casual to business casual (see blazer picture above). This can be a double edged sword as it can make a casual rig look off. When wearing a pair of chinos on the weekend I would avoid a knife blade crease (or any crease).

I now tend to crease more chinos than not. It helps to create the tapered silhouette that I have been in search of without having to go through round after round of alteration. It also communicates a more professional image especially when worn with a blazer or sport coat. I am still learning when to crease and when not to crease, but the biggest lesson that I learned is that I need to be flexible and not live by absolutes.

Three Stripes of Equality

by oxford cloth button down on July 5, 2014 in Style, Ties with 4 Comments

I have a thing for ties. Actually, I assume that most people that are interested in traditional clothing have a thing for ties, but because my style is fairly conservative the tie is one of the few items that allows me to express my personality in color and patterns for all to see. Lately I have been drawn to one specific type of striped tie (Illustrated by The Popinjay above). This tie features three different colored stripes that repeat and are all of equal proportions, but the stripes’ proportions vary from tie to tie.
J.Press InspirationThe first time that I noticed this tie was on the J.Press website. I didn’t notice this tie in the neckwear section, but instead on a blazer. It was featured on the ever desirable J.Press 3 flap and 2 patch pocket sack blazer and it stole the show (pictured above). I later had the chance to acquire this tie for a price so low that I won’t mention it here, but because this particular tie was only 2.75” I passed. If it isn’t apparent that I regret it this decision. I do.
3 Stripes of Equality                                                   My consolation prize (and it is 2.75″) for missing out on the tie above.

This striped tie might be one of the easiest stripe patterns for me to recognize (Outside of the Brooks Brother stripes ) once I actually noticed the pattern. To the best of my knowledge there is no name for this type of stripe. This isn’t surprising as I don’t know if there are names for the infinite varieties of striped ties that exist minus the already mentioned Brooks Brother stripes and this system is not universal. These ties feature colors of all sorts ranging from the subdued to eye-catching and come in various fabrics indicating that there is no one season for this stripe.
4th DragoonRoyal Scots 2Lord Taverners                                                              A  few examples from Ben Silver.

For fans of the regimental tie (including the Americanized version) I think that this stripe pattern is a must have. It is traditional in appearance, but also distinct. There is something about the repeating pattern of equal width that makes it visually striking, but will probably render the admirer unable to identify why as it did for me when I first saw them.