I finally had an event to attend that required wearing a jacket and tie. This was an occasion in itself to celebrate and even better as my outfit turned out to be a success. I was surprised that it drew any responses at all, because in my eyes it seems so simple and nondescript. However, I received many compliments and was asked jokingly, “are you running for office?” multiple times. Looking back over my outfit I learned two things; classic clothing will always be relevant and vintage items can be incorporated into an outfit without looking costume-ish. Here is the run down on my outfit.
First the blazer, being that I am still in pursuit of a new 3/2 sack blazer (hopefully there will be a post soon!) I wore a vintage poplin 3/2 sack blazer by Brooks Brothers. I purchased this blazer second hand off of a message board for about $40. Even though it shows a little wear it was a great deal. I lucked out that event was outdoors which made a poplin blazer all the more acceptable. To be honest, I don’t think that this jacket would have drawn any unwanted attention in the dead of winter. Needless to say the jacket served me well.
The tie is a vintage Yves Saint Laurent Foulard. I chose the Foulard over the Repp stripe tie that I wanted to wear. I thought that the Foulard was a little more formal and might reduce the amount of “college boy” comments that I might receive and that I wanted to avoid. In my opinion, the tie may have been the element that really pulled my outfit together and added a touch of sophistication to my appearance.
The shirt, trousers, and shoes are all current, or at least relatively current. The shirt is a white Lands’ End OCBD from a few years back when their original oxford was still of the must-iron variety. The trousers are wool flannel from J.Crew. The trousers are pretty light weight and weren’t too warm for the mid-70 temps. They came sans cuff, but my seamstress easily resolved this for me. I had planned on wearing a pair of AE McAllister wingtips, but last minute I decided that my Weejuns looked better.
The pocket square (PS) was the icing on the cake. I wore a simple white cotton pocket square in a “TV fold” which is a simple and understated fold.This fold also goes by other names such as the “Architect” or “Presidential.” The PS garnered many positive comments which more than justified the $2 spent on it (they were 8 for $15 ). If you have not wore one, I highly recommend trying it.
All in all it was a good evening. I got the chance to catch up with friends that I had not seen in quite a while and the event served as a good practice run allowing me to test out some of my wardrobe that generally remains dormant. Due to this, I will probably be a little more confident about my wardrobe in the future. The greatest take away from the whole thing, is that all the time that I waste thrifting might not be a waste after all.
Very nice!
@Muffy – Thanks, that means a lot coming from you!