Classic Menswear Lounge

[EliodA]

Well, there is good free jazz music and there is bad....

 

[dieworkwear]



Well, there is good free jazz music and there is bad....

My point is that arguing whether or not something works because of XYZ rules is over simplifying beauty.

Yes, that guy doesn't have a traditional silhouette. Yes, his legs look a little toothpicky. Yes, his coat is massively oversized.

All that is kind of the point.

You can say you dislike how it looks, but pointing out these things as the basis for why it doesn't work misses the point.

 

[Patrick R]



You can say you dislike how it looks, but pointing out these things as the basis for why it doesn't work misses the point.

Agreed.

 

[Coxsackie]

You can say you dislike how it looks, but pointing out these things as the basis for why it doesn't work misses the point.

Go back and read my post again. I didn't point those things out as the basis for why it doesn't work. I pointed those things out as the basis for why I didn't like it, and why that decision took me less than five seconds.

I did specifically concede that the "stick man" look is something I've never liked. No idea why. Maybe a repressed memory from my days as a choirboy?

Oh, by the way, neurophysiology is not pseudo-science. It's science. Or at least, so my brother claims. He's a professor of neurophysiology.

 

[WeakMonday]

It's like he has the silhouette and color scheme of a mallard duck

 

[Claghorn]

I dig his shoes. Those are some serious "**** you" shoes. I wouldn't wear them. The only thing I want my shoes to say are "Hi, I'm shoes." I don't ask much from my shoes.

On a different note, does anyone have that @Braddock fit on hand where he tried to use a dressier shirt with a more casual suit/tie combination? Maybe last month? It's something I'd like to experiment with (and did, this week).



I went through my pinterest board (close to 700 images of SF or B&T fits) and only found these two...which should say something about a) the vagueness in what I mean by "too dressy a shirt" and b) the difficulty in doing it properly.

 

[dieworkwear]



Go back and read my post again. I didn't point those things out as the basis for why it doesn't work. I pointed those things out as the basis for why I didn't like it, and why that decision took me less than five seconds.

I did specifically concede that the "stick man" look is something I've never liked. No idea why. Maybe a repressed memory from my days as a choirboy?

Oh, by the way, neurophysiology is not pseudo-science. It's science. Or at least, so my brother claims. He's a professor of neurophysiology.

Sorry, maybe I was reading too much into your post. Someone earlier commented on how the parka looked oversized, and how the shoulder seams dropped from the wearer's natural shoulder joints. That plus some other comments on this board mad me think you were saying things you were not.

Personally, I really like the slim pants and oversized coat look. Mens' fashion on the casual side has been obsessed with this narrow, almost columnar/ stick like figure silhouette for the last 15 years. I think the oversized coat is a nice play on that, and the fishtail parka (which is what that guy's wearing) is one of the easiest ways to put together that kind of look.

I assume people here don't like it because they don't pay much attention to the more casual side of men's clothing. But the stuff is interesting once you get into that conversation. And IMO, a lot of things are appealing to us because of how certain looks reference things we understand. The suit is a powerful image not because of something inherent in the shape or cut, but because of a long, long history that goes back to the rise of British empire.

It just so happens that most people are familiar with that kind of social/ clothing history, and not the designer/ casual stuff.

Aside from bespoke and some things at No Man Walks Alone, the only thing on my wish list right now for spring is a fishtail parka, actually.

 

[archibaldleach]

So we're praising a look with a sweater that is mediocre at best, coat that is at least one size too big, pants that have the silhouette of skinny jeans worn too short and ugly shoes (sorry, the inch tall treads on the bottom ruin it for me). IMO basically every single piece of that look could be improved and I'm not seeing how it can possibly be seen as a good look.

 

[venividivicibj]

DWW sn't praising the look per se. Just explaining it. Or explaining why it is not 'bad' just because it doesn't conform to traditional CM style.

Short answer - yes

 

[Monkeyface]

Besides from the fact whether one likes or not, what sets this look apart from the many others? It seems like that would be a more fruitful discussion. In the way we can instantly tell apart a good CM combination from a bad one, how does does that work for these looks?

The green oversized parka, funky sweater, tight jeans and clunky shoes look is one I see everywhere in London. It's mostly worn by girls, but some guys wear it too. Anyways, what is the difference between a well executed one, and a badly executed one?

 

[Coxsackie]

I like fishtail parkas too, but only for skiing.

 

[archibaldleach]

Monkeyface, I agree that there's an interesting discussion in figuring out what differentiates a well executed version of a particular look from a poorly executed one. I can see conceptually what the guy in that photo may have been trying to do, but I just can't think of a way that I'd consider it a well executed look.

I'll fully admit to not being a SW&D expert, though I've definitely taken an interest in more casual looks as of late and can appreciate parts of the SW&D aesthetic even if its really not for me. Some things I just look at, however, and think are ugly / poorly done. It's possible that I don't get it, but it's also possible that it's just not a good look. Longer pants, better shoes (you can have clunky shoes that look good, see e.g. Vass (clunky may not be the perfect word but a few of their makes are pretty big)), a better sweater (sorry, just do not like the one in the picture) and a jacket that is a bit less big on the guy would all be improvements IMO.

 

[Patrick R]

You're just suggesting he move back closer to the "norm." His clothes (and beard) clearly communicate it isn't his intention to present a normal look. I interpret that his is trying to look cartoonish/comical. To that end, mission accomplished and normalizing the fit degrades that purposes. Now, personally, I don't find the fit to be attractive, inspired, or inspiring, but I'm sure others do.

 

[TM79]

I don't understand why people are trying to understand it if they don't like it.

 

[Victor Elfo]

Perhaps because being able to empathize is the most underestimated human capacity and the most needed. Though, IMO, it's more simple than that: it pleases clothing nerds.