Index

Practical Thoughts on Coherent Combinations for

A. Practical Thoughts on Coherent Combinations for Beginners: Introduction
Beginners
B. What is a Beginner?

All credit for production of this document belongs to former Styleforum contributor C. Discordancy or Harmony?
F. Corbera. The original document has vanished into the mist of time and is D. Are You a Dandy?
preserved only in the Wayback Machine archive - it is reproduced here for the E.1. Principle 1: Navigate all elements of each “fit” to one point in the path from
purposes of preservation and better presentation. country to city

Note: Images are attributed wherever possible to original owner or uploader, as E.1.a. Get Your Act in Line
many of the images used in the original document belong to persons who have since E.1.b. Forces Undermining Coherent City/Formal/Public Combinations
abandoned their accounts or are otherwise uncontactable. If you own one of the for Beginners
images below or are pictured within them and wish to be removed, please comment
E.1.c. Examples of Coherent City/Formal/Public Combinations for
and I will do so as quickly as possible. I did not intend to upset or offend anyone in
Beginners
the reformatting of this article, merely to preserve its fantastic advice and well-
E.1.d. Thinking about the Casual Suit
chosen imagery for the future reference of others.
E.1.e. A City Look Self-assessment
As a final note, please excuse my ignorance as to the source of certain unknown E.1.f. What is the Casual Suit?
photographs. While they may have at a time been posted by very well-known and E.1.g. The Two Types of Casual Suits
respected members of the Styleforum community, the original threads and in many E.1.h. The Odd Jacket
cases images they posted have been lost, being preserved only in ‘Best of Styleforum
E.1.i. The Odd Jacket from City to Country, from Formal to Informal
Pre-2010’ threads and often posted without attribution.
E.1.j. The City/Formal Odd Jacket
E.1.k. The Country/Casual Odd Jacket
Here we go.

A. Practical Thoughts on Coherent Combinations for Beginners:

Introduction

In this thread, we will examine largely undiscussed approaches to organizing the

process of selecting elements that compose coat-and-tie ensembles that have a
coherent look.

By "coherent," I mean an ensemble, an outfit, a "fit," in which the component

elements relate to each other most successfully, as if they all belong together.

The much-discussed approaches to organizing this selection process are:

(Original Source uncertain, Image retrieved September 9, 2014 from

 Color Coordination http://cdn.styleforum.net/3/30/30094dce_color-wheel01-1p5671w.gif)
 Pattern and Texture Coordination
 Contrast Combination These three aspects of putting together a look are important, but I will not discuss
them here except incidentally. Why? There is useful material on those subjects
To some extent, these are favored for discussion since they seem somewhat already.
objective or even pseudo-scientific, giving apparent freedom from the weight of
culture and tradition. Here is the apex symbol of these discussions, the color Instead, in this thread, I will talk about practical approaches that are little
wheel: discussed.
We will start out with two, and then go from there as the thread continues:

 Navigate all elements of each “fit” to one point in the path from country to
city.
 Keep elements of each “fit” within (a) the same aesthetic and (b) within the
same level of quality.

I will use examples from photographs posted voluntarily by members on SF. If any
of the original posters would prefer that I not, simply send me a PM and I will
substitute another image.

I do not plan on answering any questions, offering clarifications, or engaging

in discussion in this thread. Neither will I "critique fits." You can send me a
private message, if you wish, but I am hopeful that the thread itself will be clear
enough.

Let's set a few things up generally for this thread before we examine these first
two practical approaches.
B. What is a beginner?
(G. Bruce Boyer (1985). ‘Elegance: A Guide

There is a wide variety of material to Quality in Menswear’. Image retrieved

in books, in magazines, and in September 9, 2014 at:

various online media that aim to http://g-ecx.images-

amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/c2/01/b20b828
“guide” the “beginner” who is
fd7a066a677d86110.L.jpg )
“starting out” to “dress” in a more
“formal” manner. There is no
But, what is a “beginner?” The term itself
shortage of “advice.” Perhaps
implies a progression or at least a
there is even too much of it.
potential development, a concept itself
which is a little odd to me. Rather than
explore this thought, I will simply define
(‘Apparel Arts Anniversary Issue’
“beginner” as a person who takes the
(1936). Original source user WH1 of
time to register on an online forum, such
the Fedora Lounge, August 31, 2009.
Image retrieved at: as this one, to ask either or both of the

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t following questions:

36/wh1fedora/HSM%20Book/APParel
%20Arts%201936%20Final/PICT1745  “What should I wear?”
.jpg)  “Why should I wear it?”

The pace of the medium self-selects the bias of the advice. Books will tend toward These are two separate questions and not every beginner asks both. In fact, it is
a profession of classicism; magazines will aim toward the au courant; and what’s quite possible to dress better than most by asking and stopping with the first
online will range from the chaotic (most) to the superb (a few.) question.
 (H.R.H. The Duke of Windsor
(1960). ‘Windsor Revisited’.
Image retrieved September 9,
2014 at:
http://www.keikari.com/blogi/wp-
content/kuvat/2012/10/Windsor_R
evisited_1960.jpg )
These are not new questions.
What seems to be new, at least
to me, is that they asked by
men who seem to have no one
to whom they can address the
questions personally. They are
often asked by men who did
not grow up with learning how
to dress in coat and tie, and
who seem to have not a soul in
their personal, social, professional, or even retail lives who can counsel them (or if
there are such people, they are people who are not trusted.) This raises the
potential paradox that even if good advice is found on a clothing forum, how does
one test out whether it works? Well, it seems, you ask the forum again..."How did I
do, guys?"…a circular arrangement if there ever was one.
(Nik Cohn (1971). ‘Today There Are No
Gentlemen’. Image retrieved September
9, 2014 at:
http://cdn.styleforum.net/f/f8/f8aae312_2
9183.jpeg)
Nearly all of the good books
discussing wearing “classic” tailored
clothes presume an existing basic
exposure and personal experience
with coat and tie. This is because to
assume otherwise is rather alien to
the generation of men who wrote (or
write) such books, even ones that
continue to be published today. Those
fwockers are old…guess their age and
add twenty, thirty, forty years. In fact,
the best books themselves are old.
What to do?

If you do not like my definition of a

“beginner,” then feel free to substitute (Farid Chenoune (1996).
‘History of Men's Fashion’.
the following: you are a beginner if you
Image Retrieved
think that you are and you present
September 9, 2014 at:
yourself as one while seeking
http://ecx.images-
suggestions on how to dress.
amazon.com/images/I/515
5TJDWWSL.jpg)

(Hardy Amies (1994). ‘The Englishman’s

Suit’. Image retrieved September 9, 2014 at:
http://cdn.styleforum.net/a/a4/a4f9917a_25
32539.jpeg)
C. Discordancy or Harmony?
We should get a philosophical issue out of the way before the rest of this thread
continues.
Do you aim for a discordant look? Chaos? Does the look of WTF please you?
Waiters smashing into each other, mouths agape? Dogs issuing shrill yowls?
Discordancy as an aesthetic objective is very modern. Those who want it can be
thankful that is so easy to achieve. There is absolutely no science or art to it at all.
That is the point. It is visceral. It is child’s play.
Play your guitar in Times Square in your tighty whities. In fact, play your guitar
out of tune. You’re in prison? No problem, don’t let the uniform stop you: tattoo
something on your forward, or better, gouge it in. Something that will piss off
someone else.
You’ve done it! You’re somebody! Finally!
Don’t get me wrong, the ease of discordancy does not make it illegitimate or
dishonest. It is one way of doing things.
As a beginner at coat and tie, however, you would be wise to decide if you are
such a person or not. If you are, participating in the Men’s Clothing subforum of
Style Forum is a weak-ass way of getting good at it. You’re a maniac and you’re
asking strangers about interview suits? Come on.
Perhaps you do not seek discordancy itself, but the desire to “stand out” from the
“crowd.” You know, just a touch of crazy. Just a tad, just a little, discordant. A
“twist” on the traditional.
But, what if it is the crowd that is touch crazy, just a tad, just little, discordant?
This is the paradox for the self-expressionist: standing out is simple. It is doing it
distinctively well that is unlikely...and by definition; it can only be a game of the
few. As a beginner, are you one of those few? Maybe someday, but now? The test
of that distinctiveness is not the very people (other forum members, in the case of
this thread) who provide the enabling suggestion: “Where is your pocket square?
It would really help that fit ‘pop.’”
Where, indeed?
Is there an alternative for the beginner? Perhaps.
How about harmony?
That coat that you are trying to put so smoothly on your back, that tie that you are
trying to loop so softly around your neck, are part of a set of traditions valuing
belonging, order, and respect. Belonging, order, and respect can, unfortunately, be
conformity, ossification, and servility…but, they don’t have to be.

In the next post, we will use a well-known member of SF as an example to help

you think about
this, and then
(finally!) we will
talk about the first
two practical
thoughts on
coherent
combinations for
beginners.

(Catherine Emily (2009). ‘To The Fairest One’. Image retrieved 9 September, 2014 at:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/catherine-emily/3272211327/)
D. Are You a Dandy?

We continue with the final preliminary post before going on to some concrete, (Jeffery Ying (2008). Image
retrieved September 9, 2014 at:
practical considerations for wearing coherent coat and tie combinations.
http://cdn.styleforum.net/7/76/
76e28cdf_DSC067941.jpeg)
In my last post, I opposed discordancy in such combinations with harmony. Most
abstractions have fuzzy boundaries when applied to reality. The opposition that I
Study the photograph carefully. Think
proposed is no different. As a beginner in the coat and tie world, however, you
about your own reaction to it.
really can benefit from coming to the earliest possible understanding on which
side you fall.
Here is LK more recently, reflecting a
period in which his interests and
We can make things a bit more concrete by looking at a specific example, in this
perspective on style formed a persona
case, the famous and once-active Style Forum member, Jeffrey Ying (LabelKing.)
intersecting the world of the fashion
business and fashion personalities:
LK started posting here and elsewhere as a teenager many years ago. It is next to
impossible to find any post that he made that does not have something interesting,
insightful, or humorous about it.

Here he is about four years ago at a Style Forum "meet-up" when the overall
atmosphere here was more convivial:

(Jeffery Ying (2010). Image retrieved
September 9, 2014 at:
http://cdn.styleforum.net/9/95/95dc1f11_
tumblr_lmajpvsrL41qg9lao1.jpeg)
Study the photograph carefully.
Think about your own reaction to
it. Let's hear the more recent LK
speak:
(Video available at
http://vimeo.com/11929130)
Now, by opposing the two
photographs, I do not mean to
imply any change over time in
what LK likes, or that he dressed
one way at one time and another
at a later time. His specifics are
not important to this thread.
But, as a beginner in the coat and tie world, where do you fall? Make up your
mind, at least to the extent that allows you to pick a jacket, a suit, a shirt, a tie, and
have them all look like they belong together. You must make a decision before you
can be good at doing either: discordancy or harmony.
This premise will not be popular on this forum. The vast majority of you seem
deluded into believing that you will look good by over-laying, festooning,
"twisting," something "boring" (you think) with a bit of something "interesting,"
something with "personality," something that "sets you apart." Nothing could be
further from the truth. You are diluting, you are marring, you are sinking into a
type of mediocrity, of conformity, in coat and tie dress that is little different than
the low-cost, mass-merchandized world from which most of you are trying to
escape.
If you really are a dandy, an iconoclast, you can only be successful at it by
committing full on...like LabelKing does. If you hold back, then all you are doing is
dressing weakly. You are unlikely to be good, and you will never be excellent.
E.1. Principle 1: Navigate all elements of each “fit” to one point in the path
from country to city.
In the preceding posts in this thread, I suggested that “beginners” thoughtfully
consider whether the effect that they wish to produce with their coat and tie
ensembles is discordancy or harmony. I made the case that discordancy in
tailored dress was nothing special, being so easy to achieve.
Do not be fooled that there are some men who do well with this approach: as a
beginner, you are not one of them. In fact, most of you who do not consider
yourselves beginners are not one of them either.
We now look at specific, practical approaches beyond those typically discussed to
putting together “fits” that can improve the chances of success for beginners who
want to look harmonious in coat and tie. The presumption going forward is that
you want to look harmonious if you can.
Not only is it possible to yet put together a discordant ensemble even while
successfully addressing those three basic elements, on Style Forum and in the
wider world, it is almost a certainty that the “fit” will still have considerable
failure points.
So: what are some other practical considerations?
What we will discuss now and further into this thread are not “rules.” Think of
them, instead, as approaches to organizing choices, whether those choices are
what you buy or what you specifically select to go together each day.
Here is the first one.
Navigate all elements of each “fit” to one point in the path from country to
city.

You have already looked into the basics, which are:

 Color Coordination
 Pattern and Texture Coordination
 Contrast Combination

Great. Are you done? No, you are not.

 (Mario, Carlo & You have already answered this question for yourself by deciding to dress in coat
Massimiliano Caraceni and tie for at least part of your life. And whether by occasion, profession, or
(2010). Image Retrieved inclination, tailored clothes and the tailored look are very much still alive,
September 9, 2014 at: although perhaps not in ascendency.
http://www.gentlemansgaze
tte.com/wp- This means something very practical for you as a beginner. There still is a
content/uploads/2010/06/CA graduation of country to city, of casual to formal, of private to public.
RACENI3.jpg)
Understanding this graduation can help you look better.
From the day that the
sober, woolen clothes of Here is one of the hoariest Internet clothing memes, the “Losse” Chart of Correct
the Englishman in the Dress for All Occasions:
country became the
standard of gentlemanly
dress throughout the West,
there has been a steady,
unrelenting migration of
country dress into the city.
If the phrase “country to
city” feels too antiquarian
to you, feel free to substitute “casual to formal” or “private to public.” Today, the
diffusion of country/casual/private into city/formal/public seems nearly complete.

But is it?
(JW Losse Progressive Tailoring Company (Uncertain,
likely 1920’s-30’s). Image retrieved September 9, 2014 at:
http://33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lry40nAR0a1qb5wqoo1_400.jpg)

Don’t worry, I am not suggesting that you follow the chart and go into full-scale
historical re-enactment in how you dress. But, do look at the chart and think about
it.

You share a kinship with the original readers of this chart. Generally speaking,
such charts, and the books and magazines that contained this type of information,
were addressed to the aspirational man. Aristocrats and swells already knew how
to dress. If you think of yourself as a “beginner,” you are inherently aspirational
as well, if not socially then at least aesthetically.

Rather than the specifics of the Losse chart, what I suggest that you consider from
it is a very simple but practical concept: that there are “bands” of formality and
that within each, certain things go together that are independent of the basics of
color coordination, pattern and texture coordination, and contrast combination.

We will look at specific examples from Style Forum members and others in the
next set of posts to see how this concept can be useful to you.
E.1.a. Get Your Act In Line.
Many contemporary men have professional or working lives today in which a coat
In the previous post, I introduced the idea of selecting elements that compose coat- and tie look is an elective choice. In fact, quite a few of the members who post on
and-tie ensembles based on where each element places between the continuums Style Forum point out that their decision to wear coat and tie is part of an
from country/casual/private to city/formal/public. I will refer to this as “country to expression of individuality, aesthetics, or even eccentricity…the social penalties
city” from now on, but keep in mind that I do not necessarily mean this literally. for which are often mild or nonexistent today because dressing like a slob has
introduced a convenient low threshold of workplace tolerance for the ways that
men dress (women, too, as it turns out...but that is another issue.)
(Marchese Piero
Antinori (2010). Image Moreover, outside of the workplace, expectations of coat and tie are in full scale
retrieved September 9, retreat. So, wearing it socially is even more a manifestation of choice rather than
2014 at: of convention.
http://www.iinuu.lv/us
erfiles/images/DzivesP It is in this combination of freedom on one hand with being new to coat and tie on
riekam/2010/Italija_vi the other that creates the potential for the type of problem that you, as a beginner,
ni/image019.jpg) will want to avoid.

Please look at this chart which is admittedly bereft of wit or humor:

Some of you spend your professional or working life in an environment that

expects suit and tie from every man. (I will ignore you for the moment, but will
include you later.)

In contrast, many of you do not.

 (F. Corbera (2012) (Original,
produced by the author).
Image retrieved September 9,
2014 at:
http://cdn.styleforum.net/b/b8/ The second type of look, and the consequences that flow from it which we will
b89d1520_chart.jpeg) discuss later in this thread, is the look that is barely represented anymore on SF as
members who are grounded in an understanding of the relationships of country to
The type of look that results city have redirected, curtailed, or stopped their activities here.
from the first set of decisions
is probably the most common This is the point missed about, oh, the CBD (Conservative Business Dress) thread.
look presented on Style Forum The fact that CBD approximately aligns the sliders in one band does not mean that
right now. The colors might be classic dress is confined to that set of combinations.
coordinated (well,
sometimes.) The patterns and Why are so many guys all over the map within a single outfit? After all, cheap
textures might collaborate access to a wide variety of well-made clothes has probably never been so
(honestly? not often.) The pervasive, nor the variety of choice so extensive. The world lays its goods at the
presence or absence of feet of nearly every man. So, why is there such incoherence?
contrast might be
manipulated (we hope.) But,
even after all those boxes are
checked, the resulting “fits”
are often cacophonous or
jarring.
I conclude that there are two reasons.

 First, many of the currently-active posters are over-reaching their

environment. You have consciously made the decision to dress in tailored
clothes, or wish to do so at a level of refinement, atypical among those with
whom you interact personally. Your first step, then, is to smack the pick
axe at some point in the city spectrum. But you have doubts. It seems “too
formal,” the ice too cold. So, you begin the process of rusticating your city What I just wrote will be very unpopular. As a group (and I include myself), we
look: “Hello, crazy socks. Welcome to my breast pocket, multi-colored are biased toward admiring the dresser who miraculously succeeds with the
square. Take a seat around my neck, wooly tie.” effortless "twist" on the conventional.

 Second, you just have not learned what goes together. You did not learn it
or observe it around you growing up. Your friends and work mates do not
know either. And all the books, magazines and material online seem to
offer advice only on those three basics: color coordination; pattern and
texture coordination; and contrast combination.
As a beginner, resist making this bias manifest in your own ensembles.
We look next at several Style Forum examples illustrating how this works and I
will develop these points further.

The most practical way that beginners active on Style Forum who have developed
some facility with the basics can achieve more harmonious ensembles/outfits/fits
is (1) apply some fresh, objective thinking to your personal context in which you
wear coat and tie and (2) if you are not at the very extreme end of the city spectrum,
dial back your entire ensemble to the point that makes sense for your
circumstances of life.
E.1.b. Forces Undermining Coherent City/Formal/Public Combinations for
Beginners
In today’s two posts, we work into specific examples representing combinations
that anchor the farthest margin of city/formal/public looks.
Three forces often confuse the beginner about the most citified of looks,
particularly the type of beginner on SF.
exist in an environment of wider insensitivity to nuanced clothes, an
insensitivity that allows you to think, “Yeah, I can wear coat and tie. I will
wear coat and tie.” So, regional, cultural and professional differences do
not narrow choice for you, they agglomerate together into a vast riot of
choices made easily available because of the ease of cheap global
commerce and free online information (like this thread.) This is not good
for coherence in your look.

 First, what we know as the suit today is itself derived from a form of an
 Finally, many has been and many will be the snappy dresser who plays
earlier time that had a more casual purpose. This origination means that
with a rusticating factor in his city look. This creates a strong impulse in
there are many attributes, aspects of fabric and pattern, and accessories
beginners to emulate what seems clever. This is quite often a mistake.
that are casual or rustic at their source yet have become firmly
incorporated into coherent city looks. Maddeningly, at the same time, there
are many attributes, aspects of fabric and pattern, and accessories that are
As you look at the examples in
casual or rustic at their source and remain so today, making them unsafe
the next post, think not only
choices for combining into a city look. How does one tell one from the
about what elements constitute
other? We will talk about this.
them but whether this type of
look is appropriate for you. If it
 Second, there are certainly regional, cultural and professional differences
is, do it and do it right. If not,
in what makes sense. If such forces are a powerful determinant in how you
however, reconsider if a city
dress for the day, you already possess your marching orders. You are a
look is really for you or whether
financier in the City of London? Fine, dress sharp and dress loud, dress like
you should dial back your entire
your mates. Are you a zookeeper in San Diego? Great, wear your chambray
typical ensemble to something
shirt with the San Diego Zoo logo with your khaki shorts. What is most
more casual. (This Is Spinal Tap (1984). Image retrieved September
likely, however, for the man on SF who is new to coat and tie is that you
9, 2014 at: http://www.blindfiveyearold.com/wp-
content/uploads/2012/05/this-one-goes-to-11.jpg)
E.1.c. Examples of Coherent City/Formal/Public Combinations for Here is the graphic cheat sheet that I used two posts back:
Beginners

So what are the elements

that anchor an ensemble
at the furthest margin of
city/formal/public? All the
sliders to the right?

(Gildo Zegna (2010). Image Let’s take a look.

retrieved September 9, 2014 at:
http://images.thesartorialist.co
m/photos/62110MRZ_4952Web.j
pg)

(See previous citation.)

 2. The color of the suit is always dark blue, or shades of gray. Not brown, not
tan. The pattern is solid, or variants of solids like birds-eyes, nailheads,
sharkskin, etc. Acceptable patterns from the casual world include discreet
pinstripes, chalk stripes (don't let this throw you, but striped suits come
(Styleforum user from tennis and ball sports) and fine herringbones. Plaids and box checks,
Manton (Original post well, any check, are too rusticating for a role here.
gone, rehosted 2012).
Image Retrieved 3. The material is always
September 9, 2014 at: smoothly finished
http://cdn.styleforum. worsted wool (not
net/5/58/58e1374d_Mj1
flannel, silk, cotton etc.
9z.jpeg)
which we will discuss
later.)

1. It is always a suit. It can be a two piece suit, single or double breasted, but
single breasted is safer. A three piece suit with a single breasted vest (Graeme W, of Most ExeRent bRog

(waistcoat if you prefer) without lapels can be a tolerable archaism (2012).Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at
http://media.tumblr.com/
depending on location and what you do.
717cebf8df8e54915964a60e291a5555/
tumblr_inline_mrj2pbLtDC1qz4rgp.jpg)
 what you do, are solid light blue shirts or blue and white stripes.

(Styleforum user 6. Neckties are solid grenadines or other textured woven silks, wedding tie
Parker (2011). patterns in silk, silk prints with discrete repeating non-figurative patterns.
Image retrieved Sheen is medium to matte during the day, can be more at night. Diagonally
September 10, 2014 striped ties are okay unless you’re British, for whom special rules still exist
at: about such patterns.
http://cdn.styleforu
m.net/4/40/4015611
3_ce230b8d_prkr72
6a1.jpeg)

4. The hip pockets on the jacket have straight flaps. The breast pocket is a (Possibly Styleforum user COLD

welt. Pants can have flat or pleated fronts. The pants can be held up with a WAR PAINTER (2012). Image
retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
belt, suspenders, or waistband adjustors as you prefer. Acceptable forms
http://cdn.styleforum.net/d/d3/900
from the casual spectrum, depending on where you live and what you do,
x900px-LL-
are cuffs on the pants, and center, side vents, and hacking and ticket d369a8a3_prkr4261.jpeg
pockets on the jacket. Patch pockets are too rusticating.

5. Shirts are white, either barrel or double cuffs, point or semi-spread collars.
Acceptable forms from the casual spectrum, depending on where live and
7. Breast pockets have no squares or hankies. Acceptable from the casual
spectrum are fine white linen hankies, puffed in or edges out in a plain
fold. A silk print square is okay in principle, but is often undermining in
practice. Now, do not misinterpret this
list. Deviations from it that
8. Shoes are black lace up plain or cap toe oxfords. Acceptable influences remain for all practical extents
from the casual world are discreet broguing on a cap toe or a wingtip, and equivalently formal and good
shoes in a dark oxblood or dark brown. Not suede. Derby versions outside looking are many. The exact
of the Anglo-American sphere are fine. elements might differ slightly
here and there depending on
9. Socks are not fun. where one lives. Climates with
seasonality, or ones of extremes,
might suggest options not
presented above.

(Styleforum user gdl203 (2011). Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://cdn.styleforum.net/a/ab/ab10eec0_i-wKkNbB9.jpeg)
 (Uncertain, likely
deleted. Source as
provided in original
document. Image
retrieved
September 10, 2014 at:
http://cdn.styleforum.ne
t/9/98/986d44f0_i-
qGDdHxm.jpeg.)

Nevertheless:

If your goal as a beginner is to look great, well, here is a way that you can do it
reliably every time in a way that works all across the world and in nearly every
social circle that expects coat and tie. In fact, every man should be able to
assemble this look even if he needs to call on it rarely.
(Styleforum user incontro (Original image deleted, reuploaded 2011). Image
retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://cdn.styleforum.net/3/37/37be47f2_971681161.jpeg)
 (Styleforum user / clothier
Henry Carter (2012). Image
retrieved September 10, 2014 This might be true, but I do not conclude it is the most common issue. I think that
at: what I see is that a lot of guys probably know, even today, how this type of look
http://cdn.styleforum.net/1/18 gets put together. They've seen it in movies, on TV, and some even still read.
/350x467px-LL-
18171ecb_Fri.jpeg) These guys (maybe you!) then develop doubts: maybe it is too formal, too public,
too city.
So, why is it happening so
infrequently? It could be And you know what? It just might be...for you. Think about this.
that when a look is made so
plain, the wearer feels that a The most common reaction seems to be to rusticate this formality by taking the
lack of quality in make or fit city look and staging a country invasion. After all, don't those snappy dressers do
is more keenly revealed. "I'll this often?
fool the eye," the thinking
might go, "with this crazy
sock, or this pizza grenade
pocket square, or
maybe...just maybe...a color
common in the women's
department."
(Uncertain, likely deleted. Source as
provided in original document.
Image retrieved
September 10, 2014 at:
http://cdn.styleforum.net/2/2f/2f6e5
1fa_p1050613ou61.jpeg)

Well, some do, some don't.

The case that I will make in the

next set of examples is that it is
better for beginners to do this
holistically across the board rather
than piecemeal. Do not put a
moustache on the Mona Lisa of the
city look if the city look is not right
for your life. Save it for that event
or occasion for which is it right for
your personal circumstances. (Styleforum user patrickBOOTH (2012).
Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://cdn.styleforum.net/a/a6/a647d188_7cc5f65d.jpeg)

(Styleforum user FRED49
(2012). Image retrieved
September 10, 2014 at:
http://i1225.photobucket.co
m/albums/ee388/Fred4949/
FredRA11212.jpg)
Don't worry: we have not
given up on the suit. In the
next post, we will look at
examples where the
sliders all move back
toward the casual/
private/country.
E.1.d. Thinking About the Casual Suit
Rare is the man who cannot look well turned out in a decent black tie rig. Rare,
too, is the man who cannot look splendid in a discreet, unmarred city ensemble.
Why not dress in both every day, then? Awesome, right?
“Black tie every night?” you think, “That’s nuts.” It is.
Wearing a city look every day might be nuts for you, too, though.
I am hoping that you, as a beginner, have given this some thought at this point in
this thread and have made a decision on which way to go.
If a city look does work for you, execute the basic and unimpeachable versions of
it first until everything about it becomes second nature. The combinations are
simple and known. What will happen if you are interested in clothes is that such
simplicity will lead you to thinking productively about quality and fit. It will not
be dour, it will be great fun.
If a city look does not work for you, rather than going first to the country/casual
clothes department to accessorize and rusticate your charcoal gray pinstripe, what
I would like you to consider instead is what we will call the casual suit. In the old
days we might have called it a weekend suit or even a Friday suit.

(Styleforum user gdl203 (2012).
Image retrieved September 10,
2014 at:
http://img.photobucket.com/albu
ms/v178/gdl203/IMG00357-
20111213-0933.jpg)
What I will call a casual suit has one or more of the following attributes:
1. Country colors are now fine: browns and other earth tones now work.
2. Check patterns are brought into play as options: plaids and box checks.
3. Fabrics in a wider variety of materials can be selected: these range from
flannels at one end of the spectrum to things like cottons and tweeds at the
other, necktie fabrics can go farther afield from silk.
4. Casualizing details can be incorporated: patch pockets, perhaps, or types of
buttons that do not work well with a city suit.
5. Accessories can extend into the more casual: shirt patterns and fabrics,
neckties, pocket squares, and shoes.

(Styleforum user Iammatt (2009).
Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://media.tumblr.com/919a232f54cbf266233fb
a251537fc13/tumblr_inline_mkz0y69s2h1qz4rgp.j
pg)
(Mark Cho of The Armory (2011).
Image retrieved September 10,
2014 at:
http://38.media.tumblr.com/tumblr
_lwuegdPzwm1qad1efo1_500.jpg)
For the wearer of RTW, there is
probably a wider variety of such
suits than ever before. Much of
this output is terrible.
Nevertheless, there is a lot of good
looking stuff that if, de-Pitti-fied in
the way that they are put
together, offer useful options for
the man dressing in this casual
suit spectrum.
We will look at examples next. In
the meantime, it could be an
interesting exercise for some of
you to look through the
Sartorialist and the Non-
Satorialist threads to see if you
can find any fits that if shorn of
their Pitti might look good.
 (Styleforum user
Voxsartoria (incidentally,
another account of the
author of this piece)
(2009). Image retrieved
September 10, 2014 at:
http://stulenstil.files.word
press.com/2011/05/i-
ql4kgbj.jpg)
E.1.e. A City Look Self-assessment

Even today, every man needs to be able to put together a formal city look. So, have (Patrick Grant (2009).
at least one possible way to do it ready in your closet. Image retrieved September
10, 2014 at:
Beyond that, a beginner should ask himself the question: can I wear a city look http://www.bbook.com/wp-
appropriately most days of the week? Social comfort is an elastic concept that content/uploads/2013/11/bla
differs for every individual’s circumstances. Its range is bounded fundamentally ckbook.Image7825.PATRICK
by how willing you are to make others uncomfortable and how well you can GRANT_image.jpg)
survive their discomfort.
So, by this point you have
Epictetus wrote, “Know, first, who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly.” asked and answered for
This is true, but for most, one needs to know others as well. yourself the question, “Can
I wear a city look
Some of us love the city look. Even we who do, however, must confess that its appropriately most days of
pervasive ascendency has been severely eroded in many social, geographical, and the week?” In the next few
professional contexts in which its presence was once always presumed. Among posts, I address suggestions
professional environments in which the city look still finds favor, it has become for those of you who have
commonplace for jackets to fly off the backs of everyone minutes after entering answered with a, “No.”
the office, bringing the mail room to the board room.

It is difficult to rusticate, casualize, and informalize the city look successfully. In

contrast, it is very easy to unbalance it, and unbalance it many do, particularly
those beginners who brave (or enjoy) pubic exposure on this forum and other
online social arenas.
E.1.f. What is the Casual Suit?
What is a “casual,” or “country,”
or “weekend,” or “Friday” suit? It
sounds rather arbitrary, and it
is. If we go back to about the
time (and no further!) when
today’s “business” suit, the
lounge or sack, defeated the
bodycoat as serious daywear, the
city suit’s country cousins were
either for actual use in the
country or for leisure pursuits in
the city. To the extent that it
began to creep into the week, it
was for the practicality of easy
transition from work to leisure,
or simply to signal that you were
able to go back and forth from
work to play freely.
(Styleforum user Parker (2010). Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj212/LucTessa/tweedfull.jpg)
When we examined the city look, we took account of its features of colors, fabrics,
and patterns. We could do the same with the casual suit.
The range of the casual suit in those terms, however, is relatively vast. So, a
shortcut for the beginner is to think of it simply as a type of suit for which casual
accessories are appropriate.
(Uncertain, likely deleted. Source as
provided in original document. Image
retrieved
September 10, 2014 at:
http://cdn.styleforum.net/8/86/865367fd
_4851_R_15d58af0.jpeg)
And what are casual accessories? These
are the accessories that are never or
seldom appropriate for a city suit, or if
they are okay, constitute a significant
rusticity failure point in the coherence
of city ensembles created by beginners.
(Barbour Shetland Wool Tie (2011). Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://cdn.styleforum.net/c/ce/ce8f3102_0047180000000.jpeg)

Neckties in materials other

than silk: wools, cashmeres, or
mixes, or if silk, in rusticated
finishes like madders or
weaves like knits. Checked,
multi-striped, and colored
shirts. Button-down shirts.
Multi-colored “pocket squares”
in silks and other fabrics.
Patterned socks. Colored and
brogued shoes, monks,
derbies…or loafers.

(Uncertain, likely deleted. Source as provided in original document. Image retrieved

September 10, 2014 at: http://cdn.styleforum.net/5/53/53cf3f09__IGP9452.jpeg)
 Again, the temptation to incorporate one or more of these items into a city suit
look is strong. Did not James Bond wear a black silk knit tie with all of his suits?
Can a madder tie not look swell? What is wrong with a multi-hued silk pocket
square? Yes, yes, and nothing...but, leave that for later because each one of those
types of rusticating and informalizing items can go wrong just as easily as well.

If the city look is not

(Drake’s of London
practical for you,
(2012). Image
move everything,
retrieved September
10, 2014 at: top to bottom,
http://properashell.fil toward something
es.wordpress.com/20 more casual. The
12/12/img- next stop along this
thing.jpeg?w=300)
spectrum is the
casual suit.

We will look at the

two types of casual
suits next.

(Styleforum user tchoy (2011). Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6027/6000905216_76d9027e27_b.jpg)
 This overall
E.1.g. The Two Types of Casual Suits informalization of suit
and tie often
Casual suits are made from fabrics, done in synchronizes more
patterns, and/or have stylistic features that move easily with colleagues
them toward the country/informal spectrum. and friends who do not
wear suits, or who
Their main utility for the beginner for whom a wear coat and tie
city look is unwise is their inherently greater sporadically. Such men
informality combined with the possibility of are often either
incorporating a range of more casual accessories intimidated socially or
that are discordant or inappropriate with a city aesthetically by a smart
ensemble. city look, or are part of
the increasing numbers
who view the city look
as generationally
archaic.

(Styleforum user gdl203 (2012). Image

retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/gdl203/IMG00357-
(Styleforum user NOBD (2012). 20111213-0933.jpg)

Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:

http://i.imgur.com/ZdYWI.jpg)
From a beginner’s viewpoint, the wide range of variety among casual suits can be
divided into two categories: The degree of overlap differs by place
and culture. The overlap is a
 Casual suits that can be combined with “city look” accessories. consequence of how much country
 Casual suits that should not be combined with “city look” accessories. was accepted into the city in the years
after the lounge suit won its place of
The first group of casual suits overlaps with city look suits. The second does not. supremacy. There remain narrow
contexts in which no overlap exists
even today. Generally speaking,
however, this mode of casualization is
acceptable in most places.

The key concept is that casual suits in

the first group can be made to fit in
completely fine in a city look when
combined with city accessories. Unlike
a city suit, these suits can also be
combined with more rustic elements
successfully to dial back the whole
look to something more casual.

(Styleforum user Manton (Original post gone, rehosted 2011). (Styleforum user maomao1980 (2012). Image
Image Retrieved September 9, 2014 at: Retrieved September 17, 2014 at:

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj212/LucTessa/RUB7f.jpg) http://cdn.styleforum.net/d/da/da943727
_5514002868_ccd3649104_z.jpeg )

(Jeremy Hackett (2008). Image
retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://image.fnckolon.com/custom
ellow/upload/contents/edit/128733
7664632.jpg)
And that is what we are
after if we want an easy
execution of a coherent look.
In contrast, the casual suits in
the second group—by fabric,
feature or patterns—are never
intended to be anything more
than casual: they have no
substitution value or intent for
a city look. They are casual
suits through and through.
What are casual suits in this
first group, the ones that
overlap with the city suit?
(Styleforum user pooPoker
(2012). Image retrieved
September 10, 2014 at:
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/
uu112/SpooPoker/e334442d.jpg)
 The second attribute is that their
fabrics are more rustic, in the
following range:

 Blue, gray and brown flannel

(G. Bruce Boyer (2011). Image
retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://www.menofhabit.com/wp-
content/uploads/2011/05/Men-of-
Habit-G.-Bruce-Boyer.jpg)
The first attribute is that
they are cut and “featured”
exactly the same way as
their city look cousins (no
patch pockets, no throat
latches, etc.).
suits in solids or stripes (and
the seasonal equivalent of
flannels, such as frescos,
hopsacks, etc.)
 Brown suits in city worsted
solids or stripes.
 Blue, gray and brown worsted
suits in urbanized country
patterns: muted and small
scale glen checks; houndstooth;
etc.

(Styleforum user Iammatt (2009). Source as provided in original document. Image retrieved
September 10, 2014 at: http://cdn.styleforum.net/f/fb/fbcf720d_i-pzjVNf7.jpeg)
How far one can get from the first to
the third bullet, from week day to
weekend, is a function, again, of place
and culture. Fortunately, empirical
determination is easy. If you find
yourself in an environment in which (Styleforum user Il Vecchio

a city look does not work, it is safe to (Uncertain, reuploaded 2011). Image
retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
say that you are not in an
http://img237.imageshack.us/img237
environment so formal as to
/1646/dsc00481sd0.jpg)
inherently disqualify a casual suit in
the first group as irredeemably
What are casual suits in the
informal.
second group, the one that
does not overlap with the
City accessories will have no city suit?
problems co-existing with these suits;
neither will the more rustic types of
accessories that we discussed in the
previous posts in this thread.

(Styleforum user Forex (2012).

Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://i.imgur.com/XLm6R.jpg)
 Well, the simplest way to think about this is everything that is not in the first
group fits into the second. This includes:

 Suits in alternative fabrics such as

cottons, silks, linens, tweeds real and
(Uncertain, likely faux, corduroy, (dare I say denim? It
deleted. Source as
has been done), etc.
provided in original
 Suits in explicit country, loud, or
document.
Image retrieved
obvious patterns, or unusual colors.
September 10, 2014 at:  Suits with informalizing, sporting
http://cdn.styleforum. features, such as a jacket with three
net/8/8d/8d5164d0_i- patch pockets, action or belted backs,
zSwB59m.jpeg)
etc.

(A suitable Wardrobe (2011).

Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i_JRlRzoT2c/
TtBAwc-wrdI/AAAAAAAAHpw
/B4Q9gfiiv7c/s400/old%2Bclothes.jpg)
 At one time, it was relatively difficult to find RTW suits in this group. Today,
however, it seems that a lot of choice is available as a wide variety of alternative
fabrics are marketed in the form of suits.

Suits in this category also essentially overlap with the next category that we will
discuss as we move one step further toward the country/informal : coat and tie
In this second group, it with the odd jacket.
is very difficult or
impossible to make
most city accessories
look good. Casual suits
in this category are the
opposite of the city look
when it comes to
accessories: they look (Uncertain, likely deleted. Source as

great with the informal provided in original document.

Image retrieved
accessories that
September 10, 2014 at:
typically look terrible
http://cdn.styleforum.net/1/15/15ba62
with a city suit. 6a_i-rrccwKG.jpeg)

(Simone Righi (2010). Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0FjPCtl8nPY/S5K7KCBJ0LI/
AAAAAAAAEqs/zRmFJLVj4ZU/s1600/tyts.jpg)
Why should a beginner consider
casual suit suits in this second
category, then, if he can simply
achieve a similar level of informality
by wearing the familiar odd jacket
Moreover, despite the overlap
and tie?
with the familiar odd jacket/odd
trouser, the casual suit has a
The most important reason is that
debonair pedigree that lends it a
suits are “easier.” The jacket and
continuing debonair affect that
pants already are coordinated.
can be appealing to men who like
clothes well enough to think
Do not underestimate the value of
about them. That might also be
this simple fact, especially for you,
you, despite being a beginner.
the beginner.

(Styleforum user acecow (2011).

Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
(Alistair 1958 (2010). Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://i.imgur.com/jEtS2.jpg)
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BtGOxwyuj_A/THXud57lMCI/AAAAAAAAA1E/r
Q5XIG1eZCg/s400/tumblr_l6irwgcWkz1qazg1ao5_400.jpg)

Just try to line up the range of formality of accessories, on one hand, to the type of
suit, on the other, if you wish to achieve a coherent look more effortlessly.
E.1.h. The Odd Jacket

In the prior set of posts, I suggested a practical way at looking at the suit that
offers a beginner who already has a handle on the fundamentals (which again are:
color coordination, pattern and texture coordination, and contrast combination) a
simple technique to achieve greater harmony in the “fits” that he assembles.

This technique is to observe, learn, and apply the concept that suits can be usefully
categorized into basic bands of different formality—their position in the
city/formal to country/informal spectrum—so that they can be accessorized with
like things.

We are now going to do the same thing with odd jacket ensembles. An odd jacket,
by the way, is a jacket with which the pants do not match, unlike a suit in which
they do.

(Uncertain, likely deleted. Source as provided in original document. Image retrieved

September 10, 2014 at: http://cdn1.cdnme.se/cdn/9-2/972632/images/2010/cj13_73032090.jpg)

Let me reiterate that we are not talking about “rules.” We are, however, talking
about practical ways to organize the approach that you, as a beginner, might use
to put together your wardrobe and how you might select things from it for the
most reliably good effect.
In social or work contexts where others do not wear suits, a casual suit as we
discussed before might work. What would probably work better, however, is the
odd jacket.
This is something that you should think about if such a context applies to you.
Every man should have a city suit, but not every man need or should wear a suit
daily today.
Ironically, while odd jackets occupy the most informal side of the tailored clothing
spectrum, they add a significant dimension of potential complexity for the simple
reason that you also have to choose pants. Having a way to organize odd jackets
into their own position in the city/formal to country/informal spectrum can help
you with this. We are going to think about pants as if they are an accessory, no
different than a shirt, necktie, or shoes.
We will get started in the next post by dividing odd jackets into four categories.
E.1.i. The Odd Jacket from City to Country, from Formal to Informal
Unlike Gaul, all odd jackets are divided into four parts, ranging from the
city/formal/weekday spectrum to the country/informal/weekend end of things:
 The navy blazer and other solid navy odd jackets.
 Jackets in other solid colors (such as camel) or all classic jacket colors in
weaves and textures that resolve to a solid except up close.
 Country and obviously patterned jackets, all tweeds (even more subtle ones
such as Donegals), heavily textured fabrics like corduroys, etc.
 Unstructured, untailored jackets.
We will count the jackets in the first two bullets as city/formal, and the jackets in
the last two bullets as country/casual.
Before looking at each category individually with examples, I note three
considerations that you would be wise to keep in mind.
First, there is absolutely nothing that you (or the designer or tailor) can do to
formalize the jackets in the last two bullets. They are always
country/casual/weekend. Always. Think of it this way: the most formal thing that
you can do with such jackets is to pair them with matching pants. This makes it
into a casual suit. It does not make it into a city look suit. In contrast, the jackets in
the first two bullets can be rusticated by styling them with casual details (patch
pockets, action backs, half belts, etc.)
 E.1.j. The City/Formal Odd Jacket

For our purposes—putting

together coherent “fits”
Second, a beginner can and should follow a very simple pattern combining
easily—odd jackets in the
strategy when pairing odd trousers with an odd jacket. Solid city/formal jackets
city/formal spectrum have
can be paired with solid pants or be parts of more informal ensembles that
one thing in common:
incorporate patterned pants. Country/casual jackets, however, should never be
nearly all “city look” suit
paired with patterned pants. Yes it is possible, but do not aim for the possible, aim
accessories work with
for the certain. Do you want to avoid a train wreck? Do not get on the train. There
these odd jackets. If you
are plenty of other ways to lend charm, elegance and interest to your “fit” as a
are wearing a city look
beginner.
gray suit, striped shirt,
neatly patterned silk tie,
Third, when it makes sense, you can lose the necktie. It might make sense rarely,
and black oxfords, you can
or it might make sense all of the time. Only you can figure this out. If you lose the
remove the suit jacket and
necktie, it usually looks good to add an appropriate pocket square or hanky even if
replace it with a navy blue
you normally do not wear them.
blazer without another
thought.
(Prince Michael of Kent (2012). Image retrieved
September 10, 2014 at: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_
6PtPxOqUtjQ/TOdK54GwJcI/AAAAAAAADT0/
S2XXsyQG1DE/s320/prince+mike.jpg)
 (Styleforum user Iammatt (2009).
Source as provided in original document.
Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://cdn.styleforum.net/5/56/561ef05c_tdx
001rb01.jpeg)
In several of the previous posts in
this thread, we discussed how it was
unwise to attempt to informalize a
city suit with accessories
appropriate for a casual suit. Once
we include odd jackets in the mix,
however, we now have a way to
informalize that city look
successfully, which is to replace the
suit jacket with a city/formal odd
jacket.
(Styleforum user Parker (Reuploaded 2011). Image
retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://i.imgur.com/huv63.jpg)
Such jackets, again, are:
 The navy blazer and other solid
navy odd jackets done in classic
serge, hopsack, flannels, but also
cashmeres, camel hair, linen,
cotton, silks.
 Jackets in other solid colors (such
as beige camel) or all classic jacket
colors in weaves and textures that
resolve to a solid except up close.
 (Jeffery Diduch (2010). Image
retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/4
979060691_7216122bba_o.jpg)

Now, unlike a city look suit,

(Voxartoria (2012). Image however, you can also successfully
retrieved September 10, informalize city/formal odd jackets
2014 at: themselves (e.g., patch pockets), and
http://38.media.tumblr.co accessorize city/formal odd jacket
m/tumblr_mayk40G5J61rf1 ensembles with the more
jvro1_1280.jpg) rustic/informal accessories that we
discussed in the previous sections
on the casual suit.
Examples include neckties in materials other than silk. Try a challis, Irish poplin,
Mogador, or a knit tie. Maybe lose the tie altogether. Add checked, multi-striped,
and colored shirts.
Button-down collars.
Sweater vests. Multi-
colored “pocket squares.”
Patterned but subtle
socks. Colored and
brogued shoes…or
loafers. And even
patterned trousers or
ones in non-standard
colors.

(Styleforum user Kaplan

(2011). Image retrieved
September 10, 2014 at:
http://i.imgur.com/892mQ.jpg)

(Uncertain, likely deleted. Source as provided in original

document. Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://cdn.styleforum.net/c/c0/c0473623_0771.jpeg)
(Uncertain, likely deleted. Source as provided in original
document. Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://cdn.styleforum.net/3/3f/3fb5b53e_prkr516a1.jpeg)

Some of these casual options are going to be usually subtle. It is possible, but
difficult, to get a really crazy Irish poplin tie, for example. It is very easy, in
(Styleforum user gdl203 (Reuploaded 2012). Image retrieved
contrast, to get a pocket square or pants that are rather crazy. September 10, 2014 at: http://cdn.styleforum.net
/3/3e/3e2648bd_IMG01512-20110324-09211.jpeg)
 Because odd jacket looks hold such wide
possibility for over-festooning, if you
experiment with a crazy accessory (in the
next post we will see this can be the odd
jacket itself), try keeping it to one item.
The crazier that one item, the more
chance of success you will have as a
beginner if you tone everything else back.

(Uncertain, likely deleted. Source as provided in

original document. Image retrieved
September 10, 2014 at:
http://cdn.styleforum.net/e/ee/ee4c8cab_P10008201
1.jpeg)

(Uncertain, likely deleted. Source as provided in original document.

Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://cdn.styleforum.net/8/83/833fc69b_mariano.jpeg)
E.1.k. The Country/Casual Odd Jacket

For our purposes—putting together

coherent “fits” easily—odd jackets in
the country/casual spectrum have one
thing in common: nearly all “city
look” suit accessories are non-optimal
or even poor choices for these odd
jackets. (Styleforum user Iammatt (2008).
Image retrieved September 10,
2014 at:
Such jackets, again, are:
http://cdn.styleforum.net/8/82/82b8
c8cc_td5002ni01.jpeg)
 Country and obviously
patterned jackets, all tweeds
(even more subtle ones such as
Donegals), heavily textured
fabrics like corduroys, etc.
 Unstructured, untailored
jackets.

Styleforum user Edmorel (2011). Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/emorel98/ed.jpg)
(Styleforum user Docholliday (Styleforum user YFYF (2010.)
(2008). Image retrieved Image retrieved September 10,
September 10, 2014 at: 2014 at:
http://i21.photobucket.com/alb http://cdn.styleforum.net/c/c6/
ums/b298/jadeb_/waytwed.jpg) c6761a46_yfyf-2010-12-27-
s1.jpeg)

You might protest, “If I

do that, I might look like
an extra from All
Creatures Great and
Small.” Well, some of you

Tweeds have remarkable oft do and it is odd to see

popularity among online you tramping around a

denizens. Out in wild, metropolitan area

however, tweeds are far outnumbered by their city/formal odd jacket dressed that way.

counterparts. As a beginner, when you accessorize a tweed, you would be wise to

keep in mind that it is always a country jacket. Tweed in the city is rus in urbe,
country in the city. It is never, never urbane. So, you should typically match it
with rusticated accessories: shirts, ties, squares, shoes.
 (Uncertain, likely deleted. Source as
provided in original document. Image

(Styleforum user Montesquieu (2010). retrieved

Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at: September 10, 2014 at:

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/2249/2009 http://cdn.styleforum.net/e/e4/e4443d5

0331sf.jpg) f_p1030737kf71.jpeg)
The trick with taming tweeds is to
(a) wear the relevant rustic (Styleforum user iammatt

accessories but (b) go back to the (Unsure, pre-2011). September 10, 2014 at:
http://stulenstil.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/rul
basics of color coordination,
rgif7.jpg?w=558)
pattern and texture coordination,
and contrast combination to tone
Few looks are more wonderful that a
down the “fit.” This lends itself to
no-holds-barred tweed look. You know,
a quiet coherence that extends
Duke of Windsor-y, clash-on-clash. Yet,
the relevance of wearing tweed
I am sure that I will incite no
into wider circumstances
controversy if I were to note that doing
compatible with city living. This
so outside of your estate or emerging
is why beginners should always
from your Daimler makes you stand out
wear solid pants with tweed and
in a dandified way. Does bold balance
solid or subtle patterned,
bold? Yes it can, but it is not a natural
textured, and knit neckties.
or inherent skill for most guys. If you
are a beginner who has gotten to this
Again, the beginner who sports
point in this thread, you have already
the louder the country/casual
decided this is not how you will
jacket, the bolder the pattern,
approach wearing coat and tie in your
the more he should try calming
immediate future.
the other elements in the "fit."

(G. Bruce Boyer (2008). Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://images.thesartorialist.com/photos/s1600/BBoyerweb.jpg)

(Styleforum user edmorel
(2008). Image retrieved
September 10, 2014 at:
http://img.photobucket.com/alb
ums/v292/emorel98/P10007741
.jpg)
The same considerations that apply to all tweed and other country fabrics apply to
all obviously patterned odd jackets, even if made from more citified materials like
cashmeres or camel hair. A loud pattern says country/casual even if the fabric
inherently does not. Do not let the soft hand of that boldly checked cashmere
jacket fool you.

(Uncertain, likely
deleted. Source as
provided in original
document.
Image retrieved
September 10, 2014
(Styleforum user
at:
oldog/oldtrix (2011).
http://cdn.styleforum.
Image retrieved
net/f/f5/f52b6beb_foo.
September 10, 2014 at:
jpeg)
http://i1220.photobucket.com
/albums/dd447/fred_h1/OFOT
3.jpg)

(Styleforum user voxsartoria
(2010). Image retrieved September
10, 2014 at:
http://cdn.styleforum.net/2/2d/2d78
2a83_002we21.jpeg)
This leads us to a relatively
new but expanding category
of odd jackets, which are
unstructured, untailored
jackets. By “untailored,” I
mean lacking some of the
usual structural elements of
jackets, such as a canvas,
shoulder support, or even a
lining. These jackets are
unlikely to be urbane and
formal. Increasing numbers
of RTW examples, in fact, come from the niche fashion world that prizes
"workwear" and denim as every day, all day wear. This type of jacket has special
relevance for many of you since you wear jeans.
(Styleforum user Berlin Report (2009).Image
retrieved September 10, 2014 at:
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t224/himb
ee/DSC_0331-1.jpg)
For those of you who find yourselves
way at the casual end of the
city/formal to country/informal
spectrum, it is worth considering such
jackets. If you wear jeans most of the
time, it makes sense to be open to
jackets that are designed by makers
who are looking at clothes from the
viewpoint of that aesthetic.
One of the evolutionary changes in
Style Forum years ago was the division
of the forum and various recurring
threads between “Men’s Clothing” and
“Streetwear and Denim.” Do not let that divide prevent you from considering this
category of jacket if your daily preference involves wearing denim, since that will
maximize the chance that your look will be coherent: our goal in this thread. With
a few notable exceptions, some of the worst looks shared on SF have been those
involving tailored jackets and jeans.
 (Styleforum user
Berlin Report
(2010).Image
(Styleforum user NOBD
retrieved September
(2011).Image retrieved
10, 2014 at:
September 10, 2014 at:
http://i161.photobuck
http://i.imgur.com/MCc
et.com/albums/t224/
7G.jpg)
himbee/DSC_0343-
1.jpg)
Beyond this point lies casual
wear, which is beyond the scope
of this thread.

(Uncertain, likely deleted. (Uncertain, likely deleted. Source as

Source as provided in original document. provided in original
Image retrieved September 10, 2014 at: document. Image retrieved
http://cdn.styleforum.net/b/be/becd8f01__DS September 10, 2014 at:
C5025_2.jpeg)
http://cdn.styleforum.net/2/2f/
2fd4034f_CPTourist1.jpeg)

Our next set of practical thoughts on coherent combinations for beginners will be:
Principle 2: Keep elements of each “fit” within (a) the same aesthetic and (b)
within the same level of quality.
(Note: F. Corbera elected to no longer participate in the Styleforum Website in 2012,
and as such this series was regrettably orphaned at this stage. He currently curates
the menswear tumblr voxsartoria at http://www.voxsartoria.com/ and is
@voxsartoria on twitter.)
Additional Reading
This document in its original presentation:
http://web.archive.org/web/20120711003637/http://www.styleforum.net/t/287922/pra
ctical-thoughts-on-coherent-combinations-for-beginners
Books:
Apparel Arts 5th Anniversary Issue (1936). Now known as GQ – out of print, copies
occasionally appear on eBay.
G. Bruce Boyer (1985). ‘Elegance: A Guide to Quality in Menswear’. Available from
Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Elegance-A-Guide-Quality-
Menswear/dp/0393304388
H.R.H. The Duke of Windsor (1960). ‘Windsor Revisited’. Available from Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/Windsor-Revisited-H-R-H-The-Duke/dp/B0007DLCHU
Nik Cohn (1971). ‘Today There Are No Gentlemen’. Out of print, limited availability used
on Amazon – otherwise, eBay or second hand.
Hardy Amies (1994). ‘The Englishman’s Suit’. Available from Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Englishmans-Suit-Hardy-Amies/dp/0704371693
Farid Chenoune (1996). ‘History of Men's Fashion’. Available from Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/History-Mens-Fashion-Farid-Chenoune/dp/2080135368
(Enormous and expensive – eBay might be a little better, but not much)
Styleforum must reads:
WAYWRN Hall of Fame, Pre 2010:
http://www.styleforum.net/t/253439/waywrn-hall-of-fame-pre-2010
Did you ever see a picture of someone doing it all right, then go looking for its owner
and find them long since gone? If they were a Styleforum user from before 2010,
chances are they are survived in this thread.
(Archived copy, for the early images that have vanished: http://web.archive.org/web/
20120212212805/http://www.styleforum.net/t/253439/waywrn-hall-of-fame-pre-2010)

Official Best of WAAYWT / Favorite Fits:

Whnay’s Good Taste Thread:
http://www.styleforum.net/t/243095/official-best-of-waywt-favorite-fits
http://www.styleforum.net/t/309586/whnay-s-good-taste-thread
Started in 2011, a continuation of the curated hall of fame largely maintained by
800 or so pages and counting of menswear from some of Styleforum’s best.
Styleforum regulars. Notable in that it’s still alive three years later in 2014, with new
fits popping up when people think they belong here.
Get Foofed:
http://www.styleforum.net/t/115692/get-foofed
The Contentedness Thread:
Mafoofan, a Styleforum regular with a fantastic eye for detail, alters and corrects
http://www.styleforum.net/t/303455/the-contentedness-thread
fits from the most jarring to the most subtle. A great example of how the little details
A fascinating change of pace, a little island in the sea of spending and acquiring that
really do add up.
is the main side of the world of fashion we move in. What do we have already? How
does it make our lives that much better?