For the second installment of our brand new "Choosy Beggars" segment -- which features New Yorkers achieving the perfect balance of personal style and financial savvy -- we give you Steven, who we cornered on the second floor of Strand Bookstore on 12th Street and Broadway. The proprietor of elmo restaurant in Chelsea, Steven cuts a dapper yet seemingly effortless figure in a muted plaid overcoat and military-inspired canvas vest, contrasted nicely by his rich blue denim and light brown brogues. And while his favorite store is Gucci, Steven says he "scours" Loehmann's and Century 21 for deals. "I have them put s**t aside for me."
Uh...he looks terrible.
ReplyDeleteWhat would you do differently, HW? We've all got opinions, but we'd really like "Choosy Beggars" to stimulate conversation, and even provide guidance, rather than serve as a platform for mudslinging.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like he's wearing a bathrobe.
ReplyDeleteHW here: he looks disheveled more than anything else. It's really just an opinion--I'm more than okay having discourse on a wide range of looks. But he's really doing homeless-chic here. The coat really is the item that doesn't do it for me (see comment above). It's like he has a jacket on top of a jacket, and not the right kinds.
ReplyDeleteI think, more than anything else, the fit is really terrible, which seems at odds with Choosy.
I think maybe each piece individually is nice, but altogether its like fusion gone wrong.
Who dressed him? Absolutely Fabulous Edina Monsoon? Terrible, terrible color combination. The west/jacket combination is so not suitable (for anyone).
ReplyDeleteThanks, HW. We're sorry for setting up poor Steven here just to get torn down, but it's led to an interesting conversation. We thought the jeans and shoes pulled together the disheveled coat and vest well enough for a casual trip to Strand, but obviously we're the only ones.
ReplyDeleteHe looks like a tramp.
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ReplyDeleteYou guys are crazy. He's wearing a classic overcoat in a Paul Smith-type plaid, a high vest to keep out the cold (ditto the stocking cap), well fitting jeans and REAL SHOES, not sneakers. I give him an A for his casual afternoon look and furthermore I think he looks like someone I'd like to meet. I live in LA and you should see what the guys his age here wear. I'd also like to see what the posters in this thread wear on their off hours - I'm guessing lots of old denim, tatty leather bombers and worn running shoes.
whoa, the claws are out now! seems fine for the amount of effort he put in, but what do i know.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fine feature! It's certainly not my look, though. All these pieces together look a bit... woodsman. Intrigued by the canvas vest. Big fan of the shoes. Any idea where he got them?
ReplyDeleteCount me as a guy who doesn't like plaid to be the basis for anything more than a scarf or a shirt. I mean--a whole coat? You think that looks good?
ReplyDeleteThat vest thing looks worse and worse each time I look at it. especially worn underneath a mock neck zip up sweater.
Maybe he's less appealing to me because he said "I have them put sh*t aside for me" like he's some kind of bargain hotshot.