Rules To Live By

Our favorite style tips are the ones that aren't affected by time. We therefore subscribe to Alan Flusser's school-of-thought, which abides by basic geometric and compositional principles rather than fleeting trends. Season after season after season, for example, a swept collar with a low, wide stance will always frame an angular face better than, say, the vertical slant of a point collar. Want to know more? Esquire has put together a shirting cheat sheet, along with a nifty guide for casual tie lovers.

Starting Fresh

Who needs Oprah? Every day this month, Valet Mag is offering up one tip to better, smarter living. On Day 10, we learned that a spray bottle containing one part vodka with two parts water is all it takes to get the funk out of vintage clothes. And earlier, on Day 4, we learned about magic stones that remove pilling, i.e., fuzz balls, from sweaters. Definitely worth a closer look.

Choosy Beggars

Last week, a heated debate took place over at ACL, which, among other assaults, questioned the motivations behind city slickers wearing outdoorsy gear like Barbour jackets. Are we, as some accused, merely affecting a rugged style? Posing as real men who earn a living outdoors, or on factory floors and construction sites? No doubt, work wear has been established as a serious trend in men’s fashion. And, while every such trend is to some degree frivolous and contrived, we’ve also embraced work-friendly gear for arguably legitimate reasons: It’s reasonably priced, durable, functional, aesthetically clean, and lends itself to “uniforms” -- something we encourage every guy to embrace, whether it’s a suit or a pair of jeans and a button-down. (Once you’ve found the right one for you, uniforms greatly simplify the shopping/dressing process, and save you tons of money over time.)

Speaking of which, we love Greg's winter uniform here. An Upper East Sider, we caught the out-of-work chef making his way across town on Houston Street. He's noticed more guys with Barbour jackets of late, but said he takes particular pride in his -- it being a hand-me-down from his city slicker father and all. 

Tool Of The Trade

Men.style has released its latest trend report, which we suggest you consider rather than obey... unless you want to end up looking like this guy. Of the various trends, we’re digging the continued softening of sports coats (their construction). Floral prints, perforated shoes, backpacks, disposable windbreakers, and beach sweaters, not so much. Oh, and regarding the wearing of separates -- or non-matching jackets and trousers -- be very careful that you're not mistaken for a security guard. 

Fit To Serve

No matter how many times we hear them, some bits of wisdom always ring profound. And, especially so when they come from gurus like Will of A Suitable Wardrobe who never lets up on the critical sartorial matter of fit.

“Fit should be the principal goal that anyone has for their clothes,” says Will. “A man in inexpensive clothes that fit him is going to look better than a man wearing expensive ready to wear garments with a big ripple behind his jacket neck, sleeves that hang down to his knuckles and extra trouser cloth puddling on his shoes.”

So what can a man do to get fit off the rack? “He needs to take responsibility for buying the right size in the first place -- the key in my opinion is to stick with a maker once it is established that that maker's clothes are complementary. And then take the stuff to an independent alterations tailor, preferably an older European from somewhere in the south who has been doing the work for thirty or forty years.”

Choosy Beggars

For our latest "Choosy Beggars" segment, we'd like to commend Clarke here on several fronts: For putting together a respectable look just to catch a weeknight flick not far from his home on the Upper West Side; for incorporating the subtlest bit of color to contrast the gloomy post-holidays winter night; and, most importantly, for having the foresight to pick up a Steven Alan trench in this season's sharpest pattern -- blackwatch -- last season at 70% off.     

Changing With The Enemy

As if shopping wasn’t perilous enough, the bum economy has left us with a growing mob of desperate, groveling, manipulative sales associates to deal with. Material Interest explores this worrisome trend, and we’d like to suggest a few tips to handle these determined sales-men and -women:

• Don’t want to be “assisted?” Just say so. “Just looking, Thanks!” End of story.

• When entering and exploring an establishment, don’t act like a guest. Rather, act like you own the place and everything in it. Be a gentleman, of course, but don’t hesitate to feel fabrics, throw on jackets, and ask pointed questions. It’s the basic principle of asserted dominance, and clerks will respond with the appropriate level of submissiveness. 

• Find yourself seduced by an experienced sales clerk and the fine-knit patterns she’s pulling down from the shelves? Have a line or two prepared to kill the conversation: “Wow, nice, too bad I have to get back to work, thanks!” Or,  “Beautiful, this is definitely where I’ll be Christmas shopping next month, thanks!” 

• Unfortunately, the rule that you can’t trust a sales person’s opinion is doubly true these days. That’s not to say that every sales associate will lie through their teeth -- just the vast majority of them. If you don't trust your own eye, bring along someone whose opinion you trust. **And, always get a trusted second opinion when making a big purchase.**  

• Finally, use a clerk’s desperation to your advantage. We’re in a buyer's market, so propose a deal or two, and see what happens. As long as you handle the negotiations like a gentleman, it can’t hurt.

Canvas Coils

Canvas, while arguably less versatile than leather, has its advantages, chief among them being affordability. The Beggar likes affordability, and for that reason we’re entirely grateful to The Upgader for spotlighting the plain-woven fabric in its many forms.

'Tis The Season

J. Crew has launched a holiday shopping guide, which, while totally self-serving, could actually come in handy. The retailer is also now taking up t0 50% off its fall wares. 

Let us also take this opportunity to mention what is perhaps the handiest gifting tool ever invented: NY Mag's "Shopamatic." Simply configure by giftee -- wife, girlfriend, mom, dad, etc. -- or by product category, and get 100 or more editor-picked gift ideas.   

Fierce

"You know you've spotted a fashion victim when you notice what a man is wearing - those metallic patchwork high-tops, the skinny-fit women's jeans - before you notice the man himself." Sound advice from Details.

But, if you must, "Let one thing you're wearing speak, and everything else be quiet," Dsquared's Dan Caten tells the magazine.

Trad 'N True

These days, everyone’s turning out recession-ready shopping advice. Everyone. But, we’re still surprised to see Will of A Suitable Wardrobe adding his two cents. This is a style consultant who advises some of his clients to budget $25K a year. On clothes.

His advice? Invest in fully accessorizing one suit color -- with matching ties, shirts, shoes, etc. -- before investing in other suit colors. Simply because ties cost less than suits, this method minimizes cost while maximizing variety. 

Alan Ho!

This report from Steven Alan's L.A. sample sale has us all excited for the main event soon to hit Tribeca. Hands down, our Steve Alan shirts remain the most valuable, handiest, trustiest clothes in our closets. Forget the dry cleaners. Throw 'em in the wash again and again, or hardly wash them at all -- they always fit and feel just right. Stay tuned for the exact dates and times of the NYC sale.

***Update: We've been told the sample sale is slated for the 20th! More details to come.*** 

Need To Know

Business at consignment shops is booming, according to a story in this week's Journal. And in New York, there are two resale shops you NEED to know about: Gentlemen's Resale, which we profiled in September; and INA, which consists of several locales, including a Men's Store on Mott St (pictured), and a Men's+Women's Store on Bleecker. 

Hands down, INA has the best consignment merch in the city, given that much of it comes directly from film/fashion shoots. Name a designer -- Dries Van Noten, Dsquared, Dior -- and these guys carry it at no less than 50% off retail. Twice a year, they take an additional 70% off existing mark-downs -- the next such sale expected to go down in January. But, whenever you go, do so with a list *and your measurements* to prevent becoming overwhelmed by the expansive and tightly crammed selection. 

INA Men's - 262 Mott St between Houston & Prince - 212-334-2210 - Map

INA NoHo -15 Bleecker St between Lafayette & Bowery - 212-228-8511 - Map

The Odyssey

Century 21 isn't so much a discount department store as it is the setting for a classic odyssey tale with treacherous obstacles to be overcome like the sea of downtown commuters barricading its entrances, the hordes of tourist shoppers ravaging its first floor, and the seductively unfamiliar brand names intent on luring you off course to sartorial wastelands...

But, typical of such adventures, safe passage yields a bounty of spoils -- in this case a fine selection of winter coats (towards the the back of the Mezzanine level) all priced well below retail:

Behold this black 3/4 Yves Saint Laurent beauty for a mere $400 (No, we couldn't find anything wrong with it) -

Another 3/4 beauty by Ralph Lauren Black Label for $600 -

A surprisingly well-constructed John Varvatos U.S.A. 3/4 for $400 -

And this Stone Island down jacket for just $350 -

Century 21 - 22 Cortlandt St between Church & Broadway - 212-227-9092 - Map

Preach!

Here's maybe the best comment ever from Evan Rose in response to our Black/Brown 1826 post: "When I heard that name, I was all 'what?' It's a. the stupidest name in the world, b. a desperate attempt to go after some demographic that I don't know exists and if they do, they're not shopping at L&T (have you been to their flagship in Manhattan lately? It's a ghetto crossed with a ghost town) and c. they totally stole the knife in their logo from a shoe company whose name I can't remember right now. Anyway, the thing failed before it even started."

Mastering The Obvious

At the risk of stating the obvious, let’s take a minute to explain the simple process by which you can combine the Web with a physical shopping experience to score a perfectly fitting product at a fraction of its retail price.

Let’s say, hypothetically, we tell you that sale site Gilt.com is about to host a sale on Barker Black shoes. But, other than their great reputation, you don’t know much about Black’s, their various models, or how they fit.

The solution? Get to Bergdorf’s (or any store that carries the product in question) and try on a pair! Then, come sale time, you’ll know exactly what you’re after... Like, perhaps, the highly sought after Derby Suede shoes, which retail for over $800, but which are still available at Gilt.com for just $330.

Bloomies Revival

So, we finally got to the bottom of that mysterious sale at Bloomies: It’s having a storewide sale for its credit card holders -- which anyone can become on the spot for free -- beginning next Wednesday, 10/29. We’re talking 30-40% off all suits and outerwear, 30% off all shoes, and 30% off pretty much everything else. 'Til then, cardholders can visit the store, and put their picks on hold.

Either way, we recommend checking out Bloomies' new mid-town men's department, which is undergoing an extensive overhaul, including tons of new labels like Trovata, Unis, and Paul Smith, to name  but a few.

In the area of suits, let us draw your attention to English label Aquascutum, for which Savile Row god Nick Hart is presently designing a mid-priced ready-to-wear line, which is only available at Bloomies. (Pictured above) The November issue of GQ, and the October issue of Wallpaper, both make mention of the suits, which retail for about $900. We tried them on. They rock. And, at 30%-40% off, Savile Row master tailoring has perhaps never been quite so attainable.

Bloomingdales - 59th St & Lexington Avenue - 212-705-2000 (Men's Suiting direct: 212-705-2980) - Map
Bloomingdales Soho - 504 Broadway between Spring & Broome (Where you won't find Aquascutum) - 212-729-5900 - Map

Jeans For Green

Racked brings our attention to a novel deal over at A.P.C. where you can now trade in an old pair of A.P.C. jeans for 50% off a new pair. The old pair will need to be "store approved," one A.P.C. clerk tells us. For most people, jeans only appreciate in value over time, so we'll be interested to see how this effort pans out.

A.P.C. Flagship - 131 Mercer St between Prince & Spring - 212-966-9685 - Map