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.     

Plant A Tree

Derrick Miller, creative director for Barker Black, explains to Valet magazine how to maintain and maximize the life-span of shoes. Enemy #1: Radiators.  

All Grown Up

Details lays out some new rules for denim. The cardinal rule of not pairing denim with denim still stands… unless, of course, one of those pieces is colored khaki.

Daft Punk

We wholeheartedley believe that one can dress well without coming off as a self-centered prick... not that Christian here is a great example of that.

C-C-C-Classics

The Moment discusses classic, timeless men's wear and accessories with  Justin Saunders, the "creative force" behind photo curating site Jjjjound. Take notes.

Princes And Peacocks

Will of A Suitable Wardrobe takes a crack at describing the subtle differences between British and Italian traditional men's wear.

"First and foremost, Italian style is about dressing to look good," he writes. "Turning the ladies' heads is part of the game. This is radically different from British style, which has historically been about dressing to fit in." [ASW]

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.

Spiffy

If you're looking for some expert and forward-thinking style direction, our friends at h(y)r collective have dropped their 7th issue. Lucky number 7! Bravo, fellas! 

F'ing Genius

An intelligent and provocative discussion on men’s style? Well, Men.Style could just be toying with us here, but its new ‘Style Sages’ segment has huge potential to gets guys talking and thinking about some serious sartorial matters. (The best part of this inaugural clip is when featured author Alan Flusser delivers the smack-down on Thom Browne.)

But, for the love of God, Men.Style, don't leave us hanging here. Whatever resources you’ve got, invest them all in Style Sages! Immediately! We’re begging you!

Shtunk

Mike Albo at Men.Style chronicles the many manifestations of the douchebag haircut, which, as it turns outs, are typically attached to douchebags... Expect for Mo. He's cool.

Built To Outlast You

Cool Hunting visits San Francisco's Self Edge denim shop where owner Kiya Babzani talks about denim for life, the devil in the details, and collaborations for the fall.

The Beggar wholeheartedly advocates investing in durable, long-lasting gear that only improves with time and wear. It's, by far, the best way to reduce the time, money, and energy required to maintain a suitable wardrobe.

Don't Look Like A Lady

This weekend's Page Six Magazine features a dead-on-arrival debate between Simon Doonan, creative director at Barneys, and Details editor-in-chief Dan Peres over whether men should embrace the feminization of menswear. [Page Six Mag]

Even Peres, a self-described proponent of the feminization of the American male, pleads with guys not to let that broader movement seep into their wardrobes. "Isn't Clay Aiken's flat-ironed hair and smoky eyes enough of a warning?" Peres asks. 

Not that you can't add a lighter touch to your style: "From silk pocket squares to pastel polos, a man can add a feminine touch to an outfit without looking like Liberace."

So, unless you're an aspiring David Bowie or Jimi Hendrix, be prepared to walk a very fine line between your outer dandy and your inner Marv Albert.

The Horror!

Portfolio.com explains what magic your tailor is, and is not, capable of working on that boxy suit of yours.

Need a smart tailor?

The Sartorialist keeps a handy “SartoriaList,” which catalogs the preferred tailors of New York’s best-dressed men (See who goes where):

• Dynasty Tailors (You might ask for Joseph) - 6 E 38th St between 5th & Madison - 212-679-1075 - Map

• Ignacio’s Tailor - 119 E 60th St between Park & Lex - 212-758-2747 - Map

• Leung’s Tailor - 1386 Lex Ave between 91st & 92nd- 212-860-6617 - Map

• L&S Custom Tailoring - 138 East 61st St nr Lex - 212-752-1638 - Map

• Mak’s Hong Kong Custom Tailors - 1218 Lex Ave between 82nd & 83rd - 212-249-6311 - Map

• Wilfred’s Tailor - 18 W 23rd St nr 5th - 212-242-3030 - Map

White Stripes

Esquire offers two helpful tutorials on how best to punch up your boring suit & tie routine.

The *first* illustrates how to do the brown shoe -- which was once thought unacceptable to pair with blue suits, but apparently no more.

The *second* explains how to properly execute stripes and other common suit patters. The cardinal sin in this area: Pairing two patterns -- on your shirt and suit -- too closely in scale.

Making Darwin Cringe

'35

The pictures in Esquire’s “illustrated history of the last 75 years of men's fashion” are worth a 1,000 words apiece. With about 42 pictures, and then captions, that comes out to about, say… the longest piece in Esquire history.

Evolution? Devolution? Either way, if you’re looking for insights into future of men’s style, look no further than its past:

'56

'69

'70

'82

'84

'08 (?!)