So do real men eat quiche, knit and ask for directions? Good question. Cary Grant struggled with the mechanics of knitting in the 1943 film Mr. Lucky. He comes out of it, err, frayed but largely intact. Grant also receives a lesson in tying a Windsor knot by his romantic protagonist in the film. She […]
Real men knit…and tie Windsor knots Read More »
Season four of the award-winning AMC series Mad Men picks up again tonight. As part of the ramp-up to the season premiere, the New York Times has assembled a 1964 menswear report and asked Ed McCabe, a former advertising exec, to answer reader questions about being an ad man in the heyday. Enjoy the episode
Mad Men style: Brooks Bros, Finchley or J. Press? Read More »
American heritage is continuing to steamroll into the hearts and minds of American men after a long hiatus. The folks at Hamilton Shirts, founded in 1883, kindly sent me an invite to the launch of the S/S 2011 line last week in NYC but I was unable to attend. [Photo no longer available] The photo
Hamilton Shirts 1883: Spring/summer 2011 line Read More »
As I noted in my piece on Japanese repro-authenticity, the Japanese are experts in spotting a good thing and refining it again and again. And they’ve done it again. Take Ivy, the 1965 photo essay of Ivy League style, is being republished again after years of being out of print. But this time the book
Take Ivy: An American style bible reissued Read More »
The Neue Galerie, a museum in New York specializing in modern German and Austrian fine arts, is currently showing an exhibition on the 20th century German artist Otto Dix. Dix is associated with the Secessionist as well as the Neue Sachlichkeit (or New Objectivity) movement. When one thinks of art one thinks of artistic license,
Portraits of and by an artist: Otto Dix and artistic license Read More »
Happy Fourth of July to my readers! One might think Americans are the most unswervingly patriotic of dressers. But according to a 2009 survey by luxury market analysts Ledbury Research, you might be surprised. Below is a list of consumers, ranked by percentage who prefer to buy goods from their own country: French: 92% Americans:
Patriotic dressing: Who’s the most patriotic? Read More »
Since today is Memorial Day in the US, let’s talk about military dress. In these photos, you’ll see hints of some of the key dimensions of men’s clothing – color, cloth, multiple levels of formality (not just one!) and the peaceful coexistence of utility and ornamentation (e.g. regarding accessories). Why is all of this
Consistency and uniformity: Military dress in men’s style Read More »
In her new book, The Thoughtful Dresser: The Art of Adornment, the Pleasures of Shopping, and Why Clothes Matter, Linda Grant writes that “Clothes are not everything, but you cannot have depths without surfaces.” No depth without surface. This may be true, especially in the inherent flux and seasonality of women’s fashion. But for men
Men’s style: The dilemma of dressing thoughtfully Read More »
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