Die, Workwear!

Once a year, men gather in Paris as members of the Swann Club, an invitation-only social club named in honor of the Proust hero who epitomized elegance and romanticism. Their annual nighttime soiree begins with a great meal, some port and cigars, and then moves to what they all came for. After dinner, guests remove their shoes, take out their tins of wax polish, and clear the tables. With only stockings on their feet, they wrap fine Venetian linens around their fingers, dip them in Dom Perignon, and begin to shine their shoes. Lightly chilled dry champagne, they believe, is better than water since the alcohol helps remove the extra fat in the polish, thus enhancing their shoes’ color and transparency.

The event is put on by Olga Berluti, the creative director of the 117 year-old Parisian shoe company, Berluti. If I were being cynical, I would say the Swann Club is just a clever marketing ploy. Perhaps doubly so since LVMH conveniently owns both Berluti and Dom Perignon. If I were not, I would say it’s an event put on for enthusiasts by a woman who shares their passion. The reality, I imagine, is that it’s probably something a bit of both. For what it’s worth, you don’t have to bring a pair of Berluti shoes to the event (or even own one), but you do have to have an obsession for well-made footwear.

The grandiosity of the whole thing might sound silly to outsiders, but as a men’s style and clothing enthusiast, I can’t say I’m not very attracted to the idea. It’s a bit over the top and romantic, but so what? Those are the things that make life feel a bit less dull.

I read on Ethan Desu’s blog once that he and a friend like to get together every once a while, have some tea, chat about life, and shine their shoes for a few hours. That scale of things is equally attractive to me, if not more so. Unfortunately, except for a couple of people I’ve met in my time as a menswear writer, I don’t know anyone who shares my interest in traditional men’s clothing. Certainly not enough to shine shoes for three or four hours. So, for now, I’ll continue to shine mine alone on weekends, while listening to Bill Evans and drinking a bit of whiskey. It’s not in Paris, and I use water, not champagne, but it’s relaxing and enjoyable nonetheless. Perhaps I’ll call mine the Ephrussi Club, named after Charles Ephrussi, the man who Swann was loosely modeled after.

Much of the menswear blogosphere seems to be dominated by young men who like to wear tailored clothing like streetwear. Suits are paired with running shoes, unbuckled double monks are worn sockless, and sport coat collars often flipped up. Everything is also worn rather tightly and short. To be sure, this kind of style is very fashionable at the moment, but a lot of it feels unoriginal and repetitive. It also doesn’t speak to the sophistication and elegance that particularly attracts me to tailored clothing. 

A few months ago, I found a new blog called Italian Industrialists’ and Intellectuals’ Style. It’s just that - photographs of Italian industrialists and intellectuals that the author deems particularly stylish. I was into it for a while, at least as a reprieve from the looks that other bloggers were posting. In almost every city I’ve visited, many of the stylish men I’ve met tend to be older gentlemen in the kind of conservative ensembles that IIIS likes to feature. After seeing hundreds of his posts, however, it has developed its own repetitiveness. His blog might as well be called “Italian Men in Grey or Navy Suits, White Shirts, and Blue Ties,” because that’s all he features.   

I think there’s a middle ground to be struck in all this, and that middle ground is perhaps best personified by Luciano Barbera. Barbara wears clothing that’s classic, not “classic with a twist,” but also puts together ensembles that are more interesting and imaginative than what IIIS features. He clearly enjoys dressing, but doesn’t overreach by veering into trendy gimmicks. Most importantly to me, he never fails to look sophisticated and elegant in what he wears. I find a lot of inspiration in that kind of balance. Dressing like you enjoy clothing, but also remaining elegant. There’s more to classic, tailored menswear than “swag” and boardroom uniforms. There’s the stuff below. 

Michael Drake once gave an elegant description of summer clothing that I really liked: “fawn colored linen suits with blue chambray shirts, raw silk neckwear, and woven straw hats.” That’s what I realized I had in hand a couple of weeks ago. A swatch of tobacco linen suiting recently came from W. Bill in London. It’s a heavy 14oz cloth, which means it’ll rumple, but not crinkle. The color has a slight golden tone to it, just as you would expect to see in the brown wrapping of a fine cigar. I’ll be using it for the cigar linen suit I’m hoping to have made up. 

I also received swatches of Simonnot Godard chambray from A Suitable Wardrobe. Many people think of chambray as the heavy, denim-like material used for workwear, but it can also be made into a light, open weave that’s perfect for casual, tailored dress shirts. I ordered a couple meters to be sent to Hong Kong, where they’ll be made into a light blue, button-up shirt with a semi-spread collar, French placket, and plain front.

Lastly, there are the accessories. Emmett London recently sent me a navy, dotted raw silk tie.  It’s not too unlike the one that Drake’s sells, but it’s a touch wider, which I prefer. And though it’s not pictured below, you can trust that the straw Panama was resting not too far away. 

Together, I think these elements achieve a certain casualness through texture instead of pattern. As Simon Crompton recently put it:

“Texture is usually a more sophisticated twist than pattern or colour. A failure to understand that has led to men buying shirts with coloured buttonholes, flowery inner collars and cuffs with coloured binding. There is a much more mature way to express yourself.”

Here, each piece is traditionally colored or patterned, but the materials - linen, chambray, raw silk, and straw - give a certain informality through their coarseness, roughness, and nubbiness. Of course, this ensemble probably won’t be wearable until next year, as I still have to have the suit made, but I look forward to wearing Michael Drake’s suggestion for summer clothing once it’s all done. 

If you’re looking to add a bit of the same texture to an ensemble, consider the raw silk tie as a starting place. Makers these days include Drake’s, Burberry, E. Tautz, Gant Rugger and even Club Monaco. Emmett also has a few others on their website listed under “torn silk.” Finally, you should also consider smaller operations such as Panta and Marshall Anthony. Along with Drake’s, they probably make some of the most handsome options around. 

(Photos below: first one is mine, others from medtech, Vox, Emmett, and Brent Black)

If I could only wear one “style” of shoe exclusively, it would probably be boots. Unlined, suede chukkas in the spring and summer, so soft that they feel like slippers; jodhpurs in the fall to match things such as moleskins and flannel; and heavy shell cordovan boots in the winter to deal with the foul weather. 

One of my favorites, however, is the dress boot, otherwise also known as the balmoral boot for its closed lacing. When worn while standing up, they look like any other pair of oxford dress shoes. When sitting down, they reveal themselves to be boots. Smart enough to pair with a suit, casual enough for odd trousers. In fact, before the advent of oxford dress shoes, well-dressed gentlemen would wear dress boots in the city. 

Though they’re uncommon to find, a few manufacturers make them. Crockett & Jones, Gaziano & Girling, Grenson, and even Herring have models. The London Lounge also commissioned a design from Carmina five years ago. I assume those can still be made up through special orders.

I’ve been slowly saving up for my ideal pair - the Shannon boot by Edward Green. The Shannon is only available made-to-order, so I have the opportunity to specify various aspects of the design. I’m having mine made with a slightly burnished Dark Oak leather for the sections both above and below the ankle. In some regard, a two toned model might be more traditional, but I thought they’d be too flashy and dandified for me. The bottoms will be a single leather sole instead of double, just so they look a bit dressier, and I’ve decided to forgo speed hooks and just get all blind eyelets. I assume they’ll take a bit more time to lace this way, but hopefully it won’t be too much of a bother. I’ve also asked for just a simple punched toe cap, but otherwise no decoration. The idea was to make them look as much like oxford dress shoes as possible, but just in boot form. 

My order is going through Leffot, who is hosting an Edward Green trunk show this Thursday. If you’re in the area, I’d encourage you to stop by. Below are photos of other Edward Green Shannons men have had made, one of which is a pair that was ordered through Leffot. Mine will take about seven months to deliver, which means they’ll arrive sometime in December. Something nice to look forward to at the end of the year. 

If you’d like to gaze at more balmoral boots, you can check out this thread at StyleForum. 

Like Doc Hu, my spirit animal is a curmudgeon, and my spirit animal’s spirt animal is an even more curmudgeonly curmudgeon. So while this post  isn’t as editorially focused as I’d like to be, these videos of Major Hoad were just too enjoyable for me not to share. 

Keep fighting the good fight, Major Hoad.

One of my favorite pick-ups last year was an M65-styled jacket by Aspesi. Aspesi is a high-end Italian casualwear brand that’s perhaps most known for their lightweight down-filled jackets. Some of my favorites from them, however, are their cotton field jackets, which more often than not are military inspired. These days, as Spring’s rain and chill seem to have dragged on, I’ve been finding that I wear mine quite often. Perhaps not with a suit (I have no illusions that I’m in Men’s Ex or The Sartorialist), but certainly with casual ensembles and even the occasional sport coat. 

Aspesi has a few decent pieces this season. The most basic and straightforward is this field design in brown and olive green. Mr. Porter also has one made from a Japanese cotton twill, if you want something that looks a bit more worn and rugged. For something less military looking, you can get the same design in black or even a deep, almost blueberry blue. Either of those will make you look less like you just stepped off of a base. 

The design is the same - four pockets with a funnel neck and zip out hood, just in case you should find yourself caught in an unpredicted, light shower. The waist has a pull-in cinch to give you a more defined shape. My own piece has a traditional field jacket collar (with collar points), and no epaulets, but I can’t seem to find pictures of it anywhere. If you’d like to check out more Aspesi designs, you can browse their current collection at their website. 

Of course, the problem with these suggestions is the price. $400-700 is a lot to pay for a casual field jacket. They do go on sale, however, to about half price at the end of every season. If you’d like something now, you can visit Yoox, which has two models in polyester - one in a range of browns, and a couple of others in blue and black. The material might not sound appealing at first, but I assure you that such technical fabrics are better if you intend to use this as a rain jacket. Mr. Porter has better photos of a similar Aspesi jacket you can consider, but if you’re still not convinced, Yoox also has a few cotton designs. Just browse through their general Aspesi inventory and find something you like. At ~$200, I think these are decent, spring outerwear purchases. 

David at Archive of shoes recently gave me the special opportunity to be interviewed. Thanks David!

David has other interviews with people such as Ron Rider and Andrew Portnoy that you should check out, as well as a pretty incredible website showcasing his artwork.

Since coming back from Naples, I’ve been somewhat besotted with black suede shoes. I first noticed them on Antonio Panico. On the two occasions I saw him, he wore a deep navy, single breasted suit with a light blue shirt and burgundy tie. On his feet were heavily faded, black suede, single monk strap chukkas. He looked nothing short of bad ass in them. 

I kept thinking about those chukkas on my way back home to Moscow. One night, I decided to Google black suede shoes, just to see what else I could dig up. That’s when I found these tremendous looking suede oxfords over at A Suitable Wardrobe. Their handsome chiseled toe, elegant brouging, and black suede material seem to go well underneath grey and navy woolen trousers. I also like that they look a bit more unique than smooth, polished calf. 

So I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a pair myself. I’m just not sure of their practicality. I mostly wear black shoes at night, and brown during the day. The advantage of smooth calf at night, of course, is that they gleam, which puts them in nice contrast to an otherwise matte ensemble. Suede, in my opinion, looks better during the day, but that’s not when I typically wear black shoes. 

I’ll have to mull on it a bit more. The two I’m most in love with are Edward Green’s Olney, a single monk strap chukka, and Gaziano & Girling’s Hove, a Norwegian split toe. Both can be special ordered in black suede, though they’re very pricey. Readers thinking about black suede for themselves, but want more affordable options, can consider Church’s chukkas (which can be discounted 20% with the code FAMILY) and Bass. And while they’re not chukkas or Norwegian split toes, Brooks Brothers will be discounting these by 25% next Wednesday. These are probably much smarter purchases given that the jury is still out on black suede. 

Still, don’t the pictures below make a compelling case?

I really like this Apparel Arts illustration you see below, where a man is shown wearing a dark blue polo shirt, fawn colored trousers, and a pair of slip ons. Since finding it, I’ve been inspired to get a pair of fawn flannel pants. Fawn being a melange of grey and tan, and can look either dirty or dusty, depending on the shade. I’ve included pictures of the two ends of the range - one starting at golden brown and the other ending at light oatmeal. 

I think it would be a wonderful color to wear, either with a white or blue shirt (or polo), as well as a navy sport coat. Unfortunately, I haven’t had much luck finding a pair. Orvis was an option, but I’ve since become enamored with the lighter oatmeal end of the spectrum. Barneys also had some by Ralph Lauren Purple Label (excuse the awful styling) and their own house brand. Those will likely drop 50% or so during their seasonal sale, but they’ve unfortunately run out of my size already. Additionally, Saks also had something, but it’s too brown. 

The best option so far is Panta, who said they’d make me a pair through Rocco Ciccarelli’s custom shop. You can see Matthew wearing a pair of them below (he’s the one with the olive alligator belt). I’m waiting for a fabric swatch to arrive from Panta, and if it goes well, perhaps they’re the best bet. 

But yes, fawn flannel. If you find a pair, I think they would make for a great year-round color.  

I always enjoy seeing Antonio Mannina pop up over at The Suitorial. Antonio is the son of Calogero Mannina, a master bespoke cordwainer, and now runs the family’s shoe business out of their shop in Florence, Italy. 

I believe most of Signore Mannina’s suits are made by Florentine tailors, but at least on one occasion, Paolo featured him in a golden tan three-button suit that was made for him nearly twenty (20!) years ago by a Sardinian tailor. 

Whether they’re Florentine or Sardinian in origin, all of them are fairly conservatively styled. The fronts are made without any darts, and the soft, sloping shoulders extend a bit past Mannina’s shoulder bones. Additionally, the lengths are generously long and the gorge is a bit lower. The lapels also have a healthy width and are free from any frills such as decorative pick stitching. All in all, it’s a very handsome, conservative look.

The key for me is in how full, but still flattering, the cuts are. They allow Mannina to look comfortable and relaxed, and give each of the suitings an opportunity to express themselves in the way they roll and drape. At the same time, the jackets fit him in all the right places. The collars never lift from his neck, and the armholes are high enough that Mannina can move around without greatly disturbing the jacket. The fuller, but still well fitting, cut gives him a silhouette that looks as mature as it does elegant. 

Well done, Signore Mannina.