On the way...

Bought a few eBay items and have a few more in my scope. I should receive sometime next week and will post accordingly. Hopefully I will be able to cross a few items off the every growing Want List. On the way for now are a couple of dead stock trousers in a glen plaid and a window pane check.

UPDATE 4/2/11
Also on the way is a vintage, horizontal striped, square ended tie.

UPDATE 4/5/11
Also coming along, green vintage turtleneck.

Needed to lose weight

With anything fashion related, we all know that weight plays a a role whether you like it or not. Recently I put on some and wasn't too happy. I could do what I always do and watch calories and such, but I ran across this picture and thought, "good enough for Dino, good enough for me". Enter The Drinkings Mans Diet. Bought my copy and already read it, very interesting outlook and some good ideas. Going to give it a whirl and let you know. Need to slim down for swimsuit season I guess.

What I bought

Received an email from Neiman Marcus Last Call offering a discount off whatever your total purchase was, so I decided to check it out. Luckily, I work just down the road from them so I was able to drive over during my lunch break. Nothing much there that I was interested in, perhaps the odd jacket or two, but of course were not in my size. I did, however, see that they had there own brand of socks in some great multi stripe and block striped colors. I tried to be smart and pick out only the ones I could match to something later, and I managed to narrow it down to these three. I think these will look great during the spring/summer to follow and add a little color to perhaps any somber outfit I might be wearing that day.

UPDATE- Have worn all of these since buying them and have very impressed. Colors stayed vibrant after washing, they feel great and held up well (in more than one sense if you catch my drift) I do believe I would go back and get more, even in solids, just due to the fit of them.

Take notes

There's not going to be a test, but there is something to be said about taking notes. Previously I showed a mohair cardigan I got purely off an idea I had one night. While I was laying in bed I thought of this combo and how I liked it, knowing that if I continued to lie there and fall asleep, i probably would have forgotten about it by morning. So, I got out of bed and into my office, and wrote the idea down. If you like me, you forget things from time to time, and that's why I am going to stress the importance of notes for your sartorial needs. I will see combinations of colors, styles, and materials all the time and sometimes make up something  in my mind because of what I saw or what I thought I saw. Now, thanks to the technology of smart phones, a lot of phones these days come equiped with some sort of notes function, so it's not as hard as you might think. Every now and again I "empty" my phone notes and transfer them to my desk to a more permanent location so I can start sourcing any items I might need. I have done this recently and found that I had a lot more ideas in there than I had recalled. So now that I have these notes out, it's time to start looking.

The Fuzz

I have always drawn style inspiration from the old fashion ads in men's magazine like Playboy or Stag from the late 50's and 60's. Bright colors, fantastic fabrics, and wild patterns and textures that set the mid century American male into another world of dandyism. Brands like Burlington, Ban Lon, Leonardo Strassi, Cricketeer, and others made clothes that would make a peacock proud. Leaning towards that 60's bachelor look, I recently picked up this pea green fuzzy mohair sweater. I have been looking for a cardigan like this for quite some time after having in image cross my mind of the cardie, a yellow button down, and some black trousers. (I recall getting out of bed in the night to go into my office and write it down so I didn't forget). Flash forward a few months and I located the shirt and the sweater. I know it's not for everyone, but I think the colors really compliment each other well and will make a great combination. I think the trousers will have to be tapered and hemmed a little on the high side to complete the look. The cardigan brand is Kings Road sportswear, which is just a dolled up name from Sears, but it still makes a statement. All I need now is a highball and a couple of jazz albums to wind the night away.

Americana

While posting to a blog I frequent about the new chinos I had purchased, Rachel and I decided to take some pictures down at the neighborhood park. These are one of three new pairs of chino's I recently bought while out the other night. The fit is what I had been looking for for a long time; slim fit, low rise, thin material, etc etc. I want to add more 60's Americana/ivy spin to the mostly mod/suede look I go for now. I went with a simple pair of putty chino's ( I know, pants need hemming), Brooks Brothers slim fit long sleeve polo, and a pair of Clark's desert boots in a dark brown suede. The whole look seems very "weekend" to me; perhaps a BBQ or running errands about town.

Harrington jacket

I have commented before on the classic Harrington style jacket before and how I was keeping an eye out for one.  Well, once again life closed one door and opened another. I was doing a little online shopping for shorts and ran across old navy's website and saw that they were offering some shorts and a white linen short sleeve shirt with a straight hem. Since there is a store in my neighborhood, I decided to drive over and have a look. Well, the shorts were a bust, and the shirt wasn't available in a small (at that store) so my reasons for going had given out. However, on the way in I noticed they offered a Harrington jacket in blue and it wasn't that bad, I wasn't too keen on the shade of blue or the price tag so I passed on it. I went over to the sale section and saw the same jacket, this time in a beige and an almost madras lining, and half off. I found one that fitted the way I liked and was off. I guess this makes up for the one I lost on eBay recently. Might get to wear it once or twice before it gets too warm, but here it is for now. Also got a great deal on some chino's a store over, but that's a post for tomorrow.