Prince of Wales suit

I must have completely overlooked the fact that I received this suit several months ago and failed to post it! The suit is a grey wool suit in a Prince of Wales pattern with a little bit of red to make it interesting. The jacket is a single vent coat with patch pockets, chest pocket flap, and working cuffs. The trousers are low rise and feature frog mouth pockets with a single back pocket. I really love this suit. The material is light weight and suitable for warm weather, but can pull double duty in the colder months. I think another reason why I love it so much is that the pattern allows the trousers of jacket to be worn separately for a different look. The trousers could be worn out on their own with just a long sleeve knitted shirt, or the jacket could be dressed down and paired with some white denims and suede shoes for a cool but casual look. I have played it safe so far with a white dress shirt or black turtleneck, but would love to see if I can get a dark blue or reddish burgundy shirt under it. As for now, here's the suit.

Jean Genie

So, I have become a little more receptive to jeans as a suitable (no pun intended) part of ones wardrobe. However, I should also add that I don't believe I'll be using them as proper evening wear or have more than a few pairs as you run the risk of becoming complacent. I have recently worn a hole in my 501's and thought it was time for a replacement pair. I did, however, want to go with a darker blue and have them double as casual jeans, but also something I could dress up in a pinch during the day. I Had been flirting with the 514's for a bit, but feel they are better off for cords, so i went back to the 501 originals for my denim. The wash I chose was called "clean rigid" and I really like them so far. The nice dark indigo wash, the nice contrast if I have turn ups, and the fact that they are completely void of any "distressing". I got them home and ran them through a couple of shirt and shoe options and found they look great with a Fred Perry and dessies for a casual day look as well as a button down and dressier shoes if I am going anywhere. I would like to mention that the material itself feels a little thin, but so far that hasn't been an issue, but I will of course review these more as they get more rotation into my daily wear.

Hiatus

So, obviously I have not posted in a very long time, it comes down to this; should I? Does anyone care? Hmmm....phone lines are open.

Can't resist a classic

I feel like Michael Corleone being pulled back in. I had pretty much sworn off Ben Sherman and their latest line that still attempts to compete with other brands, instead of focusing on what made them a name brand that's lasted. Of course, occasionally a few specs of genius fall through the cracks and land in my lap. The classic short sleeve Ben Sherman in a black and blue gingham and script logo. It's always hard to shake your roots, and in this case, my roots screamed at me to grab this shirt. Looks great with some 501's, khakis, or perhaps a pair of sta-prest for that classic look. Eventually I am going to take a new direction with the site and try more pictures of items being worn rather than just shown, but or now, here's a glimpse of what was bought.

Service

Finding fantastic customer service is a treat all in itself. Once again, I am thrilled by Claudio at DNA. I had been looking for a suitable pair of trousers for my new linen jacket and some new stock on his website brought me to a pair of cotton and silk trousers. I emailed him and asked for his honest opinion of color and texture against the jacket I already had. By the next day, an email was returned to me with a few photos of the trousers next to a rmeaining jacket he had at the shop. Who could resist? Expecting delivery tomorrow.

Madras Sports Coat

As mentioned previously, I had purchased a few items of eBay recently and now they are starting to flow in. One item I picked up was this half lined madras blazer for a song. I don't know why, but I have recently felt compelled to acquire proper sports coats and pseudo formal wear for the hot Texas summers. I saw this listed and it the picture appealed to me. I always have some slight hesitation of buying coats of eBay as I can never be too sure about the fit and don't want to have to turn around and resell or spend too much having it altered. This jacket is a welcomed addition. The actual coat was a little darker than the picture led it to be, which was more than fine by me. It has a solid ecru base color with a blue, brown, and olive check pattern which works well for me color wise. The lining is what sold me, as it's a fantastic almost royal blue acetate and it really works well with the jacket. The rest is pretty standard with flap pockets, single vent, three buttons, and simple period shaping.  Another nifty bonus was the label, "Eldorado Traditionals, styled for young men" which is right up my alley. Pictured it here with a cotton Brooks Brothers polo in blue, and I think that pairing it with a pair of khaki trousers would look great, but I'll get to that later. For now, here my latest find.

Saturday Night

Last night I attended The Fuzz Club, a once a month event that my friend Sue puts on that has her (and sometimes other DJ's) playing 60's pop, soul, mod, psych and any other 60s period music that might fit the theme for that month. It's a nice night out to listen to good music, meet up with friends, and just generally have a good time. To be honest, apart from the drinks, friends, and music, there is another hidden reason to attend and that is the fair amount of peacockery that goes on between a small faction of the crowd of which I am not excluded. I did face a small dilemma though, the humidity of the day was a little rough. This problem was overcome by a quick look in the closet and remembering my new linen jacket (as if I could forget). The key was natural and breathable fabrics. I opted for a pure cotton button down with french cuffs, mohair trousers in a light tan color, the dark blue linen odd jacket with orange and sky checks, and a pair of chisel toed shoes. I also added a pair of vintage silver cuff links and black belt with silver full buckle to the mix. All in all I think it turned out well, but you can be the judge of that.

On a different note, the ending of some eBay auctions have a pair of sunglasses, a vintage madras jacket, and some sewing patterns headed my way. As soon as the arrive I will post them up.