Ink

I was the only man (on jury duty) who didn't work for the court and who was wearing a suit. Or a tie. Or a dress shirt. There's something really weird going on in our culture, where people seem to have replaced decorating their bodies with clothes with decorating them with tattoos, then wearing as little clothing as possible to show them off -- and it's usually the last people who should be wearing as little clothing as possible.

I've recently gotten into the early years of Dallas again on DVD. While I know it's just a TV show, so I can't say how accurate it is and I'm not old enough to remember, I can't help but notice how most of the men on the show wear suits and ties almost all the time -- and when they're dressed casually, like on a weekend, it's usually in a sports jacket and open-collared dress shirt. I also notice how, whenever a man is working in his office in his shirtsleeves and his secretary buzzes him to say he has a guest, he always gets up and puts his suit jacket on before the person walks in. We've gone in 30 years from men who don't want to be seen in their shirtsleeves to men who don't want to wear shirts with sleeves.

-Email from Johnny Kramer

Photo: Horiyoshi III (Yoshihito Nakano)

Most of the Reason the Good Stuff Costs So Much

In addition to the cost of labor of course, and that is about 2/3 of the cost of a hand-tailored suit, a cut length of cloth for the typical hand-made suit costs more than most moderately priced ready to wear suits.

Go Quietly into the Day

When a man dressed for business wears two patterns above the waist, one of them should be discreet. Hardly a pattern at all, in other words. The check in Cary Grant's suit in the photo is complemented by his necktie, a pattern so subtle it may be a texture. Suit and tie each have interest but neither stops the eye from moving to his face.

This advice is but an extension of the technique that a man uses to wear pattern without letting the pattern wear him. It used to be said that the advanced dresser's skill at putting things together was best judged by how he looked in a suit with a bold weave, which entails surrounding the boldness with solids and semi-solids that reduce its obtrusiveness by blending and extending it (see Wearing Strong Patterns for an illustration). The objective once again is to keep the eye of the observer from lingering on the clothing.

Now it is certainly common for men to wear, for example, pin-striped suits and regimental striped neckties. Nothing wrong with that either, but it is a combination that works best when the pin-stripe is subtle. Too much concentrated boldness draws attention to the wearer's chest and holds it there, even when the patterns are (correctly) of different proportions.

Go quietly into the day.

South for the Weekend

We headed South this past weekend to visit friends and explore the annual Palo Alto Festival of the Arts. Our base of operations was the local Four Seasons, the chain that is as close to a home away from home as a man could ever want. I am always impressed by the service, from the staff addressing each guest by name to the complementary car and driver that dropped us at the far end of the Festival so we could see the participating artists during a leisurely walk back to the hotel.

The local weather has been sunny but cooler once again, and ideal for a linen crewneck. It combined with my Cleverley slipons, a pair of Salvatore Ambrosi's fresco trousers, a silk neckerchief and a linen cap from the ASW store, and I needed little more than an odd jacket for dinner and a change of shirt and trousers for the next day.

A Sweater and a Neckerchief

Anthony Eden, the British statesman who was considered one of the world's best-dressed men in the 1950's, at home in a v-necked sweater and a neckerchief.

A neckerchief is, in my opinion, the best way to finish the look of an open v-neck without wearing a necktie. A four in hand looks out of place worn informally without a jacket. The neckerchief, with its working man's heritage, is just right.

Photo: LIFE

Getting Readier for Fall at the Store

We are getting readier for fall at the ASW store, and topping things off is a tweed version of our caps, which are modelled after the ones worn by the Prince of Wales in the 1930's. Tweed caps are both handsome and practical (they do a great job of keeping out the rain). Look for them online beginning this coming Tuesday, and in a broader range of sizes than we have carried to date.

Complementing the caps a few days later will be several scarves with cashmere on one side reversing to paisley silk on the other, along with black grosgrain bow ties and white silk scarves for evening. And there will be more to follow.

On the administrative side of things, the difficulties we have had keeping Saphir's shoe care products in stock have led us to do something we should probably have been doing all along. We are no longer accepting back orders for products that are not in stock - all items will be visible, but there will be no "add to cart" button unless they are in stock and ready to ship.

Fortunately, the Saphir has been restocked but for the Renovateur applicator dauber brush which will not be in until late September. We have begun to carry the light brown wax and expect to be receiving supplies of the mahogany wax, tan wax and Saphir's shoe care kit which provides a supply of the necessities in one convenient wooden package.

So polish your walking shoes. One of our sweaters, a tweed cap and a scarf will get you ready for fall.

A Man's Needs Are Simple

A suit-wearing man's needs are simple. A navy blue worsted. A gray pick and pick. A gray flannel for fall and a chalk-striped fresco for spring. Throw in two pair of oxfords, a few solid neckties and enough light blue and white dress shirts to see him through the week.

In the photo, the late shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis illustrates simplicity with his gray flannel suit, white shirt and linen square, and a black (possibly dark blue) necktie that has some sheen to it.

Simple.