"Masculine elegance being synonymous with conservatism, a well-dressed man should NEVER WEAR:
- flashily striped suits.
- shirts in aggressive shades.
- jewellery, including metal bracelets - not even a gold band on a wrist watch (which is correctly worn only in the daytime).
- trousers that are too tight when slender ones are stylish, or too wide when the fashion pendulum swings to the opposite extreme. The same principle is valid for hats, coat lapels, overcoat lengths, etc.
- a polka dot tie with a striped or plaid jacket.
- a handkerchief that literally floats from the pocket, or one that exactly matches the necktie.
- suede shoes in the city, or a cloth cap, both of these accessories being reserved for country wear along with their companions, the tweed jacket and corduroy trousers.
- on the beach: printed shorts and ultra-short shorts (if he is no longer under twenty years of age), socks and closed shoes. The seashore is the only place where a gentleman may wear sandals or espadrilles."
-A Guide to Elegance by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux
7 comments:
one of my all time favorite photos - so classic....
-suede shoes in the city
Can you define "city" as I recall seeing a picture of the Duke of Windsor wearing his suedes, with a suit, in what appeared to be a city setting?
Also, some advice from Alan Flusser Custom suggested suede loafers for a business casual function. In the city, during the week.
I struggle with when to wear suede shoes and when not. Any advice you can share is greatly appreciated
Thanks,
A humble student
What's wrong with a polka dot tie with a striped or plaid jacket? I don't see the problem with the guy in the illustration...
You mean the guy with the striped suit and the suede shoes qadain?
When I publish quotations they are othe people's opinions rather than my own. I do so because there's something of interest or something to learn from them.
Personally, I wear suede shoes in the city every week. And polka dot neckties with checked suits. But the author was nonetheless one of the most elegant women of her generation.
A question on the boutonnière and pocket square. Does wearing one preclude wearing the other, or can they be worn together, like in the picture above?
Wear them together but be careful not to make the look to busy.
Jeffrey,
The DoW was a stylish man but don't look to him for examples of conservative dress. He was quite fashion-forward for his generation and much of what he wore was "scandalous."
He did wear loafers and suede shoes in the city, while a conservative dresser would not, but even he had his limits. I think he did not wear them in the City of London or in Midtown Manhattan, but he would wear them in the outerlying, more casual parts of those cities.
All these rules are very old, and the Society to which they belonged largely gone, so it's largely up to you, which rules to follow and when.
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