The inspiration for the chalk striped tropical suit worn around London recently (In the Pink) was this 1937 Esquire illustration.
Chalk stripes are not usually seen on summer suits these days, being generally confined to flannels. The thing about a chalk stripe is that in addition to its extra width compared to a pin stripe, the edges need to be a bit blurry, as anyone who ever saw a line on a chalk board will recognize. That blur is a byproduct of a flannel weave, but harder to pull off on a conventional worsted. The small irregularities of a high twist weave, on the other hand, lend themselves to a similar look.
That said, some may wonder at the idea of wearing a city suit on holiday. To which I reply that no less of an authority than the late Hardy Amies wrote about the disrespect that the tourist costume of shorts, tees and Birkenstocks shows to the inhabitants of the city one is visiting (OK, he never specifically mentioned Birkenstocks). And this does not even take into account the need to look appropriate next to such a well turned out companion.
The suit is dressed down slightly with the brown suede shoes, but the white shirt and dotted necktie would hardly draw a second glance at home or abroad.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Inspirational Stripes
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
6 comments:
Will,
Does that chap have a black tie on with brown shoes? I've always thought that combo to be a no no - I would prefer his tie in navy. You?
It looks navy to me Louche.
Sadly, the "tourist" costume is not limited to tourists: T-shirts, sweat pants or jeans, athletic shoes, and a never-doffed baseball cap advertising something has become the national costume of the American "man." (Substitute shorts and flip-flops for warm weather.) Yes, such attire shows a lack of respect for others, and also shows that the "man" is more concerned about himself and his own comfort that he is with others.
We can only hope and pray that we are at an extreme of the swing of the fashion pendulum, and that more and more men will discover the pleasures--and virtues--of dressing properly.
Thank you for being an outpost of sanity and style in an insane and unstylish world.
Well said, Horatio. In this picture solitary brown shoes would make the footwear an isolated foreign body smacking of carelessness - unless one wants to make a statement, like a certain Royal in the past with arguably not always impeccable results - but the combination with the brown hat and the pocket square dresses it down well, as Will said. Of course, there was never a need to dress like a tourist when travelling, and people dressed as tourist are wondering why they are treated like tourists... I couldn’t agree more with Hardy Amies's and Will's statements.
I am sorry still that your affinity for high twist seems to limit your acceptance of that for which tropical worsted was made, among many other things, of course, and that is the beaded stripe, either on navy or charcoal ah- the exquisite precision
after a very long season in flannel chalk.
All the same accessories as illustrated, of course, but now, perhaps, with an even more wry outlook. Although one may wish to substitute a mild mid gray for the hat in town.
I like beaded stripes, and have such a suit in a mid-weight.
But for men who live in a place with a breeze, no tropical worsted offers the pleasure of the air moving through one's high twist jacket on a sunny day.
Post a Comment