Lightweight blazer, chambray shirt, chinos and a pair of Sloops. That is the proper version of the California tuxedo, worn in the photo by Luca Cordero di Montezemolo. An ensemble for casual days in the spring sunshine, it is perhaps appropriate at the track (autos, not horses) as well as certain wineries and smaller towns where there are no neckties within a minimum of twenty miles. The blazer should be single breasted, and patch pocketed, and the shirt ideally a white or blue buttondown with the collar left flapping.
The informal version of the California tuxedo substitutes Japanese denim trousers for the chinos and may be worn with a polo instead of a conventional shirt but only with caution as the polo may be a step too far. That is because, though relaxed, the proper California tuxedo demonstrates that the wearer is not an ordinary man. For though his clothing may appear approachable at first glance, the blazer and chinos should be hand sewn in a small Neapolitan atelier, and the shoes from an obscure source. The shirt may be off the rack from Brooks Brothers or the like as a statement that the wearer is a man of the people but then there will be all that extra cloth ruining the look. Better to have it carefully tailored to appear ready to wear.
Photo: Motorsport.com
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5 comments:
Nice. Being from California, I don't own a California tuxedo which is a travesty. I'm going to have a blazer made in a couple of weeks and am wondering the best type of material to have used? Southern California summers are brutal, so I'm getting one for those. I will then visit my tailor again in August to get a blazer for the cooler months. Any help you can give is greatly appreciated.
Eight ounce Minnis fresco with a quarter lining is lightweight and it breathes. For less brutal days the 10 ounce drapes better and is less likely to let a hint of white shirt show through the cloth.
As one Californian to another, this essay is spot on . . . and hysterical! Well done, Will, and you've just given me another excuse to pop down to Hemrajani's. 8 oz. Minnis fresco with 1/4 lining, here I come!
Oldsarj, I'll see you there.
Not a big fan of shirt collar popped over jacket lapel look, nor chinos with a crease ironed into them.
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