Simple Ways To Add Elegance

[Jay]

I think fit does more than say you have money. You can buy a £200-£300 inexpensive suit and spend £50 at a tailor and it will look better than one two or three times the price.

The reason I choose to spend more than that on suits is exactly for the fabric and construction. Anything other than wool in its many guises is a big no-no for me. It doesn't last, it bobbles, it goes shiny and needs replacing after a year when I can get five years or more out of a good suit. So basically an £800 suit will be cheaper in the long run (you don't get a wool suit for much less than £300 - maybe a wool mix, but again I steer clear).

I was running training for people at work wearing the outfit above and I got a lovely comment from a girl there who said she could tell that it had been tailored (by that I mean bought off the peg and then tailored) and how good it looked. And that suit is mid-priced from Reiss, not ridiculously expensive. People can tell the difference, even those who don't understand the details about vents and kissing buttons and lapel widths - you can just see when a suit is cut and fitted nicely.

I remember the first time I ever had a suit tailored and so many people asked if I'd lost weight when it was just the cut of the suit making a huge difference to how I looked.

Anyway, I'm rambling as I always do when I get on to tailoring, so time for me to stop hogging this thread!

[Sam]

I must be very very tired - I don't know how I managed to dismiss the importance of fit, fabric and construction in one ill thought out sentence! I agree entirely.
What I suppose I should have been was positive; getting the details right marks you out as knowing what you're talking about, if not making you look masses better. Fit, fabric and construction don't; they're the things you should be expected to get right.

[Karampetsos]

I'd like to say that on a macro level (meaning, the wardrobe as a holistic concept) I'd recommend tight editing, consolidating the quantity and improving the quality.

Details are definitely important to a look, but more often than not, too many people have extensive wardrobes of low to mediocre quality items. It seems more likely that someone will imagine that they are "saving" money by purchasing multiple low cost goods instead of fewer high ticket items.

That's not to say that I promote expensive labels, but rather that luxury and elegance are defined not only by the details of one's outfit, but the details of those details. An example would be a nice pair of leather gloves for the winter. There are many levels of quality that can be found, but cashmere lined deerskin gloves would be something special to wear.

Basically, style isn't always about what is obvious and visible, but appreciating what makes something beautiful.

[WinterShorts]

Hate the crazy sock trend, it is a way to take a suit from fashion to trash in five seconds.

[Jay]

Hate the crazy sock trend, it is a way to take a suit from fashion to trash in five seconds.

I couldn't disagree more.

A splash of colour at the ankle is a wonderful way to express individuality and flair to what is in essence a conservative mode of dress. You can literally do anything with a good quality sock: be conservative and match the colours in with the tie or shirt, or just go crazy and wear whatever you like without any care for harmony. Almost anything goes.

I feel underdressed at work if I don't have a wild pair of socks on to liven up the outfit.

What's not to love about these?

[Kash]

Hate the crazy sock trend, it is a way to take a suit from fashion to trash in five seconds.

It is the complete opposite. That small detailed sequence of vibrant colour on your socks takes your suit to a whole new level. The black sock is dull in this day and age and would only ever wear it at college.

[Sam]

Yeah but in fairness this sort of thing is just stupid on a grown man:

[WinterShorts]

I have owned "crazy" socks, I am aware of these arguments. I just don't buy that they "add individuality," I think they add gottiness. They just seem like fashion conscious man's version of a graphic tee-shirt. They are often lazily inserted into an outfit, or over matched as if bought in a set with a tie or shirt. They seem to as good a way as adding style as having a stain on your cloths.

[Jay]

I have owned "crazy" socks, I am aware of these arguments. I just don't buy that they "add individuality," I think they add gottiness. They just seem like fashion conscious man's version of a graphic tee-shirt. They are often lazily inserted into an outfit, or over matched as if bought in a set with a tie or shirt. They seem to as good a way as adding style as having a stain on your cloths.

I don't mean to rude, but you're talking a load of rubbish.

I have no idea what 'gottiness' is, but seriously, how do brightly patterned socks that virtually nobody else is likely to be wearing not add individuality? Is wearing plain and dull navy, grey or black socks expressing individuality then?

And lazy? What a load of tosh. So, I'm being lazy when I'm carefully putting together my work outfit (and read my earlier posts in this thread to read the kind of detail I go into when doing this - it's far from lazy whatever you think of it) and choosing a pair of socks that add something different and stand out from the crowd. It's lazier to stick on a pair of black socks every single day and not think about anything.

So the man posting the photo of himself in a bow tie is essentially calling those of us who wear brightly coloured socks wannabe try hards. Pot. Kettle. Black.

Perhaps with your holier than thou guide to sartorial elegance, you could inform us lesser mortals as to what sockwear we should be sporting this season so that will don't make the oh so stupid mistake of wearing something that is more like having a stain our clothes than showing any fashion sense?

[WinterShorts]

I must say that I did not mean to personally insult you. I should say that any trend can be done well, including this one. I just think that it is a cheap way of adding "individuality," as regardless if the socks are purple or candy cane, I see a lot of people here wearing the style. To wear the socks well, one does have to be in the middle area between lazily put it on or over matched. Wearing a toothpaste green shirt with socks that match the shirt exactly comes off as very affected. On the other hand, if they are just put on with no thought, they can clash. It is possible to avoid either mistake, I just don't think the results are worth it. Sorry for the above misspelling, I meant gaudiness. I should also apologize for being so vitriol, again. The trend isn't that bad, just not my cup of tea.