May 2012
43 posts
Anonymous asked: Perhaps you can point me in the right direction. I'm looking for a work horse shoe. Kind of like the blue OBCD of shoes, I guess. I mostly wear chukkas or boots in my day to day now, but would love another option. But, I don't have a good shoe to pair with my suit, either, so it would definitely have to fill that gap. I don't mind spending on it, but I want it to be versatile, as...
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April 2012
97 posts
Anonymous asked: What are your thoughts on the short sleeve OCBD? I feel that it's a very underrated piece. It's a step up from the t-shirt or even a polo, yet not as formal as a traditional long sleeve OCBD. While I don't condone wearing it with a tie and going to work (i.e. Dilbert), I do find it very versatile such a pairing it with a pair of shorts/chinos. You could even wear it under a sweater...
Anonymous asked: Can shirts with patterns (i.e. gingham) be taken in at the waist? I've never had shirts taken in so I wasn't sure? These days I get all of my shirts made, but I have a few ESF OCBD's that are still way too big in the waist and a couple casual gingham button downs from jcrew that need some work.
brian-m asked: A couple of months ago I received the L.L. Bean shawl collar cardigan that you included in your list or chunky shawl collar sweaters in the fall. I just found this post buried in my liked posts and realized I had one of them. I also realized that I love my sweater, but that I didn't get nearly the mileage out of it this winter that I would have anticipated given how wonderful I think it is. I...
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Anonymous asked: Is it worth using shoe trees on casual shoes like desert boots, boat shoes, and sneakers?
Anonymous asked: Can a tailor take in a dress shirt collar from 15.5 to 15? Is this an expensive alteration?
Anonymous asked: Kiyoshi, would wearing a pair of trousers at your natural waist sans jacket (wearing just a pair of pants and a button down/any shirt tucked in), look strange? I'm a junior in college. Do you happen to have suggestion for trousers (wool, twill chinos, linen, and ect) that have a high rise/can be worn at the natural waist?
Anonymous asked: Nice Knottery write-up, but I'd add one caveat. I bought a silk knit tie from them several seasons ago and considering the price it's had a great run. But I found that my Knottery purchase was a lot less durable than comparable knit ties I've picked up second-hand from Brooks and J. Press. My experience may be atypical, and I'd still enthusiastically recommend their stuff to...
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Review: The Knottery silk knit ties, pocket...
For a while, I’ve been featuring items from The Knottery here on the blog. Their goal of providing affordable menswear accessories is laudable. I placed an order with them a while back and wanted to give a review to put to end some of the questions I’ve received about them.
I’ve seen the question asked quite frequently — with skepticism — about the quality of The...
Anonymous asked: I'm a 21 year old guy who is about to graduate from college. How formal should I go, and do you have any suggestions?
Anonymous asked: Hi Kiyoshi, just had a quick question about dry cleaning my suit. Wore it out to a dinner and got beer spilled on it by a moron. I wiped it down with water and showered in cologne the night of, and when I got home I just left it in the bathroom to give it a shower steam. I dont see any immediate stains, so if I can keep the smell normal should I skip the dry cleaning? I bought the suit back in the...
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Madewell in Chicago
madewell:
Hey, Chicago—we can’t wait to meet you. The Madewell Denim Roadtrip will be at the Tribune Building tomorrow from 10am-4pm. See you soon!
Visit our Facebook page for all the details.
Adding this to the list of stuff happening in Chicago when I’m not there.
phantomtides asked: Per the rented tuxedo at a wedding question: I faced exactly the same issue some years ago at the wedding of one of my best friends. I still think it was stupid, but the best man insisted. I rented one just so I wouldn't make waves and yes, it was the right thing to do. It will be awful, but the wedding isn't about you. After the wedding, the mother of the bride said I was a fool and...
enjoynicethings asked: Regarding your HY suit purchase (sorry - cant figure out how to put this in the comments), why did you choose this over say something like a Kent Wang suit? Price points are similar, but the Kent Wang appears to have more hand stitched work. I ask because I am currently debating which one to pull the trigger on.
Anonymous asked: I'm an usher in a wedding this summer. I've been told I have to rent a tux because the one I own is not identical to what the other ushers are wearing (shawl vs. peak lapel). This is stupid. Is there anyway to make a rental tux not look awful?
Anonymous asked: Just a heads up: Ralph Lauren is holding a pre-sale now through early May! Many items are 30-40% off with an additional 15% off with an emailed coupon code!
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Anonymous asked: do you know anything about the quality of johnston and murphy shoes?
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Anonymous asked: Can you recommend a good spot online for dress belts?
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Anonymous asked: Hey Silentist - I've been looking for an upgraded navy blazer for some time and I'm intrigued by HY's offering (great write-up, by the way). However, I'd like something versatile enough for three or four seasons of wear. Is your navy blazer from HY too thin for anything but S/S? If so, are there any other, more versatile blazers out there you'd recommend at a comparable...
Anonymous asked: im going to a christening/baptism in a few weeks and i dont really know what to wear since its gonna be hot. i think its gonna be at a church then followed with a reception. right now im thinking about wearing a l/s white ocbd, khaki chinos or dark denim and some brown shoes, maybe my fifth avenues or get a boat shoe/bucks. what would you wear, im trying to take shorts and suits off my choice
Anonymous asked: Quick question: What's your favorite city for fashion? Which city has the best fashion sense?
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Howard Yount 2012 summer suits & jackets
Howard Yount will be releasing their summer collection of sport coats, suits and a blazer this week. Frankly, this is something I’ve been excited about for a very long time and I was thrilled that Jamison at Howard Yount gave me a sneak peak at the season’s offerings.
The most notable addition, in my opinion, is the introduction of a double-breasted suit in a navy cotton-linen...
Anonymous asked: epaulet sleeve guy here, wondering what it meant regarding a suit. found a great suit but description says "epaulet sleeves".. how does that work in regards to a suit jacket?
Anonymous asked: are the three button blazers on yoox actually three button, or 3/2 roll?
Anonymous asked: hey kiyoshi, can you tell me what an epaulet sleeve is? google yielded no specific results. i understand the epaulet shoulder things, but what exactly is an epaulet sleeve?
Anonymous asked: Any advice for an unstructured, size 38, navy blazer? I really like the style of LBM 1911's offerings and they fit me well, but I can't afford to drop $500-$600 on it. I'd prefer under $300. And the only ones on Yoox in my size are not navy. I want to be able to wear it somewhat often and figure that navy will be the most versatile color. Thanks!
Anonymous asked: do you know how to re-roll a lapel? like i have a 3 button blazer and i want it to look like a 2 button, ive seen pictures of those but idk how they do it
Anonymous asked: Kiyoshi, I came across one of the questions your readers asked about gray trousers and that's gotten me thinking. What differentiates a pair of trousers from a pair of chinos? I believe that chinos are more casual than trousers and trousers can't really be worn casually. Your thoughts?
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Chicago Meet Up - April 20th
ordinaryglory:
Sooo… Friday is 4/20. I’m assuming anyone looking forward to that holiday already has plans. For those of us who regard beer as their anti-drug, come and hang with us and I can promise two things:
1) You will never feel more out of place at a bar than hanging with #chicagomenswear folks.
2) Meredith can and will out drink you.
With that said, here are the specifics:
Where:...
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Anonymous asked: I have a cocktail attire type event coming up soon and am planning on wearing a navy suit, a blue spread collar shirt, probably no tie, and black cap toes keeping everything simple and well tailored. What kind of pocket square can I wear with this kind of setup? Thanks!
Anonymous asked: I went to Marshalls yesterday and tried on for the first time Brioni and Kiton blazers. Both blazers were marked down from $4500 to $1200. Where does Marshalls acquire clothes from some of the most expensive Italian labels?
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Anonymous asked: I am looking for brown leather penny loafers (without tassels) for under $150. What are your recommendations?
bewilliams asked: Yo Silentist, You have any suggestions for a tuxedo shirt? Unfortunately biasedcut only offers plain button front shirts these days. Thanks!
Anonymous asked: Kiyoshi: Do you know anything about Antonio Maurizi shoes? They're frequently on Gilt but I can't find any info about their quality or construction. Thanks.
