suitsandboots:

Last week was the Jack Spade watch collection launch here in Chicago and I’m certain a good time was had by all. Thanks to GQ and everyone who came out. It was a pleasure to host.

If you couldn’t make it (or even if you did) I implore you to check out the Jack Spade sample sale right now. They’ve got a lot of cool stuff for 50-75% off.

Photos courtesy of Jorge Gera.

Japanese whiskey is a real thing and really dangerous.

WIWT: 03-11-2013 — I tried something new yesterday and wore a leather jacket. I’ve long contended that i’m not as comfortable dressing in a more casual manner, but I think the colder season has pushed me along in that direction and gotten me out of tailored jackets and into more rugged pieces of outerwear. 

I’ve wanted a leather jacket for a while, but wasn’t really sure it was something that fit my personality or style. The really slick and refined ones with a sleek, European cut just didn’t set well with me. Lately, I’ve been moving away from slimmer clothing, so quite a few jackets weren’t appealing to me. 

Instead, I’ve grown to like the look of the A-2 bomber jacket. I won’t pretend to be a historian on this piece, but the details are rather simple: zippered front, turndown collar with snaps, dual flap patch pockets with snaps and hidden side pockets. While some models you can buy are more refined, I was looking for something that looked like it came out of a military surplus store. 

My biggest fear was buying something online and not having it fit correctly in the sleeves. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to stumble across a vintage L.L.Bean model in a 38 Long on eBay and as the only bidder it was mine for $50 — shipped, from Lithuania (yeah, I have no clue either). 

You can still buy the jacket, new, from L.L.Bean in their Flying Tiger collection, ranging from $309-$409. Sadly, they’re no longer made in the United States, however, I’m lucky enough that mine wasn’t made overseas. My jacket’s not insulated, so it’s probably best paired with a sweater underneath, but I’m glad the sleeves were long enough and it fits quite comfortably. 

Admittedly, the quality of the leather could be much nicer. It seems like the nicer A-2 bomber jackets are made from horsehide, but the prices do tend to go up quite a bit on those, even on eBay, and I haven’t seen any “long”-sized jackets, yet. 

Keeping with the military look, I wore it with a button-down collared shirt, khaki chinos, boots and a warm scarf. Oh, and aviators, because I couldn’t resist doing the “Top Gun” thing. 

If I had to critique this look, I’d probably point out that darker boots would look much nicer, ideally a deep brown shell cordovan pair. Perhaps next winter. 

Fit details:

• Jacket: Vintage L.L.Bean Flying Tiger A-2 leather bomber
• Shirt: brown & white button-down from Hall & Madden
• Pants: English drill trousers from Khaki’s of Carmel (review)
• Belt: vintage slide buckle on Beltmaster tan leather strap
• Boots: tan pebble-grain military captoes from Charles Tyrwhitt (review)
• Scarf: cream cashmere from John Hanly 

WIWT: 02-26-2013 — Chicago’s received some serious snow today. It’s the kind of snow that creates slushies on the sidewalk and deep puddles of brown water along the curbs. And that’s why I bought a pair of Bean Boots when I moved here. Huge five-foot puddle that’s up to your ankles? Who cares! Walk right through it, because your feet are waterproof now. 

I’ve spent the entire winter wearing my vintage Barbour Beaufort. It’s not extremely warm, but it’s really useful. The game pocket in the rear stores my gloves, hat and scarf when not in use. The bellowed pockets up front are large enough to store whatever you want to carry (I’ve used it to carry my Fujifilm X10 in the past). I know some people find the jackets too baggy, however, I think they’re just fine and it allows you to layer up underneath — like with a thick fisherman’s sweater from L.L.Bean or a tweed sport coat. 

The rest of the outfit is pretty basic: tan suede gloves with cashmere lining, a cashmere scarf striped with olive, brown and charcoal tones, Levi’s 501s, and a navy wool knit cap. 

Nothing is particularly trendy or fashionable here, but it’s useful, relatively affordable and I don’t care if it gets dirty and beat up. Clothing you don’t have to care too much about is something I’m beginning to appreciate a bit more. 

Sneakers and Suits: No, thank you

Last week, Evolving Style mused about wearing sneakers with a casual suit, saying, “Done well, it just looks good.” (Yes, he said much more than that and wrote a follow-up, too. Go read both, as they’re the reason why I’m writing this post.) 

One may argue the look is “trendy”, “fashionable” or even “stylish” in the most broad sense of the term, but it doesn’t present a look of being well-dressed in a “classic” sense. And that’s my objection to the look.

I’m not entirely sure why people enjoy the sneakers and suit look. Perhaps these synthetic, rubber-soled, radioactive-neon tumors show their keen sense of rebelliousness and creativity — so eager to break rules! — where the contradiction is the appeal.

But I don’t share those values and it’s my preference to wear clothing where each item shares a similar level of formality and function. 

The visual effect of looking at a tailored suit and then ending at the sneaker is a jarring one. This comes from the inherent contradictory realms the pieces occupy. To be dressed well, all elements must work in concert, not in chaos. 

The simple fact is that sneakers are for athletics and sportswear — they’re a different class of clothing in terms of use and formality than what even the most casual of suits can occupy. The two should remain separate for their respective functions and never intersect. 

It should be understood that while sneakers are for casual wear, a casual suit is simply just a less-formal type of suit. This doesn’t diminish the suit’s importance and reason for being worn to that of a situation where casual athletic sportswear is appropriate. 

A casual suit requires a more casual shoe, however, not the most casual shoe. Bucks, saddle shoes, spectators, suede brogues and even the controversial loafer are appropriate for the casual suit. I feel this achieves a harmonious look and is best. 

I find the look a bit childish, like what a teenager or disaffected college student would do in a situation where they’re forced to wear a suit but hate the idea of dressing up. 

I like wearing the appropriate clothing for the situation. I see no personal need for fashionable rebellion. 

Proper Suit summer fabrics & unstructured jackets

Last week, the guys from Proper Suit let me know they had new fabric books in for spring and summer. 

Since my review of Proper Suit back in November, Proper Suit has been featured in Esquire’s Style Blog and Bloomberg TV — it’s good to see a Chicago men’s clothing company get some national level attention — and they’ve now opened up a 3,600-square foot office in Chicago’s River North area to take local Chicago appointments. 

But the stuff I’m really excited about are their new fabrics for the warmer seasons. The variety of lightweight wools, linens, cottons and wool-silk-linen blends offer an exciting buffet of choices for odd jackets in the summer — or suits if you intend to go with a more conservative solid linen or seersucker fabric. 

Proper Suit has fabrics available from a variety of Italian mills, including Loro Piana, Zegna, Artison Napoli, Reda, VBC, Delfino, Ormezzano, Solbiati, Imparato and Fintes. 

In addition to these seasonal offerings, Proper Suit told me they’re now offering unstructured jackets as an alternative to their traditional full-canvas construction. Customers have been asking them for a while if they can offer it and they’ve worked with their manufacturer to add the option. 

After some consideration, I picked a 240-gram brown plaid linen fabric with a mid-blue check (seen on the bottom of the first fabric photo above) from Ormezzano. 

For details: brown horn buttons, bemberg lined sleeves, patch pockets, dual vents, notched lapels and of course a 3-2 roll buttoning stance. Because of the unstructured nature of the jacket, we narrowed the shoulders a bit from my suit pattern and raised the armhole slightly. 

I’m excited to see how it turns out an in a few weeks should have photos and a review up for those curious about trying the program. If you’d rather not wait, then you can visit Proper Suit and book an appointment to see the fabrics for yourself.