With winter safely in the rear-view mirror, there’s a whole new breed of tie up for grabs. Forget the gray wools and somber brown hues. Now that the sun is out, we’re more partial to raw silks, textured cotton and madras ties—the rare breed of neckwear that actually looks good on a beach. And in case you want to join in the celebration, we’ve pulled together a few of our favorite examples after the jump.
This near-perfect spring kit is brought to you by Close Up and Private, who just unveiled their spring/summer issue with a perfect tutorial on wearing prep school gear without looking like you’re still in prep school. Take notes, men.
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Todd Snyder’s been getting love for his fishtail overcoats ever since Fashion Week, but the first of the crop has finally made it to stores. Instead of that shearling it’s a spring parka, which happens to have a few extra inches of waxed cotton in back for a touch of white-tie elegance. If it’s raining that hard, you’ll need it.
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The fashion world draws a pretty clean line between fall/winter and spring/summer. The shops changed over about six weeks ago, and the hypothetical wardrobe made the shift roughly a month after that. We’re as guilty as anyone. We’ve been waiting all winter to bust out the linen pants—and now that they’re almost seasonal, we’re pretty excited about it.
The only problem is, that’s not how people actually dress. So we’d like to offer a few words of wisdom on the style limbo of early spring, focused around the all-important image of the rolled-up sleeve.
You won’t be needing your winter coat anytime soon.
So now’s the time of year when we usually throw all our sweaters and tweedery into a ventilated box under our bed, and bring out the linen shirts and tees. But as you might expect, it can get a little musty in there, so you’ve got some cleaning to do. Don’t worry; it’s simpler than you think. After the fold, we’ve got three places to focus, to make sure you finish off the month as crisp as you started it.
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It’s spring jacket season, and one of the all-time classics just went on sale. We’re thinking of the British Baracuta jacket—and right now, you can pick one up for just $60. Our advice: find the trimmest fit they’ve got, and then lock it down before someone else does.
Now that the weather’s warming up, we’d like to direct your attention to one of the most overlooked items in your spring/summer arsenal: the cotton sweater. It’s an airier version of the wool and cashmere pullovers in your closet, and perfect for those couple weeks in mid-March when the summer sun butts up against the last gusts of winter. These will fare well against both.
Continuing on our springtime white denim kick, we thought we’d pass along this undyed denim jacket from H.W. Carter & Sons.
The designer is Greg Chapman, the same outerwear savant behind Schott’s Perfecto Brand, so he knows his way around a jacket. But unlike the biker jackets of yore, this is all 19th-century military flourish. (Check out the brass buttons and regimental pockets, for example.) And just like those white jeans, it’s Cone denim that will build up an interesting wear even without the help of indigo.
Just don’t wear them both at once.
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It pays to be prepared.
In spring, that means rain. And not just rain: a full-scale monsoon, accompanied by biblical eruptions of wind, lightning and thunder. Your umbrella won’t stand a chance.
The best solution (other than, you know, staying inside) is an enormous, knee-length waterproof coat, kind of like this one from Australia’s Kakadu. It’s roughly their equivalent of the British Barbour coat—only much, much tougher.
It’s reinforced wherever water might leak in, including two linebacker-style patches over the shoulders and an extra flap to cover up the zipper. And since that adds up to a lot of waxed cotton, it might be the heaviest thing in your closet. Use it well.
via LikeCoolToday’s Rolex:…is a weathered Tudor Submariner Cal 390. [Teneu De Nimes]
Fare Thee Well, Sidney: Sending off Sidney Lumet. If you haven’t seen Dog Day Afternoon, now’s a good time. [In Contention]
”Golf Style” is Like “British Cooking”: Tiger is slipping at the masters…both sporting-wise and style-wise. [Esquire]
The Newest Latest: The Bengal Stripe shares their latest spring kit. Handsome stuff. [Bengal Stripe]
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Just because it’s getting warmer is no reason to give up on sweaters entirely.
The trick is finding one that manages to be just as cozy and layerable without being quite so warm. This one comes from Margaret Howell (who, by the way, has a pretty amazing house), and it pulls off the trick by weaving linen stripes into the usual wool—resulting in a thick-but-breathable blend that should be wearable well into May.
June, if you roll the sleeves up.
The crewneck sweatshirt is one of our favorite items for the lull between cold and warm weather. Worn over a collar, it’s a way to introduce a bit of ruggedness into an otherwise bland outfit, drawing from the unpretentious end of the workwear playbook.
And while we’d usually stick with the classic gray heather, this midnight blue version from Maiden Noir is too handsome to pass up. On any other item, this shade of blue would scream “gallery assistant,” but with those contrast seams, it just lends the whole piece a touch of elegance.
Just keep it as far from your gym bag as possible.
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You may have noticed a lot of blazers and light v-necks floating around in the past few weeks, but we’d like to make the case for the spring cardigan. This particular item just arrived at New York’s BBlessing, and it’s lightweight enough to serve as the perfect middle layer until June gets here. Those white stripes are twill, brought in for an extra jolt of twee, which in this case works just about perfectly.
We’re big supporters of the spring scarf as a way of moth-balling your winter coat a few weeks early, but if you’re really committed, you may need a different kind of scarf.
Symmetry had the clever idea of adding a little hardware. A small chain and fastener convert their tartaned wrap into a makeshift cowl, which should be every bit as warm as a spring coat. It’s a little medieval, but if you’ve got a waxed cotton coat handy, it should fit right in, and if the weather shifts, you’ll be able to de-cowl and slip the whole thing into your bag without any more trouble than the standard wrap around. Sadly, they’re not geared up for retail just yet…but maybe by the fall?
Now that we’re caught in the puzzling medium between deep winter and t-shirt weather, we’re breaking out one of our favorite spring items: the heather gray sweatshirt.
A good one will be every bit as warm as your fall sweater, but it comes off a whole lot more summery thanks to memories of outdoor gym classes and Sunday leaf raking. Throw a collared shirt under it—you’re a long way from gym class, after all—and you should be all set.
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Naturally, we’re big fans of style. But sometimes the best thing about an item is what you can do with it.
Tretorn’s latest galosh does just about everything you’d hope: tasteful colors, striking white lines and generally something every bit as stylish as whatever you’re slipping them over.
But as usual, we’re most excited about what it would look like stomping through the latest batch of puddles.
The Members Only jacket has a pretty checkered past, but it may be leaking into thte mainstream.
This Rag & Bone Tarpon Jacket is dangerously close to membership territory, but for once we don’t mind so much. A light nylon, a clever plaid lining and, yes, a few epaulettes just add up to a spring jacket, not a faux-pas.
Time heals all wounds, apparently.
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The hunting-style spring jacket is having quite a surge these days.
We marveled over Mr. Ford’s version yesterday, but the folks at Winn Perry just pointed us towards a treated cotton version that offers a lighter hang and adds a ticket pocket in front for anything that didn’t quite fit in the others.
That makes for five total pocket flaps—more than any reasonable man should ever need—but we’re glad to see the ticket pocket outside of a suit jacket. It’s too good an idea to leave to bespoke tailors alone.
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The lightweight jacket usually gets passed over, but a good one can get more wear than a suit. And, as usual with outerwear, the trick is finding the right texture.
This houndstooth jacket from A.P.C. gets it just about perfect, offering a zig-zag of patterns that averages out to a neutral gray from far enough back. This being A.P.C., the collar is just about perfect, and the cut is every bit as narrow as you’d want.
It’s waterproofed too, but we’d still recommend keeping an umbrella handy.
APC’s spring collection just went up online, and this belt was what caught our eye. It’s not exactly preppy, and it’s certainly not the kind of thing you’d see on a pair of suit pants, but it’s one of the cheekier accessories we’ve seen lately, which counts for a lot. Now that we’re done with the skinny tie, maybe it’s time for the skinny belt?
The Spring 09 collection from perennial favorites Band of Outsiders is currently making the rounds (thanks, Kanye), but this time they’re in video form.
Instead of a set of static pictures, we get a series of people fading gently in and out of frame in madras hoodies, tartan shorts and, of course, bow ties. The shoes are mostly Topsider-esque boaters, but there’s nothing here to suggest the BoO folks are slipping. Mostly, we just wish it were warmer.
It’s always nice to see an old friend…
Selectism is sharing a peek at Engineered Garments’ new Spring collection, and it’s interesting as always. The workwear pioneers have moved on from the chaplin-esque bagginess of last year’s spring line to a more modern trim, with a new set of ornate fabrics along for the ride—a few which look like they might be more at home on curtain rods.
But don’t worry: they’re still cutting jackets with an eye towards turn-of-the-century steel workers, and they still do it better than anyone else.
Idol Radec has been kicking around the Los Angeles scene for a few seasons now, but thanks to their casual approach to web design, we’ve had trouble getting a close look at their goods. Luckily, Fashionisto got their hands on the spring collection so we could see for ourselves.
It’s nothing mind-blowing—in fact, didn’t we see that tie in the window at Banana Republic?—but there’s nothing wrong with playing it safe. We’re always glad to see a contrast shawl collar and pair of Newport Reds…even if we already know where to get them.
As we enter the rainy season, it’s worth considering the options for a well-shod gentleman on a rainy day.
Galoshes, naturally, are out of the question. While it can be quirky and striking on a young enough woman, the solid rubber boot has always been overkill. The naked shoe, on the other hand, is just asking for it.
That’s why we’re glad we ran across Swims, a lightweight slip-on that will cover those crucial bottom three inches of shoe most vulnerable to soaking. Slip a few into the bottom of your briefcase and you may be able to make it through the season with your shoes fully intact.
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