What do you mean otherwise conservatively dressed?
Little elephants all over everything.
I own a three-piece suit. I haven't worn it since 2002, so it may or may not still fit.
It says "foppish Republican" to me. I am not sure why. Is it Tony Blankley's fault?
Whoah I should get married in a three piece suit.
Good thinking, LB!
But seriously. It's not like I pay much attention to men's fashion, but I could have sworn that while I saw men conventionally wearing vests until the mid80s, I hadn't seen a suit with a vest since then outside of occasional goofy fashiony outfits. Have they returned, or am I wrong about how decisively they'd vanished, or what?
They just came back in style in a big way. I was in Bloomingdale's to buy myself a wedding tuxedo*. I went with the intention of buying a sweet, sweet black suit that could do formal duty, and they have a lot of them out.
*Yeah. I bought myself a tuxedo.
5: I'm thinking something in a glen plaid.
Some random website says "you bet they're back!"
I must say it wouldn't surprise me; next logical development from the Hedi (Fuckyou) Slimane style of weirdly too-small suits.
Is the wedding in New York Mills?
Is the dude in the picture in 9 a Second Life dude or a real dude?
Multiple individuals in the philosophy department wear three-piece suits.
13: you didn't want to say how many individuals, because then we could calculate the total number of suit pieces?
I look at glen plaid and I just see moire effect. Can you adjust your suit please?
15: one assumes the tv presenter wasn't wearing plaid. One assumes the effect was merely the acid.
Behold the vest: The fashion worlds answer to the problem of cold torso, warm arms.
Re: Brock Samson's URL, I enjoyed the hell out of that game but it didn't take long for Tommy and I to haxorz our way through it what with our l33t skills. I hope there's a sequel.
16: No, this was real life. Sort of. Look, traaaaails!
It's like Samson and his vest.
max
['Bring back bowlers!']
Shouldn't someone named "Chris Glorioso" be on the cutting edge of fashion?
I wonder what kind of suits Danny Invincibile wears.
From the link in 9:
But it's also a sign of these boom times.
James Hou, 33, who ordered his custom-made three-piece suit from Trend Custom Tailor, the made-to-measure atelier on Gerrard St. E., says it is a sign of how well the economy is doing.
"Venture capitalists, private equity, hedge funds - these industries are driven by formality. It is the uniform of this segment of business," he says.
Written less than a year ago.
I wonder what kind of suits Danny Invincibile wears.
Judging from that picture, I'd say paternity.
Well, did his vest appear to be from the mid-80s?
Wait a second; Sifu, you're implying that you're not getting married in a morning coat and grey trousers. What gives? Am I going to have to abandon my treasured image of you as the last scion of the old Boston aristocracy?
That would require getting married in the morning, LB.
As long as someone can be relied on to get him to the church on time, I don't see a problem.
Regardless of whether the condition in 29 will be met, the image in 28 should be abandoned forthwith. I ain't no last scion of nothing. Last dragon of the old Boston aristocracy? Still no.
Also, church? You people.
The last samurai of the old Boston aristocracy.
32: considered and rejected. The Last Dragon was a much better movie.
Last coachman of the old Boston aristocracy.
My great-great-grandfather may have been the last coachman of the old Fredericton aristocracy.
Rather than a scion of the old Boston aristocracy, I think of Sifu more as a scallion or shallot of the old Boston aristocracy, or maybe a leek or an endive, or even a whelk of the old Boston aristocracy.
The same Old Boston Aristocracy that horribly murdered my eight-times-great Aunt Elizabeth in the flower of her youth, merely because she wanted to be free.
The same Old Boston Aristocracy that horribly murdered my eight-times-great Aunt Elizabeth in the flower of her youth, merely because she wanted to be free.
I'm not sure they really counted as an aristocracy back then. More of a theocracy, perhaps.
My boss's boss was wearing one the other day. He was also sporting the pocket-hankie that was color coordinated with his turban. The overall effect was actually pretty awesome.
whelk of the old Boston aristocracy
He could wear something attractively helical, in a nice calcium carbonate.
The old Bostonians only wished they could have an aristocracy. Or are we talking about the olde Bostonians?
As if those lame motherfuckers were an aristocracy now. I use the word loosely.
That would require getting married in the morning, LB.
At least she didn't say mourning coat.
or even a whelk of the old Boston aristocracy.
The Scallops of Old Boston, next on Masterpiece Theatre.
max
['Fishy.']
As if those lame motherfuckers were an aristocracy now.
Former aristocracy then, former aristocracy now, former aristocracy forever!
My aunt's blood is on your head, Sifu, figuratively speaking since she was hanged.
What was I doing underneath the gallows like that?
You were just down there hating freedom, I guess.
IF the hangman draws blood he did a bad job. If the woman was so heavy that the noose separated her head from her body, it can't be helped sometimes, though..
Maybe the rope was actually fishing line.
I like the morning coat idea. What's the correspondingly appropriate formal morning dress for females?
No morning coat! They're boring. Three piece suit!
Speaking of last scions of Newe Englande, I discovered on the intertubes that my paternal genetic donor had crumped. He may very well have been buried in a three piece suit. Or a dinner suit. Or in full white tie and tails, all of which I recall him having worn from time to time. His latest wife [#5 or 6; we aren't sure], who is younger than any of us, didn't bother to notify his children of his demise. If I hadn't been googling some of his articles for a friend's father, I'd never have run across 'the Reverend Doctor [DE's pater] 19XX-2008' in one of the publications he wrote for.
Bizarre. Truly, truly bizarre.
51: AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! I just want formalwear, but not a white gown.
50: Dude, morning coats are awesome. And, morning coat + striped trousers + waistcoat = three-piece suit.
52: Wow. Weird. Condolences.
52: Thanks, but not necessary - when the parental unit in question only talks to his children in between wives, one gets used to thinking of him as gone. It was just the oddity of it; one would think it would be common courtesy to notify the offspring.
DE, that must be odd indeed. Hope you're doing okay.
54.1: I don't want to rent, though. And I damn sure don't need to own a morning coat.
No, really, I don't.
I don't want to rent, though.
Luckily I can make a turban out of a long piece of clothh!
We could do a toga wedding.
DUDE.
Let's think seriously about this.
NO.
I'm putting that suggestion in the bin with the penis-shaped drink luge.
Sheesh and no taiko drummers at the ceremony, either. You're no fun.
Well you're the one who rejected medieval dancing.
Something's pretty weird about the luge's balls.
65: nooooo.
At least we can agree on theremins.
Whatever happens it sounds as if your wedding is going to be memorable.
OT: Are there any veterinarians in the house?
It's too bad Clara Rockmore died. We coulda totally hired her.
Go for the naturist wedding and do it entirely in the nude. But not in midwinter; there will be frostbite.
And I damn sure don't need to own a morning coat.
The reintroduction of the morning coat as a wardrobe essential awaits only a few visionaries willing to own and wear them, Sifu. Step up to the plate.
A massed theremin 'choir' would be awesome.
Three-piece suits are definitely back here. Also, Tom Ford is turning out loads of three piece suits in pretty garish old-school tweedy/plaid fabrics these days.
men's morning attire is the greatest. can give something of a 'japanese prime minister visiting war criminal graveyard feel', but fuck it. stripes! my own wedding was casual, and in the afternoon, sigh, with blue blazers all around. I was leaning hard on my brother for the morning wedding; maybe his second...
The great thing about morning attire (which is good all day up until evening) is that you really need to wear a top hat with it.
The great thing about morning attire (which is good all day up until evening) is that you really need to wear a top hat with it.
Vests are definitely back. When I bought a suit this past May I nearly got a three-piece but I couldn't quite sell myself on what was available and I needed it immediately. (Instead I went for the Eurotrash 4-button that's dated by catwalk standards but looks good on me and could be altered in a matter of hours.)
Owning a tux, if one has any call to wear them, is extremely wise. Good ones can be had for not that much more than renting the whole shebang, to the point that only two or three wearings can easily pay for a tux that's worth wearing in the first place.
My honey has a dark blue three-piece suit, and I LOVE it on him, although I've only seen the whole shebang out on a few occasions, one of which was his dissertation defence. We've both decided that we want to acquire somehow three-piece cordorouy suits, like Modigliani had.
78: I'm going the opposite way, since I have very little call for suits in my life. I bought one six years ago, wore it maybe five times, and now it's mothfeed. I should just rent the things.
I'm so in favor of vests and three piece suits. Very Andre 3000.
77. I was expecting a link to the "don't wear hats 'cause they're dorky" thread. The white top hat thing is even dorkier. Not sure if that alone makes them evil.
I was once in a daytime wedding where the gents wore morning attire. I tried, and failed, to get everyone to wear top hats. I was shooting for the presidential inauguration look.
re: 81
Yes, his whole appropriation of the Saville Row style is very nice.
I own a couple of three-piece suits that date from a late-nineties/early-aughts resurgence in Europe. One advantage of them is that, whenever you're in a jackets-off situation, the vest looks a lot neater than a bare shirt.
Re: morning coats, I wore the ensemble of morning coat, striped grey trousers and grey waistcoat for my wedding (no top hat, though). If I do say so myself, it was a nice looking get-up. I still have the garments, but they stopped fitting me about 30 pounds and several points of BMI ago.
Remarkably enough, I was able to amortize the expense of the morning coat ensemble across two occasions subsequent to my wedding: a formal wedding in England, and a corporate hospitality thing at Ascot.
The fashion worlds answer to the problem of cold torso, warm arms.
More an answer to the problem that a shirt and tie often looks pretty stupid without a suit jacket.
I also very much like a sweater vest with a tie or sweater with a tie.
He was wearing a three-piece suit the evening I first swooned for UNG -- back in the days when he was well-dressed and charming rather than ugly and naked. I remain a ginormous fan of the three-piece suit, however far astray it may have once led me.
So Di, is that a sartorial version of stockholm syndrome?
89: Hmm. Perhaps, perhaps. I do, however, now tend to find both wingtips and goatees at least mildly ridiculous, so some progress is being made.
Erik Satie was famous for dressing in corduroy. Thoreau was infamous for it; corduroy was regarded as low-class and Irish.
I like corduroy but don't like the way it wears.
You could have a corduroy vest John, that way your jacket would protect the surface.
Shut up, Di. Wing tips are awesome.
Also, brown shoes with blue suits should not be mocked!*
(Actually, they probably should be. I'd never suggest this look outside of Boston.)
Can I redeem my critique by revising it to "wingtips worn with blue jeans"?
Also, I wear brown shoes with blue suits all the time. I will bring your Bostonian sensibilities to the midwest!
corduroy was regarded as low-class and Irish.
Hey! I'm wearing corduroy right now! And I'm Irish!
BG, Wing tips are sort of like most hat these days --- there exists the possibility of awesome but somehow the people who actually wear them tend to massive fail, instead.
89: Goatees? Say it ain't so. You wound me. (I don't have one right now, but I always reserve the right to grow another one in cold weather or when I want to shave less regularly.)
(Actually, they probably should be. I'd never suggest this look outside of Boston.)
Nooooo!
I've got a gorgeous and extremely comfortable pair of shoes in this rich auburn color, and I would hate to give up my dream of wearing them with something more formal than jeans.
Once I can justify the cost of a nice blue suit to myself, that is. Which will probably happen shortly after I can justify the cost of a nice linen suit. Which will probably happen after I'm completely and ridiculously overpaid for the first time.
94: I'm sure that you're otherwise a very fine person, Di, and not bog Irish at all. Probably people can hardly tell until you unexpectedly do something like eat with your fingers or spit on the floor.
96: Okay, I don't totally mean that about the goatees. A friend of mine has had a very nicely groomed goatee for as long as I've known him and he wouldn't look half as dashing without it. But... Both UNG and the Libertarian made a point of growing goatees whilst wooing me for the express purpose of trying to look cooler? more "dangerous"? otherwise more attractive? And they both looked patently ridiculous.
Soup's observation about wingtips fits here as well: "there exists the possibility of awesome but somehow the people who actually wear them tend to massive[ly] fail, instead."
Who says there is anything wrong with wearing dark brown shoes and a dark blue suit? Dark blue suits with black shoes can look somber.
100: Right. It's probably best to just compromise: one brown shoe, one black. Or brown shoes, black belt, etc.
or when I want to shave less regularly
But doesn't styled facial hair require more regular shaving, so you don't have a goatee or what have you surrounded by a few days' growth?
102: Yes, but you can look "more dangerous" by doing it with a straight razor, so there is that.
I've got a gorgeous and extremely comfortable pair of shoes in this rich auburn color
Don't be afraid to call it oxblood, pmp.
102: Yes, but I only meant "less regularly" like every two or three days. Right now if I don't shave every day, you can tell. But it seems to me like my hair grows fastest in the goatee area, or maybe it's just most visible there, so a day or two of growth in the sideburns doesn't show as much.
Buck's like that -- he's got a somewhat out of control 19th century looking goatee/moustache assembly, but in theory shaves his cheeks. In practice, all the mid-face foliage is visually distracting enough, and the unbearded area has little enough hair, that he gets by with shaving about once a week if that.
Apparently they call it rust, which is just plain wrong. And they're on sale because the shoe is being discontinued, but my size has already run out. Crap.
I didn't wear them for quite a while because of how expensive they are, but once I started, the comfort got me to wear them about half the time. Looking them up made me realize once again that they're probably more expensive than all the other items of clothing I'm wearing combined including my current jacket.
Vests should be included in the hemline index. Bad times comin' when vests are back.
When I was in Hong Kong a while back I had some suits made. One was a three piece tweed. Very country squire.
One was a three piece tweed. Very country squire.
TLL's hostility to progressive taxation and penchant for buggery are suddenly more comprehensible.
re: 102
The stubble around the goatee can be shaved a little less often than otherwise, I find. Plus, a beard trimmer can just be run over it. It's quicker than a full shave.
re: 108
re: hemline index. Hyper-sexualised tiny clothes have been in here for ages and I don't see that changing.
TLL went to Hong Kong and got a three-piece tweed suit? Clearly he is a man of iron. Or he just doesn't have any sweat glands. Or he spent his entire trip in the brutally air-conditioned offices of Standard Chartered Bank. What next, a trip to Greenland and a pair of board shorts?
111. I also had a linen suit made, ajay. And two wool suits and about a dozen shirts. Most of the shirts remained serviceable until recently.
penchant for buggery
I am an Anglophile. For God, Harry and St. George!
I would so wear a three-piece tweed suit.
Wrongshore nails it in 7.
Here I was all smug about keeping my old three-piecer because I knew it would come back in style and damn, the darn thing has shrunk.
Still, I'm glad they are back, because I really liked being able to take off the jacket and still look snappy.
