there has been a growing trend to wear dark worsteds suits (navy or grey suits made from a fine, smooth dressy wool) with a dress shirt and no tie. and it looks so bad. 🧵
everyone who does this thinks they look like george clooney or tom ford. or they're cool and relatable and just a casual sort of dude. they project neither of those things. they just look like every downtown schlub who hates wearing a suit but bitterly does so bc they have to.
the thing is that there are many types of suits. if you want to dress down the suit, make it look intentional. choose a casual suit in a non-business color (e.g., brown, olive) and material (e.g., cotton, linen).
or go with a sport coat, which is inherently more dressed down than a business suit
instead of choosing a bright white dress shirt with a semi-spread collar (very business-y), choose a more casual option, such as an oxford cloth button-down, long-sleeve polo, or some kind of sweater (e.g., turtleneck or crewneck)
in this way, you are making everything casual. you are not just wearing a business outfit but without a tie—the laziest way you can try to "dress down" a suit. a business suit without a tie is like the night sky without stars. the chest area looks empty. the outfit looks sad.
if you're wearing a business suit, put on a tie. if you are trying to communicate something a little more casual and relaxed, then make everything relaxed. do a casual suit. or ditch tailoring and dress casual. make the outfit coherent so it doesn't look like you hate ur suit job
going to be blunt: a good way to dress better is to ask yourself, "does this look like the sort of thing a finance MD would wear?" dress sneakers, dark suit without a tie, fleece vest with dress shirt, business casual, etc. all these things are bad
i know some people are going to be like, "i work in a casual office and can't wear a tie." very reasonable! then just don't wear a dark business suit. many ways to do business casual that's not fleece vest, slacks + dress shirt, or dark suit with no tie
Let's first establish good vs bad ways to think about style. The first pic is correct — style is a kind of social language and you have to figure out what type of person you are. The second pic is stupid bc it takes style as disconnected objects ("this is in" vs "this is out").
I should also note here that I'm only talking about style. I'm not here to argue with you about ergonomics, water bottle holders, or whether something accommodates your Dell laptop. I'm am talking about aesthetics.
Watch these two videos. Then answer these two questions:
— Which of the two men is better dressed?
— How does each come off?
I think Carney is better dressed, partly because his clothes fit better. Notice that his jacket collar always hugs his neck, while Pierre Poilievre's jacket collar never touches him.
The level of craftsmanship that goes into a lot of Japanese menswear simply doesn't exist in the United States. You can do this for many categories — suits, jeans, hats, etc.
In this thread, I will show you just one category: men's shoes 🧵
For this comparison, I will focus on Japanese bespoke shoemaking vs. US ready-to-wear. The level of bespoke craftsmanship shown here simply doesn't exist in the US, so a Japanese bespoke vs. US bespoke comparison would be unfair. US bespoke is mostly about orthopedic work.
So instead, I will focus on the best that the US has to offer: ready-to-wear Alden.
On a basic level, top-end Japanese shoes are better because they are handwelted, whereas Alden shoes are Goodyear welted. The first involves more handwork and can be resoled more often.
In 1999, a group of Haitians were tired of political disorder and dreamed of a better life in the United States. So they built a small, 23-foot boat by hand using pine trees, scrap wood, and used nails. They called the boat "Believe in God." 🧵
In a boat powered by nothing but a sail, they somehow made it from Tortuga Island to the Bahamas (about a 90 mile distance). Then from the Bahamas, they set sail again. But a few days and some hundred miles later, their makeshift boat began to sink.
The men on the boat were so dehydrated this point, one slipped in and out of consciousness, unable to stand. They were all resigned to their death.
Luckily, they were rescued at the last minute by the US Coast Guard.
After this post went viral, I called Caroline Groves, a world-class bespoke shoemaker, to discuss how women's shoes are made. I normally don't talk about womenswear, but I found the information interesting, so I thought I would share what I learned here. 🧵
Footwear is broadly broken into two categories: bespoke and ready-to-wear. In London, bespoke makers, including those for women, are largely focused on traditional styles, such as wingtip derbies and loafers. Emiko Matsuda is great for this.
In Paris, there's Massaro, a historic firm that has been operating since 1894, now owned by Chanel. Their designs are less about creating the women's equivalent of traditional men's footwear and more about things such as heels or creative styles. Aesthetic is still "traditional."
Earlier today, Roger Stone announced his partnership with a menswear company, where together they've released a collection of tailored clothing items.
Here is my review of those pieces. 🧵
The line is mostly comprised of suits and sport coats, supplemented with dress shirts and one pair of odd trousers (tailor-speak for a pair of pants made without a matching jacket). Suits start at $1,540; sport coats are $1,150. One suit is $5,400 bc it's made from Scabal fabric
Let's start with the good points. These are fully canvassed jackets, meaning a free floating canvas has been tacked onto the face fabric to give it some weight and structure. This is better than a half-canvas and fully fused construction, but requires more time and labor.