honestly, it never even occurred to me that someone can look like a dork in tweed. i recognize that you can look like an old man. but it's easily my favorite fabric and I've always found it super charming.
if you're getting your first tweed sport coat, get a mid- or dark brown sport coat. this will be easier to wear with grey pants, which are a staple in a tailored wardrobe. they can also be worn with other things.
a brown tweed can be worn with blue jeans, tan chinos, taupe whipcords, cream cavalry twills, and grey flannel trousers. pair with light blue oxford cloth button downs, crewneck sweaters, turtlenecks, or long-sleeve polos. can be worn with or without a tie.
a grey tweed is also very nice, especially if you plan to primarily wear it with jeans. but depending on the specifics of the two garments, you may find it harder to wear with grey trousers (a staple of a tailored wardrobe).
i think grey tweeds work especially well in the evening because it's a more elegant color than brown. nice for getting dinner, if you can round up friends who also like to dress up.
a third or fourth tweed down the line can be in sage green or blue (i think blue tweeds are easier to wear when they have a grey undertone. this makes the color cooler, rather than warmer, and will pair easier with cool colors that likely dominate your wardrobe)
tweed can be whatever you want it to be: sporty or academic, semi-formal with a tie, or very casual with a Shetland sweater.
when in doubt, know that it's a rustic material, so it pairs better with colors like brown instead of navy, materials like whipcord and corduroy instead of worsted wool, and semi-casual leathers like suede or county grain instead of polished calfskin
some tweeds come off as a bit old fashioned. i love the look but recognize not everyone does. toothy checks like gun clubs can come off like this. if you're worried about it, try herringbones, glen plaids, or donegals, which are more neutral.
if a sport coat feels too formal for your lifestyle, try a tweed overcoat. these can be worn with tailored trousers or jeans. you will likely need some kind of knit underneath to balance out the visual weight of the coat. try Arans, Shetlands, turtlenecks, and such.
anyway, tweeds are great and you should try them. here are some tweeds with a dog.
to answer the question I know is coming: "where can i buy one?" here are some stores that i like for ready-to-wear tailoring. it's early in the season, so fall stock is still coming in.
The most important thing you need is a dressing gown. This is not technically sleepwear, as you don't sleep in this. Instead, this is something you wear shortly before and after going to bed. It goes over your pajamas. In the past, fancy men wore this to see their valet.
Dressing gowns are a great way to wind down and a nice way to wake up. They can be made from any material (cotton being the more affordable). But for something warm in the winter, get something made from woolen flannel. Extra fancy ones will have a quilted lining.
I've been doing a series of threads on how to repair certain garments in hopes that people can hang on to things longer. Since fall is here, let's talk about how to repair sweaters. 🧵
There are two types of damage on knits: snags and holes. I'll address each in turn.
Snags can be fixed by tugging on the other areas of the yarn to rework it back in. But for most people, an easier solution will be to use a Snag Nab-It, which is a needle with a rough end.
Push the needle through the snag, twirl it a bit to catch the yarn, and then pull the needle through. This will pull the snag over to the reverse side of the fabric. It's not a perfect solution, but the snag will be invisible and less likely to break.
I wrote about something I feel strongly about. Readers often ask me how they can incorporate tailored clothing into their lives if they work in a casual office or live in a casual town. My answer: start going out to nice restaurants. 🧵
It doesn't have to be some three-star Michelin joint. Honestly, it doesn't even have to be that fancy! In the Bay Area, I'm talking about $25 spaghetti. Just a place that makes the outing feel special.
My friend Alan See often posts "food + clothing" content on his IG (seealan)
I got this idea a few years ago from my friend Andy and his wife Michèle. They live in San Jose, a super casual town. But every Friday, they get DRESSED in formalwear for dinner—Andy in a tuxedo, and Michèle in an evening dress. They even get dressed up for weekday date nights.
HOW TO RECREATE EVERY GOOD OUTFIT IN HARRY MET SALLY 🧵
1. Visvim Amplus sweater 2. Orslow 2-year wash 107 or 105 jeans 3. Nike Rake AC sneakers (for something easier to find, try Reebok Club C or Nike Air Force 1s)
1. Southwick tic-weave tweed at O'Connell's 2. @ProperCloth Italian washed denim shirt (can be MTM to be a button-down collar like the film) 3. Orslow 2-year washed 107 or 105 jeans 4. Jay Butler Cromwell penny loafers in medium brown
1. Camber 231 cross-knit hoodie 2. J. Crew slub cotton baseball shirt 3. Orslow 2-year washed 107 or 105 jeans
I'm doing a series on how to repair things in your wardrobe. The hope is that, given this information, people will be less likely to throw things away. This thread covers shoes. 🧵
First, know that almost anything can be repaired. In 2015, the now-defunct Japanese menswear magazine Free & Easy covered how some cobblers repair sneakers. The scans below show how soles can be replaced, uppers recolored, and broken stitching mended.
In the last 10 years or so, the sneaker boom has created a new industry of creative repair shops. The LA-based store Goods & Services will replace soles with a totally new style (IG shopgoodsandservices)
1. Nikes with rubber hiking sole 2. Chucks with handmade leather soles
dressing well has no correlation with intelligence, capability, or even character, and i don't know why people continue to believe that it does. it's simply a specific skill, like having nice penmanship.
sometimes i wonder if people who believe these things actually know any smart people in real life. like, if you go into any academic department at a top-tier research university, you think people dress like they do in some rom-com about a brilliant professor? get real.
im genuinely shocked at the number of people who don't get how dress is no indication of a person's intelligence, character, or capability. many religious leaders advocate for an aesthetic lifestyle; geniuses in every field often dress badly.