derek guy Profile picture
Dec 11, 2023 14 tweets 7 min read Read on X
Let's talk about this because you may get invited to a party this holiday season that calls for "cocktail attire." What is cocktail attire? And how can you do it well? 🧵 Image
The term "cocktail attire" comes from a time when people went out and mingled at cocktail bars. In these physical spaces, there were two groups:

1) People just getting off of work
2) People on their way to another evening event, such as seeing a show Image
As such, cocktail attire refers to the things that people naturally wore during this period, given where they had just come from or where they were heading.

Office workers wore suits.

People on their way to an evening show, such as the opera, wore black tie.
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We don't really live in that world anymore, but if the invite says "cocktail attire," you will never be wrong showing up in a dark business suit or black tie.
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However, in doing so, you should aim to dress elegantly. That means wearing dress shoes instead of sneakers, black calfskin instead of brown suede, dark worsteds instead of rustic materials like brown corduroy. Maybe a bit of velvet. Think: fancy evening attire. Image
Many in these situations will feel tempted to ditch the tie, fearing that they'll look overdressed. If you are wearing a dark business suit, I encourage you to not do this. A dark business suit without a tie is like the night sky without stars. It looks sad and defeated. Image
If you're not going to wear a tie, I encourage you to put more thought into the rest of your outfit. Don't just ditch the tie and assume you look like George Clooney. One solution is to wear a thin merino turtleneck. This looks more thoughtful and stylish.
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Another easy solution is to wear a long-sleeve polo, but not like the ones you see at Lacoste or Fred Perry. You want a polo with a collar band, so that the collar stands up better. This will make it behave more like a dress shirt. @ProperCloth sells some nice MTM ones
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If a suit feels too formal, then try a sport coat. To me, sport coats lack the elegance of a suit, but they're still a great option for evening events. They are also easier to wear without a tie, as the whole ensemble now looks more casual. Image
Since this is an evening affair, consider how to make this look elegant. Something like this black/ white houndstooth from Besnard will look better at night than a brown sporting tweed (which, while wonderful, is better for the afternoon).
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If you have room in your wardrobe, you can also get a wool-mohair suit (60/40 blend is my preference). Mohair is a stiff, slippery fiber that has a slight sheen. I think it looks amazing under artificial light (dim bars and restaurants). Outfit can be conservative or wild
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An easy way to make an outfit look more chic in the evening is to rely on the same color and get your contrast from fiber, texture, or sheen. For example, a navy merino turtleneck can look amazing with a navy suit in hopsack or twill. Again, black shoes in the evening. Image
If you have the personality for it, you can also pull off something a little more colorful. My friend @toneloki73 here is wearing tartan trousers with a velvet jacket and red turtleneck. The whole outfit feels very celebratory, perfect for drinking cocktails. Image
The point here is to use history as a guide. Once you know the origins of cocktail attire, you can get a sense of how you should dress. Then use the parameters to express yourself. Aim to create an elegant party outfit. Make the night feel special.
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More from @dieworkwear

Jul 25
You should never follow any of these color charts. They are all stupid.

I'll show you why. 🧵
First, let's do an experiment. Here are two relatively similar outfits: a blue shirt with a pair of dark blue jeans.

Which do you like better? Reply to this tweet with your answer. This way, people can see how the majority of people "voted." Image
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If you said the right, then we have the same taste. This is despite the outfit on the left following this exact guide — and the outfit on the right not appearing in the guide at all.

So why do we like the other outfit better? Image
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Read 18 tweets
Jul 23
I both agree and disagree that it's subjective. Like with anything, my views on tailoring stems from a "first principle." That principle is that men wore tailored clothing better in the past (specifically the period from about the 1930s through 80s). 🧵
If we agree on this, then there are certain ideas that naturally flow from this principle, partly because men's dress during this period was governed by time, place, and occasion. As stated before, one such idea was city vs country clothing. Image
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Another such idea was resort or evening wear. Or summer vs winter wear. And so forth.

One can carry these ideas forward into today's age without it look like historical cosplay. Just like how we are currently using words to communicate, some from the early 1900s. Image
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Read 7 tweets
Jul 19
Twitter has a character limit, so I assume (intelligent) people will read context and know I'm talking about interior design and fashion, which today are coded as "gay interests" for men. Not painting or architecture, which carry no such stigma.

I will elaborate 🧵
IMO, it's absolutely true that American Protestants were uniquely against certain forms of ornamentation, including fashion. For instance, the Quakers deliberately shunned adornment and extravagance in dress, stressing the importance of simplicity. Image
In his book "The Suit," Christopher Breward writes about how Quakers would talk about "troubling lapses into self-fashionableness by wayward members" during meetings. However, the Quakers were small in number and often seen as unusual by their fellow non-Quaker community members Image
Read 19 tweets
Jul 17
I believe this jacket is from Dobell, a company that produces their tailoring in Turkey. I'll show you some telltale signs of quality and where you can buy a tailored jacket made in Britain. 🧵
I don't think there's anything wrong with buying clothes made abroad (I believe in free trade). However, I think it's strange when people rail against "globalism" and free trade, while benefitting from these things. Talk is cheap; one should put their money where their mouth is. Image
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I asked Lee where he bought his jacket, but have thus far received no word. However, we can guess whether this is a high-end or low-end garment from two things.

Can you spot them? Image
Read 19 tweets
Jul 15
I disagree that this is an aesthetically pleasing photo. Tristan's outfit ruins it and I'll tell you why. 🧵 Image
I'll assume Tristan is telling the truth when he says he used Photoshop and not AI. If so, this is a very impressive Photoshop job. By removing the scaffold tarp, you reveal more of the building. By removing the other cars, you also achieve more aesthetic coherence. Image
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What is aesthetic coherence? It's the idea that things based on shared history or spirit go together. For instance, I've long said that the Cybertruck could look very cool if you wore certain outfits (futuristic techwear) and lived in a Brutalist home. Image
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Read 15 tweets
Jul 14
Some people are incredulous that you can wear certain shoes without socks, such as leather loafers. Much depends on your body and climate. But I'll tell you one reason why you find this difficult to believe: you buy low quality footwear. 🧵 Image
It's absolutely possible to wear certain shoes without socks. As mentioned in an earlier thread, men have been doing this for over a hundred years. Going sockless makes sense if the outfit is semi-casual (not business clothes). Image
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In fact, if you wear socks with certain footwear styles, such as espadrilles, you will look like you don't know what you're doing. Image
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Read 16 tweets

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