Most people would not describe Trump as someone who wears slim-fit clothes. But here, we can see his trousers are quite slim in relationship to his body. You can tell because the hem barely covers the opening of his shoes.
If you're a heavier man who wears a suit with slim-fit trousers, you end up breaking the top and bottom halves into distinct blocks. Notice how much the jacket hangs over the trousers. There's a lot of empty space between the jacket's front edge and his pants.
It's a mistake to think that wearing slim-fit clothes makes you look slimmer. Or that everyone has to conform to some trend. A better approach is to dress for your body type. Look at the relationship between Jackie Gleason's jacket and pants.
The wider trousers here are not the most fashionable, but they are the most flattering (for him). By minimizing the jacket's overhang and reducing the empty space between its front edge and the trousers, you get a streamlined silhouette from top to bottom.
We see the same effect here on France’s President Hollande and Japan’s Emperor Akihito. Hollande's trousers are too slim for his jacket. As a result, he looks like an egg on sticks. Compare his silhouette to Akihito, where the jacket and pants flow and form a harmonious whole.
Such advice is not limited to men with heavier figures. Daniel Craig often wears suits that also don't flow. The top and bottom halves often form distinct blocks. This is partly because his trousers are too slim and his jackets are too short.
When you see beautifully dressed men, consider how the top and bottom halves form a silhouette. They don't always need to flow (in some casual styles, breaking up these parts can be intentional and part of an aesthetic). But in tailoring, it's often best when there is flow.
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Like a lot of stuff in classic men's dress, the rule of "no white after Labor Day" is rooted in class dynamics during the early 20th century. Many questions can be answered by "what is the aesthetic?" and "who set the rules?" 🧵
During the early 20th century, men's dress was governed by TPO (time, place, and occasion). In England, where we get many of our rules, men did business in London while wearing navy suits and black oxfords. But when in the country, they wore brown tweeds and grained derbies.
This is where we get the rule "no brown in town." The idea was that you were not supposed to wear brown tweeds and brown grained derbies while doing business in London (a rule that held pretty firmly until relatively recently, at least for sectors like finance).
When people think of menswear crafted with a high-degree of workmanship, they think of places such as France, Italy, and the UK. Some may think of Japan. But few will think of India, even though some of the most incredible workmanship is happening there now. Let me show you. 🧵
This thread starts with a premise: quality workmanship speaks for itself regardless of where it's done. Often, people's view of "quality" is colored by where a garment was made. Robert Schooler showed this in a 1965 paper published in Journal of Marketing Research.
As you read this thread, I want you to keep in mind the stories you may have read about European craftsmanship. These stories inspire awe because they're about skilled labor and dedication to one's trade. We should be in no less awe when the same craft happens in India.
The first person who comes to mind is Yashwant Rao Holkar II (full name Maharajadhiraj Raj Rajeshwar Sawai Shri Sir Yeshwant Rao II Holkar XIV Bahadur), who was the Maharaja of Indore. He occasionally wore beautiful garb that I can only assume is traditional to Indian culture.
Unfortunately, I don't know much about non-Western forms of dress, so I can only speak to the Western forms of attire that he wore. Here he is in white tie. Everything here is impeccably tailored—collar hugs neck, no divots, perfect peak lapel and gorge.
I understand the sentiment, but respectfully disagree. I don't think dress codes do much to improve aesthetics, largely because they don't change what has caused a decline in aesthetics. It is not about lack of personal pride but rather shifts in our commercial system. 🧵
First, I should say at the outset that I don't think dress reflects someone's deeper, more important qualities. Coaches will not coach better if they wear a suit. So for me, this is fundamentally just about aesthetics.
Let's review some coach outfits through the years.
Apologies if I get some of these wrong—I'm not an expert on basketball history. I pulled these photos from searching "basketball coach [decade]." So I'm counting that these are mostly correct.
Have you ever felt a film scene was particularly memorable or beautiful? To be sure, much of this is about cinematography and acting, but I want to show how outfits also contribute to this impression. Hopefully, this thread will give you some ideas on how to dress better. 🧵
Fit and silhouette are the two most important qualities of any outfit. Even when Vittorio De Sica portrayed this poor family searching for a stolen bike in post-war Italy, the dad looked great bc the coat broadened his shoulders and flowed over his hips. The son also wore layers.
We see this same effect in The Linguini Incident (1991). In this scene, there is barely any color aside from the cotton candy. Yet, all the outfits are beautiful bc they turn the ppl into shapes. The hats, scarves, and outerwear give the people distinctive silhouettes.
The New York Times, a publication I've worked for and love, recently published a guide on the best men's jeans. Included are $300 APCs and $50 stretch jeans from two different brands. I have a different view on how to find the perfect pair of jeans. So here's a thread. 🧵
I should start by saying that while I use the Wirecutter for all sorts of things, I don't think their format works very well for clothes. That's bc clothes are not like appliances or gadgets; they don't make for easy comparison. Matters of fit, silhouette, and taste are critical.
A friend in the cashmere industry gave me a good analogy. "People who are into coffee have all sorts of ways to describe things," she said. "Coffee can be light or dark roast, washed or naturally processed, and have different notes. I wish ppl had the same language for clothes."