derek guy Profile picture
Jan 17 16 tweets 9 min read Read on X
I disagree. This outfit is terrible and I will show you better ways to wear a polo. 🧵 Image
It's hard to look good in a polo for all of the same reasons it's hard to look good in just a button-up dress shirt or a t-shirt. The garment typically has no silhouette. Polos are relatively simple garments with straight seams and a short placket. Image
Like the fedora, it's also saddled with bad social connotations: rich pricks who run on family ties, golfing uncles, and business casual guys at networking conferences where there's plated cantaloupe. Image
Some people will point to stylish mid-century outfits worn by golf legends such as Arnold Palmer. But immediately, what do you see? The addition of layers, a distinctive silhouette (shape and drape), and the rule of thirds. Image
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What is the rule of thirds? The rule of thirds is not actually a rule, but just a gentle suggestion. It's the idea that an outfit can be made better if you break up the silhouette into thirds—top half is 1/3rd; bottom half is 2/3rds.

For example, which looks better? Image
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Bezo's outfit suffers from the same problem. It wouldn't matter if he tucked in his polo (this would look dumb with jeans, anyway). The pants are too low rise, so the outfit is broken into halves, not thirds. Image
I say this is a gentle suggestion because there are many good outfits that don't follow this "rule." But you can read more about the idea in this thread about t-shirts.

So how does one wear a better polo? The first is to get away from the business casual connotations. Instead of a simple button placket, as you'd find on a Lacoste polo, consider something like a skipper collar. Instead of pique cotton, consider another material. Image
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Here are these two ideas in action. Compare the build on Bezos vs Picasso. Bezos has a larger drop between his chest size and waist size. Picasso has less differentiation between shoulders, waist, and hips (he's kind of shaped like a tube). Image
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But which of these two outfits is more stylish? I think Picasso's. He's wearing a polo shirt made from a textured terrycloth and built with a unique collar. The outfit has aura. Image
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Another possibility is to get a polo built with a collar band. Most polos are built in such a way that the collar flops over. We see this in other photos of Bezos from the same day. Notice how the collar simply folds over. Image
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Some polos, however, are built with a collar band, like you'd find on a button-up shirt. The collar band connects to the shirt's body and fold-down collar, allowing the collar points to stand up and behave like a dress shirt. This can be useful for layering. Image
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This is important because polos are one of the easiest ways to dress down a tailored jacket, so long as you don't get the ones Bezos is wearing. And a tailored jacket is important bc it adds a finishing layer and creates a distinctive silhouette. Image
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If you can't wear a tailored jacket, or if you don't want to look overly traditional, you can always go back to the original points above: distinct collar, unique fabric (not pique cotton), rule of thirds. These outfits look good bc polo is not suction fit. Image
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IMO, many people who purport to be interested in style are actually interested in other things—body types, position in society (power, wealth), and ideas about prestige. But to me, this outfit is vanilla bland. Does not matter if it's on a buff body. Outfit is still boring. Image
I only write about style, not about how to look "hot" (assuming your intent is to attract a partner). But I will throw it to others. Do these people (or outfits, if you wish) look "hot?"

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More from @dieworkwear

Jun 20
It's true that progressives valorize "ugliness." But I think this person doesn't interrogate this position enough and thus lands at the wrong conclusion.

Let me give you a new perspective on ugliness. 🧵 Image
In popular discourse, the world was once good, people were virtuous, and all things were beautiful. Then modernity came along and destroyed everything. In this view, beauty is an objective standard that has been corrupted by liberalism. Image
I contend that beauty in personal appearance is subjective, not objective. In fact, its standards rest on the shifting tectonic plates of politics, economics, and technology. Let me give you examples.

Today, we think of these photos as the standard for male beauty and dress: Image
Image
Read 21 tweets
Jun 19
Earlier this week, I asked which tie knot you think looks better. Of course, you can wear whichever you like. But here's the social history behind both knots and why some people consider one better than the other. 🧵
In the mid-19th century, as ready-to-wear tailoring started to take form, people got around in horse-drawn carriages. After all, the car had not yet been invented. During this time, some formed driving clubs, where they rode drags.

Check out the text in this lithograph: Image
The term "drag" refers to the carriage you see above, which was a sporting vehicle that was lighter than the more robust stagecoach. Men in driving clubs raced drags. Hence the term "drag race" first appearing in an 1863 issue of Racing Times. Image
Read 20 tweets
Jun 17
People keep asking me to do a thread breaking down why these suits don't look great. I gather that these are famous, very well accomplished F1 drivers (I don't know these people). Since I only talk about famous people, I will do a thread. 🧵 Image
Please note nothing in this thread is meant to diminish the men in these clothes. If anything, it's the people who dressed them that failed them. I am only talking about the clothes. Hopefully, by pointing out these issues, you will learn something for when you're shopping.
A pinstripe suit with a white business shirt cries out for tie. If you don't want to wear a tie, then you need a more casual shirt or a more casual suit. Additionally, the shoes are too chunky for this outfit. Image
Read 19 tweets
Jun 14
The US Army celebrated its 250th year today with a massive parade in Washington, DC. It appears @ComfortablySmug believes that this is an appropriate tie for the occasion.

I disagree and I'll tell you why. 🧵
It's once again worth reminding that men's dress used to be governed by time, place, and occasion (TPO). If you were of a certain social station and had to do a certain thing, you were expected to wear a certain outfit.

This tradition can be seen in men's neckwear.
In Britain, where we derive most of our traditions for classic men's dress, the term "regimental stripe" refers to neckwear with diagonal lines, like you see below. These were not purely about decoration. Each design symbolized belonging to some organization. Image
Read 11 tweets
Jun 14
I think Brad Pitt's suit is interesting. And I'll tell you why. 🧵
This is the suit in question. It's a bespoke suit by Anderson & Sheppard in London. The cloth is a 60/40 mohair-wool blend from Standeven's "Carnival" book. The stylist was George Cortina.

To understand why this suit is interesting, you have to know a bit about tailoring history
In the early 20th century, Dutch-English tailor Frederick Scholte noticed that a man could be made to look more athletic if he belted up his guard's coat, puffing out the chest and nipping the waist. So he built this idea into his patterns. Thus the "drape cut" war born. Image
Read 19 tweets
Jun 10
This is untrue.

I see you're a luxury watch dealer. I'm also interested in watches. Let me show you how free and easy migration has allowed you to earn a living. 🧵
In 1881, Hans Wilsdorf was born in Bavaria, then part of Germany, to parents who died not long after he was born. At a young age, Wilsdorf set off into the world. He landed in England in 1903, which at the time had virtually no formal immigration controls. Image
Image
Lucky for him. Two years later, fear of poor Eastern European Jews flooding the UK led to 1905 Aliens Act, which moved the country from an open-door policy to one of stricter control. This was the first British law that labeled certain migrants as "undesirable." Image
Read 19 tweets

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