*odd shawl lapel h&m jacket, slim fit shirt, bright red paisley rayon tie w/ equally luminescent pocket square*- circa 2008
Before I begin, some things to take note of in the photo above: A) my jacket is fastened while sitting down, B) my jacket has a lapel(shawl) meant for formal wear, C) my tie is loose, D) said tie is bright red paisley with a matching pocket square, E) Bunching in the chest and across the shoulders.
As X of Pentacles continues to grow, I’ve decided to bite at “Throwback Thursday” for sake of exposure and education. Everyone starts somewhere. A great friend of mine once said, he who does not start, will never finish. The sartorial disaster above was Marcel fresh out of college. I worked a mentally taxing job in sales, but had a disposable (in my 21 year old mind) income and financial freedom from my parents. I never grew up having “cool” clothes or name brand clothing. When I was able to provide for myself, I decided to indulge as I found my sense of style. At the time, I knew I was interested in menswear, but drawn in by what I was conditioned to view as the standard. i.e. GQ magazine, Esquire, etc; Contemporary fashion brands and the less expensive subsidiaries that offered similar trend driven garments via mall retailers (H&M, Aldo, Armani Exchange, Uniqlo, etc). I had not yet understood the meaning of quality and garment construction. All I wanted was a “look”; A manufactured “Look” at that. Therefore, I could happily hand over $100 for a fused slim fit blazer, $30 off the rack slim fit shirt ( I was 145 pounds at the time) , $40 trousers, and $60 for a pair of glued black Aldo shoes. And don’t forget the skinny tie.
Eventually the blazer started to bubble, the shirt collar fringed, and shoes fell apart. Roughly $230 something in the wind due to lack of quality and short term appeal. I would later on bite the bullet and buy my first pair of black calf Ferragamo Jodphur Boots on sale for a whopping $400 (I don't wear black shoes anymore). I had eventually amassed this wardrobe of trendy contemporary clothing to achieve a look, but still had no idea about the traditions of menswear. What were it’s origins? How are things made? What were some other tailored clothing brands?. I used to pass “Silvano Lattanzi” on the M1 bus traveling back uptown during my college days, and wanted to know what that world was like. One day I stumbled upon a now popular, but then humble and close knit menswear forum online. It was here I began to trek up the mountain…