John Varvatos Pants Update...

A few weeks ago I went to the John Varvatos Warehouse sale at the Convention Center in Downtown. I was disappointed in the selection but I did find a pair of lightweight chinos, which had to be shortened by a tailor to fit my legs. After finding the time to take them in and pick them up again, they are finally back. Shortened to my preferred hem length the chinos look great, well at least as good as anything can look on me.

Excuse the horrible pictures, I am not adept at taking pictures in mirrors, but I will try to get better.  Also realize the pants look as those they have a stain on them, which is in reality a smudge on the mirror and not the pants.  I also provided a picture of my complete outfit which was taken in the hallway mirror, excuse the bad lighting. I am certainly glad that we have fall like weather in LA, at least for the beginning of the week. It is nice to break out the sweaters and trench/over coats. We are supposed to have weather in the mid 60s with a chance of rain for the first three days of the week, before it jumps back up to the 80s.  LA weather certainly keeps you on your toes this time of year.

Today, I decided to wear the new John Varvatos pants, I am always antsy to wear the new stuff, with green gray slip-ons. On top is a blue micro-check gingham light blue & white shirt, a navy sweater with a blue gray, light blue & white argyle pattern on the front. And finally, a Banana Republic trench coat just in case it rains, like the weather man warned. The trench coat might be the best pick up of the early fall, I bought it on sale for $35 since few in LA feel the need to be appropriately prepared for rain, rain essentials are often steeply discounted at retail chains so that they will not take up space in the stores for long.  One of the advantages of living in LA, a disadvantage is the selection is always drastically limited.

After all the ramblings, I have to say I am pleased with the John Varvatos Warehouse Sale purchase.

Fall Necktie - Paisley

The closer we get to the cold weather of fall the more I think about about paisley ties. My favorites are wool or flannel material paisley ties, but this season there are a lot of great paisley ties.

Ben Silver makes this great wool tie. I prefer the mustard and red versions of the tie but it comes in multiple different colors.

Drakes of London makes these two Paisley ties. Their bespoke ties are the ultimate of luxury.

Faconnable makes a great paisley pocket square & tie.

Robert Talbott makes a beautiful paisley tie this season. It has a beautiful design more focused on other elements than the paisley tear drop.

XMI makes this great paisley. The colors are all utilized in fall and make this tie quite versatile.

Enjoy the paisley.

Good shoppers find good deals

Priding myself on being a good shopper is not always about finding sales on items at J Crew, Ben Silver and Nordstroms, but sometimes it is about finding the right piece at a discount store. Most of the clothes at discount stores do not fit right or are out of style, but sometimes they get it just right and for a really good price. My two favorite stores to watch for deals are Target & American Eagle Outfitters. Take a look at the items I found at American Eagle, really cool stuff for great prices.

American Eagle Trench Coat - $99 - It has the same style as all the top designers for considerably less. Most of the designer Trench Coats are between $800 - $200 a coat, this one for only $100 is a great deal.

American Eagle Brown Leather Oxfords - $54 - As any faithful reader of this blog knows these are not Oxfords but instead Bluchers. But whatever you call them they are a good shoe for casual wear. They are useful for a night at the bar or any sporting event, and considering the circumstance could be great for a date or a casual Friday at work. I think the silhouette on these shoes are very cool, chunky where it counts and slender everywhere else. I of course love the patina and distressing, which will only improve with time. Not to mention the great price for shoes that have a wooden sole.

American Eagle Desert Shoes - $34 - These are exactly the same look as the desert shoes you will find made by Clarks, but a lot cheaper. We all know how important boots are this fall and these are a great deal on a classic shoe. Why pay more when you can get the same shoe for considerably less?

American Eagle Shawl Collar Sweater - $59 - I do like the sweaters at American Eagle quite a bit. This Shawl Collar sweater fits in with the current fall fashions and has a great accessory in the leather buttons. I would definitely think about adding this sweater to the collection.

American Eagle Woodsman Boots - $79 - These boots have a very similar look as the Red Wing boots made for J Crew, but are a lot less expensive. If you are buying boots because you need them to trudge through snow and rain and really test them in extreme conditions, go with the Red Wing boots, they are some of the best made. But if you are buying boots for fashion purposes, plus they are useful on a rainy day, these might be the boots for you. They are nearly $200 less expensive then the really nice Red Wing or Frye boots and they look pretty damn cool.

American Eagle Boat Shoes - $39 - Boat shoes never go out of style. The ones made by AE are very cool looking and significantly less than Sperry Topsiders. While I think everyman should eventually own a pair of Topsiders, these suede boat shoes are a great addition to the closet.
American Eagle College Cardigan - $49 - Cardigan's are great, they are versatile sweater that can be worn over a t-shirt or a button down, can be worn with a tie and slacks or jeans. This cardigan from AE has a cool accent of double stripes on the sleeve. It comes in Navy or Gray. For the price it is definitely worth picking up.

Suit: Three Button Suit - Proper Buttoning Technique

When wearing a three button suit it is important that you only button the middle button. This will allow the jacket to create an X shape in the front with the top button folding over creating a longer lapel and the bottom opening up to reveal the shirt and tie. When only the middle button is done and this X shape is not seen, then the jacket does not have the right fit and is need of tailoring.

Proper Tailoring is always crucial with a good suit, but especially with a three button suit. Remember, never ever use the top and bottom buttons, leave them for the unfashionable. The suits above have the proper buttoning and fit.

Fall Essentials - Shawl Collar Sweater

Retro is back in fashion and that is certainly evident with shawl collar sweaters. I am still a little undecided if I love or ate the look, but it is certainly something different, which is always needed in men's fashion. Plus, shawl collars were popularized by Steve McQueen and Paul Newman, who can doubt their style?

Rugby Shawl Collar Cardigan - in the picture aboove

Rugby College Stripe Shawl Collar Sweater

Woolrich Shawl Collar Cardigan

Woolrich Shawl Collar Sweater

Rugby Shawl Collar Cardigan

Ralph Lauren Cable Knit Shawl Collar Sweater

J Crew Shawl Collar Sweater

J Crew Shawl Collar Cardigan

Hugo Boss Shawl Collar Double Breasted Cardigan

Hugo Boss Shawl Collar Sweater

Hickey Shawl Collar Sweater

Fall Essentials - Purple

Every season a new color becomes popular. A color that represents the season and the overall feeling of the season. This fall, my guess is that the color will be purple. It is certainly a color I want to use in my wardrobe. Here are my favorite purple items of the season.

Shirt & Cashmere sweater (pics 1 & 2) by J Crew. Tie by J Press. Cardigan by Rugby. V-Neck Sweater by Calvin Klein.

Fall Essentials - Tweed Herringbone Trench Coat

Theory has made a tweed herringbone trench coat for this season. This is a perfect jacket for anyone living with severe weather and needs a great alternative to a cashmere overcoat. I would certainly think about picking it up if our weather was actually cold (Los Angeles has great weather, but that certainly limits the clothing options). What is great about this jacket is that it would easily go with any fall suit in the typical fall colors: navy, heather gray, black, olive and brown. Theory has done it again, a fashionable, practical, yet unique piece. This piece is available at Bloomingdales for only $795, for a jacket of this quality that is quite a good price.

Fall Essentials - Tweed Herringbone Jacket

My favorite odd jacket for this or any fall/winter season is a gray tweed herringbone jacket. I have had one for about 2 or 3 years now and love when the weather turns cold enough to wear it. It is the perfect jacket for jeans, chinos or accessory for your normal work slacks (black, navy or heather gray work best from a color stand point).

The jacket is sophisticated casual. It has a very English countryman heritage so it has the old elegant sophistication that comes with such a heritage. Historically this jacket would have leather elbow patches for hunters. Hence the jackets heritage is casual, due to this it is typically made only as an odd jacket. (But I would highly encourage making a slim fit tweed herringbone suit with bit 2 inch cuffs on the pants, but that is my personal style and not something everyone can pull off.)

This season stick with a beautifully tailored slim fit gray herringbone tweed. Rugby (by Ralph Lauren) has my favorite version of the jacket this season (top picture). Rugby makes a very casual, cool and aggressive version of the jacket with details like: stitched patches instead of the English style leather elbow patches, colored lining under the lapels and a hidden stitched skull and crossbones under the left lapel. Fashion is often in the subtle details and Rugby nailed it with this version of the jacket ($350 or so).

Theory & JCrew both have more traditional but modern versions of the jacket, so you will not have to worry about looking like your Grandpa, but you can still look hip on your date (JCrew & Theory pictured above: JCrew has the tie). Uniqlo also has a version of the jacket that will be coming out in the next month or so, this might be the best financial option as long as you live in New York or have a friend in New York who can ship it to you (Uniqlo only has one store in the US, in New York, and they don't take online orders).

Rock the tweed herringbone as one of your go-to-jackets, this fall. Leave the leather jacket at home and instead rock the herringbone, it will keep you just as warm and you will have classic and sophisticated alternative to leather. The ladies & the fashionably aware men will appreciate your sartorial decision.

Fall Essentials - Boots

Obviously, the change of weather in fall means that you must have shoes to handle the puddles, the mud, the ice and the snow. This means breaking out the boots. New or old, boots are an absolute essential in fall, and this season is no exception. In fact, more boots are popping up at more stores and by more designers than ever.

I am digging the round toed boot this season (square toes are so 2000). I also am a fan of buying brand new clean, non-distressed boots and breaking them in yourself. With as much as you will be wearing the boots this fall, don't worry soon they will have their own patina, their own scratches and wounds, their own individual wear and tear. They will be uniquely yours. The best way to break in a pair of boots is to wear them out one night to a crowded bar, that many drunks will be sure your boots are good and scuffed up. Also this season I am voting for brown boots, I just like the way brown boots get broken in. I like it better than black.

If you don't know how to wear brown boots, well try am with your favorite pair of jeans an oxford and a navy blue blazer. Or wear them with some tweed slacks, a dark shirt and tie and a matching leather jacket. You can also wear them with chinos and a cashmere sweater for a casual relaxed date look. Its the total cat's meow to wear a pair of chunky boots (scuffed or un-scuffed) with a heavy weight suit (make it a heavy wool, tweed or herringbone, the fabric needs gravitas for it to look right). Boots are the winters version of Chuck Taylors, they can be worn with almost anything and anytime and look damn good.