Stop that man! He stole my wardrobe!

I'm loving this outfit by Shipley & Halmos. Why? Because I have pretty much the exact same outfit in my closet right now; it was my uniform on a trip to Scotland. Why Didn't I put it on for a pic? Because it's friggin' 97 degrees. Use your imagination, and I promise I'll make it up to you come autumn!

"It's the circle of life! And it rules us all! Ahzen-wanya, bugga-beets a-bo-bor..."

My apologies to any Swahili speakers out there, but I don't own a copy of The Lion King with subtitles.

Onwards!
Barney's sent me an email with the headline "Dudes: new kicks from LANVIN" so, Lanvin being one of my faves, I of course tapped that (with my touch screen sillies).

What followed was the recurrence of an awkward memory (not painful, since no one else likely remembers). The trigger? These:

When i was 14, as a costume for my sister's birthday party, I decided to dress in skater-grunge: flannel shirt, jeans, spray-painted hair and a glorious pair of maroon shimmery patent Sketchers almost exactly like the Lanvins above. So this is where Simba and his pals come in: it's interesting to see how some relatively small some fashion cycles are; this one began in the early nineties, continued into my Dorkier Age, and has resurfaced again! I must say I don't always mind when history repeats itself but I will be admiring this style from afar.

Also this is my first blog attempt from my new iPad; forgive, ignore, and/or keep to yourself any grammar errors. This took me forever.

the well-shod man

It's a well-worn joke: when a couple talks about their shared closet space, the man bemoans the exile of his clothes to one small rack (or a corner) while the woman's bounty runneth over.  I see no reason why men don't fight back (or, preferably, take over another closet) when it comes to the Risk-like game of shared closet organization.  The best stereotype to toss?  A man owning just two pairs of shoes (or three if you include those brown flip-flops that are apparently in the Male Starter Kit).

 First: the requisite too-primo-for-words rock star boots that cost nearly as much as one month's salary...

 then the clean, simple yet stylish lace-up that shows you give a damn...

 The double-monk to spice up your weekday...

 Add a pair of shoes meant for a Sunday stroll through the park...





And finish off a well-curated shoe collection with a dash--or smack o'er the head--of studs. 

 For you stud, you!

style after sixty

Tonight I came across Ari Seth Cohen's blog Advanced Style--a focus on the "silver-haired set" and their strikingly elegant, and often outrageous, style.  Hell, if I live to be sixty or seventy I'm doing it up big every day.  We're talking gloves, hat, the works.

I especially loved his snaps of dapper gentlemen--bold ambassadors of a golden age who take great care in every aspect of their dress (notice this man matched shoes with both pants and shirt), much like the HipsterDandies I've met so far!

It reminds me of an extremely stylish older gentleman I passed today; unfortunately he had no time to pose for a pic (but let me give you a hint: large blue bowtie, blazer, belted slacks, suspenders, perfection) but I have a serious soft spot for the sharp-dressed elderly man!

I feel I must add my love of the snow in this pic--holy hades it's hot out there.

In which I borrow from the boys

One of the great things about fashion is its fluidity: women borrow (or sometimes steal) from men, and men do the same (although they're less likely to admit it, stubborn things).  One more theft (um, I mean loan) from the boys: the bowtie.  It's a slow-growing fad...a few of my coworkers gave me the odd look or two!

Hope you had a Hip and Dandy 4th!

HipsterDaddy

A guy can't beat a classic pair of aviators for eyewear.  Especially mirrored ones with which to check my hair.
My awesome Pa at the harbor in Baltimore!

historical hipsterdandies

July 4th is a great day to look back on history, even if it's your family history.  So I thought I'd bring out one of my favorite shots of my Great-Great-Uncle Chris Wright (left) and his friend Doc Pee in their 1940s sartorial splendor.  Hammy poses aside (this one was one of Doc's faves; I've found it at least 2 pics so far and it's raised a couple questions, but that's a separate issue) several trends we see today on the streets are right there in the photo: oxfords with patterned socks peeking out from under shorter pants, and a focus on tailoring balanced with casual.  If they were walking down the street today I'd cross traffic to take their pic!

Eric

I may have said this before, so pardon the redundancy, but I am thrilled beyond belief that men's clothing is returning to a normal silhouette, not one where the man feels the need to hold up his own pants as he walks (you know who you are.  And so do we).  While some designers are taking it to extremes, as evidenced in the pic from The Sartorialist below, to mark the shift, most guys are opting for a slightly more comfortable version that is still looks flattering, tailored, and correctly laundered.

Meanwhile in DC...

So I was glad to run into Eric, who was wearing the latter style so well, complete with his own contribution to the plaid fad in DC this summer!