How to Ruin a Perfectly Good Suit

jamespowers · Oct 24, 2006

Marc Chevalier said:
If you ever see Jesus, He'll be in trouble!

.

If I see Jesus in a suit with sandals then I'll believe that it goes together. Until then....

jml90 · Oct 27, 2006

Plus Fours.

chippler · Nov 2, 2006

Baggers said:
My pet peeve is having the trouser legs so long that the fabric bunches up around the ankle. More than a slight break and they're too long. That, and wearing the trouser waistband at the hips. It called a waistband for a reason!

Oh yes, and "dress" shoes that are built like combat boots, or the ones with the really ugly squareish toes -- looks like something that belongs on a clown.

Cheers!

lol I hate those square toed shoes, too

- Chris

Sly Style · Nov 2, 2006

jml90 said:
Plus Fours.

You got me fooled on this one, care to elaborate?

I remain sincerely,
Benny K.

Orgetorix · Nov 2, 2006

Sly Style said:
You got me fooled on this one, care to elaborate?

I remain sincerely,
Benny K.

Plus fours are trousers that are cut short, four inches below the knee. Plus twos are similar, but end two inches below the knee. Often called breeks, breeches, or, for Americans, knickerbockers. There are variations that make those different garments, however.

Something like this:

GOK · Nov 2, 2006

Why has nobody mentioned comedy ties and socks? Or could it be that you all secretly have matching South Park sets..to go with your Cartman boxers! lol

I noticed several people mentioning badly worn waistcoats - how do you feel about no waistcoat? To me this is completely wrong and just looks as though the gentleman in question has neglected to dress himself properly.

And whilst I am on a roll;

Low waisted trousers - bad enough on slim men but when accompanied by beer-belly overhang, it's a most distressing sight.
The wrong belt - brown with a black suit? Eh?
The wrong shoes - not merely the style but the colour and location. Remember chaps, never brown in town! Needless to say, neglected shoes are a sorry sight.
Short sleeved shirts - if casually attired, then I accept that they may have their place (doesn't mean I have to like them though); however, with a suit? No, no, no. The Mormon missionary look is never a good one IMO.
Breast pockets on shirts - words just fail me. Why?
Austin Powers ruffles - you may not think such an abomination would occur this side of the 1970s but I have seen it with my own eyes. Perfectly good dinner suits ruined by an attack of the frillies.
Vests showing through thin shirts - I don't know what you call them in the States but they are worn underneath shirts and are usually sleeveless and often made from a stringy cotton. Whatever - a man and his undergarments share a very special relationship...one I have no wish to be privy to.

Even with everything that has been flagged up, gentlemen are the poor losers in the style faux pas stakes when compared to females. Nothing a gentleman does could ever be as wrong as footless tights

BegintheBeguine · Nov 2, 2006

Oh my dear GOK, the Lounge has an entire thread AND poll on what are disgustingly called wifebeaters (string vests).

Yes, I despise them, too.

GOK · Nov 2, 2006

Aaah wifebeaters....is this because (and please understand I am only going by what I have seen in films) such apparel is generally worn (without a shirt) by those that live in lower status housing, drink and smoke too much and are so ungentlemanly as to raise a hand to their long suffering wives?

BegintheBeguine · Nov 2, 2006

I was shocked when I first heard the term, uttered by a respectable middle-aged lady at the library. No sleeves to impede the wifebeating, presumably.

Senator Jack · Nov 2, 2006

We ended up turning this into an article for Classic Style, and we wanted to leave out some of the obvious. What I usually find with magazines is that they're just repeating what most people already know. Buy a health magazine and you'll read: use bandaids for cuts. (Really?)

So things like mismatching belt and shoes we've already covered ad nauseum here, and we figured most men who are buying an expensive suit (let's say bespoke) would already know this much. I was going to leave out the open double-breasted, but while out in NYC, I still see men walking around in open expensive dbs. I thought this one point worth repeating.

Comedy ties? Of course. Again, I can't imagine that anyone that is spending $3,000 on a suit would wear a comedy tie, BUT I have seen them with the baseball hat. I figured they just don't know better. They see them worn by young epicene models, and think it perfectly okay. And that was the gist of the topic. What people are thinking NORMAL, but isn't.

Regards,

Senator Jack

GOK · Nov 2, 2006

Over here we have something called chavs. Horrid, horrid creatures with a predilection for wearing a vulgar amount of equally vulgar, cheap jewellery, which is collectively known as 'bling'. This applies to both the male and female of the species. Some of this bling involves large sovereign rings - colloquially known as 'b**ch slappers'. I'm seeing this in the same vein as wifebeater vests.

Of course, the only suits such creatures would wear are tracksuits...with the trousers tucked into their white, banded, sports socks. :rage:

ETA:

Aahh dear Senator - thank you for the clarification. However, I have seen many cases of high end suits worn with all of the faux pas I mentioned earlier. Clearly money does not buy style. But then I think we knew that anyway, no?!

Sly Style · Nov 2, 2006

Orgetorix said:
Plus fours are trousers that are cut short, four inches below the knee. Plus twos are similar, but end two inches below the knee. Often called breeks, breeches, or, for Americans, knickerbockers. There are variations that make those different garments, however.

Something like this:

And people wear such things in a suit ensemble?

Oh the humanity!

I remain sincerely,
Benny K.

jamespowers · Nov 2, 2006

BegintheBeguine said:
Oh my dear GOK, the Lounge has an entire thread AND poll on what are disgustingly called wifebeaters (string vests). Yes, I dispise them, too.

Yep, mark me down in the EWWWW column again.

Clearly ruins a suit if it is easily seen through the white shirt.

Regards,

J

FreddieVonRost · Nov 2, 2006

Chavs and Irony

GOK said:
Of course, the only suits such creatures would wear are tracksuits...with the trousers tucked into their white, banded, sports socks. :rage:

Oh the delicious irony. Fat, chain smoking, drunken, horrible little oiks wearing tracksuits and other sports wear.

geo · Nov 2, 2006

Remember chaps, never brown in town!

Well, I like to wear brown suede shoes with grey chalkstriped suits, like the Duke did in 1926, and Fred Astaire did after.

Marc Chevalier · Nov 2, 2006

FreddieVonRost said:
Oh the delicious irony. Fat, chain smoking, drunken, horrible little oiks wearing tracksuits and other sports wear.

Welcome any and all London Lounge expats! Were you banished, or sent here as a mole?

lol

.

carebear · Nov 2, 2006

Marc Chevalier said:
Welcome all London Lounge expats! Were you banished, or did it send you here as moles? lol

.

It's the British Invasion!

jamespowers · Nov 2, 2006

Anyone who hates flip flops and undershirts is welcome here as far as I am concerned. :eusa_clap

Regards,

J

carebear · Nov 2, 2006

GOK said:
I noticed several people mentioning badly worn waistcoats - how do you feel about no waistcoat? To me this is completely wrong and just looks as though the gentleman in question has neglected to dress himself properly.

So two-piece suits, designed as such, are right out?

I run a little warm to be wearing 3 pc. in the summer....

Marc Chevalier · Nov 2, 2006

Agreed!

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