Creating a Stylish & Personal Study

When I think about the various elements of personal style, my thoughts do not stop at the wardrobe door.  As I have said many times before and will continue to say, style is not just about clothes.  Anyone can buy nice clothes and walk down the street.  That’s not necessarily style – it’s fashion.  Personal style encompasses your entire personality; what do you value, what interests you, where have you been and where do you want to go? One place where that all comes together is your study or library.

I have always wanted my own study.  Growing up in a large family, I didn’t really have much personal space.  So what I craved from a young age was my own room laid out the way I wanted; not a bedroom – a study.  I would have all my stuff in there – books, pictures, collections, etc.  It would be my personal place.

I think every man should have a study of some sort, be it a room to yourself or just an empty corner ready for a desk and bookcase.  Equally important is how you fit it out.  When we moved into our house several years ago, I claimed a spare bedroom as my study and slowly transformed it into the place I always wanted.  I have a wall of bookshelves, an antique desk, and a wall filled with family pictures and art ranging from classic hunt scenes to modern abstract.

If you have the space, I suggest you think about creating your own study.  One of the first tasks at hand is to gather all the things you have that are inspiring to you.  This is a great way to actually see all the books, magazines, pictures, collections, and ephemera that make you feel at home.

When all these special and personal items are in one place, a mere room begins to transform itself into a sanctuary.  Design the room so that it matches your personality; are you a modernist, clean and sparse, or anglophile, with lots of Persian rugs and mahogany?  Truth be told, if I had a big budget and enough room, my ideal study would look very much like a Rugby store.  I’m a sucker for classic Anglo/American style though, so that should come as no surprise.

In addition to your books, magazines, and newspapers, I think all studies should include a nice collection of pens, good writing paper (engraved with your monogram if you can afford it), Moleskine notebooks, and several lamps.  To me, indirect lighting makes a big difference when it comes to the general feel of a room; creates better atmosphere.  A nice leather lounge chair, or better yet an old leather sofa, provides a place to work or read.

If you are so inclined, a little table stocked with a good selection of scotches and bourbons is an indulgent touch.  Add a humidor and a bowl of match books collected from your travels and you, sir, are in heaven (or at least my version).

One Thing: The Flat Leather Document Folio

As Christmas is quite literally upon us, I want to add one more item to my wish list. I hope that when you read this column, you too make a little room for this arguably anachronistic yet stylish item. I would very much like a flat leather document folio; the one with a zipper that opens up on three sides so it can lay flat on a table. You’ve seen it, the simple and classy kind that gentlemen and titans of business used to carry on a regular basis. That’s what I want.

It is, in this world of laptops and Blackberrys, not particularly practical. Flat folios have limited space and can never really compete with the functionality of a messenger bag or roomy elegance of a soft sided brief bag. Regardless, I see them as the perfect accessory. Their very obsolesce is what makes them so wonderful. You must think about what goes inside and are forced to pare down the clutter.

What to carry? A pad, a pen, some calling or business cards, and a few important documents. That is part of the beauty, being forced to shed most of the stuff we carry around but never really use; simplification by necessity.

It’s also just an elegant alternative on those days when you need not carry all your daily gear. It makes you want to dress up a bit; if one is planning on walking around without all the normal bulk he must be someone important, people will think. You might as well look the part.

Leather folios are a great choice when traveling for business as well. Instead of toting around your business bag, toss the essentials into a leather folio and you are ready to meet in style.

Other styles of document folios are useful as well. They can come in a range of sizes and styles; some are the simple single pocket described above while others have multiple pockets and flaps. All these styles are designed to be carried under the arm; no handles or straps here. Pick one up, give it a try, and be amazed by how much more polished and organized you feel.

One Thing: The Polo Collared Sweater

The polo collared sweater is an incredibly versatile piece of clothing. It provides the warmth and classic good looks of a crewneck sweater with the versatility of a shirt. These are but some of the qualities that make it another “one thing” you should have in your wardrobe.

Golfers in the early 1900s first popularized this style of pullover and ever since it has retained a certain elegant sportiness. The polo collared sweater comfortably straddles the line between dressy and casual without drifting too far into either area. These days, sweaters have taken the place of sports coats as appropriate dress for events and gathering that are not fancy enough for coat and tie and too formal for jeans and tee. The polo collared sweater is the perfect choice for times such as these.

Because of it’s folded over collar and short but defined three-button placket, the polo collared sweater can easily be dressed up with grey flannels or down with jeans and topsiders. The sweater’s collar also provides a nice frame for the face, giving structure and foundation to the neck without the need of a shirt collar underneath.

This leads to another benefit of the polo collared pullover; unlike most other styles of sweater which are meant to layer over a shirt, it can be worn as a shirt itself. Generally speaking, polo collared sweaters are made of fine gauge material; namely cashmere, merino or lamb’s wool, and cotton. Wearing it as a shirt can give you a relaxed yet elegant, modern look and makes it more comfortable when worn under a sport coat.

Should you be in a layering mood, polo collared sweaters provide a particularly preppy touch when worn over an oxford shirt. If your sweater has a strait hem, leaving the shirt un-tucked adds a little stylish irreverence.

Wearing Cargo Pants For a Grown Up Look

I recently had to accept a difficult truth about myself; I’m a grown up. Not that I am one of those late thirty-something guys who actually think they are still 22. You know the ones – always talking about college and how great it was, best time of their life, king of the party, etc. They don’t want to get on with life and eventually start looking a little sad. I’m not saying that life shouldn’t be fun, and for the record I had some great college years, but that was a while ago and my current life is pretty darn good too.

No, my reality check came in the form of a pair of cargo pants. I saw them on the sale rack at J. Crew and instinctively reached in. They were very cool; kind of beat up and baggy with big leg pockets and a vintage military feel. I took them to the dressing room, tried them on and that was when it happened.

They looked wrong on me. Not that the pants were wrong, they were great; fit very well actually. No, they just didn’t work on me. A month ago maybe, but not now. They were meant for someone younger, hipper; someone who is in college and doesn’t have to dress for an office. They were made for that guy and I had just realized that he was not me. Nope, apparently I’m an adult.

As it turns out, I already had the solution at home. Several years ago, my wife gave me a pair of L.L. Bean cargo pants for Christmas. At the time I didn’t fully appreciate them, they were a little too grown up looking. No ties at the ankles like military pants, the leg pockets were functional but trim and they looked more like khakis than adventure wear. Now I wear them regularly; how times change.

This prompted me to sit down and think about what makes a good pair of grown up cargo pants. This is no small issue. If there is any one article of clothing that screams youth, it is the cargo pant. Inherently casual, designers are increasingly filling them with extraneous pockets, ties and other doodads.

It may take a little effort, but more refined versions are out there to discover. If you are going for a more grown up look, maybe even for a casual work outfit, avoid overly military inspired designs. There is really no good way to dress these up. Look for more of a safari style; these tend to be leaner, more function than flashy. Keep the leg pockets on the smaller side and avoid ankle ties.

Your pants should have a more polished appearance and work well with a range of tops from summer polo shirts to fall sweaters. Some designers like Ralph Lauren make dress versions of cargo pants in nice flannels, Loro Piana corduroy, and even Harris Tweed.

As I happily discovered, there is life after you outgrow your baggy, laid back and often dirty university wardrobe. Being an adult does not relegate you to the life of the man in the grey flannel suit. Rather, it opens up new options to reinterpret your youthful wardrobe through a different set of eyes.

Preppy Style v. Classic Style

Today I want to broach an interesting subject – at least interesting to me. Some while back I ran across the following question: what is the difference between preppy style and classic style?

At first I thought, “Well, that’s pretty easy…” Then I tried to talk it out and realized that actually the line is finer than at first glance. While classic style and preppy style both have the same general source – traditional New England “Ivy League” influences – the primary difference can be best described as attitude.

Where classic style is polished, neat, even orderly, preppy style is coastline casual. The preppy ethos, best inscribed in the 1980 classic “The Official Preppy Handbook,” is refined irreverence. Preppys essentially seek to bring down the formality of their real or imagined prep school sartorial codes while keeping them intact.

They do things like layer an iconic blue blazer – the very symbol of proper decorum – under the proletariat functionality of a foul weather slicker. Why? Because they like to sail of course; and if you’re one of them you’ll understand the irony. Then you’ll also discover you have the same alma mater and go have a G&T at the club.

That, in its essence is the core of the preppy persona: democratized privilege. Let others know you are special, a little blue blooded, but don’t be tacky about it.

On a personal note, this is where I think so many people go wrong with the style today. With the abundance of corduroy, tartans, tweed and waxed canvas, most folks just seem to lose their head. Top to bottom “prepped out” looks silly. As with most fashions, trying too hard makes you look sad, not cool.

Well, if that’s my version of preppy than you might think my idea of classic style is less about Martha’s Vineyard and more like lounging Harry’s Bar (the one in Venice, not the one in Paris). Not quite, let’s try Gramercy Tavern; classy and polished but not too snooty.

I make the distinction because when we talk about dressing classically, it is easy to drift into a discussion on formality. While the two are compatible to me they are mutually exclusive: a bespoke suit is certainly classic, but you needn’t wear a bespoke suit to dress classically.

Classic style also does not hold itself to a particular psychological place like preppy’s clubby-old-school-cum-windswept-sports world. Classic style is more of an approach to dressing.

When I think of classic style I immediately envision men like Hugh Grant, George Clooney and the all-time Mr. Classic, Gary Cooper (apologies to J. Hackett). These gentlemen are great examples of defining a sense of individuality within the context of classic dress.

Clean lines and traditional bones define the classic outfit. Other keystones include excellent fit, earth tones and complementary color palettes, trim rather than loose silhouettes, and a certain degree of simplicity. No ties with sailboats scattered all over and maybe a charcoal turtleneck instead of lumpy fisherman’s sweater.

While the two styles share common roots, there are differences. Understanding those differences will give you a better handle on getting dressed in the morning.

Classic looks will make you feel urbane and polished; ready for a martini at the bar or a drive to the country in your vintage Bugatti. Preppy will have you out in the bay in a 48 foot Hinckley, hauling in the lines and admiring the new tear in your khakis – just what you wanted.