School Days Inspiration: Black Suede Shoes

By its nature inspiration comes from curious sources.  My school uniform was a strictly enforced affair, leaving little room for manoeuvre when it came to individuality. Standard issue kit was: navy blue blazer, blue shirt, royal and navy blue stripe school tie, grey trousers and black leather shoes.

However, there were three acts of subversion one could perpetrate, and get away with - just.

The first was to tie your tie in reverse. This meant creating an exceptionally skinny tie by using the thin blade to make the knot and form the length. Well, skinny ties are in vogue now, so no inspiration here.

The second act of subversion was to place a penny in your tie knot. This wasn’t really rebellion against the system, more an act of self defence. It was considered great sport in my day to find some unsuspecting wretch, and in one lightening manoeuvre grab the end of his tie and with all your might yank down on it, while yelling in an exaggerated and convoluted manner, “peeeenuuuut”. The net result was to create a tie knot of extraordinary tightness. The unsuspecting victim could only extricate himself from his tie by cutting it off. The insertion of a penny into the knot would thwart the efforts of the peanutter. Consequently it was considered most unsporting. I’m not sure how peanutting would go down amongst my fellow researchers or Members of Parliament.

The third act of subversion, and the one that sparked my imagination was wearing black suede shoes. I’ve often worn brown suede with suits, inspired by one of my heroes, the late Terry-Thomas. But until recently I’d never backed black.

Not the most practical material for winter, regardless I love the look. Firstly, black suede makes your feet look smaller. Secondly, rather like midnight blue Dinner Jackets can look blacker than black ones, the same illusion happens with black suede shoes. Finally, the matt effect also adds a richness which combined with worsted cloth sets up a nice contrast. It also works well with grey flannel, this time providing a continuation of texture.

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Roll With It

I always prefer dressing in winter. From an aesthetic point of view, greater variation can be achieved in the colder months – layering, scarves, colour contrasts or matching. And from a comfort point of view, I consider it easier to be happier in winter time. Summer can be so sweltering that elegance is nigh on impossible and the experience of moving around a sticky city can be unbearably unpleasant. In winter, though it is certainly cold and the wind doth certainly blow, if you dress properly you will be happy. A sensible weight of suit, sensible overcoat, and accessories like scarves, hats and gloves can be the difference between an unpleasantly shivery state and a sense of warm satisfaction.

I like simple things in winter. I am far more easily pleased in the chilly months; deliriously happy for the warm punch, the wool blanket and the slippers on my feet. I also love simple knitwear at this time of year. On especially cold days, I have the urge to hang all the little strips of silk and my cotton shirts and wander around in a gorgeously warm shawl collar jumper. The only problem with such a choice is that it is assuredly casual. What is needed is something between elegance and cosy comfort. Something that allows you to be deliciously warm whilst conveying a taste for sophistication.

The roll neck, or turtle neck, can be one of the most comfortable, and comforting, items of menswear. When the cold breezes blow, the idea of wandering out exposing a freshly shaven neck makes one chill in anticipation. A favourite suit hangs in the wardrobe, begging to be worn, but the unprotective tie and shirt lying on the bed make the gentleman reconsider; “I need to be warm today” he will say, thinking over his attire. Opening up a drawer, the sight of a friendly turtle neck jumper conjures a broad smile. He dons the jumper, and the suit, and finishes the look off with a pocket square and some monkstraps.

So, cometh the unfriendly day, cometh the friendly turtle neck, and preferably in cashmere. The most important consideration for such a garment is how it will look underneath a suit. The tendency for gentlemen is to purchase larger items of knitwear with fuller arms and a casual, baggy roll to the chest. Unfortunately, that is precisely the wrong kind of fit for a turtle neck that can be worn under a slender and well-fitted suit. The arms need to be as slender as possible, the chest as fitted as possible and the length needs to be great enough for a little trouser-tucking and no more. The jumper can be of any colour of your choosing, charcoal grey suits particularly match a great range, but the jumper must be non-textured and slim-fitting otherwise you’ll look like Joey from ‘Friends.’

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Learning To Appreciate The Argyle Jumper

I have to say I’m a bit of latecomer to the cause of the Argyle jumper, something I now put down to callow youth.  For years an item of clothing that appeared in declined, or rather favoured by those in decline, this was epitomised by the fall from grace of Pringle. Then in 2001 they signed David Beckham as their poster boy. Being thus imbibed with youthful vigour and some street cred –if you care what footballers’ think- the company never looked back, and the Argyle experienced a renaissance.

Now most retailers have an Argyle or two in their collection, but I spotted these versions on a favoured retailer of mine, Smart Turnout, a while ago. While I turned from sceptic to advocate sometime before, I just hadn’t found a jumper I was happy with. Having a soft spot for the Ivy/Trad look, my attention needless focused on the Black Watch Argyle, and I reckon for my Argyle plunge they are just what I’ve been looking. They’re a good price, 100 pure wool and of reliable quality.

But whether you go down this road or some other, there is much to be said for having a couple of Argyle jumpers in your armoury. Now, I’m a great fan of layering clothes, and winter is the perfect time for it. The ability to layer your look shows both a confidence and an appreciation of aesthetics. Layering enables you to add colour, texture, depth, contrast, light and shade. In fact you should think of it as creating a sartorial landscape for the eye to roll over. And like real life landscapes, what makes something breathtaking is a matter of inspiring the minds eye -for we often perceive something before we actually see it.

However, when layering there is always the danger of simply placing blocks of colour next to each other, which can sometimes look ever so slightly drab, or too safe. An Argyle jumper under a jacket, particularly when combined with a wool or knitted tie, helps break up this block effect, thereby enabling you to pull off a more sophisticated look and create your landscape.

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How To Wear A Trilby

It’s not easy wearing a hat. You stand out more in a crowd than a man wearing polka-dot knickerbockers or a cape. The hat radically changes a man’s silhouette, probably more than any other item of clothing.

People look at you if you wear a hat. Anyone that is passionate about classic men’s style is probably used to the stares of others. But a (proper) hat draws stares from everyone, everywhere. I bought my first proper hat – a brown-felt trilby from Lock & Co – a couple of weeks ago and am just getting used to these sensations, this attention.

The comments on that previous post included: “I have been a daily hat wearer for years. While I do get the occasional odd glance while wearing a hat, I mainly get compliments” and also “wearing a hat makes you look like a dope, especially if the hat is a very fine one.” I can completely understand why men are passionate about hats in both directions.

I think the reason is that everyone knows hats are incredibly practical, but they don’t feel comfortable wearing one. And I can’t help feeling that perhaps they resent that. Or they resent that their head gets cold and they feel silly in a beanie. And flat caps look odd, or over trendy.

A hat keeps you warm. It’s an overused fact, but a fact nonetheless, that most of your body heat escapes through your head. When you get older, losing your hair, many years from now (as the Beatles put it) you need something to cover your head in cold weather. It’s necessary.

And a hat keeps you dry. Remember those close ups of Humphrey Bogart, standing in the rain on a street corner, watching the house opposite? The rain was pelting down on his hat and trench coat. But he wasn’t getting wet. It’s an oddly liberating experience when you first where a proper hat in the rain, and everyone around you is either clashing umbrellas or scampering for cover.

If you just don’t like hats, fine. But trust me, if you have even the sneakiest suspicion that you might like one, try it a few times and you won’t want to turn back. Sure, you’ll feel self-conscious, but that’s the case with wearing anything new. I used to feel self-conscious wearing a pocket handkerchief. Now I get odd looks if I’m not wearing one.

Some hat enthusiasts will disagree with me, but I think a hat is also an unusual enough accessory to need balance elsewhere. I won’t wear my hat with a double-breasted suit, tie and briefcase. Because to me that is straying almost into costume – or a lack of individuality. I think my hat looks best with casual trousers, a blazer and open-necked shirt. Perhaps a raincoat on top. In the same way I wouldn’t wear a tie, pocket handkerchief, tie clip and boutonniere to work, no matter how good it might look. It’s a question of balance and personal taste.

Finally, for those that requested it, there are shots here of my hat with its box, and a photo of how it looks rolled up for travel.

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The Last Word In Accessorising Goes To The Pen

The strictures on what constitutes being ‘well dressed’ allow men a few items of apparel. These are:

-A watch;

-Cuff links;

-A tie clip –although that depends on who you talk to;

-Belts and braces; and

-A wallet

I would add a pen to this list.

The advent of chip and pin, e-mail and auto-signing documents have all but removed the requirement for committing pen to paper for most men. But that shouldn’t deter you from investing in a decent bit of writing apparel.

Some of you may spend your days signing off on multi-million pound business deals; a few of you may one day sign treaties of national and international importance. But whether or not your life takes such a path, the fact remains that the most important things a man ever does will still require his signature.

Whether it is penning a rare letter to a loved one or a note of condolence; signing that contract for your first job; the deeds to your first home; your child’s names on their birth certificate or putting your name to a marriage certificate, it becomes the embodiment of your own personal history and your time on this planet. As such it is something to pass on to your heirs and successors.

In my view a man who understands this truly possess style and flair, particularly in a world where cheap convenience makes it easier not to make the effort or indulge the expense. I haven’t worn a watch for years, and I can live without cuff links – although I prefer not to. But owning and writing with a beautifully crafted pen is one of the few old world pleasures left to modern men, we should embrace it.

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