Sharp Stylings #6: Barry Gibb

We can learn so much from yesterday’s fashion icons.  And living in a post-Mad Men world means we can even enjoy aspects of current male fashions! Every Friday, I’d like to start your weekend off right with a little style inspiration from either then or now. Hopefully, my fellow Mod enthusiasts will find the whole or some detail of the whole to appreciate and maybe even adopt.

A while ago, I read though Jeremy Reed's recent John Stephen biography, and was struck by the following image:

Stare into my eyes... when you wake up, you will love disco music in 10 years.

Yup, that's Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees dapperfying your screen. He is wearing a white jacket, white shirt & tie, and white pocket square contrasting with, according to the book, cherry red waistcoat and pants. The only thing that bothered me about this photo? It's in black and white! (In fact, for a book about colorful Carnaby Street, there weren't ANY color photos.)

For me, though, this outfit struck all the right chords. But what killed me even more, and set me off on my current outfit goal, was Gibb's plan with John Stephen. He decided to have three 3-piece suits made: one in white, one in red, and one in blue. The idea behind this was so that he could then alternate the pieces and have a different outfit every time he went out! It's no wonder Barry Gibb won a John Stephen Fashion Award for Best-Dressed Man in 1968! (And yes, you do want to click that link, trust me.)

Yeah, this image sent me on a mission and part one of that mission has been completed. This week, I acquired a white suit! Well, off-white really.

Speaking of which, tune in on Monday for a Labor Day white suit post!