Sharp Stylings #60: The Older Man

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.

What's that you say? You're in your, say, mid-40s and have reached a point in your life where comfort trumps all. You're happy hanging out in your Levis 501s, Adidas sneakers, and a Jam t-shirt because, after all, Mod is 'in your heart' and just a 'state of mind' anyways.

Well, SNAP! This dude down here says, "TYA because I'm off to TCB."

Photo from the Mode Parade blog.

That's right, this is how you gear yourself up when you're out makin' the scene. Hell, this dude's sharper than most 20-something Mod dudes I see walking around in sneakers and a parka. And he ain't following the path of guys his age who've just given up, happy to be 'comfortable' in their t-shirts and jeans. As an older fellow, this is how you command attention without saying a word.

And check out that forest green suit! See what I'm talking about when I say you can work within the framework of the 3-button suit and not look like every other Mod guy at the club? Check out the detailing here. First off the shade of that green is magnificent. (What would you say, forest green or hunter green? A reader suggested 'ivy green' and I like it!) Secondly, look at how that red lining just contrasts so beautifully with the outer color. This is why the color of a suit lining is so important... adds in that bit of detail just in case the jacket opens up slightly. Now, look at the cuffs... hard for me to tell, but those don't look like buttons, they look like white loops. Never seen a detail like that before! And lastly, look at the way the 3-button front is arranged. The buttons are tight in the center of the suit so that the jacket flares out a little nicer at the bottom. The wider lapel also helps contrast against the look of the narrow button field. The stance of the buttons is neither too high or too low, just dead center.

At this point, do we even need to go into the tight fit of the trousers, the silver cufflinks on the French cuff shirt, the puffed-out pocket square, or the pale pink tie which pushes a focus on the color of the suit?

Yeah, I didn't think so. Men, you always hear that you have it easy because, supposedly, you age more gracefully than women (not my personal opinion, by the way). Well, don't take that for granted. Earn the grace you supposedly have!

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