Casual Fridays #7: Steve Marriott

Working to look sharp for a rare evening out on the town can actually be easy. The tough job is trying to look sharp on a daily, casual basis. Yeah, you might have your Friday night suit at your beck and call, but what does it matter if you spend the rest of your time in target t-shirts and jeans? Every Friday, I'd like to offer up some style inspiration for tightening up your casual look, because let's face it... sometimes you just don't feel like wearing a tie, but still want to keep it sharp.

Can you ever really get enough photos of 1960s Steve Marriott? Nah! Here is one of my faves of the guy just cold kickin' it Mod style:

First off, he's got that classic Marriot hairstyle going on. Notice that his sides only go down to around the bottom of his ear, though? These days, Mod dudes look like they're reaching 'skinbyrd' levels of fringe. Wonder if Paul Weller's to blame for that?

Secondly, take a look at that great cardigan! Monochromatic blues with great striping down the center, nice flat collar, and chest pocket with navy/white striping. For years, I wanted a cardigan like this. Well, that search ended a while ago thanks to these guys! What I like about Steve's use of this cardigan here is how he matched it up with those brown trousers (browns 'n' blues, always a winner!).

Speaking of those trousers, Mod guys take note! See how un-tapered they are? Admittedly, it took me several years to come around to this style of trouser hem width, but once I did, I never looked back. These trousers are tighter around the thighs and come down straight toward the shoe, without tapering at the ankle. Perfect trousers without looking peg-legged!

Then we end with the white chisel-toed steps. Personally, I don't know if I can pull off white shoes anymore, but these look fantastic! Nice detailing up the sides, great toe, and a small, clean heal that contrasts with the uppers.

This, my friends, is how you play it casual. Now, start the weekend off with some Small Faces goodness.

Casual Fridays #4: George Harrison

Working to look sharp for a rare evening out on the town can actually be easy. The tough job is trying to look sharp on a daily, casual basis. Yeah, you might have your Friday night suit at your beck and call, but what does it matter if you spend the rest of your time in target t-shirts and jeans? Every Friday, I'd like to offer up some style inspiration for tightening up your casual look, because let's face it... sometimes you just don't feel like wearing a tie, but still want to keep it sharp.

After a rough week at work, it's time to slow things down for the weekend. So, let's start it off with this nice, kick-back photo of my favorite Beatle, George Harrison:

From the mikl-em's combine blog.


Harrison's just bustin' a slow hang in a sharp roll-neck sweater, thinly-striped (or are they corduroy?) trousers, and a beautiful 4-button (?) coat... all the ingredients for a crisp, casual look.

The best piece here, though, is the turtleneck sweater with the ribbed neck and bottom. The neck is not overdone with so much material that he's barely able to lift his head out from it. He's got room to breathe! And the material of the sweater doesn't look too heavy so he can wear this in pretty moderate weather without sweating on the inside. I love me a good roll neck, but haven't had much luck finding them in the past. Seems things have change now, thanks to companies like John Smedley and Art Gallery!

And George seems to keep his patterns limited only to his trousers (assuming they're not corduroy), which provides a nice break from the solid light-coloring of the sweater and the dark of the jacket. I wish I had a color photo handy, just to see what color those trousers are and how they work with the rest of the outfit. Awesome balance, overall though, of color and pattern, I'm sure!

All right now, let's end this post and start the weekend with my most favorite Beatles song ever... written by George Harrison!

2012 February Want List

I love vintage clothing as much as the next guy, but we're living in a time of some pretty slick NEW clothing too! Once a month, I'd like to highlight some nice pieces found on the internet that may be worth hunting down. 

Granted, some of these items may not be in any of our budgets, but who knows... some day, you may run across them in a sales rack or discount website. So if you like something you see, just keep tabs and wait for that sale! Or, save a photo and take it to your favorite tailor in the hopes he or she can re-make it at a fraction of the designer price. (Also, if there's a book or some music that looks interesting, I'll add to the Want List as well!)

So, the other day, I was having lunch with a buddy of mine (let's call him 'El Brando'). After a nice little meal, El Brando twists my arm (not really) to check out the local Paul Smith shop with him. Well, we're hanging out in there, digging on the socks, the books, and the coats when we come across the shirt section and find their floral-patterned shirts.

Wow! Some seriously beautiful pieces that I started drooling over... until I saw the price tags. "Don't worry, man," El Brando reassured me. "They have some on sale, half-price, over there." Yeah, half-price... still making my wallet weep. But, I did a little Paul Smith online search and found a floral slightly more affordable:

Paul Smith purple 'London' shirt... get it while you still can here.

Guys, this is the business! Amazing pattern, slim fit, great collar, and cufflink-accessible. A casual, colorful way to blow the ladies away! Moving on...

I've had my radar tuned in to Peckham Rye since coming across their shop off Carnaby Street back in October. They were kind enough to open up their doors to us even though they were closed and I felt like we were walking into a candy shop. Luckily, many of their items are available online! Unfortunately, it seems those items sell out quickly. However, after a general search for Peckham Rye ties, I did find this beautiful B&W floral tie:

Click here for close-ups and details on purchasing.

If you look closely at the tie, this isn't a printed pattern... it looks weaved and textured into the tie! Step up your look a notch and grab this awesome piece. Pretty neutral colors so it'll go with almost any suit color!

Guys hip to the current Mod market are already well aware of Art Gallery clothing. Based in the UK, they've been releasing some fantastic pieces of knitwear, including polos, roll necks, and cardigans. For instance, check out their 'George' polo in black, red, and grey:

'George' polo available at Art Gallery.

Now this is on my want list but, full disclosure, I've already ordered (and received) this piece! Soft merino wool in a great fit. What I like about Art Gallery is that they are making the most out of Mod detailing like the broad striping along the sides of the sweater. What I hate most about Art Gallery is that their clothes are made for tiny people.

See, I'm kind of a little guy (height-wise, not necessarily weight-wise)... yet their 'mediums' are too small on me! (I know this because I have one of their medium 'Steve' cardigans, in light blue, which only made me realize I should be eating dust and twigs 3 times a day.) The 'George' I received is a 'large' which fits great and will look even better once I complete a few more weeks months of pushups. Seriously, if you're an American 'medium,' you may want to order their 'large.' And I think it'll be worth it! I kid about the sizing but this sweater is really beautiful and filled with sharp style. And I do plan on ordering more of their items.

A couple of weeks ago, I went on about how I thought vests/waistcoats were an overlooked item of slick, casual dress. Well, over the weekend, I saw a buddy of mine (let's call him Dan Lake) rockin' a great vest that caught my eye and justified that post. Great guy that he is, Dan shared his source. Now, please, ignore the boy-band hipster underneath and try hard to concentrate on the vest itself:

Vest... keep your eyes on the vest offered by One90One.

It's hard... I know! You guys are creative though... imagine a dude with slick, backcombed hair, and button-down, cuff-link shirt under that vest. Okay, you with me? Now, let's move on to the waistcoat: high-gorged, flap pockets, with pick-stitching along those pockets... it's all in the details! This is how you make a vest. Unfortunately, looks like the product may be sold out for now but something worth noting, in case they come back. Or maybe you can use those details next time you visit your tailor!

Okay, guys, one last item for this month and one that caught me off-guard. Earlier this month, His Knibs posted about this new raincoat from, get this, Fred Perry. Usually, I don't follow this brand too much. Yeh, yeh, Mod icon and all, but still... for the most part, they're tennis shirts with a laurel on the chest. Lately, however, they've been releasing some nice vintage-inspired polos. And now, it looks like they're moving into new categories like the raincoat below:

Need more Fred Perry in your wardrobe? Start with this porcelain coat, here.

The color, cut, and shape of this coat look incredible! I have a thing for white or light-colored coats as they can provide great contrast to the dark clothing underneath. And what completes the total look of this coat is the 3/4 length... not too long, so you don't have to look like you're overdoing it on non-rainy, cool days.

My only issue with the coat is the Fred Perry laurel on the chest. Yes, it's standard issue with any FP, but this could have been better if the logo was used in a more subtle way. At least it's in white so that it doesn't stick out too much.

Well, that's it for this month. Payday's coming up for some people, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how many bills you still have to pay after taking a look at some of these items.