Sharp Stylings #59: Claudio De Rossi

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.

Here's a piece of advice: If you're dressed up in your finest Mod gear, ready to hit the town, get your dance on at a soul club, and bird-dog the chicas, do NOT look at what Claudio De Rossi is wearing. It will make you feel like a stone-cold ticket.

Many of you probably know Claudio from his amazing clothing brand, DNA Groove, which features a line of clothing that combines colorful fabrics, Mod detailing, a dandy aesthetic, all with a modern, contemporary flair. (Oh, and just wait until you see the shoes he offers!)

Claudio De Rossi is one of the few who took their love of Mod stylings to the extreme. And by that I mean he wasn't just happy buying clothes from other designers... naw, he became his own designer! And from there, he made a great business out of it, supplying stylish men with a good source of clobber based on his own ideas. Claudio's like someone with a sweet tooth who's opened his own chocolate factory.

And trust me, this guy's got a good eye for detailing, color matching, and fittings. Here he is in a simple outfit that outshines most pattern-heavy outfits I've seen:

Light pink shirt, charcoal trousers with a slight flair, and an off-white suit jacket with a high gorge, lapels that look to angle downward, and sharp side vents. Very muted colors are used with a pocket square that ties the trousers and shirt together. And, again, wait until you see the shoes! Beautiful off-white loafers with  burgundy detailing.

Not only is this all kinds of dapper, but it's versatile too. You can wear something like this during the day as casual wear or during the evening for a social outing (tie optional). Heck, based on the hose in the background, this is how Claudio dresses when he's gardening! Dang... makes me think twice about what I wear the next time I'm at the laundromat.

Seriously, though, Claudio De Rossi is pure inspiration when it comes to clothing ideas. He's extremely creative in his color choices and how he matches certain pieces. He's put out a great clothing label that has reached beyond a Mod base and has gotten the attention of the male fashion world in general.  And, he's a good guy on top of all that.

Personally, though, I'm just glad he doesn't live in my city. Imagine having to keep up with this guy all the time?

For more on Claudio and DNA Groove, check out this ModCulture interview along with this College No. 9 interview. And, if you're on the Facebook and want to keep up with DNA Groove updates, then check out the Facebook group here.

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2012 January Want List

The holidays are over, but for me, the gift-giving continues into a month of January family birthdays (including my wife's birthday, which usually lasts about the entire month itself). But it's also the time when I get to start becoming selfish again and think about things I'd like to get for myself! And I've come up with my want list for January 2012. Good thing I'm saving up!

First up, some new records. After a long DJ hiatus, I think I'm ready to start again, but I'd like to add some new things to my collection. My first purchase? This new 45 by the Bay Area's The Incredible Say Whats!, featuring Chris Lujan of Lugnut Brand Records & The Pacesetters and Nick Rossi, of the The Pacesetters, Nick Rossi Trio, The Monarchs, and more! Here, they pay tribute to one of my favorite funky soul instrumentals, Bag of Goodies by the Soul Machine! I've never been familiar with the Twitchie Feet side so am very much looking forward to hittin' this up.

Get your copy at Dusty Groove!

Next up, a DNA Groove shirt which I've been itchin' for for quite some time now. Since starting this blog, I've been wanting to do a write up on DNA, but how could I when I haven't worn their clothes yet? Still, I think this company has been doing some great things with pushing Mod styling away from targets & parkas and into a more fashion-forward direction. Plus, I think it's fantastic that Claudio is working to get Mod males (and other style-fixated guys) to think more about their clothing choices with clips like this:

The shirt I have my eye on? This nicely striped number:

Better place my order quick!

Now I'm ALWAYS on the hunt for good shoes. Sure, I probably don't have any more room in the closet, but no matter! I've been wanting a pair of dark brown, simple shoes for daily work wear. I found these online, which seem to have a nice winklepicker point (but not too pointy!) along with lace-ups. I had a similar pair in black that were actually vintage but, believe it or not, I like the shape of these much more! Anyone familiar with this UK brand? Knowing my luck, they'll last me about a week at most before falling apart. 

Office Mannibago lace-ups. Will they last?

With the above DNA Groove item, my shirt quota should be filled. Still, I think this is the year I invest in a couple of new, bespoke tab-collar shirts. You can always use more white shirts and I've been yearning (yes, yearning) for tab-collars for a while! I cleaned out one of our closets recently and found an old, beat-down and worn-out tab shirt that I kept over the years, thinking that some day I'd be able to afford a tailor-made one. Friends, that day has hit and I'm goin' for it! Going to go for a couple of plain, white shirts with French cuffs and a short, tight pointed collar like this:

And last but not least, some new Levis. No, not jeans! I heard this week that the Levis store in San Francisco has started selling sta-prest again in various colors. So, this weekend, I'm going to go out and explore, and I'll let you know what I find.

Unfortunately, looks like this month won't leave me with much money for food, but hey... after the holiday eating, I can make that sacrifice!

Oh yeah, and before I forget, if you're in the Bay Area and looking for a good happy hour tonight, why don't you come by and visit us as we'll be djing Mod stuff from all around. (Yes, even power-pop, just for the fun of it.) Info here: