Not gonna clog up other threads. So here...last minute fashion Qs directed at those in the know.
1) Standard collar/ Point collar...Half-Windsor or Four in Hand?
2) Can leather watch strap be a different grain/ texture than your shoes and belt?
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Not gonna clog up other threads. So here...last minute fashion Qs directed at those in the know.
1) Standard collar/ Point collar...Half-Windsor or Four in Hand?
2) Can leather watch strap be a different grain/ texture than your shoes and belt?
Half-Windsor with a pointed collar.
Note: Collar style should compliment the shape of your face, which then dictates the size of the knot.
Yes, a leather watch strap can stand alone - not matching textures. But I would shoot for a consistent patina in leathers. Don’t let one be of worse condition than the other.
Yeah, he beat me to it and nailed it by stepping up to the comment about the condition. Matching leathers from shoes to belt to watch strap would be too matchy-matchy. But they should be the same color and also have a similar level of gloss/finish. A casual distressed leather watch strap with polished shoes and belt wouldn't be great. Neither would a polished dress watch with distressed leather shoes and rough finished belt. The one exception is that it's totally cool to rock a dress watch with no belt and casual shoes if the watch can stand alone.
1. Four-in-hand. The simplest knot is king regardless of the collar style or spread. A more complex knot screams "trying too hard" or worse. I wouldn't go anywhere near a knot that has "Windsor" in the name, half or full, not least because the namesake never wore such a knot. No bonus points for guessing how he tied his knot. If you want the knot to be slightly more voluminous, do what he did: tell your tie maker to cut the tie wider at the knot area and use a heavier interlining material (which, incidentally, is how my ties are made). Short of that, or if you are wearing a narrow-ish knitted tie, try the Prince Albert, which, in my book, is the only acceptable alternative.
2. Mind the colour but don't be too fussed about other details. If you wear a watch with a crocodile strap, it doesn't mean you need to wear shoes with croc uppers, etc.
That said, dress the way you feel comfortable. It usually yields the best results anyway.
i have a similar number of watches as i have bikes (5). The watches all have leather straps, black or brown. I am no style icon, but to echo what has been said, get up and go as the mood takes you. if you have a reasonable conditional strap, and clean shoes, no matter what colour combination, you will feel rather good, and (this is important) the ladies will notice. Yes, a smallish tie knot, get the length correct, and you are hot to trot.
That’s spot on advice IMO - I like a four in hand but the tie has to be right - and slightly wider at the point of the knot is the key. I hate a chunky knot which interferes with the collar.
I do like a fairly standard collar - but slightly longer than average, maybe partly because I’m 6’1” - just gives a nice shape. Too splayed or too pointy isn’t good.
This isn’t a political thing but I always thought this was just about perfect - my preferred knot is similar but as I’m a bit “thicker” I would have a slightly more open collar:
https://timedotcom-files-wordpress-c.../01/obama.jpeg
i wish this advice was prerequisite for every wedding i participated in. the groomsmen at the last wedding were left free to choose or use their own existing footwear as long as they were "brown" and of course that didnt go well.
some were dark dark brown, almost black.
the ones that the suit shop we used were light brown with a dark brown toe
some were pointy, some were blunt.
some were leather heels, some could have well been a sketcher hiking shoe.
the idea was to be comfortable but thats all i noticed in the photos of us.
Ended up with Half-Windsor, because I was able to get better symmetry, which might be an OCD thing.
and I hope you're sitting down....threw a black NATO on my IWC in prep for F1 attendance on Sunday, and liked it so much, I just wore it to the wedding.
While I think of my Yema as shi-shi (by my standards), watches are tools for me and a NATO only increases its style atmo. My Navygraf is on a Kevlar sailcloth strap. Functional and B.A. Commandos and spies and other cool guys also go to weddings and stuff.
Is it still reasonable to get ties custom made in Belgium? What you're describing is exactly what I want.
I hate the way most off the rack ties taper rapidly to a very narrow tail, leading to an itty bitty knot if you have much of any length to your torso. Brooks are obviously bad, but this is an issue even with Drake's.
I just get whatever repp tie has the most outrageous color combination at Brook Brothers, as long as the background color is navy blue. I wear it to the event, then I hang it in my closet forever.
There are several places you can order bespoke ties, but there are usually one or two issues.
Some require that you order at least 3 of the same tie (same cloth and likely the same shape). Years ago, I used to order ties from Vanners, English silk weavers that supply silk as well as finished ties to companies all over the world. Since they've been around for ages, their archives are enormous, and they have a very broad range of silks at any given time. They don't actually make the ties in house since they specialise in weaving, but they have contract manufacturers in England to do the making. They require a minimum order of 3 ties, so I used to keep one and give away the other 2 as Christmas or birthday presents.
Same deal with Drake's albeit I don't know if they still accept bespoke commissions after Michael sold the company and retired a few years ago. I actually don't even know if they still have their workshop in east London...
The other issue is that regardless of minimum order quantities, it's usually a bit awkward to place an order without having to visit them in person. A few places that come to mind are Turnbull & Asser and Budd in London, Charvet in Paris, and Marinella in Naples. I don't know of an American source, but that doesn't mean there isn't one, just that I don't know.
An excellent option for anyone anywhere is Sam Hober (Luxury Ties & Pocket Squares by Sam Hober). I've been going to them exclusively for, I think, over 10 years. David Hober, an American, runs the front of house, and his wife Noi runs the workshop. (The business is named after their daughter.) They are based in the north of Thailand and has a broad selection of cloths from the top mills in the UK, Eire and Italy. They also cultivate their own silk, spin, dye and weave Thai silks.
You won't see craftsmanship like theirs anywhere else. Not an exaggeration. Of course, they do not have silks that are exclusive to Charvet or those wonderful prints exclusive to Marinella, but they have by far the best make. The silk selection is excellent.
You can (and should) order a set of swatches for the silks you fancy to make sure that the colour, shade, hue, and texture are what you like. There should be a section on their web site that walks you through how to determine your specs, but David is more than happy to help you through the process. Of course, like any bespoke commission, success is partially dependent on the customer being able to articulate what's required, and in your case, the height of the four-in-hand knot is one of those specs. Length is another consideration for me because I have my trousers cut with a slightly higher waist / rise. As for construction, there are several options, but I ask for 6-fold with medium-weight wool interlining.
A few years ago, they started offering bow ties, which gave me the excuse to get some pointed butterflies with wider / higher ends. (For evenings or for days when I feel like Pee-wee Herman.)
They also make pocket squares and scarves. Their hand rolled edges are divine. The way Hermès roll the edges of their silk squares puts all other brands to shame, but Hober's work makes the excellent work coming out of Hermès look ordinary.
If you decide to contact them, feel free to mention that I recommended them to you, on a cycling forum. David should get a chuckle out of that.
Happy hunting.
(Belgium is a bit of a sartorial wasteland, but it just might be because I haven't looked hard enough.)
agreed. i used to be against males over the age of twelve wearing sneakers when not engaged in sport. i blame Kanye, California, and real rich people out here for my change of heart. there's folks wearing $2500 Yeezys and that's cool- but isn't it cooler to be the other guy at the car show who's wearing an old pair of New Balances and a $12 Hanes T-Shirt that says, "2019 Smythe Children's Hospital Kid's Fun Run". That's a dude who is worth billions- and if he's wearing dirty old sneakers out in public so can't we all. I'm never going to think his Lexus is cool though.
I'm still convinced though that unless you're in the SAS and driving a Land Rover in the Oman- for god's sake get a real watch strap for that thing. A NATO strap is wonderful for Corporal Piggin- but it's really stupid on that fat guy who works in IT's IWC.
The "Summer Editions" collection with seasonal straps | IWC Schaffhausen
oh, summer editions, even. for when cruising around the Hamptons in your drop top.
One of the chicest things I've seen is a Daytona Paul Newman worn with a NATO strap. When you have a sizeable collection, you tend not to get precious about the choice of strap for one watch. Perhaps more importantly, that was very clearly a F-U look. (Caveat: you cannot pull it off with just a watch. You need to be suitably put together for one element to do its job.)
Your wife is right. However, I wasn't clear. There is a certain type of very early, rare Rolex Daytona that is commonly referred to as the "Paul Newman model". It got its nickname because PN wore one, and it's highly collectible. There aren't very many collectible Rolexes, but this is one of them. In other words, I didn't see PN wearing the watch as described.
i wouldn't call that a NATO strap. That's some nice salmon shorts, rope belt, and old boat shoes style shit. that is classy and nice especially if you like to race super skunk sail boats and like to use summer as a verb. i approve of that- it isn't some black or desert tan NATO strap....that's a nice casual watch strap.
Pretty much the only straps I wear after convincing myself that I didn’t need to drop $300 on a leather strap. IWC came with a strap that I don’t much care for. Maybe one day I’ll pony up. After the denim jacket.
Attachment 113713
Full Windsor with pointed collar. Half-Windsor is for casual settings.
No NATO straps with a suit unless you are in a dress uniform.
NATO straps come in all colors and stripes as long as they are one piece nylon with a couple of keepers. One can find NATO straps on Rolexes and Patek Philippes though I will never understand why.
For those of us not professional athletes, movie or rock stars; rules were created to keep us looking good; or at least not goofy. Why do men care about fashion? Because of the ladies. Who created men's fashion rules? That's right, the ladies. When in doubt, find one and ask her.
"but isn't it cooler to be the other guy at the car show who's wearing an old pair of New Balances and a $12 Hanes T-Shirt that says, "2019 Smythe Children's Hospital Kid's Fun Run".
Depends upon the car show. Was it a "coffee and cars" down at Jimmy's Hot Rod Shop where we got to see Bob's new head covers for his 350 small block Camaro or was it Monterey Car Week?
I may be old fashioned but when attending a formal event, I want to look good but not flashy; the spotlight should be on my lady, not me. While the other men won't notice and won't care; the ladies will make note that my eyeglasses, cufflinks, watch band and belt buckle all match and their estimation of my lady will increase ten fold. And that's really what fashion is all about. The ladies are tasked with dressing up their Neanderthal partners and the one that can do that the best wins.
can i get a NATO strap in black with a blue stripe to show how much i think blue lives matter? i'm happy to mod my Rolex with a Cerakote Punisher skull if you guys don't think it's too fey.
but i am honestly the worst. i own four suits- a Hugo Boss summer suit and three Dries Van Notens that make me look like inbred landless intelligentsia from some East Flandrian shit hole. You know the type- the kind of Flem who can't write or read Dutch but has the most beautiful East Flandrian dirt farmer accent, hasn't paid taxes since 19992, but has the most beautiful albeit illegiable handwriting when he sees the need to write a long form letter in French to the local newspaper.
none of them go with a NATO strap. In fact, they don't even really go with a nice watch...unless you think the ill-fated Patek Phillipe attempt at digital and quartz represented the mailaise of 1970s Western Europe in just the most precious way. The tie is tied poorly- like an English Public School boy whose ADD and abandonment by all manners or potential paternal figures meant he'd never get it right...and I'm fine with the leather watch band not matching the shoes or the belt- as long as they're all equally awful shades of brown- or blacks that while leather- were never suppossed to last this long and hence look more like a sad bland grey vinyl with occasional grey highlights. It's also important to complete this look- to carry around some type of WTF male handbag. A knitted sewing bag in lots of earth tone knits works- as does an apparantly indestructable plastic bag with hole handles and a prominent L&M Cigarette Logo on either side. Failing either of these two accessories- a small backpack that says something like Boston Clipper Superbowl Supporter on it will also suffice as long as it's a sightly sun faded fluorescent shade.
Hope this helps.
be clean. shave (unless you are a hipster who can carry off facial hair), pay modest compliments to any ladies in your life, if you need to be vaguely formal, get some nice but low-key cufflinks, only to be worn with proper double cuffs, ideally inherited in 18c gold with chain links, and every now and then shoot them subtly. People will notice. Sometimes do not wear a watch. Hope this helps.
Early in my career, I worked for a gentleman who was a WWII era West Point grad and a product of the local boarding school scene...look up the word gentleman in the dictionary and his photo was in there. The first week at work, he took the young project managers to a men’s store that he frequented and helped us select a few quality ties and recommended a suit...or two...and it was on him. Talk about raising the bar very quickly. I’ll never forget his quote when we left a client’s office one day and the fellow was not quite up to my boss’s standards in terms of business attire. “Saunders...remember this...short sleeves, short cuffs, short tie adds up to a short career.” RIP Pat.
Check out the maid of honor in this picture:
Examine how well the DvN suit pairs with shoes popularized by the Milano recreational heroin user community- and the same shirt and tie I would have worn at my first holy communion were I a) blind and/or b) from New Jersey and/or c) an Orphan whose only thing his parents ever gave him was color blindness.
--- those feet covers are only for a "man's man..."
ronnie with a smile
If you're bothered by an IWC, you'll love this. Yes, it's not a NATO but that's only because the pins are so close to the body that there's not enough of a gap to thread one through. I think it works great with the military dial. I wouldn't wear it on this strap with a suit, but then I think the only proper watch for a suit is made out of gold.
http://misc.ciocctoo.com/apgrn.jpg