The Natty Man

From My Other Blog

Excerpt from my other blog, Flagged For Follow Up, about some reading I did on a recent vacation ...

I caught up on a lot of magazine reading.  Mostly GQ and Esquire.  Nothing mind-blowing to speak of, but I did find quite a few things I want to buy for the summer.  Among them ...

Mackintosh rain coat from JCrew ($800)

Gray Vans ($48)
 
An assortment of checked ties, like these in GQ

Levi's 501 White Jeans ($59.50)

Desert boots, kind of (but not exactly) like these from JCrew ($135)

Sartorial Facelift

Recession or not, I've always thought it wise to think twice about tossing out old suits or dress pants.  Every so often - usually sparked by a big event like moving, an important formal affair or even starting a new job - I'll take a load of clothes to the tailor to have them re-cut to reflect a more contemporary look.

Forbes.com has a short piece about the growing popularity of this practice:

"The impulse to save a little money, plus ever changing fashions, seems to be pushing people to poke around their closets instead of inside a high-end specialty store. "Even if you can't afford to purchase a new suit, you don't want to walk into the office or a job interview looking like you belong in 1999," sniffs Tyler Thoreson, executive editor of Men.Style.com."

In Chicago I recommend Boguslaw.  He's expensive and at times hard to get in touch with [appointment only].  But he does great work.

Endorsement: Fitted Perfect Shirt [Gap]

It's not fancy.  Despite what the Gap calls it, it's not perfectly cut [but it is refreshingly slim].  It's not right for all occasions.  But at $39.50, it's a great day-to-day white button down - at the right price.  Crisp white button downs are a natty wardrobe staple.  Picture below.  Link here.