J. Crew 2010 Spring Collection

J. Crew in my opinion is the one of the best brands for presenting Sprezzatura style.  Thanks to Frank Muytjens, J. Crew has created a very uniform style over the last few years.  Especially in the last year or so.  I feel that the brand represents the modern male fashion, preppy, tailored, sprezzatura, elegant, classic, cool while not being try hard.  They seem to be blazing the trail, while the other brands are trying to keep up with their brand representation.  I personally love the look and find quite a bit of inspiration in it.

Here is how J. Crew sees the 2010 Spring/Summer.

Navy Suit - The most classic suit in the classic American wardrobe, a navy suit.  This is a lighter navy, which makes it stand-out from the crowd.  It also prevents it from being misdiagnosed as a black suit.  It has a modern slim fit without looking ridiculous.  It also has the appropriate level of Sprezzatura: no socks, chambray shirt, slightly rolled cuff.  It also has the appropriate level of classic elements: rounded toe wingtips, pocket square and navy suit.  A great outfit.

This outfit looks like something worn by a Kennedy on Holiday in Cape Cod.  Classic sunglasses, Sperry Topsiders, chinos and a button-down.  A very casual cool weekend uniform.

The best part of this outfit is the tan shoes.  I prefer the shoes to be oxfords and not bluchers, but I do like the bulk of the blucher, especially for a casual outfit.  I also like the tie for this outfit is light colored and almost gets lost in the outfit.  It is very Sprezzatura to wear the tie lose with a tie bar, very cool.

Tan suede desert boots, slim straight destructed jeans and a red chambray shirt.  It doesn't get much more casual than this outfit, yet due to the color and textures it is still stylish.  This outfit is appropriate for errands on a Sunday, but can still be worn on a casual date.

This is my favorite outfit of the J. Crew collection.  This outfit would be cool in 50s or 60s or today.  The outfit is a great representation of the American style while not looking cliche or overplayed.  The green jacket with red plaid lining is a standout piece, without being over whelming.  The blue shirt, gray sweater and chinos is classic and stylish and cool.  The washed chinos make it sprezzatura and the slim lines make it modern.  Also, the outfit is much more casual with the shoes, a more formal.

Chino suits are great for the summer, so are topsiders.  The combination is classic and contradictory, a good thing for any outfit.  I would lose the bow tie though.

Nice weekender bag, it looks like his father owned it, exactly the right look.  A denim shirt and denim jeans can look horrible and the epitome of style, but due to the shoes, the Sprezzatura way the shirt is haphazardly worn and tucked in and the slim fit jeans, the outfit looks modern.

Who doesn't like a sweater with shorts?  I always love a gray undershirt, that look never gets old.  Throw on topsiders and the outfit is complete.  I would lose the ugly ass big bag though.  For the love of all that is manly, leave the purse carrying to the women.

Shawl collar cardigan fantastically classic and modern.  It is a look that never leaves the closet of the stylish but is now being added to the closet of the fashionable.  I still think you should wear it, I know Steve McQueen did.  The chambray shirt adds depth to the outfit.  Also, shorts with desert boots is the sartorial contradiction that is both modern and Sprezzatura, it is completely unexpected and appropriate.

In this photo I really dig the white blazer.  It is a look that is perfect for the Spring/Summer.  Make the blazer a shawl collar, slim fit and washed, and no one will think you just walked out of Saturday Night Fever.  I also appreciate the chino suit jacket paired with the navy suit pants, it is a nice color combination.

The blue chino slim fit pants in this picture (on the left) are great.  The color and the fit make them enormously useful.  They go with almost any color in a closet and make an outfit standout.  All that while still being classic and not standing out and making you look like a jackass.

Here is a close-up of the chambray shirt.  It is an interesting shirt a good color and has depth since it has multiple levels of blue in the fabric.  The tab color also makes it more interesting than the standard shirt.  The military green belt is also a great touch.  It is rugged and aggressive but also very stylish, especially when worn with a nice pair of chinos.

Could you add any more colors or patterns?  Probably not, but the outfit still works.  This is the ultimate Sprezzatura, it looks like he dressed himself in the dark, yet still "luckily" got it right.  This is modern fashion at its best, unexpected, daring, classic and incredibly interesting.

J. Crew inpires me.  Good job Frank Muytjens.  By the way, Frank Muytjens personal style is also quite interesting.  The shoes and purple socks are fantastic.  I love that the socks match nothing on the outfit.

Paddock outfits

What a great blue jacket, it was done in an impeccable way. In the top picture, I love both outfits, the seersucker and khakis as well as the plaid shorts with white driving shoes. The shorts are slim enough that the length, which normally would bother me, looks appropriate. I also think the slim fit all black suit stands out beautifully with so many colors, I would not have felt the look was appropriate, but it works for him, maybe its his youth.

Day at the Ponies

A day at the race track is a perfect opportunity to wear a summer suit, linen or seersucker, a straw fedora or panama hat and country shoes (saddle shoes, bucks, etc.) or loafers.

The track is a great place to flaunt the ridiculous, yet make it seem normal. Once again, confidence is the key to pulling off a look that in the city would receive snickers and whispers. But at the track the outfit feels natural and fits into the environment just like blondes in Orange County.

I have to confess, I am in the gray hat and navy blazer (pictured). Not captured in this photo, I am also wearing tan and white seersucker slacks and a blue & white web belt.

I will be posting some more stellar outfits, as I see them. The rest of the outfits will be stellar, I am certainly not saying that mine is stellar.

Essential Summer Fashion Must Haves - Gingham & Linen

I found this perfect pairing of gingham and linen. Great job on the outfit. I had to share it.

Essential Summer Fashion Must Haves - Summer Suit

Summer suits are completely under estimated... they are stately, sophisticated, gentlemanly and just downright cool (in the hip sort of way... not the heat way). When I put on a great summer suit I feel like a proper southern gentleman about to step out on to my porch for a mint julep before heading to a late afternoon wedding at the chapel. It makes me feel like the distinguished gentlemen of the 50's, but more updated.

Summer suits must not be your standard dark wool suit, too hot and too conservative. A good suit for July and August comes in three main fabrics and the variations on those fabrics: Chino, Silk, Linen and Cotton. Cotton suits come in a few different varieties but my favorite for many reasons is seersucker, another cotton option is cordlane (as we discussed earlier in this blog). Chino is technically a cotton too, but I see as different type of suit. For the purposes of this blog we will focus on my two favorites... Seersucker & Linen.

Seersucker is straight out of the south. It is old school, it can only be worn in the summer, it needs to have a modern cut. If the seersucker is not a slim fit... it will look like you are wearing your grandpa's suit (because he has one... I guarantee it). Seersuckers come in many different colors the most common and featured prominently on DF is the blue and white variety. They also come in red and white, brown/tan and white, pink and white and most other shades. (If you can find a cream and white seersucker, buy it immediately. They are amazingly gorgeous and hard to find.) I love the brown/tan and white (pictured below is the J.Crew version of this suit) as a starter seersucker, getting you used to the fabric and the suit. The blue and white is the prettiest with the right tie and pocket square (as demonstrated to perfection at the top of the page). Always wear a pocket square with your seersucker to help dress it up. It can be properly worn with a tie or without. If you are going with the blue and white seersucker and no tie stick with a pink or light blue shirt. One great advantage of seersucker is that it will not wrinkle and what an advantage it is!

The most elegant and classy versions of the summer suit is linen. Linen is often paired with cotton, wool or silk in a blended suit. I like the blended suit because of the beautiful look that comes from the mix of fabrics. Linen suits can be all colors but I would stick with the brown/tan, cream or navy. A grey linen suit can be beautiful as well, but I like it more for nighttime occassions. Remeber that linen wrinkles. This is how the suit is supposed to look, it is supposed to be rumpled and look like you actually wear it. That is part and parcile of the look. For a perfect example of a rumpled linen jacket check out A Suitable Wardrobe.

The rest of the suits featured (that are not seersucker) are linen suits. The first picture below is stolen (hope you don't mind) from the Satorialist. It is the epitomy of the perfect summer suit worn perfectly with the perfect fit. Kudos!

Essential Summer Fashion Must Haves - Gingham

If you don't have a gingham shirt, go get one right now. It's okay, I'll wait...

Gingham is great. It is classic, it is fashionable and it is the ultimate summer look. (just don't wear a red gingham shirt or else you will look like a picnic table). My favorites are the blues, the purples and the pinks. J.Crew has a great selection of gingham including a cream and white pattern in a wide square that is fantastic. Did you get one yet? I'll wait...

Wear it with a pair of chinos or jeans for a nice date look. Or go with the lilac gingham and a dark blue tie for work. Ralph Lauren even has some nice small check aqua blue gingham, the exact color we discussed earlier in the Essentials of Summer section.

Did you get your gingham yet? What are you waiting for?

Essential Summer Fashion Must Haves - Web Belt

Another Essential Summer fashion accessory to add to the wardrobe this year is the web belt. It is a great way to add a little personal style to your wardrobe, not to mention a splash of color. The top picture is a collection of belts from Robert Talbott. I really dig the blue and white belt above from J.Crew. I bought mine on sale for under $10. The two belts below are also great options, the top one is from Ralph Lauren. The bottom one is a plaid option from Macy's.

The web belt comes in a wide variety of colors and options. Bright colors are my favorite, but a more muted gray and black option can look fantastic with the right outfit. Also, solid web belts are available, but I would steer clear of them as they look quite ordinary. Please make sure to only buy a web belt with a D ring on it. No solid silver clasps, the belt will look like a thugs accessory for the early 90's, not a very dandy look.

The best advice I can give you with the web belt is the play with colors and avoid matching too much. A dark blue belt looks good with a light blue button down. Find a orange and green belt and match it with khaki shorts and solid neutral colored button down (white or gray look best). Wear a pink polo and a madras web belt and neutral shorts.

This a very versatile and fun addition to any wardrobe. Just don't wear it to work.

Essential Summer Fashion Must Haves

Here is the kind of outfit that I feel really shows off your summer cool, while looking dandy, sprezzatura and quite different from the crowd (without looking like an ass). It is truly a fashionable and trendy outfit with a classic kick. I couldn't decide on which belt option I liked more... so I gave two different options. This would also look great with a distressed brown leather belt.

A few quick keys to this outfit. Keep the shirt washed don't over due on the ironing. The jacket needs to perfectly tailored. I would recommend a blue linen jacket like this one. Don't be afraid to embrace the wrinkles that the linen jacket will acquire. Make sure the jeans are dark wash and free of holes and other signs of bad trends. I recommend sticking to a slim fit selvedge cotton, like the jeans shown. The red shoes tie the outfit together. They go with the outfit without matching. It is key that you don't wear a red belt as that will look to thought out and perfect. Artful dishevelment is the key to make this outfit look fashionable.

Try this outfit out and tell me later how many numbers girls will give you. If you don't believe me, try it.

Essential Summer Fashion Must Haves - Driving Shoes

My favorite accessory this summer is the driving shoe. These extremely comfortable suede slip on shoes available in all colors are great additions to any summer wardrobe. I love pairing the blue driving shoe with a pair of light chinos and a pink button down. Mismatched colors are a great and simple sprezzatura style element. I also like dressing up jeans with these shoes as they help an outfit pop with sophistication without sacrificing comfort.

Wearing red driving shoes with jeans and a blue button down is a simple style piece that anyone can pull off. It will turn heads, make you feel great and will help you look like a dandy summer style maven.

If you can't afford Tod's driving shoes (the Aston Martin) of driving shoe, then I highly recommend Aldo. Aldo has great versions of the driving shoe at very reason prices. I get my driving shoes at Aldo (don't tell anyone... hopefully they will think I buy Tod's).

Essential Summer Fashion Must Haves - Cotton Tie

You must break out the lighter fabrics in summer. Linen, seersucker, chino and of course cotton. Summer is the time to put away fabrics that look so good in December and try something new and lighter.

A great way to try something new and light is with cotton. We all know about the cotton shirts and shorts. But another great use of cotton is with ties and jackets. (Gap has a great navy cotton jacket that is great for cool nights in the summer and fall. My favorite use of cotton is with ties. They allow you to dress up without looking pretentious or like you belong at Thanksgiving dinner.

J Crew this year have some of the best ties. I love the gingham tie and the madras tie, both great must have ties. The ties below are also a great way to wear cotton. They come in a cool plaid design but they are still cotton.

My favorite tie, is the one featured at the top of the page. Its color scheme is impeccably summer and the raw silk it is made from is also very summer. Okay, okay that tie is not cotton, but you can't go wrong with it. From what I can gather this is a J Press tie. I just wish they weren't out of stock... I want one. Random gift anyone?

Essential Summer Fashion Must Haves - Khakis

Wear chinos!  Guys typically call them Khakis, but Khaki is the color the pants are known as chinos (which is the material).  Wear them as you would jeans.  They give you the summer vibe, they are easy to take care of and they help you stand out among the sea of jeans that most guys wear year around.

Keep the chinos slim and straight legged.  No bootcut!  I really love the urban slim cut at J Crew.  I also found that Calvin Klein is selling lightweight chinos in gray, light khaki and black for less than $25.  If you shop around you can get a nice pair of chinos for under $70, so much less expensive than jeans.

I like wearing them with chucks and a lightweight shirt.  The other option is to dress them up with some driving shoes.  They are as versatile as jeans... so you can wear them with anything.  They even look great with flip flops... probably better than jeans.  And if you are at the beach, wear the flip flops and roll the khakis once or twice (it is a great look).  

Once again, it is summer... so have fun with your khakis.

Essential Summer Fashion Must Haves - chino shorts

He looks like summer!

Its too damn hot to always wear pants so in the summer it is time to break out the shorts.  The great thing about shorts is they can be crazy colors, designs and patterns and still be stylish.  They are shorts, they already are silly, so you might as well embrace it and really make the most of them.  In the Essential Summer Fashion list you must have one pair of chino shorts that will raise an eyebrow.  In my collection I have a light yellow chino short from J Crew (the color is "Butter") and I bought them for $20.  What a great deal!

There are a couple things to keep in mind with the chino shorts.  The crazier the color, the simpler the shirt.  Wear a plain gray shirt or light blue polo with your crazy shorts... simple on top, devilish on the bottom.  

Also, buy shorts... not capris.  This means the short should stop before your knee.  If you are around 6' that means that you should have the 9" inseam.  The longer shorts that go past your knee makes you look shorter and like you are still living in the 90s.  Even if you don't like showing your knees off, women think it looks good.  So just trust me and find a pair of shorts that don't look like they are three sizes too big.  

Don't match the colors!  Don't wear blue shorts with a blue shirt, YUCK!  Wear yellow shorts with a light blue shirt.  Wear pink shorts with a gray shirt.  Wear red shorts with a white button-down.  Simple is the key.

Most of all... have fun with your shorts.  Wear something that you feel comfortable in and makes you smile.  If it makes you smile, it will make women smile.

Essential Summer Fashion Must Haves - Lightweight Shirts

The Essential Summer Fashion items - Lightweight shirts

Summer is hot, but you still want to look fashionable.  The best way to pull off both is with the lightweight shirt.  They are sold by everyone right now: Gap, Calvin Klein, Banana Republic & J Crew.  My favorite are from J Crew, they are well cut and typically can be found on sale for about $30.  Get a couple, I recommend white, pink and light blue, the essential colors.  

These shirts are lightweight, so you won't get hot from too much fabric.  And as an added bonus there is no need to iron them!  They look better rumbled then they do freshly pressed.  I wash and dry them as usual and then pull them out of the dryer, while they are still hot.  Shake it a couple of times and you got the perfect summer fashion statement.  It will look like you wore all day at the beach.  It is a great representation of summer, plus its way too hot to iron.  Trust me, the ladies will love your "careless" attitude about your look.  

It is the ultimate sprezzatura (Artful Deshelvement) to not even iron the shirt.  You may do it on purpose as part of your style, yet it doesn't ever come off as try-hard.  A perfect summer look and a great reason to add the lightweight shirt to the Essential Summer Fashion list.