Morris Stockholm - What a Life

Brands are notorious for trying to promote a lifestyle, but most of them come across as ridiculous or outrageous.  Abercrombie comes to mind, they promote a lifestyle with their clothing but it's a life of washboard abs, shirtless escapades and homoerotic games of tackle football.  This is not exactly a life I can relate to or I would call aspirational.

But someone like Morris Stockholm, they promote a lifestyle with their clothes.  A lifestyle that includes refined elegance and an ellusion of filled bank account and a long tradition of taking the yacht out or trips to Wimbledon.  The Morris Stockholm lifestyle is one that I can support, and for some reason feels attainable, if I just have the right sweater or the right red socks.

Take a look at the inspiring Morris Stockholm collection and journey with me to the world of jaunts to the Swiss Alps and overnight excursions to Venice, Italy.  It certainly helps that the clothes are spectacularly gorgeous and the colors juxapositions are eccentric yet attainable.

Morris Stockholm: Fall 2009 Collection

Morris Stockholm called their Fall 2009 collection, Preppy Autumn.  An apropos name for the feel and look of the Fall collection.  I have become a fan of the Morris Stockholm look.  A look that is preppy, sprezzatura, carefree, classic and modern.

Morris Stockholm utilizes the classic F' 'em pants in the both their Spring and Fall collections.  Appropriately, the Fall collection are strong classic colors, base colors; red, blue & green.  The Spring F' 'em pants are in pink, pastel blue & pastel green.  Each season the color pallet changes and this is well recognized in the collections.  Heavy usage of colors, but the appropriate colors for each season.

A classic corduroy blazer, with elbow patches and leather buttons in a modern slim fit.  The sleeves are trim, which make the blazer look quite trim.  Navy patterned tie and patterned v-neck sweater, worn over a blue oxford shirt.  This is a nice combination of colors and patterns.  I also like the combination of wheat colored coat with gray slacks.  A mix of colors that is quite fall.

The lines on this outfit are very modern: slim, trim and clean.  The jacket is beautifully cut and in loud and broad colors in a great plaid pattern, this jacket will certainly stand out in the crowd.  I also love the tan shoes, both color and cut. 

The clean cut blazer in this outfit is gorgeous.  It is elegant, classic and has a modern cut, a great mix of two worlds.  The purple socks are an amazing touch with this outfit.  They are a pop of color that is otherwise not in the outfit.  That is the definition of artful dishevelment, sprezzatura.

I love the red flannel lining the underside of the jackets collar.  It adds a great unique element to an otherwise classic jacket.  And with this kind of jacket, you should actually be wearing it with the collar popped.  On overcoats, it is okay, on polos, it is a disgrace to your entire family.

Red plaid shirts are quite popular right now.  They are being worn in a variety of ways, but paired with tan/wheat colored corduroy pants it is not seen that often.  It is a great way to wear the shirt without channeling lumberjacks or farmers.  The oilcloth jacket is nice as well.

The story here is the red scarf with an otherwise purple outfit.  This is a beautiful mix of colors, but a very unusual one.  The addition of a red scarf takes this outfit to another level, something to remember when picking out a scarf in the future.

If a red scarf is the story in the last outfit, the red belt is the story in this outfit.  Once again the outfit is trim and modern in the fit.  Which makes the classic pairing look young and modern.  Add a bright red belt, as the sprezzatura element on the outfit, and you have an amazing outfit.

More bright colored F' 'em pants cut in a modern slim fit.  I personally would opt for a charcoal jacket, instead of the black featured here.  I actually think it would help make the whole outfit more cohesive.

Enjoy the weekend.

John Varvatos Pants Update...

A few weeks ago I went to the John Varvatos Warehouse sale at the Convention Center in Downtown. I was disappointed in the selection but I did find a pair of lightweight chinos, which had to be shortened by a tailor to fit my legs. After finding the time to take them in and pick them up again, they are finally back. Shortened to my preferred hem length the chinos look great, well at least as good as anything can look on me.

Excuse the horrible pictures, I am not adept at taking pictures in mirrors, but I will try to get better.  Also realize the pants look as those they have a stain on them, which is in reality a smudge on the mirror and not the pants.  I also provided a picture of my complete outfit which was taken in the hallway mirror, excuse the bad lighting. I am certainly glad that we have fall like weather in LA, at least for the beginning of the week. It is nice to break out the sweaters and trench/over coats. We are supposed to have weather in the mid 60s with a chance of rain for the first three days of the week, before it jumps back up to the 80s.  LA weather certainly keeps you on your toes this time of year.

Today, I decided to wear the new John Varvatos pants, I am always antsy to wear the new stuff, with green gray slip-ons. On top is a blue micro-check gingham light blue & white shirt, a navy sweater with a blue gray, light blue & white argyle pattern on the front. And finally, a Banana Republic trench coat just in case it rains, like the weather man warned. The trench coat might be the best pick up of the early fall, I bought it on sale for $35 since few in LA feel the need to be appropriately prepared for rain, rain essentials are often steeply discounted at retail chains so that they will not take up space in the stores for long.  One of the advantages of living in LA, a disadvantage is the selection is always drastically limited.

After all the ramblings, I have to say I am pleased with the John Varvatos Warehouse Sale purchase.

Fall Necktie - Paisley

The closer we get to the cold weather of fall the more I think about about paisley ties. My favorites are wool or flannel material paisley ties, but this season there are a lot of great paisley ties.

Ben Silver makes this great wool tie. I prefer the mustard and red versions of the tie but it comes in multiple different colors.

Drakes of London makes these two Paisley ties. Their bespoke ties are the ultimate of luxury.

Faconnable makes a great paisley pocket square & tie.

Robert Talbott makes a beautiful paisley tie this season. It has a beautiful design more focused on other elements than the paisley tear drop.

XMI makes this great paisley. The colors are all utilized in fall and make this tie quite versatile.

Enjoy the paisley.

Good shoppers find good deals

Priding myself on being a good shopper is not always about finding sales on items at J Crew, Ben Silver and Nordstroms, but sometimes it is about finding the right piece at a discount store. Most of the clothes at discount stores do not fit right or are out of style, but sometimes they get it just right and for a really good price. My two favorite stores to watch for deals are Target & American Eagle Outfitters. Take a look at the items I found at American Eagle, really cool stuff for great prices.

American Eagle Trench Coat - $99 - It has the same style as all the top designers for considerably less. Most of the designer Trench Coats are between $800 - $200 a coat, this one for only $100 is a great deal.

American Eagle Brown Leather Oxfords - $54 - As any faithful reader of this blog knows these are not Oxfords but instead Bluchers. But whatever you call them they are a good shoe for casual wear. They are useful for a night at the bar or any sporting event, and considering the circumstance could be great for a date or a casual Friday at work. I think the silhouette on these shoes are very cool, chunky where it counts and slender everywhere else. I of course love the patina and distressing, which will only improve with time. Not to mention the great price for shoes that have a wooden sole.

American Eagle Desert Shoes - $34 - These are exactly the same look as the desert shoes you will find made by Clarks, but a lot cheaper. We all know how important boots are this fall and these are a great deal on a classic shoe. Why pay more when you can get the same shoe for considerably less?

American Eagle Shawl Collar Sweater - $59 - I do like the sweaters at American Eagle quite a bit. This Shawl Collar sweater fits in with the current fall fashions and has a great accessory in the leather buttons. I would definitely think about adding this sweater to the collection.

American Eagle Woodsman Boots - $79 - These boots have a very similar look as the Red Wing boots made for J Crew, but are a lot less expensive. If you are buying boots because you need them to trudge through snow and rain and really test them in extreme conditions, go with the Red Wing boots, they are some of the best made. But if you are buying boots for fashion purposes, plus they are useful on a rainy day, these might be the boots for you. They are nearly $200 less expensive then the really nice Red Wing or Frye boots and they look pretty damn cool.

American Eagle Boat Shoes - $39 - Boat shoes never go out of style. The ones made by AE are very cool looking and significantly less than Sperry Topsiders. While I think everyman should eventually own a pair of Topsiders, these suede boat shoes are a great addition to the closet.
American Eagle College Cardigan - $49 - Cardigan's are great, they are versatile sweater that can be worn over a t-shirt or a button down, can be worn with a tie and slacks or jeans. This cardigan from AE has a cool accent of double stripes on the sleeve. It comes in Navy or Gray. For the price it is definitely worth picking up.

Suit: Three Button Suit - Proper Buttoning Technique

When wearing a three button suit it is important that you only button the middle button. This will allow the jacket to create an X shape in the front with the top button folding over creating a longer lapel and the bottom opening up to reveal the shirt and tie. When only the middle button is done and this X shape is not seen, then the jacket does not have the right fit and is need of tailoring.

Proper Tailoring is always crucial with a good suit, but especially with a three button suit. Remember, never ever use the top and bottom buttons, leave them for the unfashionable. The suits above have the proper buttoning and fit.

Fall Essentials - Shawl Collar Sweater

Retro is back in fashion and that is certainly evident with shawl collar sweaters. I am still a little undecided if I love or ate the look, but it is certainly something different, which is always needed in men's fashion. Plus, shawl collars were popularized by Steve McQueen and Paul Newman, who can doubt their style?

Rugby Shawl Collar Cardigan - in the picture aboove

Rugby College Stripe Shawl Collar Sweater

Woolrich Shawl Collar Cardigan

Woolrich Shawl Collar Sweater

Rugby Shawl Collar Cardigan

Ralph Lauren Cable Knit Shawl Collar Sweater

J Crew Shawl Collar Sweater

J Crew Shawl Collar Cardigan

Hugo Boss Shawl Collar Double Breasted Cardigan

Hugo Boss Shawl Collar Sweater

Hickey Shawl Collar Sweater