More from winter 2011

mostexerent:

The Clash.. Italy calling..

Notes: Suit – P Johnson for GW, Shirt – Ascot Chan for GW, Tie & PS – Herringbone, Shoes – Crocket & Jones “Belgrave”, Grin – family shenanigans..

Monet or Picasso? It’s in the eye of the beholder …

• The following are some of the best ways to elevate one’s style, but if they’re not executed properly, they can also be a death knell (pun intended). 
• Monet - One of the most important things to understand is the balance between scales of pattern, colour competitions, and overall visual balance. Think of this as a reverse Monet painting: you only want the detail on close inspection. Ensure that the scale of the patterns are not too similar, otherwise the overall effect will look like porridge with too much brown sugar.  
• Picasso - Playing with colour is also important. A balance is needed.
• Humour - Perhaps the best way to elevate any execution, however, is learning how to laugh.
• Sum of all parts - Take this as an example. The suiting is a gun check pattern from Loro Piana’s A/W 2011  4 Seasons Book. The wool/cashmere flannel has cool tones and is highlighted by tobacco and chocolate checks, as well as a “Bondi blue” window pane. The white cotton shirt acts as a base. In my opinion, the white shirt is the anchor, not the accessories. The tie is a heavy silk (almost like grosgain) in French navy (not as dark as English navy) with ecru stripes. The silk pocket square has a dark blue background and a hibiscus flower print that is not evident until the square is opened. The edges to the square are also hand rolled.  Shoes are a dark brown in order to bring out the warm checks in the suiting; black shoes would have been too cold.
• Finally like my hibiscus print pocket square – only until closer inspection does one realise there is another layer to intrigue.. 

* Note that this is all second nature to me. It has taken many sartorial blunders & over 20 years of snarks to now where I actually don’t over-think this when I dress in the morning, or even the night before. My barometer is in how I feel when I wake up, the weather, and the context for the day. This is the only regard in which I think about it.

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