First Friday.
A layered bloggy look for a rainy day. Cardigan over waistcoat? Whatami? on the sartorialist?
————————————————————-
Thrifted:
Vtg. M65 (and as a sidenote, these are $20 new at an army surplus store, you don’t need to be buying $900 faux-military when the real thing is so plentiful and cheap)
Vtg. Reversible Waistcoat
Vtg. “The Taylor Tie” square end woven wool tie
Vtg. Van Heusen “Profiles” OCBD
Penguin Selvage Denim
Navy Waxed Canvas Bean Boots (not pictured)
Tastefully Off.
What can I say, it was a cold, rainy, windy day.
I look like it.
Hmmm… What else, what else… Probably, something about liking wide-ass lapels. Purple not pink OCBD (Or even my sprezzy “non-buttoned buttons” bullshit that I’m trying to pull). My too short sleeves? I could probably talk about that tie for a while. Or my new-to-me vintage raincoat. That’s plenty of topics, feel free to imagine your own commentary along one of those lines.
———————————————————————————
Thrifted:
Vintage “Woodmere” Raincoat (with zip-in liner, which is, miraculously, still zipped in) - $7.50
“Joseph’s” of Portland ME Sportcoat - $3
PRL Purple OCBD - $(3 or 4)?
Brooks Bros Makers Tie - $2
BRepublic Wool Trousers - $20 (At Reny’s, a Maine Adventure)
Vintage Longwings - $12
The Rainy Day In-waistcoatvest-ment.
Saturday it was raining all morning. This is always a mixed blessing. I love (ed. note: fucking love) my vintage kelly green raincoat, but it’s a classic rain slicker, not a trenchcoat, so it only covers to the top of my thighs.
This means I can’t wear a sport coat under it (also, that pressing my pants in the morning was useless thanks to a very wet 10 minute walk to work). This is a scenario where vests/waistcoats are a smashing alternative.
A vest lets you imply the look of a sportcoat without any excess. The cleanest line you could really have. Pair it with a well fitting shirt and tie and you look totally put together, but also a bit more at east then you might in a jacket/tie fit. Also, it opens a much wider world of layering possibilities.
Vest/Denim jacket is another pairing I like a lot, the implied formality of a 3 piece (which is one of the few places you typically see vests) with the casualness of an old, worn denim jacket is one that I love. Throw a bright green rain coat over the whole business and you have a look that really speaks to me and my slightly off beat sensibilities.
————————————————————————————-
Thrifted:
Vintage “Forecaster of Boston” Raincoat - $9
Donegal Tweed Vest - Free
CKJeans Denim Jacket - Free (sort of… long boring story)
Jordan Marsh “A Fitted Shirt” OCBD - $2.50
GAP Knit tie - $2
Allen Edmonds Oxblood Sanfords - $4
Sleek & Urbane (…for Maine)
Went out Friday night, what do you wear when it’s pouring rain and 33 degrees?
Can’t wear any of my normal winter wear as I don’t feel like covering myself with wool in a rainstorm. Can’t wear a sport coat since this raincoat couldn’t over it. This LLBean Sig sweater is too warm/burly to wear as an under layer (and it barely fits under this raincoat. Flip side? If it’s 30 degrees and you have a raincoat that won’t cover a sport coat, well you’ll stay perfectly warm.
Also, I know the tie gets a little lost what with the kelley green rubber coat, but damn… ever tie a tie so well you impress yourself? This is one of those times.
————————————————-
Thrifted:
Forecaster of Boston Raincoat - $10 (?)
LLBean OCBD - $5
Penguin Selvage Denim - $5
LLBean Sig Waxed Canvas Bean Boots - $8
Norma Jean Original Atomic Flecked Tie - $2
Rainy days mean it’s my kelly green raincoat. An easy way to add a lot of color that easily comes on and off, and doesn’t need to match exactly since it’s such a functional “statement” piece. The matte, but bright color and flat texture make it great for layering. It also pairs especially with something like worn denim with a lot of texture/coloration.
I think a company making olde-tyme rubberized raincoats with a bunch of vibrant colors/crazy linings would make some serious bank.
The rest? Well, it’s bow tie Thursday (people were way into that last week) so I’m wearing my polka dot with a slightly-larger-than-micro-gingham (rolls right off the tongue, doesn’t it?) shirt. Complementing the blue tie on blue shirt with blue jacket is a red/white pocket square and red/navy/white socks. Dark tan chinos and blucher mocs, both wet weather staples for me, finish the look.
update from 5/23/11
Rainy day, playing with color and texture.
May 13-20, Rain. May 21 Sun. May 22 Indoors. May 23-30 Rain (forecast)
Well… if this rain has any upside, at least if Kelly Green raincoats are ever the next big thing I’ll be way way way ahead of the curve. But seriously. One nice day in 2 weeks is kind of soul-murdering in the worst way (…as opposed to the best way of soul-murdering I guess).
I spend last night ensconced in baggy flannel pants and this new cashmere sweater, I’m spending today in slimmer flannel pants and the same sweater. I mean, I’m just sending out job applications on craigslist. Might as well be decadently comfortable.
A note on the sweater: I’m usually not that into cashmere. It costs too much, and feels too precious. I live a take no prisoners, rock-and-roll lifestyle and my clothes sometimes pay the price. (ed. note: Alex does not live a take no prisoners, rock-and-roll lifestyle. He just doesn’t take great care of his clothes) But this was at the LL Bean outlet for 86% off, made in Ireland and in a great shade of deep-cranberry. Might as well, right?
I know I’ve espoused my love of crayola colors in the past, but sometimes (i.e. when it’s raining for 2 weeks straight) they’re just sort of out of place. Since the kelly green is really ass-kickingly bright, I used the navy/french blue and red to be the colors that echo each other and (once again… for the jillionth time) let the raincoat be the focal point.
echoing details right down to the socks. details that nobody sees can still be fun. right?
Seriously though. fuck this rain. fuck it up its stupid ass. (rain has an ass right?)
Weekly forecast: drizzle, mist and scattered showers
The day’s kit. I know that raincoat’s been getting a lot of play lately, but it’s been raining for 5 straight days.
About the raincoat - I’d been looking for a new raincoat. My favorite was the schott perfecto waxed canvas duffel but it was $448 and I am a grad student. Given my penchant for color (plus the fact that it’s always nice to wear something bright on a dreary day) I wanted a classic yellow one. But then we were at goodwill and Ashley handed me this. You may have guessed (and may have been correct) that it’s a ladies. It didn’t fit her, but it fit me. Not “classic”, but a kelly green that stands out even more than the electric yellow.
I’d always prefer to wear something that nobody else will be wearing and I think a vintage kelly green raincoat with strawberry lining fits that bill.
But even I am not enough of a fop to not tone it down a bit. I balanced it out with some strong military/workwear type details. My canvas clasp belt, some selvage denim (that I bought brand new yesterday at goodwill for $120 less than cost and…
wolverines (weapon X style). I prefer these to either the alden indy’s or the redwings for 2 reasons.
1. Less people have them (of course)
2. cleaner styling (vibram sole and no moc toe)
Plus they’re waterproof, so there’s that.
I also swapped out the laces for some black skate shoe laces I had around. I think the big bold black laces look better than the thin round ones that are usually in work boots.
The watch makes all the accessories neutral (brown and olive) and lets the raincoat really carry the outfit.
(From yesterday)
Also, apparently I really really like the rugby shirt w/ raincoat combo.
So this is something I might try to do more often (probably not all the time, mostly it’ll just be a quick rundown like usual). I’d like to be better than worse at this blogging thing, plus I think that the more avant-garde (or whatever it is) type stuff I usually wear isn’t quite as well represented on the inter-blogs as the more classic/conservative side and I hope to help remedy that.
Hit me up w/ any suggestions.
And thanks for playing along.
Another rainy miserable day that I’m working on economic development. Tweed ties, cardigans and blucher mocs are all suitably academic and rainy-weather-esque, but how about orange chamois (my days of dressing in neutrals are over)?
First day back to my normal and it’s pouring rain. I didn’t even leave the house until we left to go grocery shopping. At least my kelly green raincoat is awesome. Didn’t even get wet!
Anyone want to guess how excited I was to break out this kelley green raincoat?
Take your boots for a walk through some puddles. You’ll become better friends.
