Outfit Of The Week 1/21/24 – 1/27/24
You guys are in for a treat because many of the pictures for this week’s edition of “OOTW” were taken by my wife, so you don’t have to deal with my crappy, poorly-lit selfies!
Well, maybe just a FEW crappy, poorly-lit selfies.
The outfit I am highlighting this week is one I wore on a lovely day roving around New York City with my wife. Her parents were watching our boys, which allowed us to stroll (actually “walk briskly” since it was quite cold and windy) around, have lunch and hit a few shops.
Warmth and comfort were certainly important, but I wanted to dress up a little since we don’t get too many opportunities to go OUT to a nice meal. We were scheduled to have a nice dinner later but I didn’t want to wear the same thing all day.
There was a lot to get me excited about this outfit!
The first thing I want to mention is my tie.
This is not a tie I wear often, for a few reasons. One, it doesn’t tie a great knot (although the smaller knot works with the small collar opening on the particular OCBD shirt I wore that day). Two, the length and the fabric make the thin end of the tie longer than the fat end when it’s tied. So, in order to make the fat end hit my waistline properly, the thin end has to be about 4 inches longer. Now, that’s not a huge deal. I could tie a double four-in-hand knot instead of a single, but I never really like the way those look. I could also achieve peak “internet menswear” and tuck my tie into the waist of my trousers, which is what I did!
This proves that your tie doesn’t actually have to look perfect. The third reason I don’t wear this tie often is because it has some negative associations in my mind.
A long time ago, I wore this tie on a business trip. The trip didn’t go all that well, and neither did my tenure at the company. Unfortunately, when I think back to that difficult time, I remember this tie so I associate the two. I didn’t realize I was neglecting to wear this tie, partially for that reason, for some time.
I decided that it was silly for me to shun this tie and that, instead of harboring negative feelings towards it, I should actively work to REVERSE those feelings and create new, positive associations!
I believe by wearing this tie the other day, I have successfully done just that!
The tie is quite a nice burgundy, printed silk from Charles Tyrwhitt.
My jacket was my tried-and-true, grey, herringbone, Harris Tweed sport coat from Brooks Brothers. I’ll never get sick of wearing this jacket. I think it’s important for a man to have a favorite tweed jacket he wears all the time.
The shirt I wore was a light blue, Hyde Park, oxford-cloth button-down from Lands’ End. As is always the case with Lands’ End OCBDs, the collar roll leaves something to be desired, however I probably got this shirt for $10 so it’s an imperfection I can live with.
My trousers might appear to have been regular khaki pants, but they were actually wool dress pants from Men’s Wearhouse. I’m not sure if they still do it, but they used to have 2-for-1 sales on pants. These pants are a great deal, unfortunately an incompetent tailor some years ago made one of the legs shorter than the other! It’s not evident when I’m walking, but it’s pretty clear in pictures. Oh well. The pants are nice enough to keep despite the imperfection and I haven’t gotten around to getting it fixed.
These trousers are tailored to account for suspenders. That means the waist is a little looser than pants that would be held up by a belt. My suspenders were red and brown and from Brooks Brothers.
My shoes were my well-traveled, Beckett Simonon Dunham Derbies. I wrote a review of these a while back and my positive opinion of these shoes still stands.
Now we get to the fun stuff! Outerwear!
I don’t get to wear my overcoat much, so I’m happy I was able to give it some air. It’s a navy, wool/cashmere, double-breasted overcoat from J. Crew that my wife got me as a gift about four years ago. I love a double-breasted style for an overcoat since the double layer of fabric across the front keeps the wearer warmer than what a single-breasted coat could provide. The giant, flapped pockets were also great for carrying my gloves, scarf, and occasionally, my wife’s shoes!
Speaking of my scarf, I opted for my black, cashmere scarf. A scarf like this can be worn with anything. Casual, formal, you name it!
My gloves were black, leather, fur-lined gloves from Ugg.
To top if all off, I wore my trusty Stetson Temple fedora in light grey.
For my money, the Stetson Temple is just about the best fedora you can buy, along with the Akubra Federation IV. You’ll probably hear people grouse about how the quality of modern hats can’t hold a candle to vintage. Or that custom hats blow factory hats out of the water.
Yes, that might all be true. But most of us aren’t spending all our time scouring Ebay or commissioning bespoke headwear. Some of us just want to walk into a shop, pick out something flattering and of decent quality, and get on with our lives. The Stetson Temple is perfect for that. I have had mine for many years. I steam it and brush it every other year or so and it still just chugs along. Also, the proportions are good. I love the Fed IV, but the crown can be a little tall for some people. The Temple’s dimensions are just about perfect.
What a day we had! Great food, great drinks, and great (uninterrupted) conversation!
Have a wonderful weekend!
