Early Influences on Your Style

[Russell Street]

For some friggin reason, I thought Bill Bixby on My Favorite Martian looked really slick.

The dapper narrow lapels and tie. Note the unblemished lapel!
The chinos and OCDB of the Professor on Gilligan's Island was refreshingly simple and casual but distinguished.

Needless to say, Thurston Howell III with his ascots and patterned jackets and stingy brimmed straw hats was quite awesome as well.

It could be TV, real life, movies...who impressed you at a young age, had a noteworthy or influential style?

 

[Chorn]

For a very long time, nobody. I just bought what I liked from BR and JCrew and called it a day. In terms of menswear, I didn't think much about it until joining SF. At that point, I'd say Timotune's style is probably the one I liked the most and, though I don't think it was conscious, is probably the direction I took when I decided I wanted to learn how to wear odd jackets.

At the moment, I don't bother, but if I ever were to starting bothering with what I wear casually, I like the way Steve McQueen used to dress.

 

[Russell Street]

The J. Crew reference does remind me that their catalogs of 20+ years ago were decent eye candy, and that their colors (and names thereof) save me from the gag about men seeing in 16 color resolution.
About the earliest influence, circa middle school when children start forging their identities, was seriously...

Spoiler: this movie.

Revenge of the Nerds. Gilbert and Lewis.

Not too far from what my mother got me anyway, and I clearly had an early penchant for light theme/costume and contrarianism.

 

[Allen Smithee]

Who didn't want to dress like Mr. Rogers?

 

[OfficePants]

Miami Vice, for sure. At various times it was the fashions on display on The Love Boat. Dallas. Slightly later it was Corbin Bernson on LA Law.

 

[Russell Street]

Miami Vice, for sure. At various times it was the fashions on display on The Love Boat. Dallas. Slightly later it was Corbin Bernson on LA Law.

Yikes, clearly in my age range. Or not. The Love Boat was hideously dated by the time I saw it. That unstructured pastel stuff was all over the place by the time I was in middle school, despite the total lack of anything resembling tropical weather to justify it.
Never saw Dallas but Hagman's character on I Dream of Jeannie was frequently (as I recall) in a white dinner jacket and I thought that was an awesome look.

 

[OfficePants]

Yikes, clearly in my age range. Or not. The Love Boat was hideously dated by the time I saw it. That unstructured pastel stuff was all over the place by the time I was in middle school, despite the total lack of anything resembling tropical weather to justify it.
Never saw Dallas but Hagman's character on I Dream of Jeannie was frequently (as I recall) in a white dinner jacket and I thought that was an awesome look.

Don't get the wrong idea... an early influence doesn't necessarily indicate a good influence.

 

[Russell Street]

Certainly not, and television is usually not the best influence on anything.

 

[Thruth]

The movies of the 40's and 50's on Sunday afternoon television but this was more of a latent seed.

Two key direct influences that helped me later in life when I began to wear suits and odd jackets was a neighbourhood tailor who actually took the time to answer my questions when I took pants in for hemming and saw a suit coat without sleeves.

In grad school, still penniless and somewhat oblivious, the folks at Julian's in Chapel Hill were gracious with their time including Maurice, Alexander's dad.

 

[Russell Street]

In grad school, still penniless and somewhat oblivious, the folks at Julian's in Chapel Hill were gracious with their time including Maurice, Alexander's dad.

I had no idea that Alexander Julian was American. It probably doesn't help that the first mention I heard of him was in French class.

 

[Thruth]

I had no idea that Alexander Julian was American. It probably doesn't help that the first mention I heard of him was in French class.

I think many may not know that he is a good 'ole boy, well maybe that is stretching it a bit. Southern gentry.

I think his roots are obscured by what he is most recognized for, namely low end gear: Colours.

 

[Laragosta]

Errol Flynn, for sure.

 

[Russell Street]

Errol Flynn, for sure.

He definitely had dashing style.

 

[Laragosta]

And as a boy I loved his adventure movies.

 

[Russell Street]

I'll stir the pot by mentioning that when I watched old Abbott and Costello movies on TV, I marveled at how great the suit-clad world they inhabited looked.

Interesting lapel/collar there.

 

[EFV]

Even though I dress nowhere like this now. I think this was my biggest influence when I started wearing coat and tie:

Not particularly posh or classic, but my main interests at the time were music and mod girls.

 

[Russell Street]

The Mods certainly outdressed the Rockers.

 

[Thruth]

Tonik > denim & leather

Although there are examples of sartorially-minded rockers. But I guess it all depends on what genre.

 

[Thruth]

Huge influence on me:

 

[Russell Street]

Ah, I remember thinking more musicians should dress like Robert Palmer (and his "band" from the videos).
The '80s sitcoms are a gold mine. Lots of rock and dirts, but gold to be found. Some unrefined ore in the Alex P. Keaton character's wannabe preppy/yuppy garb.

 

[Russell Street]

Last I checked, like a decade ago, the scooter crowd was still onto tight pants and somewhat dandy. I did like the Quadrophenia juxtoposition of the baggy military surplus coats against the trendy tailored wear.

 

[OfficePants]

Run DMC, with those leather Adidas sweatsuits? They were $500 at the time, an unachievable amount. In addition, everyone had rope chains, and by that I mean fake ass rope chains, or they were so thin and hollow they might as well have been nanotubes.

 

[Allen Smithee]

The Kangol hats were cool. The lack of shoelaces is a sad homage to prison life
The gold chain makes me thing of BA Baracus. I'd say the guys on the left had a bigger influence on my style.

 

[Robert]

Funny. I just said to myself, "I wonder how long it will be before one of these cunts puts up a pic of that fascist cumguzzler as a style example?" Thanks Charlie. You made my day.

 

[John Lee Pettimore III]

Funny. I just said to myself, "I wonder how long it will be before one of these cunts puts up a pic of that fascist cumguzzler as a style example?" Thanks Charlie. You made my day.

Stay classy.

 

[Russell Street]

I just said to myself, "I wonder how long it will be before one of these cunts puts up a pic of that fascist cumguzzler as a style example?"

Which Duke are we referring to here?

 

[Fwiffo]

I probably sound like a broken record or skipping CD but showing up in the City of London in 2006 with my baggy and overpriced Boss and open collar shirts put pressure on me to change.

It took a few years of forum reading before I found my own style. Otherwise, embarrasingly, it was Mad Men and the WAYWN thread till some eBay reseller showed up. I still own two Black Fleece suits for the summer and an RLBL based on forum suggestions.