The First Five Thread: Starting a Wardrobe From Scratch

[fxh]

Is sharkskin exclusively a suiting fabric?

Possibly. But can look ok in odd trousers - depending what you are wearing.

There's a theory/rule/preference/opinion/bias around that all sports slacks (odd trousers) should have texture and not be too smooth worsted. Probably not a bad starting point but I think the above would go OK with your standard navy blazer.

Depends how adventurous/hip you are. How about some puppytooth black and white? Although that can look like a cooks trousers if you are not careful.

I don't recall but aren't you look for non work /business stuff? You might want to be a bit more adventurous.

 

[Thruth]

Pictures from a distance:

Not liking the grey even more.

 

[Grand Potentate]

Not liking the grey even more.

+1. The brown looks like its straight off the set of Seinfeld.

 

[fxh]

The brown looks great - especially as it has some linen. The grey is ok.

Its all a bit conservative - except perhaps the brown. Is that what you are after?

Where are they from?

 

[Thruth]

Possibly. But can look ok in odd trousers - depending what you are wearing.

There's a theory/rule/preference/opinion/bias around that all sports slacks (odd trousers) should have texture and not be too smooth worsted. Probably not a bad starting point but I think the above would go OK with your standard navy blazer.

Depends how adventurous/hip you are. How about some puppytooth black and white? Although that can look like a cooks trousers if you are not careful.

I don't recall but aren't you look for non work /business stuff? You might want to be a bit more adventurous.

A grey with black puppytooth comes across as an interesting colour and not the standard mid to darker grey.

 

[Darkside]

Possibly. But can look ok in odd trousers - depending what you are wearing.

There's a theory/rule/preference/opinion/bias around that all sports slacks (odd trousers) should have texture and not be too smooth worsted. Probably not a bad starting point but I think the above would go OK with your standard navy blazer.

Depends how adventurous/hip you are. How about some puppytooth black and white? Although that can look like a cooks trousers if you are not careful.

I don't recall but aren't you look for non work /business stuff? You might want to be a bit more adventurous.

I just want to stick with the basics for now. When I do have to wear dress pants, it is in a conservative environment. I have seen dogtooth patterns I like, but I don't think I would wear that to the work environment I'm in.

I think the tobacco is going to be a sure buy. I am now deciding between the grey herringbone and the light brown sharkskin.

They are from Spier and Mackay, a Canadian brand. They have a limited number of fabrics, but their prices are great and the Contemporary fit is the best OTR fit of any trousers I have.

 

[Darkside]

+1. The brown looks like its straight off the set of Seinfeld.

I like Seinfeld. This will be one of my F5 shirts:

 

[Grand Potentate]

I like Seinfeld. This will be one of my F5 shirts:

I was thinking more like Kramer.

 

[Thruth]

 

[Thruth]

 

[Darkside]

^In the first five? Really??

 

[Grand Potentate]

These are definitely better than your choices Darkside .

 

[Grand Potentate]

^In the first five? Really??

I don't think so. I was just comparing the two sets of pics.

 

[Thruth]

^In the first five? Really??

live a little. if you are wearing a blue odd jacket, the grey POW would be striking. EuroSecurityguard™

might be a little orphaned suit pants with the overcheck

 

[Thruth]

cavalry twill. not necessary the colour but the texture

 

[Russell Street]

cavalry twill. not necessary the colour but the texture

I actually have a pair of custom trousers from this stuff. It's bulletproof, but has the issue of looking a lot like double knit polyester or, as someone once said, granny pants.
I wear them with tweed, and I'm never sure if this is a good pairing or not.

 

[fxh]

I always think of PoW as suiting. But I'm not most people.

 

[fxh]

Darkside - why dress like an old man?

I think cavalry twill is great.

To ensure you dont look like a granny or pensioner gardening - (ie me, thruth or Russ) , make sure they are narrow. In a twill I would go for flat front , (ultra) high rise, slim, narrow cuff opening, no cuffs, with frog pockets.

 

[Jan Libourel]

Awful lot of over-thinking these matters here, it seems to me. For starters, a man needs a navy blazer in lightweight or year-round fabric, and a heavier, winter-weight jacket in an earth tone--preferably tweed, with camel's hair or corduroy as other options. Thereafter, he can be guided by his own tastes and preferences.

For whatever reason, I have never cared for gray odd jackets. I have 20 odd jackets, none of them is gray.

I got a chuckle out of the notion that tweed would be unnecessary in California, where I dwell. Even as late as early July I have sometimes worn a 15-ounce Harris tweed jacket when out walking the dog at night...and this is Southern California (Long Beach, to be more specific.)

 

[LKP]

cavalry twill. not necessary the colour but the texture

aka KOWERKOTT for the italocentric members

 

[Chorn]

Eh? Is this first five trou now?

For the sake of convenience, all from Howard Yount. Jamison won't stop emailing me these days. Every time I check, he lights up my inbox like the 4th of July.

Some brown flannel for winter

Some gray flannel

Some summerweight gray (lighter in color)

Some summerweight cream/tan

and finally a gray in something for all seasons

And if I had a 6th and 7th, I'd try and add something a little more interesting. Like

This microhoundstooth

or

This wool-cotton blend

or

This wool silk blend

 

[LKP]

Eh? Is this first five trou now?

For the sake of convenience, all from Howard Yount. Jamison won't stop emailing me these days. Every time I check, he lights up my inbox like the 4th of July.

Some brown flannel for winter

Some gray flannel

Some summerweight gray (lighter in color)

Some summerweight cream/tan

and finally a gray in something for all seasons

And if I had a 6th and 7th, I'd try and add something a little more interesting. Like

This microhoundstooth

or

This wool-cotton blend

or

This wool silk blend

top top fratello sei un bomber
l'unico chi ha stile

 

[Darkside]

^I like the idea of 2 seasonal trousers each for cold and warm weather, and one all seasonal. BTW I got the tobacco brown trousers and I am returning them. You guys were right--looks very 90s in person.

Now, to shift gears, perhaps something more interesting. Recently on SF, ElioDA mentioned "....if I were forced to limit my tie collection to five, I would have three knits (navy, chocolate and burgundy) and two cashmere ties (rust and forest green). All solids."
Chorn has mentioned to me before, "1 or 2 browns. If one brown, solid. 1 or 2 greens. If one green, patterned. 1 burgundy. Patterned. 1 navy, solid and textured."

Are knits mostly casual ties or can they be used for suits as well? What are your thoughts on this, and your F5?

 

[colco]

 

[Chorn]

* navy knit
* brown knit
* green knit
* brown neat
* green neat

For reference (though the green would be solid and not dotted)

Spoiler

 

[fxh]

chorn - your top purple(?) beer drinking pointy knit - where's it from? Is it a bit light and see through?

I'd like a dark brown/chocolate one with a loose kinda see through knit

 

[fxh]

^I like the idea of 2 seasonal trousers each for cold and warm weather, and one all seasonal. BTW I got the tobacco brown trousers and I am returning them. You guys were right--looks very 90s in person.

Now, to shift gears, perhaps something more interesting. Recently on SF, ElioDA mentioned "....if I were forced to limit my tie collection to five, I would have three knits (navy, chocolate and burgundy) and two cashmere ties (rust and forest green). All solids."
Chorn has mentioned to me before, "1 or 2 browns. If one brown, solid. 1 or 2 greens. If one green, patterned. 1 burgundy. Patterned. 1 navy, solid and textured."

Are knits mostly casual ties or can they be used for suits as well? What are your thoughts on this, and your F5?

If I was going all minimalist - I'd go knits - silk - plain - Navy, Burgundy, Black, Brown. No green. I have a slightly neurotic anti green stance in most things except garden furniture.

As it is I have 6 by navy knits, 4 with horizontal stripes of varying widths, one wool knit; 4 x black - some with stripes, one cotton; 3 x Burgundy 2 of them a bit too narrow. I am missing brown.

I have a bunch of woollen ties some a silk/wool mix some cashmere mix that can look a bit like knits.

 

[Darkside]

Were knits always staples or is this a new movement? I find them rare to find, especially ones with pointed tips and a width above 7cm.

 

[fxh]

I still don't have a pointy end silk knit.

I've always had knits. If you think knits are hard to find in USA try being in australia. Knottery and Tiebar have cheap good knits online. They aren't that thick but they are nice. I have a few from tiebar. Lands End used to have crunchy chunky ones I like.

Nothing new about knits. Big in the 60s. Big in Ivy.

In theory knits are casual ties but in practice any tie these days is formal. Except on internet forums.

 

[fxh]

I'm watching the Sinatra doco now.
Both Frank and Mitch Miller in knit ties. 1950. Frank in a strange thick, 4inch number short, about mid chest, flipped out over buttoned up DB suit. But it works. Because it's Frank and he's hip.

 

[fxh]

Now Nelson Riddle in knit tie.

Man can Frank wear a suit.
And has anyone ever worn a hat or series of hats as well as Frank and look cool.

 

[Chorn]

Darkside
Navy from Yount

fxh
Henry Carter?

 

[Darkside]

Darkside
Navy from Yount

fxh
Henry Carter?

http://www.howardyount.com/collections/ties/products/silk-knit-flat-weave-tie-navy

Looks very nice, but do I need this if I just got the navy grenadine from KW? This seems to be a lighter shade of navy, however.

 

[Grand Potentate]

Looks very nice, but do I need this if I just got the navy grenadine from KW? This seems to be a lighter shade of navy, however.

No. Better to diversify your color options than stay with something in the same family only slightly different.

 

[Chorn]

Agreed, though for what you wear, that would have been a better option. A bit different from mine, though. And at 55, it wouldn't be the worst purchase in the world.

And though a number of people disagree with me, I don't think that a grenadine in navy, which strikes me as fairly formal, and a knit in a similar color are fungible.

 

[Thruth]

How does one rationalize wearing a sub 3 inch knit ties with wide euro-preferred lapels?

 

[Leitmotif]

As I'm redoing my nasty wardrobe, well my shirts, pants I'm fine I believe. Should I go for thick white/blue stripes? or thin blue/white stripes?

 

[Darkside]

Agreed, though for what you wear, that would have been a better option. A bit different from mine, though. And at 55, it wouldn't be the worst purchase in the world.

And though a number of people disagree with me, I don't think that a grenadine in navy, which strikes me as fairly formal, and a knit in a similar color are fungible.

Not going to lie. I had to look up the definition of fungible (interchangeable). At the discounted price and the variation in blue, I think it may be worth grabbing the Yount knit as well. For instance, I would hesitate to the wear the Yount to formal events or interviews, whereas my old Chipp grenadines were my go-to for my interview trail last F/W. Also, due to circumstance, I have ended up with an olive knit and grenadine as well. I see them as 2 very different ties.

I'll sleep on it.

As I'm redoing my nasty wardrobe, well my shirts, pants I'm fine I believe. Should I go for thick white/blue stripes? or thin blue/white stripes?

Can't you see we're talking about ties right now?

 

[Leitmotif]

Not going to lie. I had to look up the definition of fungible (interchangeable). At the discounted price and the variation in blue, I think it may be worth grabbing the Yount knit as well. For instance, I would hesitate to the wear the Yount to formal events or interviews, whereas my old Chipp grenadines were my go-to for my interview trail last F/W. Also, due to circumstance, I have ended up with an olive knit and grenadine as well. I see them as 2 very different ties.

I'll sleep on it.



Can't you see we're talking about ties right now?

Do you think i give a fuck?

 

[Thruth]

Do you think i give a fuck?

Pushy, inconsiderate refugee