Portraits From Stockholm
Styling The Man
Category: ACCESSORIES finishing touch
December 11, 2018
Melbourne
Wilson’s Promontory – ©Charles David
December 7, 2016
old stockholm
Strangers In The Night
April 14, 2016
A tip of the hat
A handsome topper makes nearly every man look like a protege of George Raft. A snappy dresser, dapper.
Hats are marks of distinction; they can add an element of character of the wearer. Think Indians Jones and his hat. They’d be no hero there without the hat. The hero is always the one with the hat, riding up in the nick of time. Bear in mind, a good position is everything. Therefore you should rock it at an angle. Whether your face is long, square, round, or a combination, when properly angled, the shadows compliment your better features.
Which hat style looks best on you? Is it a Tribly or porkpie style? This style tends to have a sharp, moderately sized crown, with narrow brim, hense the term stingy-brim, which looks great on a man with a small face and narrow shoulders, say like Sinatra.? Or are you the Homburg or fedora type, which by virtue of their generous brim, add balance for a man with a more medium to wide jaw, full face and broad shouldered. Which ever you choose remember, hats are very visible, and you don’t want your hat to be wearing you. Therefore you should wear it in your correct size; width of hat’s crown should match width of your face. Brim’s width should stay within confines of your shoulders, and rest 3/4 inch above your brow, and no better than 1/4 inch above your ears is the proper fit. And remember to pull it down slightly in the back, to allow your handsome face to be seen.
August 28, 2015
The square
Bros, brahs, buds & dudes, a gentleman always carries a handkerchief for incidentals. Just don’t offer a lady friend the same one you blow out loogie.
I give you the handkerchief, also known as the handkercher, hanky, the hank, the pocket hank, the Pocket square, the square. A contemporary reduction in size, maybe on average 5 – 8 inches square, from the elaborate swatch of fine linen or silk heavenly flowered in non-stitched lace of many descriptions. The pocket square, now in its more conservative size, is adaptable to many origami-like transformations of debonair. Color, texture, weight.
I like subtly with an edge. Like a dusty tan linen shirt, hard white lightly shred Levis, a natural flax-tone silk-linen single button or DB and, stuffed into a casual three-point flop in the breast pocket, a hanky by Christian Kimber. A recent design addition to the menswear world. A square which celebrates the London Gherkin structure, which structurally rather resembles the Graf Zeppelin of the first Led Zeppelin album cover. As you play around to get it just so, the feel of the pliant silk is sumptuous and the graphic pattern grid has endless artful possibilities of lines and planes, meridians and longitude perspectives which DeChirico could find amusing. Another eye-catcher for the well-dressed, is the Federation bandana. A Journey into a mushroom Taupe space, gridded by abstract white larger slashes. The designer’s iconic spaniel sits in attention in mild color frill.
Take a look through Christian Kimber’s Look-book. The footwear is also superb with Spanish and Italian craftsmanship on display.
August 11, 2015
Reflections on a golden moment
I see that Leo DiCaprio, auctioned his watch to a fellow swell, in the name of Earth’s
redemption. An admirable thing but, I wonder if he really enjoyed wearing his timepiece, treasuring each minute’s movement, confident in knowing precisely the date, should an unexpectedly serious moment blitz the short-term memory suddenly. Did he privately caress the burnished black fine grain leather of the classic gold buckle wristband-something ultimately genteel and suave, that might be glimpsed under a french-cuffed, gleaming white linen shirt, worn say, by 007’s adversary? Would he pause to buff the crystal gently and reflect into the matte obsidian watch face and consider the simple pleasures of being a swell fellow?
This is a pleasure, owning and experiencing my Larsson & Jennings gentleman’s timepiece.
February 20, 2015
Small style details
Double Knot Cufflinks and Longines Wrist watch
February 19, 2015
Hold on loosely, but don’t let go
Old Is New Again – While tie bars add a certain something to one’s overall style, it should be simple and understated. You don’t want this accessory to dominate as you walk into a room. You want the crowd to take in the entirety of you, and the care you’ve taken to put your ensemble out there.
The current nostalgic interest in the classic well-tailored look for men, also features the perennial keeping it all together accessory: The tie holder also known as tie clasp, tie clip, tie-bar, once referred to as tie slide – an often unassuming functionary offered in many choices. From stylish ornaments of precious metal to sets with even more precious stones fit for a Rajah’s entrance. Then for the creatives, the tie clip is a more personal statement. This is where great granddad’s Art Deco clip, the antiques and flea market find, your college buddy artisan’s flair for steampunk all come to the fore. Or should we say, front and almost center?
The most flattering position for your tie holder is between the third and fourth button of the dress shirt, not to be aligned with pocket-square moment. A slight downward twist can add some character of the wearer. If you’re wearing a vested suit, then you technically shouldn’t need a tie holder, as one of the functions of a vest as with a tie bar, is to affix the tie to the shirt’s front, keeping the tie on a neat, taut tether, which helps to maintain the tie’s arch in the neckband.
Remember the rudiments; how ever or what ever you call it, the accessory should never be wider than the tie itself.
Styling The Man 
