More Than Meets the Eye

Great subtle details: the coat and pants; how his collar is worn; the air of refinement to the boots; and the wood jewellery.

Loafers

I love the breast pocket on the leather jacket. It caps off the entire look for me.

Thoughts of Spring

Sun-filled days of late have me thinking about spring. Thoughts of pastel knitwear, linen trousers and two-toned loafers have been on my mind. I may be getting ahead of myself, but with an eye on spring here are some fond memories from the soon-to-be-over winter:

- Being reacquainted with the softness of fur felt when the first cold day of fall called for a hat.

- Tying my first bow tie and wearing it - not because I had to, but because I wanted to.

- Having shined shoes on my feet on a dreary winter day.

- Wearing a suit made and fitting so well that an entire day passes without realizing that I even had it on.

- Picking up said suit from the dry cleaner after I had gotten syrup on it during its first wear.

- Being complimented on my mode of dress by perfect strangers. One occassion stands out: a man approached me on public transit and proceeded to comment in a foreign language. He seemed perplexed, even angry. I can only gather that it was in compliment.


Dogwood flower brooch: Laser cut from exotic veneers, hand screenprinted with a Victorian design (on back) and accented with stone.

Belted Trench

A Touch of Paris...

... in Vancouver.

Something Red

A beautiful look. Love the flare of the collar.

A Touch of Discretion

I appreciate a touch of color in my look. Now, I prefer muted colors - shades even - over more rich and vibrant ones so I can not see myself wearing for example the chair in the picture.

Accessories offer up the right level of visual interest and discretion. Ties and socks have already been thoroughly thought through; how else to balance the uniformity and expanse of a mid-grey, three-quarter length winter coat? A pair of gloves or a pocket square in the breast pocket would be refined. One does not need to stop there though. On this day the lapel is home to a wool felt flower. So even though I would not wear the chair, it does work well on the lapel of my coat.

That I Do

I do love hats. It started many years ago when I got a new, shorter haircut and was looking for a hat to keep my head warm in the winter. I found myself looking at men's hats; no, not caps or tuques, but classic hats having brims and crowns. It started innocently enough with a brown fur felt fedora, and has since led to a few more felt fedoras and a derby. Repeat in straw for summer hats. Different hat styles, colors and crown shapes seem to make their way into my closet over time. Now, my closet space is somewhat limited, and hat storage takes up a lot of space - at a rate of a box per hat. I may soon have to start sleeping on the couch.

Taupe trilby: Rabbit fur felt, leather sweatband, satin lining.

Depth

I really enjoy the use of black in the different pieces he is wearing. For me, the visual interest is in the different materials and textures of the pieces, and how these compliment and contrast one another.

All in the Family

I passed by a construction site downtown where a crane was being installed. It was a large affair as police were directing traffic and lanes were closed for several blocks. It was great seeing all the contruction workers intermingled with the passing public as observers. Many even had their cameras handy. Out of the sea of uniform hardhats and safety vests, this daughter and father duo stood out, adding to the sense of family and celebration. I love how she is kitted out in the requisite garb. I wonder if steel toe shoes are available in her size.

Brass

I love the street level formality of the brass buttons on his double-breasted coat.

Self Portrait

Me, on a day about town.

Forgive me if I offend anyone's sensibilities with pictures of myself. I find that I sometimes have difficulty finding people who I would like to take a picture of. It may be part timing, part me looking too hard or people just feeling plain uninspired.

Always in appreciation.

Luck

I have never been one to count on luck or be bothered by free promotional draws and contests, preferring instead not to get sidetracked. Well, a while ago I was trying on a pair of boots, and that very act made me eligible for a draw for a free pair. After I put my order in for a pair of boots, I filled out a ballot not thinking much about it. About a month later I get a phone call notifying me that I am the lucky winner. Well, I'll be. So now I have a lovely pair of boots, with another pair - in a different color and model of course - on the way.

There is something to be said for taking advantage of opportunities, so the next time I am faced with a draw - say, a trip to Paris - my name will be good to go on that ballot.

On Discourse

I recently brought the jacket of a suit back to a store for alterations. I had worn the suit a few times, gotten to know it, and decided that I wanted it trimmer in the sleeves and through the body. My sales associate and the store's made-to-measure specialist went about listening to my wishes and pinning my jacket. Now, this process is always a delicate balance between fit and silhoutte, and it is wise to share one's thoughts and solicit those of others. The store's head tailor was brought in to comment on the proposed changes and things got interesting at this point. I was treated to a discourse rich in culture, craft and generational viewpoints between the MTM specialist and head tailor - each having valid and different viewpoints on how to execute my wishes. It was ringside seats for both me and my sales associate. The experience was so novel to me that I found myself returning to the store two days later to double-check the pinning of the jacket before the alterations were made.

It all ended well as jacket and owner were reunited a week later, and each never looked better. I look forward to future discourses - differences notwithstanding - with the store's associate, specialist and tailor, as they are in the business of making good men look great - a noble undertaking, worthy of gratitude.

Singing a Song

I was reminded yesterday that life is okay. Times may get wild and unwieldy, but the simple and beautiful things in life carry us through and forward.

Bienvenue

I tried my hand at speaking french in order to ask him if I could take his picture - lucky for me he was with an english-speaking companion, and that great style translates well in any language.

Those are nice-fitting leather pants, and a terrific trio of knits.

Tone