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Hats, Hats, Hats!

March 16, 2016, 11:12 am
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Hope everyone is doing well! It's been a while since my last post - in the meantime, I've been working on my collection of vintage hats. Hats are an interesting accessory. Most people steer clear of them as an outdated fashion that borders on the costume. I agree with the sentiment for the most part when it comes to straw boaters and bowlers and such, but there's something elegant about a well-made fedora. Unfortunately, there aren't many too many well-made hats compared to the offerings from the dozens of hat companies that were in competition from the 1920s to the 1960s before the hat died as an everyday accessory. But if you can find a well-made fedora from the golden age of headwear that isn't too worn and hasn't been devoured by mothballs, you might have found a little treasure for yourself.

From what I've seen so far, Stetson's reputation as the king of hat makers was certainly well-deserved. The touch of Stetson felt, even after, 70 or 80 years, is really something to behold. But there more than held their own.

In the picture above, I'm wearing a Champ Featherweight from the late 1940s or early 1950s. The Featherweight was advertised as light to the touch, and the model's logo featured a scale with two packs of cigarettes weighing more than one of Champ's fedoras, an image which certainly speaks to the ubiquitous nature of cigarettes during the middle of the American century.

Also pictured at center is fellow hat aficionados Adam Coren, the vintage hat expert at J&J Hatters in New York City, and Professor William Gallo at right (in an early 1940s Pre-Stetson Mallory, yet another of the long-ago Fifth Avenue Hat companies).

I'll try to post more detailed images of the Featherweight in the next few days!

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A Fine Vintage: Edward Green's Braemar for Nordstrom

March 18, 2016, 8:52 am
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There's something about a pair of vintage Edward Green shoes that I'm just unable to resist, especially when there's tons of broguing involved and the price is under $100. There's also something about Edward Green's various shades of brown - they really do get better with age. Of course, you don't have to take my word for it - in this case, we'll let a vintage pair of Edward Green's do all of the talking.

Nordstrom sold Edward Green shoes in the mid-1980s which were re-branded for Nordstrom and stamped on the insole with the "Made in England" designation. Most of the models that I've seen that were made for Nordstrom included the Malvern, the incomparable Windsor, as well as the wonderful Braemar which I picked up recently. Essentially a pair of Falkirks with the additional thistle or floral motif at the center of the uppers, my understanding is that these models were based on a design lifted from the Peal & Co. archives and dates back to the 1930s.

The leather was a bit scuffed and dried out when I came into the possession, but luckily there didn't appear to be cracking. So, armed with my trust shoe care kit and a few ounces of Saphyr Renovateur and Leather Balm, I set about trying to restore a bit of the luster to the dark oak uppers. After a bit of buffing, the richness of the leather patina began to shine through in the toe box and near the quarters.

These days, most Edward Green shoes come with a nice bit of burnishing that gets better with time. Back in the mid-eighties, the leather of the Edward Green offerings had a much more even tone - the patina developed over time based on use, wear, etc. as in the case of these lovely examples of the craftsmanship and durability from the early years of John Hlustik's stewardship of the venerable house of Edward Green.













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Bruce Boyer on Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

March 20, 2016, 11:08 am
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Jesse Thorn has been doing great things over at Put This On for years now. In addition to providing wonderful content for that site, he does interviews for his radio-show/podcast with a wide range of interesting people. Most recently he sat down to talk men's style with G. Bruce Boyer, who's can always be counted on to provide insightful commentary on how to dress like a grown man. Here's a link to the audio- the segment with Bruce begins at the 36'30" mark of the show:

http://www.maximumfun.org/bullseye/bullseye-jesse-thorn-ricky-jay-brandie-posey-bruce-boyer
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Portrait of An Uptown Dandy

March 21, 2016, 2:35 pm
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I mentioned a few months back that Bill Gallo, of the eponymously titled studio Bill Gallo Art,and I had traipsed over to Greenwood Gardens to try and create an image that would provide the basis for a portrait of An Uptown Dandy (you can see the original post here). Bill took some great pictures and ultimately decided on the one that you see below which in turn led to the portrait above. You can see more of Bill's great work here.







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"The Old Rules" - Larry Fellows for Apparel Arts, Spring 1934

March 25, 2016, 6:03 am
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It's funny how the old rules are always being discounted and discarded! Yet if the "new" rule in 1934 was that the jacket could be a lighter color than the slacks, isn't it in fact an "old" rule now? Further proof of the never-ending penchant of the "men's style" cognoscenti to espouse "breaks" from tradition which are in fact . . . traditional.

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Get Off Of My Clouds: Edward Green's Asquith

March 26, 2016, 3:17 pm
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I'll be the first to admit that I don't stray very far from brown shoes. There are so many variations on that color that I don't see the need for too many other shoes in my rotation. As a result, I only own a handful of non-brown shoes, and these tend to see very limited use for special occasions. Off the top of my head, I have a pair of black captoe semi-brogues from the Grenson Masterpiece line for Paul Stuart - they're still in pristine, unworn condition in the box. I also have a pair of black Johnston & Murphy Handmade 100s -wingtips with the spade or shovel sole. And I think that's about it for black (there's a pair of blue suede Kiton loafers in the closet somewhere as well, but I plan on wearing those as soon as its warm out!).

I definitely don't stray very far from my wheelhouse, so I have looked from afar at the variety of new colors that Edward Green has been offering for the last few years. Interesting, I thought, but probably not for me. I was intrigued, then, when I had an opportunity to purchase a pair of classic Asquiths on the incomparable 888 last from the Edward Green factory store, but in the new Cloud Antique leather color. My thinking was that I really don't see myself wearing black shoes anytime soon, but the Cloud option might be an interesting option that would allow me to break out some of the black hats, as well as the black overcoat, in my closet that just don't get into the rotation because I wouldn't think to pair them with brown shoes.




The Cloud Antique color is kind of hard to describe - it would be too simplistic to describe it as "grey." It has a "boned" effect, but it also calls to mind what a dark pair of shoes might look like if they were left for decades in the sun-filled window of some shop on a lonely side-street. Of course, Edward Green also utilizes their patinating skills to great effect - there is a warmth to the tone of the leather upper at the medallion and along the rear quarters.




All in all, a classic style in a color that is a bit of a departure for me but which I hope will open up a new range of (admittedly darker) colors in my wardrobe palette. And what's really so wrong with that?


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"Fashion Notes from the Annual Maytime House Party Gala Week-end at Princeton University" - Apparel Arts, Spring 1934 Fabrics & Fashions Issue

March 28, 2016, 6:55 am
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With Spring and then Summer hopefully right around the corner, I thought this excerpt of an article on trends and fashions spotted on Princeton's campus in the Spring of 1934 by the editors of Apparel Arts might be inspirational to some, informative to others, and entirely over the head of the cargo pants and t-shirt crowd. In any event, I don't know about you, but it's impossible for me to not be riveted to a piece of writing that begins with the rather bold statement, "Any question as to the national popularity of gabardine can be conclusively quashed . . ."






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Ghurka on Sale at Soiffer Haskin!

March 28, 2016, 7:20 am
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I'm a big fan of Soiffer Haskin and Ghurka, so this could be a match made in Heaven!









MEN’S AND WOMEN’S
Signature Luggage, Bags and Accessories

70% and More Off Retail Prices
3 Days Only!
Tuesday, March 29th through Thursday, March 31st
9:00am to 6:30pm Daily

Location:
Soiffer Haskin
317 West 33rd Street, NYC
(Just West of 8th Avenue)

Credit Cards Only
(American Express, Visa or MasterCard)
All Sales Final.

Strollers not allowed. No children under 12 will be admitted.
(917) 562-2140

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NOS Peal & Co Wingtips on eBay

March 31, 2016, 8:05 pm
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Peal & Co. shoes aren't terribly hard to find on eBay and in thrift shops but of course some Peals are harder to find than others. Peals made by Alfred Sargent or Crockett & Jones for Brooks Brothers are fairly easy to come by. Edward Green's for Peal & Co. are a little older and a little harder to find. In my mind, though, the unicorn of Peal & Co. shoes are pairs made by the company when it was an independent bespoke maker, before Brooks Brothers purchased the rights to the name to essentially create a re-badged, in-house offering for the Anglophile element.

With that in mind, I don't usually post many links to eBay auctions (unless they're my own!) and I don't think I've ever posted a link to an auction that has already ended, but I guess some rules are made to be broken. Also, original Peal&Co. shoes in new old stock, pristine condition from the 1936-1956 period are so rare (roughly the period wherein the late King's warrant was in use by the company), I thought these were worth posting for posterity's sake.

Nate10184 is a StyleForum member and a long-time fan of An Uptown Dandy - he was also kind enough to give me a heads up on these absolute gems that he had up for auction. Many thanks Nate - good stuff! You can see the auction with more pics here.



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An Uptown Dandy by Bill Gallo

March 31, 2016, 9:24 pm
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They don't make 'em like they used to: A Vintage Royal Stetson Playboy

April 3, 2016, 11:23 am
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I've been having fun working on my vintage hat collection over the last few months and while it might be too early to generalize, I think I'm partial to the wider brim and higher crowns that were all the rage in the 1940s. Recently, I purchased a beautiful Royal Stetson Playboy which seemed to have all the characteristics of a 1940s hat. As I understand it, Stetson didn't begin to use the "Royal" designation until the early to mid 1940s, so the hat was at least that old.





Another tip was the Stetson logo stamped onto the sweatband - the crest with the stars in the left corner of the shield was apparently discontinued around 1950 or thereabouts, so the 1940s time-frame seemed about right (real hat experts are much more adept than I at pinpointing the age based on the size and re-order tags behind the sweat band; I have no such talent although those in the know thought the 1940s sounded good).





What threw me off (but didn't stop me from completing the transaction) was the short brim. Measuring in at under 2 inches, this didn't seem to confirm with what I know and have seen of 1940s era headwear. I took the Playboy into J&J so Adam Coren and the gang over there could get a good look. After looking the hat over, they were fairly confident that someone cut the brim down to size. Sacrilege, I'm sure some of you are muttering to yourselves as you read this. However, I like to think that some fellow purchased or came across this hat in the 1940s and, still enamored of the shorter brims of the 1930s, cut the Playboy down to size*.





I have to say, while I prefer wider brims, there's something I like about the short brim paired the narrower ribbon and the very high crown. It looks very much like the hat pictured in this Fellows illustration from 1933 that I posted recently on the blog. Of course, the hat is about what you'd expect from a vintage Stetson - even with what was a lower-tier offering at that time from the company, the felt is really amazing. It's surprisingly soft to the touch (especially when compared to a contemporary Playboy model) and the color was just as interesting - it appears to be a mid-grey but when paired with earth tones, a hint of green comes to the fore. All in all, a great example of the type of craftsmanship that Stetson built its reputation on!



*Of course, it's just as likely that someone found the hat in the 1960s and tried to recreate a stingy brim, but allow me this touch of romanticism, if you please.
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Raft.

April 3, 2016, 12:34 pm
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Some Sunday Sartorial Splendor from The Best Dressed Man In The Room archive. 


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The Best Dressed Man In The Room - Available on iTunes for $14.99!

April 3, 2016, 1:00 pm
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If print books aren't your thing, download a copy of The Best Dressed Man In The Room at iTunes today! You can find the link here - only $14.99! 

Yes, a shameless plug but it's been a while so cut me some slack :-)





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Summer Styles from Crossett Shoes, Apparel Arts Spring 1934

April 5, 2016, 6:55 pm
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In the Spring of 1934, the Crossett Shoe Company (made in Augusta, Maine!) teamed with the Palm Beach company to offer summer models "distinctively styled to blend with the summer suit." The shoes were "made of genuine Palm Beach by exclusive arrangement with the manufacturers of these famous fabrics." Proof positive that even brand collaborations are old school :-)




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Edward Green's Banbury for Paul Stuart

April 10, 2016, 4:14 pm
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I used to be surprised when I came across decades old shoes from Edward Green that appeared to be virtually untouched and were certainly unworn. However, after seeing a few pairs of shoes in my own collection go neglected year after year, I can no longer feign complete and utter shock when a new old stock pair of shoes comes into my possession.


While 25-30 year old new old stock shoes aren't particularly hard to come by, one rarely finds shoes in this condition still in the box, with the original dust cloth and quality control card signed by one of Edward Green's staff. The total package, in this case, is what separates this vintage new old stock example from rest. 






In this case, the shoes in question are a pair of 3-eyelet ankle boots made by Edward Green for Paul Stuart on the not-quite-in-circulation 404 last. The calf leather is in the chestnut color and is from an era when the patina was much more even across the length of the upper, although there is slight burnishing evident in the toe box and at the rear quarters. More recent models in the ready-to-wear line also feature more of a beveled waist along the sole than this pair of shoes - from what I understand, that's an entirely cosmetic detail.







Note the D width. I've seen this before with Edward Green shoes sold at Saks and Ralph Lauren. I'm not quite sure if this was an ordering faux pas, but in my experience these are not US D or medium widths - these are actually UK D width shoes made for the US market, so it's really a US C width. I don't think Edward Green would have provided the UK and US size but then just the US width, as they've never done with any of their models as far as I know. But in the past, when I've asked the salesman what the width was, they responded that it was a D width as listed on the shoe box or inside the shoe. Of course, it was a UK D width, not a US D width - so that is actually a US C width, a fact that I had to find out a few times the hard way :-)






The boots really are in pristine condition. If I was forced to point out anything out of the ordinary, it would be the slight discoloration just above the welt, along the upper edge of the sole. I've certainly seen this before on some of my other pairs of first quality Edward Green shoes, so I don't believe this would even quality as an imperfection. But there it is!






I plan on posting these to eBay either tonight or tomorrow, but interested readers with a UK 11 or US 11.5 foot that can handle a slightly narrower width should feel free to reach out. I have no experience with the 404 last, but if that's a wider last (similar to the 202), then a slightly narrower width would probably work out quite well for a slightly narrower US 11 foot. I'd be happy to end the auction early for a loyal reader :-)

Here's a link to the auction!



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More Raft.

April 12, 2016, 12:36 pm
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The Closet Cleaning Continues . . .

April 24, 2016, 10:25 am
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More items for sale on eBay. As always, I'm more than happy to discount any items for my loyal readers!

You can find the auctions here.
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The Return of the Spearpoint Collar

May 21, 2016, 12:17 pm
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Humphrey Bogart wants you to know about the spearpoint collar, 
but will you listen?


Vintage-clothing enthusiasts will no doubt be reading the title of this post and muttering softly, "I had no idea the spearpoint collar had gone anywhere." Nevertheless, it can truthfully be said that the spearpoint has never quite regained its status as the first choice of the sartorially inclined which it so deservedly enjoyed during the 1920s and 1930s (a period also known as the golden age of men's style for those of you who aren't regulars here at An Uptown Dandy). While Martin Scorcese's Goodfellas probably didn't too much for the spearpoint either, I tend to see the collar when I'm out and about in Manhattan to hear some jazz and while I wouldn't call it an affectation, it definitely requires a bit of confidence to step out on that particular limb. Of course, it helps if you're going all out for a classic 1930s look anyway. In my personal opinion, there's nothing quite like the look of a slim-fitting double-breasted suit worn with the spearpoint collar and the requisite collar bar.



I had purchased a Polo Ralph Lauren creme double-breasted jacket on a whim some time ago. It was typical Ralph - patch pockets and half-belted with an action back. In other words, a classic jacket featuring golden-age styling. The original plastic buttons weren't much to look at so I replaced those with a set of buttons in a sort of burnished horn from Italy that I found at Tender Buttons in Manhattan. When I wore the jacket out though, it still wasn't quite right - the creme didn't quite work with any of my blue shirts, but I also didn't think the spread collars that I was wearing were working either.

With that in mind, I decided to order a spearpoint collar in some shade of white. Vintage spearpoints tended to not be in the greatest shape. For the most part, they were also generally available in some kind of stripe pattern which is probably more authentic to the period but I wanted something that wouldn't necessarily clash with the creme color of the jacket.

There were a few places that specialized in semi-custom shirts and the spearpoint collar but in the end I decided to give Luxire a try. Some of the vintage clothing guys at the Fedora Lounge spoke highly of their experiences with Luxire, and that coupled with positive feedback at Style Forum prompted me to proceed without too much trepidation.



I decided on a heavy Irish linen fabric and a 4-inch collar. Luxire also allows you to choose from other options that give the shirt a more vintage look, including the half-placket and the detachable collar. The shirt basically is cut with the mandarin shirt collar with the detachable spearpoint included in the price. I thought a linen shirt with a mandarin collar might be useful for a day at the beach, so it seemed like a practical decision. For another $20, I added an extra English spread collar so that I could wear the shirt with a regular suit or odd jacket/trouser combination as well.

The shirt eventually arrived and I was very pleased. The Irish linen was definitely heavier than normal, but it looked great. The thick mother-of-pearl buttons were a nice touch, and the workmanship was about what you'd expect at the Luxire price point. The collar fit well out of the box - it will be interesting to see if there's any shrinkage in that area after a few washes. The same concern probably applies to the sleeve length but, in fairness to Luxire, they did comply with the measurements that I provided.



The spearpoint worked out well enough. I believe Luxire is making me enough of these to know what people are looking for. I was pleased with the curve of the lower line of the collar - some vintage aficionados pointed out that the lower line should have some curvature to it. The collar certainly has some shape to it. If I were to order another, I might provide examples of how much curvature I was looking for. There are dozens of images of varying curvature on collars worn by Bogart, Fairbanks, Raft, Cooper, etc. so I'm not sure if this is a question of period authenticity versus individual preference, but its something to keep in mind anyway. I also find that the cut of the collar is somewhat obscured by the pull  of the collar bar on each side.

All in all - I was pleased with my shirt purchase via Luxire. There are a variety of fabric offerings available to match your pricepoint, and if you're looking to experiment with the spearpoint collar it's great to have a semi-custom/custom option available out there. While I'm not sure if the spearpoint will be supplanting the spread collar anytime soon, I'm looking forward to wearing it out in the near future :-)



Pictured: Polo Ralph Lauren double-breasted jacket; 7-fold Borrelli tie; Swank sterling silver collar bar (design patented in 1927); Luxire Irish linen dress shirt with spearpoint collar; 1940s Stetson Medalist straw fedora with pleated ribbon.



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The Life of a Pitti Peacock (A Mockumentary)

July 4, 2016, 4:41 pm
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I rarely find much of interest at Esquire these days - although the online archive is pretty amazing (I'm not sure how many times I've read Gay Talese's  "Frank Sinatra Has A Cold") - but this mockumentary from Aaron Christian is pretty terrific. You can find a link to the video here.














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eBay Auctions 7.4.2016

July 4, 2016, 4:56 pm
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I had a few auctions up on eBay but by the time I got around to posting here at An Uptown Dandy, the matching Hermes tie and pocketsquare were gone. Ditto the Brooks Brothers straw boater. But there's still a lovely lilac/white stripe Borrelli for Bergdorf Goodman dress shirt in excellent used condition in a size 17, as well as a nice Polo Ralph Lauren rubberized Fireman's Jacket in a size M:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/dittycom/m.html?item=302002809472&ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562


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