THE SUIT
Bateman, Gekko and Ford gets it right, but can you?
Jerry Seinfeld once said that the suit must have been invented by a woman claiming, ”since all men are the same, we might as well dress them all the same”. But since you all do dress the same, the more important it becomes to get it right.
Being a woman and completely blank on the subject, I contacted three experts on the area; Hein Irgens, former manager at Scabal and employee at Tatler, Christian Ferner from Ferner&Jacobsen and T.Michael, designer of T.Michael suits, to discuss the current trends and maybe more importantly, the rules which apply to how a suit should sit.
First of all, the suit has never been more in the fashion scene than it currently is. The reason for that has a lot to do with to the financial crisis, and the importance of wearing clothes that show seriousness around work. Nevertheless, one should never underestimate the impact pop culture have on the way we dress.
T.Michael explains: - The presence of Don Draper and his band of mad men has a significant impact on the way people view the suit. In addition, the Tom Ford movie A Single Man escalates the suit from just being a Sunday best to attire that rocks in more ways than just being a traditional dress code. Chuck Bass has also done his work, especially bringing the bow tie back in the game.
What this does to the current suit trend is that it combines the utilitarian feel of the 1940´s with the optimism of the 1960´s. In other words, the suit is close to the body and the silhouette slender. The jacket has two buttons, thin lapels and relaxed shoulders. The ties are thin, and the pants should, for the daredevil, be a tad short. There should be a two-side vent and the jacket accentuated at the back. Accessories like handkerchiefs and cufflinks are back, and as earlier mentioned the batwing bow tie. So even though the Swedish slim style is still strong, there is a touch of that impeccable spotless Italian man. And we all love him!
However, no matter how smart your suit is, it all comes down to getting the right one that fits you. The experts point out some main rules when you are out hunting.
In general the suit is better tight than loose, and should always feel a tad restricting. The jacket should not be longer than that it ends in your palm when you are standing straight, have one or two buttons (never three), and show around three centimeters of your shirt cuffs. The shoulders should stop exactly where your shoulders stop, and if you think that makes your shoulders look small, well, then they are and don’t blame the suit.
When it comes to the pants there is not more magic than that they should stop one centimeter from when your shoe goes leather to rubber. If that makes it hang on the front, alter the pants a bit wry.
According to Hein Irgens; in the world of shirt and tie, there are not many rules. Just don’t look colorblind or try to tell a story with your tie. Thin ties should go with thin lapels.
And if you want a woman’s opinion; nothing beats the classic dark grey suit, white shirt and black tie.
See you at the party!
Ink.
The statement that sticks.
With Inked, Miami Inc, L.A. Inc and probably some other American city Inc, running on TV, tattoos, and the eternal discussion about it is heated once again.
Getting a tattoo was long considered an anti-social activity. The Nazis used tattoos to mark their prisoners in the concentrations camps. Gulag prisoners in Soviet used them to express their life experiences, and for protection. If they tattooed the picture of Stalin or Lenin, they believed the prison guards wouldn’t shoot at them. Still today, the soldiers in Iraq tattoo a phone number so it will be easier to contact their families in case of emergency. Anthropologists have even gone so far as to suggest that the origin of tattoos may be directly linked to war. But from being a phenomenon reserved to gangs in Latin - America, prisoners, sailors or Hells angels, tattoos is now to be seen on individuals from all walks of life. However, for many critics of the art form, tattoos represent what it was originally meant to represent, a way of expressing being an outcast of mainstream society. The trend has changed; it’s now used to express individuality, or used as a statement.
During a summer program at a London based fashion school, I had an Italian teacher named Filippo. Filippo was the upper dog of fashion, with his impeccable style and hardcore hipster lifestyle. For our class, he was the God of cool. Until one day. Even though he had a lot of tattoos, there was one he had taken in the nineties that he admit regret doing. He turned around and showed the bottom of his back decorated with a tribal tattoo with a dolphin jumping into a sunset. It was horrible, and Filippo was never again what we had picture him to be.
Can you put something on your body that you are absolutely sure you will never regret? Is there something as a “good tattoo”?
First of all, getting a tattoo these days is as easy as getting a haircut. And tattoo parlors don’t only have names as “House of pain” or “Eternal blood” anymore, or are located in sketchy alleys where you have to knock five times. Tattoos are more available, not to mention cheaper. And with commodity comes trends. We have been witnessing Chinese signs, big coloured ones, and not to mention tribal’s.
These days, tattoos are more about expressing who you are. I believe the main reason to get a tattoo today is too literally wear your heart on your sleeve. And if that is the reason you are getting a tattoo the myth about regretting when you are fifty remains just that. The problem lies in being forever stuck with an identity that doesn’t represent who you are after a few years. Like Jimmy Buffett sings about, your tattoo becomes a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling.
Sometimes, one can only talk of his or hers own experiences. I have a tattoo. My tattoo is a reminder of where I am from, a fact that will never change, and I believe I will never regret getting it. I don’t think Filippo thinks, or have ever thought, he is like a dolphin jumping into a sunset. The conclusion being that when it comes to ink, never follow trend, follow you own personality.
And that is a strong statement coming from this column.
