Over the years I have been quietly taking notes from stylish brothas, borrowing elements of style and incorporating them into my personal expression of style. I would like to give them credit for their effort and hopefully these men who inspired me will will or have inspired you as well. If so, then we will be waling down this avenue together recalling some of the greatest men of style...
I was sitting out at a cafe enjoying the summer sun when a handsome and particularly stylish gentleman came up to me and mentioned that he particularly liked my fedora. "Well", I said, "Thank you so much it is a vintage hat from the early fifties." We began to talk about hats and style in general and both found that from an early age we had both got our fashion tips from the older mature gentlemen that made an impression upon us. More than other thing the icons I came to admire from the jazz, blues and film industries shaped my personal style. As a child and young man I took careful notes of the clothing my father and his buddies wore; how tweeds were worn with turtulenecks, how cufflinks and cuffs were worn, how hats were tipped, cravats knotted and such, I saved it all up for a time when i could use it. By my mid teens I was buying 1940's zuit suits, smoking jackets and 50's sharkskins from vintage stores. I had to wear suspenders to keep the large pants from falling off. My parents must have thought I was a riot in those big 40's suits and tuxedos. I was fascinated with tuxedos, especially tails which I found to be an especially elegant way for a gentleman to look. When I see a stylish man on the street I always stop to complement him. The ultimate complemant one gentleman can pay to another is to aknowledge his mastery of true masculine style.
I was sitting out at a cafe enjoying the summer sun when a handsome and particularly stylish gentleman came up to me and mentioned that he particularly liked my fedora. "Well", I said, "Thank you so much it is a vintage hat from the early fifties." We began to talk about hats and style in general and both found that from an early age we had both got our fashion tips from the older mature gentlemen that made an impression upon us. More than other thing the icons I came to admire from the jazz, blues and film industries shaped my personal style. As a child and young man I took careful notes of the clothing my father and his buddies wore; how tweeds were worn with turtulenecks, how cufflinks and cuffs were worn, how hats were tipped, cravats knotted and such, I saved it all up for a time when i could use it. By my mid teens I was buying 1940's zuit suits, smoking jackets and 50's sharkskins from vintage stores. I had to wear suspenders to keep the large pants from falling off. My parents must have thought I was a riot in those big 40's suits and tuxedos. I was fascinated with tuxedos, especially tails which I found to be an especially elegant way for a gentleman to look. When I see a stylish man on the street I always stop to complement him. The ultimate complemant one gentleman can pay to another is to aknowledge his mastery of true masculine style.
So I mentally stored all of those images of dapper gentlemen who I felt had a strong sense of masculine style and now I would like to begin to chat about the lessons I learned from some of my personal favorites over the years. Nat King Cole always struck me as a sharp brotha who's send of style was a modern, clean and effortless as his music. He always has a crisp unclutterd look. He always made sure to show just the right amount of cuff. In these two photographs he has a relaxed look, his jacket is full and comfortible looking and it seems to flow like silk from his shoulders.
aI really like the the photo of Nat in the double breasted sweater. Its such a cool classic look again with soft clean lines. Nat King Cole always had a soft but sharp feel to him. He always looked as if he was dressed for a romantic date.
To the left he sings in a suit made of a muted grey and blue with an oplescent sheen. He accessorizes with a simple narrow black tie and silver watch.
I like this picture of Nat with a black and white houndstooth fedora, black double breasted sweater, ivory, elongated collar polo shirt and 
soft light caramel coloured camel pants. I'd love to have a sweater like his.
soft light caramel coloured camel pants. I'd love to have a sweater like his.Below are two classic photographs of Nat King Cole standing with a white trenchcoat and playing keyboard with his signature black and white houndstooth fedora smoking a cigarette. Again, Nat always keeps the palette simple. He usually limits his ensembles to three or less colors and when he features a distinct pattern he allows it to be the sole point of interest never mixing plaids and stripes or any combination of patterns that are singularly bold.
Sammy Davis Jr. on the right is my second choice. Here is a young Sammy Davis Jr. Wearing a very well tailored suit, generous lapels soft and clean. I love the width and fall of his polka dot necktie which he tied perfectly. It falls like fine silk. The bowtie makes the suit in my opinion. Sammy always seems to get photographed from the right side... perhaps he felt it was his best. the next two shots show him wearing suits again... but O' how he wears them with such flair... I especially love the soft woven patterned lilac jacket with the deep purple cravat. I see that he mirrors his oversized round watch face with his silver cufflinks. To the right he wears a clean suit with his cravate loosed about his neck... shirt collar unbuttoned.
The next photo below is of Sammy Davis Jr. with Carmen McRae. Here is a chance to see him utilize colour. He complements a grey suit with white pinstripes with a narrow red cravate. Again, I like the roominess of his coat sleaves, they add a soft gracefullness to the suit allowing the fabric to flow.
I want to look at some more casual shots of Sammy before moving on to the next canddidate. To the lower right we see Sammy in a clean no fuss look with his sleeves rolled up to reveal a striking watch. His collar is open and he has a look that says he is having fun. To the left we find Sammy wering a bold combination of tweed jacket and striped shirt.... but I like it... it definitely works and he wears a subdued dark tie and miniature cufflinks so as to quiet the affair down to acceptable limits. Bravo Sammy!
Lets jump forward a few decades to see how a suit can look especially sexy and comfortable but fit the body to perfection... I want to see Mr. Richard Roundtree in his strong 1970's polyester double knit wide lapeled suit. He is wearing a turtlenecked body shirt, something you may not know about if you did not have one in the 70's. its a shirt that fit like a swimsuit transitioning into briefs to eliminate wrinkles and shirts balooning out from the waist.
I really like this look because it it very young and not so precise... The turtleneck was an essential element of a mans wordrobe from the late 1950's to the 70's and I enjoyed the updated revival of the mock-turtleneck in the late 1990's and early 21st century. I cant get this photographs of Sammy Davis Jr. with a mandarin collard suit jacket and a bright red turtleneck, it's so cool.
Lets look at the vocalists from the soul group, "The Main Ingredient", showing us how a man can look sexy in a suit of clothes... Wow! I love the super wide lapels... and the 4inch ties and wing spread collars to go with them. Although many men do not appreciate the aesthetic of the 70's there are actually some wonderful style tips to be learned. One of them is proportion and the other is texture.
Im going to swing back again because I want to hit on some very classic looks from the sixties starting with the Ramsey Louis Trio on the left and right. Of course I love the picture of the trio in Chi-Town all wearing fur felt fedoras. What a nice and unexpected splash of colour the yellow blazier makes. Once again, these guys keep it simple with a color scheme of one basic color and one secondary color mediated by a tie and shirt, the occasional splash of tincture in a pocket square or hat feather. 
Grover Washington Jr. to the right is totally relaxed. his shirt is soft and has a wonderful drape catching his form without being tight. His trousers are a loose cut with a nice white belt, so I assume he is wearing white shoes. Opening up the neck to reveal a little chest and a little jewelry such as a medallion is always a sexy alternative to a tie. Sonny Rollins in red... What I like most about this look is the way it frames his face, his white beard... Sonny always had stunning and meticulously groomed facial hair... His looks here show how to take a suit and make it into a fun and casual look soft and unfussed yet crisp and modern.
And where would we be witout Issac Hayes... Black Moses to give us the ultimate sexy casual masculine and richly sophisticated style...
No comments:
Post a Comment