Cotton Collar Crimes

Today's lesson is on men's collars and we start with the Classic Button Down. This collar generally adorns shirts that are not meant to be worn with ties although they can be. There are better shirt options for a shirt and tie combo than this one, the Classic Button Down collar comes fairly close together in the center and doesn't leave much room for a tie with girth. 

Here we have the Buttoned Spread Collar. If you like to be more specific, an English Spread Collar. This one, unlike the Classic Button Down is meant to be worn with a tie. The Spread Collar was originally designed to accommodate knots such as the Windsor, which needs some space. You might have noticed that this shirt is a bit dressier than the previous one and it has collar meant to be use by a tie.

This one is called the Granddad collar. Originating in the Victorian era, the granddad collar shirt suited a detachable collar that was taken off and was then laundered. These shirts were washed maybe once a week but the collar would get quite dirty and needed replacing daily. Whether you are aware that European design is best or not, it usually is. This one in particular is a great mid-way point between a tee shirt and a collared button down shirt. 

The Hidden Button: Shirts with Hidden Collar Buttons have a separate smaller flap beneath the collar that hooks onto the buttons so that they do not show. This is great, the collar stays in place and you don't have to see the buttons. This collar is extremely versatile and can be found on dress and casual shirts.

Transit comes into the picture with a sort of Pointed Flat Cutaway which is pure fashion. There is no way this could contain a tie and there is no way that it has any other function than to be interesting. Modern simplicity at it's finest.

All Hats Big and Small

Trying to copy another person's wardrobe style is a bit like trying to copy an artist's painting...with crayon... and a blindfold on. You won't have the right medium, the right background, or the right eye for it. 

The world is run on adverse opinions and contradicting ideas. This is proven most plainly in fashion. There are so many options of fabric, shape, texture and colour that even attempting to copy somebody else's look is impossible. Even if you do find the same exact articles that somebody is wearing they will appear much different on you. It would be wrong. 

So why try to replicate when you can originate? Dale here is a brilliant example, he does his own thing and it works! 

Naturally, this brings me to hats. 

The options are limitless, incomprehensible, unfathomable. Most of the time you can tell a lot about a person by the hat they wear. Nothing else is needed to profile somebody other than by the hat they are wearing. 

A pedestrian could be absolutely stark naked apart from his western cowboy hat and you could deduce that he is a proud American. You could deduce that a man wearing a red beret is a french artist. And that a young boy wearing a baseball cap with a bent bill has athletic aspirations. 

Although, I personally am not a hat person, I can respect what they represent and what they can mean to the person wearing them. 

Come join us this Saturday!

All Things Bright and Beautiful

Devout enthusiasts of Walmart would like us to believe that cost-effectiveness is key to buying anything, including clothes. Most of us, especially those reading this blog, would beg to differ immediately and with enthusiasm. 

If all things were created equally, maybe it would make sense to get more stuff for less. I was thinking about this whilst picking up a pair of pants that cost $250. Across town there are pants that cost $15. Also, a little bit farther away maybe, there are pants that get on for $2,500. Who in their right mind would buy those?

The same question can be asked when shopping for jewelry or a car. The simple answer is that no two things are created equal.

We see first hand in nature that with the good there must also be the bad. The world as we know it would just be wrong if the balance between good and bad was thrown off, but it is impossible to alter reality anyway so we don't have to worry about it.

 In every garden there must be a wasp to go with the butterfly. In every parking lot there must be a Prius to go with the E-type. In every county there must be a Walmart to go with the Outlander.

Spending over $500 on a pair of trousers might seem preposterous, and it did to me until I found out that hours of immaculate handwork went into each pair. Excellent craftsmanship and exquisite materials come together to create something truly beautiful. 

Outlander respects the finer things and knows that a few nice things beat a lot of terrible things. We are proud to offset the mass with pulchritude.

Missani's Vintage Naked Lamb jacket

Truzzi's paisley tailored cotton shirt

Alberto's Modern fit pants that we do in fact love. 

All things bright and beautiful,

All hats big and small,

All shirts dark and delightful

Outlander has them all.

 Patterns

Men's clothing has come a long way in the past few decades. Today, men are wearing vibrant colours and patterns. Like all trends, this one will eventually go just as it came. However, whilst it is here I feel the need to explain the boundaries and guidelines.

Bright colours and crazy patterns can very easily speak about themselves rather than promote the one who is wearing them. This is not what you want! Time and time again we see some poor bloke wearing a shirt that is the exact colour of a highlighter, or mixing patterns and generally just taking it too far. Please do not be this person! There are correct ways to deal with patterns and colours.

Option 1 (above): Play your showcase pattern down by putting plainer things around it. This allows the people who see you to not be overwhelmed or blinded. For this demonstration we used an absolutely beautiful, patterned shirt by Georg Roth. This is genuinely one of my favourite statement pieces.

Option 2 (below): The second option is a bit more difficult. Mixing patterns can be tricky and easily done wrong. If you have an eye for it or can get a second opinion that is honest and not terrible, go for it! Here we have a grey/white micro striped jacket by Flynt with a somewhat herbaceous shirt from Zachary Prell along with a textured tie and calf-skin shoes from J&M.

Need pattern advice? Come by Outlander, we are more than happy to help with this pattern dilemma and talk with you one on one about why some people do it well and others...don't.

Casual vs. Formal

What makes an outfit casual? What makes it formal?

When we get dressed in the morning we are making an important decision and it will often affect our entire day. The most important question for an outfit is: "Is it comfortable." A poor wardrobe choice will leave you feeling uneasy and uncomfortable until you get home again to change whilst a good one will actually elevate your mood.

More than once I have left the house wondering if I was too dressed up or not dressed up enough.

Formal wear is by far easier to decide on than casual wear. Since there are so many guidelines and standards to dressing formally you are not left with many variables. Everybody ends up looking the same. The best time to show how well you dress is when you go out on a casual occasion.

Casual does not have to mean a graphic tee and shorts. Wearing a nice jacket can be the perfect thing to boost your casual outfit. The jacket shown above is a perfect demonstration from Ibiza. A jacket is formal or casual depending on what you put under it. In a formal situation it can be paired with a decent button-down shirt with a collar and slacks. In this casual set we put it with a beautiful and casual Hannes Roether shirt and a pair of Alberto's and it looks great!

 For our casual yet elegant presentation we have a cotton seersucker by Ibiza that has a very small amount of elastane to make it comfortable and well shaped. It really has an amazing texture to it. 

With that we have a piece that is quite special on its own accord. This shirt is made by Hannes Roether in Bulgaria in one of the only mills in the world that produces one continuous weave that results in no seams. Instead there are tiny holes called 'tucks' to give it it's shape. 

Come into Outlander and check these items out in person!