Week Twenty-three: Metro Legacy!

One of my earliest recollections of what has become a life-long love for clothes, clothes, clothes, is of when I received a "Disco" Barbie. She had roller-skates and was dressed in no less than a gold *lamé* bell-bottom jumpsuit lol. I clearly remember wanting an identical outfit for myself soooo bad that in my little girl's mind, I thought, if I willed for it hard enough, my doll's flashy metallic number would by some uncanny superhuman force transform into a kid's size seven! Needless to say, it never happened - disgruntled - I now have a compulsive shopping habit (and a shoe fetish!) as a result. But I also have loads of fun these days dressing up my own daughter!

Once upon a time, little boy outfits were limited to pint-size overalls and the sailor costume, reserved for special occasions. Generation X-ers, though, have so much at their disposal and like to dress their own progeny the very same way they dress themselves, rendering their little ones, tiny mini-me's that it's almost scary! Jaden, the sole heir of Kumee's tie hoard, might be too young to actually want Ken's clothes and "will" for them to fit him, but already, he's being groomed to be dapper like his Daddy:

Week Twenty-two: What to do, what to do!

Trying to do my hubby proud today with a fine pinstripe, fitted Inwear shirt with a plain collar and cuffs and flashy buttons, lol and if it weren't for the risk of looking too contrived I'd thieve one of Kumee's skinny ties for a day! On the subject of Kumee's ties, its post is in the works, and I promise it won't be a boring history and evolution of the necktie nor a lame tutorial and how to tie the perfect Windsor or how not to fumble forever and fail epically at trying to do a four-in-hand knot!

I've actually enlisted the help of creative mastermind, Deb, who offered these suggestions for a photoshoot, among others:

a.) fill our tub with the ties.
b.) fill a grocery cart with the ties.
c.) fill a suitcase with the ties.

My contribution to this brainstorming, are the following ideas:

a.) gag Kumee with one of his own ties, and
b.) tie Kumee down to a chair with his own ties lol, or
c.) load Kumee up into a car trunk filled with his ties and nestle him right on top of them...

In the absolute worst case scenario, someone could always strike that (in)famous Jennifer Aniston GQ pose. I suppose that could have quite the polarizing effect among our readers!

Week Twenty-One: "Whimsical"

I won't impose my beliefs as to what I think is the correct way to match a tie to an outfit on others. Why should anyone take my word for it anyway? Who's to say what's the right or wrong way? There are tons of tips out there but take them for what they are - mere tips or guidelines - which are certainly useful in that they eliminate a lot of the guesswork. But remember nothing's set in concrete.

For example, they say to "pull" a color from another part of an outfit, say the shirt or suit and then find a matching tie of the same color or within the same shade. Yes, you could never go wrong "playing it safe" by following this suggestion, it's virtually foolproof, but then again, a tie of a completely different color from the opposite side of the spectrum could very well work, too.

Same goes with patterns. They say to "keep lines simple" and don't stray too much from the pattern of one's shirt or suit. Again, who says that checks and stripes definitely can't go together? At the end of the day, what it boils down to is personal preference, taste and flair, gut feeling ("does this work?") and common sense.

Of course, there are always exceptions. For example with the resurgence of the skinny tie, to participate properly in this trend, some rules need to be followed with perhaps a little less latitude allowed. But they're in place for the sake of aethestics and not because somebody just wants to be a party-pooper or assume the role of "tie police."

A little word of caution too when it comes to cute and fun ties. Sure, I'm all for playful, but there are limits - cute has its place, and this where common sense should come in. Yes, I like a teddy-bear pattern on my son's pediatric nurse's scrubs, but not on my husband's tie. I like a dinosaur explosion on my son's jammies but not on Kumee's tie. By "whimsical" this is what I mean:

Week Twenty: Seersucker

The days of winter are numbered (yayyy!) and summer will be upon us soon. During its dog days when it might be all too tempting to romp around in your birthday suit but social constraints thankfully prevent you from doing so, by all means be a sucker instead for seersucker! Given the attributes of this fabric, it's pretty hard not to be when it can very well be the next best thing to nadaaa!

Seersucker is an ultra-thin, ultra-light cotton fabric, usually striped or checkered, woven in such a way that some threads bunch together, giving it a wrinkled appearance. It is this unique characteristic that prevents it from clinging to the skin when worn which in turn, allows for better heat dissipitation and air circulation. In other words, it breathes, making it an ideal material for spring/summer wear. Obviously it doesn't require pressing, and is thus travel-friendly, too, either on, while sprinting to the gate, slouched in one's seat mid-Atlantic or off, scrunched up in a suitcase- now, things simply don't get any lower-maintenance than this!

J.P. Tilford grey/white striped seersucker blazer:

Week Nineteen: Spring!

Ok, so tell me what signifies and ushers in the onset of spring for you? Is it the chirp chirp of birds, the slow but steady melting away of snow, the smell of rain??? Lol, no really, I'm serious! Well, for me personally it's the longer days (which dispel my SAD symptoms!) pronounced even more by daylight saving time and its mnemonic catchphrase "spring ahead" that may disrupt my internal clock & throw my whole routine off for a good week or two (just when I had it down to a science!) but in view of the foreseeable nice weather ahead, is all but a small sacrifice to pay.

And while the fashion world has long since moved on to what will be appropriate seasons down the line, I'd rather just stop and smell the roses for a bit. Give it a few weeks more and I'll know that spring has definitely sprung when Kumar finally sends his cords and tweeds (and Canada Goose!) to the cleaners, breaks out his lighter suits, and the next thing I know, his closet is awash in color - brights and yes, pastels!

Already though, Kumar's been giving his spring wardrobe a dry run, pretty much same the way, I would rehearse a dress every so often for an entire month leading up to somebody's wedding!



Grey windowpane Boss suit, coordinated with purple and green plaid Boss shirt, purple tie, pocket square & socks!

Week Eighteen: Compare & Contrast, Laugh and Repeat!

So you own a suit that has stood the test of time, fifteen years to be exact, it has retained it's shape and is surprisingly in almost mint condition, but what's even more impressive, is the fact that you have retained your shape over the years, and actually still fit into the suit! Is it ok to wear something this old?

A lot of men will argue that a suit is a suit and is something that never gets outdated. True, it is a fixture and mainstay in men's wear. And granted, a suit is a very generic set of clothing which will always consist of a jacket and a trouser. Nevertheless, the suit has evolved quite a bit since then - a little tweaking here and there, which, fifteen years down the line, make for a markedly different silhouette altogether, e.g. shorter jacket & pant lengths, pleats done away with, and snugger, closer to the body fitting - now, if you really have maintained your weight, this really shouldn't pose a problem, no?

Fifteen years of scrimping on suit money is pushing it. If you don't believe me, compare and contrast the following suits: (ROTFL)

Week Seventeen: When in doubt, just say "it's taupe"

Literally speaking, Kumee isn't exactly the picture of happiness in this photograph, he was actually literally sick when I took this :( but what overrides a countenance devoid of expression reminiscent of pictures of the not very lively folk from circa, uh, 1933 during the Great Depression???? A fabulous outfit of course!!! (Kumar can tell you that!)

This is my personal ultimate fave suit of Kumar's (the gangster one is the least!) and I absolutely adore the shirt and tie pairing here. Given the number of ties Kumar owns and the infinite combinations they make for, I really didn't want to waste this picture and not post it. I mean, who knows when he would wear all three pieces again, even if he does have some say and control over the odds/probability at play here??? This was too good an opportunity to pass up:



Four-season, windowpane check, taupe, as in when in doubt as to what color something is, just say "it's taupe" Boss suit, the bold purple gingham Boss shirt, broad striped (purple and black), note, skinny Boss tie!

Thanks for passing by!