Week Forty-seven: Kumee's Winter Suit Debut!

It takes a lot for Kumee to lose his temper, or it would have to do with something at least, that he feels strongly about and/or something he cares deeply for, for him to get all riled up. Muttering under his breath the other day, I couldn't quite make out what was bugging him, but I deduced that much, that it was "something about his new suit" - somehow not meeting his standards. Nevertheless, while my moods spike and dip, Kumee's otherwise even-tempered.

Kumee will be eulogized for his many virtues, but modesty - well, at least as far as his choice of patterns is concerned - will not be one of them!




Bold navy and white gingham Boss shirt, flannel pinstripe made to measure Harry Rosen suit, solid navy skinny Boss tie and fine gingham silk Boss pocket square (to continue the theme).

We're mid-November and already Kumee's fantastically winterized, meanwhile, besides my UGG's and staggering number of pairs of leggings, I'm not quite there yet!!!

Week Forty-six: Breaking out the Fall Wardrobe!

So Kumee had broken out his trusty 11 ounce navy corduroy suit and had worn it twice now since the weather dropped pretty drastically. If I am not mistaken, the first time, I was just too slow on the (camera) draw to take a picture as he walked out the door to head to work last Saturday or was it actually a weekday morning (?) - I forget - when taking a snapshot is kinda out of the question in the midst of the blur of maaaadddd activity that takes place, the short term goal of which is to drop off Jaden and Maya at daycare & Kindergarten respectively and in that order and make our way to work (on time!) - Yes, we are the typical modern urban family!

Today, I managed to get that picture albeit, a tad (understatement!) blurry. Kumee completely freshened up the look, though with a new black & white fine pinstripe Eton shirt and a navy paisley Corneliani tie. Up until today, Kumee had been wearing mainly, his four season suits - wow, who knew there were parallelisms between tires and suits?

Of course, Kumee's been due for a new winter suit, and had wasted no time in obtaining one, namely, a navy pinstripe flanel suit, well, at least, I am told, for I haven't seen it yet, because, although he did bring it home in a Harry suit bag the other day, it was promptly taken to the tailor's the following day for further tweaking per Kumee's specifications. I am safely assuming that it'll be rather snug and the pant length somewhat short when he gets it - yes, we do practice what we preach!

Week Forty-five: Summer Wrap-up :(

(photo credit: my cousin Vanessa, thank you!)

It seems like merely yesterday that I kicked off the summer with a post on seersucker, and now, some three months later, its inevitable end has arrived :( and yet as all Montrealers would agree, we couldn't possibly complain, considering that this summer was epic as far as the temperature was concerned (when it didn't take much nor too long to take care of last winter's pasty complexion and score myself a decent tan albeit of the "farmer's" variety!), and hopefully in many other respects too for everyone, as it was for Kumee and myself.

Hence it seems only fitting that I devote a post to summer 2011 and all that it was and pay homage as well to Adam Levine of Maroon five, who sings Moves Like Jagger which was kinda like the unofficial anthem/soundtrack of the season that had just past. Levine of course, is another notable metro guy. Now, as much as I'm all for street fashion and all that, I'm a self-confessed sucker for the pulled together look of a well-dressed man!

Week Forty-four: Mad Men Aspirations, etc.

I might have been M.I.A. from my little neck of the blogosphere, but rest assured that I haven't forsaken you guys! I did keep my eyes open whilst on vacation, for 52 Weeks noteworthy curiosities - well, it was kinda hard to miss anyways, the rather ubiquitous but nevertheless tasteful, ad campaign for Banana Republic's sophomore collabo with Mad Men:



I'm not too sure whether it's an actual casting call as it was the first time around, but it's clever. Are you Don? Or rather, is Kumee, Don? I should ask. LOL, ok, you be the judge of that!

I chuckled the very first time I saw the life-size poster of a Betty look-a-like at the BR at Rockland's here in Montreal a couple of weeks earlier - the question addressed to the female demographic, posed in French: "Etes-vous Betty?" If you were to ask me, I think, I kinda identify more with Joan, lol, or fancy myself as her...in my dreams!

Oh, and no trip Stateside of course, would be complete without a visit to the outlets...saw this at Brook Brothers in Grove City, PA:



As you can see, it's another one of my ineffectual shots where you can't even make out what it says the book's about. Basically, it's a guide to....ok, you read that much, and get the point. I didn't actually buy the book, hmmm, in hindsight now, maybe I should have just doled out the 40 $ (which went towards a purse instead!) It might prove to be handy in raising Jaden, at least as far as manners & etiquette are concerned. Sartorially, though, I know I need not be worried: Kumee's got the little guy covered...

Week Forty-three: Weddings!

Ok, so the news is just rife with sooo much bad and negativity, that when a co-worker of mine excitedly announced this week that she had just gotten engaged, it came as a veeerrryyy welcome breath of fresh air that took me back to our own wedding nine years ago and all of the sartorial preparations that were involved in it. Oooohhh, me love summer, and weddings, too!

I guess we took a rather unconventional route, in that Kumee forfeited the element of surprise and what would have been a breathtaking/ooooh-aaahhhh moment for him of seeing me in all my gazillion layers of gauzy tulle-y splendour for the first time, walking down the aisle, for instead, sharing with me the ultimate retail "high" of wedding dress shopping. Given our love and lust for clothes, it seemed like the most natural way to go, besides, I've always completely trusted his taste and still heavily rely on his opinion, well, when it comes to clothes, at least, lol!

As for Kumee, we thought it would be more practical, to invest in a good suit to wear for the wedding and that he could actually use again. Note, this was pre-Harry's so, he did get a granite Boss suit from, uh, a competitor, which I won't mention here, lol, but shortly before the big day as his brother/bestman and groomsmen were grooming up and trying on tuxes, Kumee couldn't help but want "in" on the action. "Just when do you get to wear a tux, anyways?" He said, using pretty much the same line of reasoning as I had, as to when would I ever
get the chance again to wear a ballgown and be a princess for a day??? Hah! Great minds do think alike after all!

Mind you, many people will buy their own tux because they might periodically attend functions where it's de riguer, either that or maybe they're just squeamish about renting and wearing something previously worn by somebody else and of course, must have lots of money to spend. Kumee has had the privilege of dressing up grooms for their big day either in part or in complete groom-ey garb, e.g. tuxedoes. I personally don't necessarily think that buying your own tux is that frivolous for there are many ways to put it to good use, like wearing it to bed or to the gym, lol, no, but seriously, have you ever watched on the Food Channel, how Bobby Flay will whip up a "deconstructed" burger? Well, that is exactly what you do with a tux, you pair each element up with something else to dress it down. I've seen this done a lot, and it really does work! For example, tux shirt with jeans, tux jacket with jeans, etc, etc.

Let's face it, all eyes will be on your bride that day, so let her revel in the attention and not to mention, your admiration, nevertheless, aim to look your best, too, as her complement. Suit or tux, it's your call.

Week Forty-two: It's All in the Details, Part two

As a parent of young children, sleeping in is a luxury I truly miss, and I know that I'm in good company when I say that chronic sleep deprivation is kinda like the story of my life, and yet somehow, on some Saturday mornings, I still manage to catch a couple of extra zzz's, so much so that by the time, I like, come to, Kumar had already left for work. Other times I'll wake up just as he's stepping out the door and I'll just lazily call out of bed to bid him goodbye. Last Saturday, though, I woke up a few moments earlier than usual, this time as Kumee was getting dressed. "Is that one of the white shirts I had ironed last night"? I asked, proud of my handiwork. But with my mental faculty still fogged up and my eyelids heavy with sleep, I just couldn't tell. "It's the purple one" Kumee replied. Upon closer scrutiny, yes, it
*was* the purple one, or at least the one that *had* purple threads woven along and across the length of the fabric.

It really is "all in the detail." I love how Kumee built on the purple by accesorizing his grey suit with a pocket square of the same lilac-y shade, and finally slipping on a wonderfully complementary brown belt and pair of dress shoes. Purple, grey and brown is definitely my ultimate favorite color combination that has been around for a couple of seasons running now & has been enjoying much popularity, and it's quite plain to see why...

Week Forty-one: It's All in the Details!

It's all in the details (you've got that right, brother!)- they are what elevate things above mediocrity & the rut of being plain ordinary. Just like the contrasting polka dot fabric of this collar base (yes, I know my shirt anatomy - a fact that Kumee thinks is wildly sexy, lol!) & chunky buttons - things that earn it the right to be affixed with the Eton tag and all that it stands for. Of course, their shirts' fabric is a major characteristic. Their red ribbon label (notice actual red ribbon piping) feature shirts made of super 150 and up (thread-count) material which are virtually crease-resistant (but I still iron anyway, just because I'm a bit anal that way).

Aptly renamed after the exclusive Eton College, because its original Swedish name was way too much of a mouthful for the average Savile Row bloke (or any non-Scandinavian for that matter!), these shirts are truly special and exclusive. They're just one of the many things Swedish like Ikea, H&M, Roxette and Stieg Larsson among others, that make Sweden what has got to be one of my favorite places!