Ralph Lauren And Dipset: A Love Affair

I've joked on both Twitter and Tumblr before about the sheer amount of Polo references in Dipset's lyrics, especially as of late.  For those unfamiliar The Diplomats, more commonly known as Dipset, are a Harlem based rap crew who recently reunited after dominating the east coast rap scene in the early 2000's.  Their infatuation with the brand seems to be a direct extension of the Lo-Head or Lo-Life movement popularized in 1990's New York.  Up until recently Dispet member Juelz Santana had been the most vocal about his love for Mr. Lifshitz's various wears, specifically Rugby.  I'll let him spell it out for you, "If it ain't the Gucci or the Louie then it's Polo or it's Rugby."   Things came to a head this weekend when Dipset affiliated rapper Vado (who has also rapped this gem: "I love Rugby to death. Made that my baby's name.") released his new single "Polo" from the upcoming album Slime Flu.  Yes, this is a major hip-hop radio single dedicated to all things Ralph.  Despite rap's unyielding connection with extremely high-end goods, Dipset seem drawn to the everyman luxury of Polo.  The love affair between Dipset and Ralph Lauren is interesting to me as it represents a perfect snapshot of Ralph's success here in America.  Regardless of what he set out to do, the man did not create a brand.  He created a lifestyle - a very specific lifestyle that an entire country aspired to.  Even African American kids from Harlem who had dreams of ruling hip-hop.  And that very lifestyle is still making it rain for RL to this day.

[Those jeans look familiar.]

-L.A.S

Back Darts

It seems like back darts are a pretty polarizing thing - I know just as many guys who love them as guys who would never even consider a shirt with that particular detail.  A darted shirt, for those unaware, features two stitched down folds of fabric on the back of a shirt giving it a fitted appearance.  The argument here is more or less focused on how slim you prefer your shirts.  Lots of brands are selling off the rack shirts that feature a predominantly slimmer fit, but often these shirts can be fairly expensive or not slim enough depending on your body type.  In most cases slim fit sport shirts come in standard small, medium or large sizing so it's not uncommon to size up for your neck or arm measurement, thus negating the slimmer fitting body.  In this case it might make sense to take the shirt to your tailor or seamstress and have it darted.  It's a fairly simple and cheap process costing around 15 or 20 bucks.  For those of us on an even tighter budget the process of darting a shirt can help take an inexpensive shirt that fits traditionally (i.e. poorly for some people) and make it look much "better" - some sartorialists believe a darted shirt can visually take off 15 pounds or so.  I'm kinda split on the idea of back darts myself.  I have a few in my wardrobe and all of them happen to be broadcloth, spread collar dress shirts.  In my eyes, back darts work better with specific types of shirts.  I don't think I would ever have any of my OCBD's darted, but when it comes to broadcloth numbers (sans box pleats of course) I am not opposed to it whatsoever.  It's a much more European feature and often looks best with shirts that fall into that stylistic category to begin with.  If you really love the idea of back darts you can always buy shirts off the rack that come pre-darted.  More upscale brands like Michael Bastian and Ralph Lauren Black Label dart a lot of their shirts so a trip to your tailor is unnecessary.  Like everything else in this life it's a purely personal call that some people feel much more strongly about than others.  Just remember, if I can see your nips, your shirt is probably too tight.

[Pictures courtesy of The Sartorialist.]

-L.A.S

Black And Mild

"I love the idea of a crisp cotton suit in beige or black with a solid cotton/linen shirt, solid tie and cordovan tassel loafers with no socks." - Michael Bastian as told to Prepidemic Magazine.

When I first saw the above quote from Mr. Bastian over at Prepdemic's Summer 2010: The Review I was a little surprised.  A black cotton suit?  Really?  Sounds like an interesting choice.  We've all seen the khaki, navy or even Nantucket red cotton suit/jacket get endorsed over and over again, but no one has ever stood up and recommended the darkest of the bunch as far as I can tell.  Most guys don't really go for the whole brooding look this time of year since S/S is typically about levity and despite agreeing with that sentiment for the most part I like how you can challenge conventions with something like a black cotton jacket.  Even if you completely discount wearing it during the day where you are likely to roast, it doesn't seem like a terrible option for your after hours shenanigans.  Admittedly, black is a color lots of guys shy away from due to its association with negative style buzzwords such as "fashion" and "chic" and I can see where they are coming from.  But let's also not pretend that you can't up your style quotient with something a little outside of the box.  I doubt many people reading this blog have any high profile galas penciled into their summer schedule, but to the few of you who do, you just might want to look into it.

-L.A.S

Footwear Globalization

An American brand makes a traditional English shoe in Italy.  I'll be sure to let you guys know how these bastard brogues hold up as there have been some questions regarding RL's shoe quality.

-L.A.S

Plus One

I've been getting a ton of requests regarding summer wedding gear so I figured now was a better time than ever to draw attention to the fact that you can put together a serious warm weather nuptials kit courtesy of Polo.  Their summer sale is in full bloom and lots of good stuff is on the chopping block.  The following look is anchored by the Fithian Seersucker Sport Coat, which I have previous mused on.  I tried this joint on at Dillard's two weeks ago and it delivers - insanely breathable and with a killer off the rack fit thanks to its shorter length and trimmer waist.  Luckily for you Polo is also selling seersucker trousers in the same blue/vintage white colorway so right off the bat you have an imported dandy summer suit for a mere 280 bones - score.  If your wardrobe is already healthy you should be straight with the "suit" alone, but if you need to throw together everything you can also grab a knit tie (double four-in-hand knot please) and a spread collar poplin dress shirt for an additional $105.  Keep in mind that this kit is a bold one - seersucker AND double breasted.  If you don't have the confidence to be the best dressed dude at the reception you might want to look elsewhere, but if you do, and I hope you do, get your bridesmaid game tight.

[Editor's note: For the boldest of bold you can do the same thing, but with this jacket and these pants.]

-L.A.S

Sucker Punch

The non-traditional double breasted blazer I talked about briefly in the Bastian "retrospective" is easily my most sought after item right now.  They're pretty tough to find, but when I do spy one I go a little apeshit.  I just locked up a chino number, thankfully, and have been faithfully searching for its counterpart ever since.  Polo is selling a beautiful seersucker joint called the Fithian Sport Coat and it is pretty goddamn awesome.  Buying something like a seersucker double breasted sport coat at full price takes a little convincing - and by a little I mean a whole lot.  If this was an eBay snipe or even partially on sale it would be a no brainer.  I mean, the jacket is handsome, but I'm not sure how practical it really is, especially at its current $300 clip.  So right, the non blue double breasted blazer in a warm weather fabric is great - I think that was the point I was trying to make.  If anyone does come across something of the sort give me a shout. Hopefully it won't cost an arm and a leg - just a leg.  I need that arm to button my jacket.

-L.A.S

White Collar Crime

As in the two tone shirt is often overlooked and ignored when it comes to casual sportswear which is a crime as far as I am concerned.  Just like how I talked about here, a great way to step up your casual looks is to pair your standard kit (raw denim, chinos, shorts, what have you) with a white collar shirt.  I really like the idea of throwing on a shirt like this, even with some neckwear, to wear when going about all you S/S business.  Lots of brands are releasing a variety of casual shirts with white collars for the upcoming season and I am totally on board with this and even if you're out of the office there is nothing wrong with tucking in your shirt and throwing on a tie.  There is something to say about a guy who even in his time off takes the effort to keep things classy upstairs.  Just because you are used to wearing your jeans and sneakers on the weekend doesn't mean you have to exclusively rock white tees.  While knotting up on a day off may seem counter intuitive to some, and that is totally understandable, you can still wear a quote unquote dressier sport shirt to differentiate yourself from all the flip flop wearing, Bud Light Lime nursing jerkstores out there.  If white collars are a crime, lock me up for 25 to life - actually let me get some community service if that's cool...

-L.A.S

Clubbin'

Alright, enough hate for one day - on to some gear from Ralph's camp that is fresh.  RL is pushing the two tone club collar hard this S/S through both Polo and Rugby.  This is a piece I am particularly fond of despite all the horrible Gordon Gekko comparisons that come with the territory.  While I am still warming up to the two tone dress shirt I think the two tone sport shirt is a winner.  Most people consider the two tone a dressier detail so it's a nice way to up your SSSQ (sport shirt sophistication quotient - I keeps it real technical).  The club collar only steps these up another notch and the end result is a damn fine shirting option.  If you're the kind of guy who likes wearing ties outside of work this should definitely be a go to or at least an option you consider.  Polo's got you covered here and Rugby has two options for your choosing.  Join the club. 

-L.A.S

[Editor's Note: To calculate SSSQ divide all your sport shirts that are awesome by all your sport shirts that suck.  The higher your SSSQ the better.]

Know When To Say When

These new Nantucket Fatigue Pants are the poster child for going overboard.  I make no secret about how much I like cargos, but I cannot find it in my heart to remotely endorse these.  I'm all about brainstorming, but I can see where too much of it could lead to something like this.  You need to draw the line somewhere.  After adding every pocket imaginable there is no need for every tab imaginable or strap or reinforced stitching or rip stop or paint splatters.  The sad thing here is that I really dig on a few aspects, especially that Bastian-esque front pocket.  In an alternate reality where designers aren't hammered these could have been pretty awesome.  Seriously, these pants are like the abominations masquerading as cars they used to create on Pimp My Ride - there is not a single reason you need a fish tank in your whip.  You need to know when to say when or you're are gonna end up like this - except the jokes on you (courtesy of Dave from Save Khaki with the amazing parallel).

-L.A.S

Attn: RL Style Guide

Have you ever wondered exactly how to wear all your Ralph Lauren gear? Well the folks at Polo apparently think you do so they curated a S/S style guide for that very issue.  If you recall Rugby just added a feature like this to their blog though Polo's version, much like their clothes, is the big boy edition.  My favorite has to be the "Haberdashery" section which details various accessories from ties to collar pins.  Keep in mind that these kind of things always contain a little bit of nonsense, but ultimately I trust good ol' Ralph and it's cool to see various musings on his classic garments.  If you've got a case of the Monday's an extended look see (the guide is quite prolific with each label getting its own section) is highly recommended.

-L.A.S

Horseplay

This new web belt with nickel bit from  Polo is probably one of the coolest belts I've seen in a while and I'm not a guy who gets excited about belts so that's saying a lot.  Most people are familiar with web belts based on the fact that you can get them at any Army Navy surplus store for like 5 bucks, but this Polo joint has to be the most upscale and unique take on it I have ever seen.  Like lots of Ralph's reworked classics the belt takes it's inspiration from the world of equestrian pursuits - a world I have no experience with because I am nothing more than a humble, average person of society.  According to the website the belt's "attachment [is] inspired by a horse's bridle bit", which for those just as humble and average as myself is this S&M looking thing.  So yeah, this belt is awesome and ridiculously expensive, but for anyone who isn't already rocking a hoof pick belt this could be a nice alternative.  That is, of course, if you've got any money laying around after you're done buying your daughter that pony she's been bitching about.

Tattered

The blogosphere, myself included, hits us over the head with so many of the same items so frequently that often it takes a shot in the arm to remind us how great something is regardless of whether or not it gets blog play.  Yesterday while geeking out over Sid Mashburn shirts I re-realized just how much I like shirts that aren't chambray or oxford cloth.  Broadcloth, in particular, is such a fantastic shirting option this time of year and especially in tattersall.

Lots of guys don't like to wear plaid patterns in warm weather because of its anointment as the official mascot of F/W and it's sudden absurd ubiquity.  Tattersall represents a wonderful option if you find yourself buying into this school of thought or if you're just looking to switch things up.  Epaulet and Inventory (their shirt is actually a heavier weight oxford cloth), respectively, have dropped exclusive tattersall collaborations with Gitman Brothers Vintage in the past week or so and L.L. Bean Signature features a handsome option complete with a flap pocket as well (it's actually my favorite non footwear item in the debut collection).  And of course you can't forget Ralph who has been doing this kind of stuff since Red Wings were nothing more than hockey players to us.   I can't say for sure if tattersall is "having a moment", but I could care less.  In fact, I'd almost rather keep this for myself though that is highly unlikely.  Tattersall, more like tatter-sold.

-L.A.S

Debate: Fat Chance

AC and Ralph make a case for the return of the wide tie.  I'm not so sure I'm completely sold on this one - I much prefer a 1960's width. Yay or nay? Thoughts?

-L.A.S

Attn: Polo Slim-Fit Corduroy Jean On Sale

Contrary to what is being shoved down your through left and right (I've already plead guilty for this crime) it's still pretty damn cold out.  If you happen to be in the market for a new pair of slim fit cords to keep your ass warm Ralph has got you covered.  Not only are these on sale, but they are still stocking normal person sizes so you can clean up like all the greedy circus midgets and Norseman this time of year.  The color options span the spectrum from Lapo to Thom so you should be all good in that respect as well.  For $39.99 this a pretty snazzy deal.  Do me a favor though? If you happen to get yourself a pair, please don't wear them with man Uggs.

-L.A.S

[Editor's Note: Thanks to my newly engaged and blogger bud Dan for the tip.]

Tie One On For Nicer Days

One of the easiest and cheapest ways I've found to get any kit ready for S/S is to throw on some neckwear in your favorite warm weather fabric.  Unless you are really jonesin' for a wardrobe overhaul, all you need to do is pick up a few ties or bowties to get yourself ready for when that nice weather hits.  If you rock a white oxford and chinos on the reg. you're pretty much 90% of the way there already.  Tie on some madras, seersucker or gingham and your uniform is locked up for the next 6 months as far as I am concerned.

For the sartorial novice who isn't ready for some "go to hell" pants or shirting these kind of ties are a perfect introductory course in both fabric and color.  Everyone from the lowest common denominators (i.e. J. Crew) to the exclusive gear hubs stock up on S/S neckwear so all you have to do is find a price point you can run with.  Just remember to keep that tie width under 3" or under and you're set. Check out some options below (madras being my favorite of the bunch) complete with click through links because I work (blog?) hard for the money. Tie one on folks. Tie one on strong.

 

 

-L.A.S