ad astra per alia porci

I think it goes without saying that my favourite style of dressing is prep. Polos, neat jeans, khakis, loafers, neat shirts.

However, getting a nice polo isn’t always easy, as per my previous post on J Crew.

After some Googling I realise that there are other manufacturers/brands that offer cheap and nice looking polos, apart from J Crew. I need to record them before I forget:

Aeropostale: http://www.aeropostale.com/

Hollister: http://www.hollisterco.com/

Old Navy: http://www.oldnavy.com/

The gem among them is Aeropostale; nice stuff at great prices. However, I do need to ship them from the US, which will raise prices. I am reconsidering getting J Crew now; might switch to Aeropostale.

http://www.jcrew.com/home.jhtml

Some people on styleforum.net have been raving about jcrew polos. Currently 2 polos are going for 50 USD, which is still cheaper than Lacoste or RP polos in Singapore. Yeah I know, RP and Lacoste are THE brand for polos, but what is an impoverished university student to do? It is hard to find nice polos in Singapore; Hang Ten and Bossini ones are icky, and the Giordano dry polo loses its fit after a while (not to mention that it stinks if you sweat too much into it).

The only problem is the fit; I don’t know if it is slim enough for Asians like me. However the price is pretty good and judging from pictures, they seem quite comfortable. The ability to add monograms is really cool too; I will consider buying it with my allowance next month. With the US dollar falling, it will make the purchase even cheaper.

I was surfing around styleforum.net when I stumbled upon this. The examples and tips given for men’s style are great… so are the pictures used.

Personal notes from Urban

Tailors in Singapore (shirts)

CYC Custom Shop – 02-12 Raffles Hotel Arcade, tel: 63363556

Joe’s Tailoring & Fashion Design – 01-04 Fuji Xerox Towers, tel: 62250686

 What to look for in a shirt

Fit

• Wear a shirt right for your size – no baggy shirts for scrawny guys, no slim-cut for plump guys.
• Don’t wear your shirt too baggy.

Collar

• Make sure curve of collar fits nape of neck. No droppy collars.
• Have at least a finger’s space between collar and neck.
• Match height of collar to length and width of neck.
• Short necks match shorter collars with wider spread.

Shoulders

• Wear a shirt that falls just a little beyond the shoulders.
• Make sure the yoke falls exactly on the shoulders for fitted shirts.

Sleeves

• Ensure shirt sleeves fall about 1cm below the wrists.
• Have sleeves of shirt peeking out about 1.5cm to 1cm when wearing a jacket.

Cuffs

•  Fit snugly around wrists.
• Pair cufflinks only with formal, folded-back French cuffs.
• Don’t wear longer cuffs like French cuffs if you have short arms.

Fabric

• Go for natural fibres like cotton.
• The finder the cotton, the more refined the look.
• Don’t wear too thin a fabric if you are slim.

Colour and print

• Make sure shirt colour is appropriate for industry.
• Dark-coloured shirts are more casual.
• Make sure prints match perfectly at the joints.
• Don’t wear overly large or loud prints.

Length

• Shirt must be long enough to be tucked into pants.

After a month of shopping during the Great Singapore Sale, I still have things that I need to get. Gah.

Here’s a list:

1. A pair of black oxfords – for formal wear and for pairing with jeans and shirts
2. A pair of dark-coloured sneakers – As I already have a pair of white-based Onitsuka Tigers, a dark pair of sneakers will be a great complement. I am considering something less sporty i.e. non-sport brands.
3. More khaki shorts – I have two, and I sense that I will overuse them.
4. A few shorts that are “rougher” and more casual than khakis – for use with tees.
5. A few sport shirts – nothing too overdecorated, just casual plain shirts with shorter ends for tucking out.
6. A few short-sleeved shirts – Once again, normal plain staple colours. I am embarassed to say that I do not own any.
7. A pair of Levi’s
8. Tee-shirts. Plain ones.

Frivolous non-essentials

1. White-based sandals – I have a brown one already.
2. Shades
3. A pair of smart-looking glasses

I really hate to splash the cash. But when I go shopping, I capitulate to temptations. Sad.

FJ Benjamin is about to open its first Banana Republic store in Singapore at Paragon. I can’t wait; I checked out the site and most of the stuff suit my style to a T. Basically mature understatement and casual, classic and clean designs. I wonder if BR’s apparel will be sold at a premium like GAP, which is clearly overpriced. That said, I don’t mind paying a bit more for BR stuff if it is not as street-style and hip-hop punk-rock like Topman and River Island and is of better quality than Zara and Topman. I think I will go check out the shop when it opens tomorrow night.

Upon careful deliberation and after surveying the sorry contents of my cupboard, I have decided to embark upon an aggressive acquisition campaign. I am in the market for:

• 1 pair of dark brown leather loafers ( I don’t mind a light brown one but I need a sugar momma to bankroll the expansion of my shoe collection and I figure it’s harder to match)
• 1 pair of white loafers (some say suicide, I say funky.)
• 1 pair of brown casual leather sandals
• New sneakers are always nice, but not necessities. I want a Puma and maybe something from Pedro with a brown base.
• 1 pair of Levi’s 501s, lighter colour blue denim. (yes, I have never owned a pair of Levi’s.)
• A few long-sleeved casual shirts worn with jeans or chinos that can double up as clubbing gear and are in a range of colours from light to dark.
• A few dark coloured polo-shirts that are fitting (i.e. slim fit)
• A few threadless.com T-shirts and a few assorted T-shirts that I won’t pay much for.
• 1 sweater for those cold, cold lecture rooms
• 2 pairs of khaki, tan colour bermudas or shorts.
• 1 dark brown belt with silver buckle, suitable for chinos and jeans, matching with loafers.
• A few canvas belts with different colours

Expensive non-necessities

• 1 metal dress watch
• 1 leather wallet

I was trying to remember this Italian phrase while talking to a colleague about how Aldo shoes seem to be a cut above the other leather shoe retailers/brands around shopping centres in Singapore in terms of quality and design.

I read somewhere that the phrase “vero cuoio” at the bottom of a pair of good leather shoes is an indication of quality, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember the exact phrase until yesterday night when I physically went down to Aldo at Raffles City to pick up a shoe and examine its sole.

And there was it, the glorious phrase, Vero Cuoio. I babelfished it and apparently it means “true leather” in english.

Googling reveals a website that incoporates the phrase in its web address: http://www.verocuoio.it/

Hence my odyssey has reached its final stages as I peruse the literature on the website.

Apparently the term “Vero Cuoio” is an indication of genuine Italian sole leather, made by the various few approved tanneries in Italy.

To quote:

“In the first place, it is a good idea to make sure that there is a “Genuine Leather” or “Genuine Italian Leather” certification mark on the sole. The “Genuine Leather” mark is a guarantee to the consumer that the material on which it is stamped is sole leather. The “Genuine Italian Sole Leather” certification mark identifies superior quality sole leather, tanned with vegetable extracts and produced in Italy only by the tanneries that are members of the Genuine Italian Sole Leather Consortium. If these marks are not stamped on the sole, check the label required by law which must indicate, using precise symbols, the materials used for the upper, the inside of the shoe and the outer sole. “

http://www.threadless.com/

A friend gave me this link. The T-shirts are pretty damn funky and original. Might consider buying. Let me calculate the costs first.

1 T-shirt costs USD15, shipping to Singapore is USD 8 for a total of USD 23 per shirt. Assuming an exchange rate of 1.51 SGD to 1 USD, it costs about 35SGD per shirt. Which is pretty ok for unique designs.

Extracts/notes from Gentleman by Bernhard Roetzel

(more…)

365 Style and Fashion Tips for Men

Claudia Piras and Bernhard Roetzel

Suit, Shirt and Tie

• Pinstrips and chalkstripes are regarded as the accepted uniform of the business world
• Black is not a suitable colour for a business suit except as a background colour to white pinstripes.
• Always keep your jacket on during a business meeting with a client.
• Light-gray suits are not suitable for evening occasions while darker shades are.
• The shirt collar must stick out at least a quarter inch above the jacket.
• White is a classic colour for business suits.
• Avoid short-sleeved shirts for the office.
• Anyone with a good eye for quality would look first at a shirt’s side seams. The narrower it is, the higher the quality.
• When choosing a tailor, go by personal recommendations.
• The best shirt buttons are made of mother-of-pearl.
• The best way to test the quality of a tie is to hold it at its narrow end and let it hand down. If it is twisted, it is not cut properly.
• Neckties made from silk, cashmere or wool should never be washed.
• Never try to smooth out crumpled neckties by ironing them. All you need to do is roll up your tie and the creases will come out by themselves.
• Wool ties are too casual for business. Wear silk ties to office.

Shoes

• Shoes must be a perfect fit.
• The most conservative type of shoe is the stout, black
  Oxford.
• Loafers should be quite a tight fit across the instep when you first try them.
• If you are wearing shoes with a metal buckle, the buckle must match that of your belt.
• You should wear dark knee-length socks with your business suit and light-coloured ones with casual wear.
• Always put a shoe tree inside your shoes after each wearing.
• For best results when cleaning your shoes, rub on some shoe polish in the evening and leave overnight before polishing the next day.
• Lace-up shoes should not be too tight across the instep. The lacing should still leave a little gap when the shoe is fastened.

Smart Casual

• Never press a crease into your jeans
• The most popular type of leisure wear pants are chinos. They cannot be too creased or baggy.

Mixing and Matching

• Every colour can be repeated, but only once.
• Avoid wearing navy-blue socks with black shoes
• Feel of individual garments must harmonise. E.g. shiny black shoes do not match with a tweed jacket.
• Avoid wearing a shirt, suit and necktie with the same patterns.

Personal accessories

• Visible jewelry should be restricted to two rings, a watch, and a pair of cuff links.
• A man’s chief accessory is his watch.
• Make sure that any metal elements in your jewelry and accessories match each other.
• The colour of the belt should match the shoes.
• If you want to be really precise, your wristwatch should also match your belt and shoes.

Hair, beard and body

• The most important thing about a hairdo is that it should look natural.

Shopping with style

• If your jacket is taut across the stomach when buttoned up, it is too small around the waist.
• Trousers are the right size around the waits if they just stay up comfortably without the aid of a belt.
• You can judge the quality of a suit from the interior finish of the pants. The more detailed the finish, the more expensive the suit.
• Never buy a suit made from synthetic materials.
• Never try on trousers after a lavish meal.
• The quality of a suit can be seen if the creases on it disappear overnight.
• Never buy a shirt without trying it on first.