Questions submitted between January 25 and February 25, 2011
"Dear YWP, Is it true that you shouldn't wear the same shoes two days in a row?"
This is a good idea, but disaster won't strike if ignored. Foot sweat and general condensation wets the interiors of your shoes, but if you live in a very dry climate, there will generally be no issue, as the shoes will be dry the next day. I recommend polishing the outside, and most importantly, putting shoe trees/forms/lasts in them when you take them off. If you live in a damper climate, it is wise to follow the every-other-day rule. As for the trees/forms/lasts, you can spend $3 (drugstore plastic version) or $300 (hand-carved wooden version), and the result will be about the same.
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"Is it alright to wear a vest?"
Yes. There are some situations where the subtlety and nuance of the vest's implications will dictate one way or the other, but generally, it is always nice to wear the odd vest. Tread carefully if it is being paired with a suit for which it was not intended, but when mixed with jacket/tie/trousers, you are almost always safe.
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"A lot of the other men at [large brokerage house] go to get pedicures. Is this a good idea? It seems weird."
While it may be true that many males get pedicures, it is also true that men do not.
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"Is a bespoke shirt worth the money?"
It depends on your body type. I have had several shirts made for me, and they were nice... but I found that several off-the-rack shirts fit me just as well, if not better. For example, I prefer a shirt with a tapered middle, which is a process that costs extremely little by a seamster, and when I need something interesting done, I go to a shirt maker for alterations. Bespoke shirts are usually well over $100 and at times over $500, but for my torso, the normal Jermyn Street racks fit just as well, and because I am VERY patient with buying, I rarely pay over $50 for them... and usually in the range of $30 with free shipping from London. When Filene's Basement was open, Ralph Lauren shirts of all sorts were in sloppy teetering stacks and at $19. When you find a good fit and a good bargain, bite the budget bullet and buy a big bag full. If your torso is harder to fit, and the seamster shakes their head at your request, bespoke shirts may be a good option, but they will have a price to match. Unique and attractive/quirky features are certainly reason to justify a bespoke shirt, though.
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"I just bought a Hilditch [and Key shirt] that is too long but fits great otherwise..."
Men's shirts from the old guard are (correctly) long, because they are intended to be worn tucked in. In fact, a proper shirt will look terrible untucked, as the tails and front extend below the crotch when standing which keeps them held safely prisoner into your trouser's waist. In a London store, I once saw a formal French shirt that not only buttoned up the back, but also fastened between the legs with two buttons... and tucked it would certainly stay.
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"yur blog sucks and yur and snboby a**hole!"
Though I am inclined to agree with you on the first part (this blog sucking), I must dispute your second claim: I am always courteous when sledding on the sno-bob. I wait my turn and let others have theirs, and I always pull the younger kids back to the top of the hill. I also never walk in the sledding lane... that is something an a**hole would do.
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"Dear YWP, Is it true that you shouldn't wear the same shoes two days in a row?"
This is a good idea, but disaster won't strike if ignored. Foot sweat and general condensation wets the interiors of your shoes, but if you live in a very dry climate, there will generally be no issue, as the shoes will be dry the next day. I recommend polishing the outside, and most importantly, putting shoe trees/forms/lasts in them when you take them off. If you live in a damper climate, it is wise to follow the every-other-day rule. As for the trees/forms/lasts, you can spend $3 (drugstore plastic version) or $300 (hand-carved wooden version), and the result will be about the same.
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"Is it alright to wear a vest?"Yes. There are some situations where the subtlety and nuance of the vest's implications will dictate one way or the other, but generally, it is always nice to wear the odd vest. Tread carefully if it is being paired with a suit for which it was not intended, but when mixed with jacket/tie/trousers, you are almost always safe.
-----
"A lot of the other men at [large brokerage house] go to get pedicures. Is this a good idea? It seems weird."
While it may be true that many males get pedicures, it is also true that men do not.
-----
"Is a bespoke shirt worth the money?"
It depends on your body type. I have had several shirts made for me, and they were nice... but I found that several off-the-rack shirts fit me just as well, if not better. For example, I prefer a shirt with a tapered middle, which is a process that costs extremely little by a seamster, and when I need something interesting done, I go to a shirt maker for alterations. Bespoke shirts are usually well over $100 and at times over $500, but for my torso, the normal Jermyn Street racks fit just as well, and because I am VERY patient with buying, I rarely pay over $50 for them... and usually in the range of $30 with free shipping from London. When Filene's Basement was open, Ralph Lauren shirts of all sorts were in sloppy teetering stacks and at $19. When you find a good fit and a good bargain, bite the budget bullet and buy a big bag full. If your torso is harder to fit, and the seamster shakes their head at your request, bespoke shirts may be a good option, but they will have a price to match. Unique and attractive/quirky features are certainly reason to justify a bespoke shirt, though.
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| Tab cuff? Worth it. |
"I just bought a Hilditch [and Key shirt] that is too long but fits great otherwise..."
Men's shirts from the old guard are (correctly) long, because they are intended to be worn tucked in. In fact, a proper shirt will look terrible untucked, as the tails and front extend below the crotch when standing which keeps them held safely prisoner into your trouser's waist. In a London store, I once saw a formal French shirt that not only buttoned up the back, but also fastened between the legs with two buttons... and tucked it would certainly stay.
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"yur blog sucks and yur and snboby a**hole!"
Though I am inclined to agree with you on the first part (this blog sucking), I must dispute your second claim: I am always courteous when sledding on the sno-bob. I wait my turn and let others have theirs, and I always pull the younger kids back to the top of the hill. I also never walk in the sledding lane... that is something an a**hole would do.
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"While it may be true that many males get pedicures, it is also true that men do not."
ReplyDeleteTight.
YWP,a snob is someone who thinks he is superior to others. We simply know that we are.
ReplyDeleteYour replies not only show you´re a man of great taste, but of impaccable manners as well. Well done, good Sir.
ReplyDeleteTo James--
ReplyDeleteI draw the difference a little differently: for me a snob is someone who looks on the tastes of others as lower than his own. YWP's interest is in questioning, understanding, and developing his own taste. It's not that he lacks a sense of high and low, but that the aim is inward.