The Sartorialist

I get a lot of emailed questions about my equipment…no, I mean my camera!
As an investment in my blog i just bought the Canon 5D and a 50mm/1.4 lens.
This is the equipment I used in Europe for the mens shows and I have rented when shooting GQ or other assignments. If you liked the photograph before it will take two big steps forward. Partly because of the new camera (I shot Dior Boy with a Canon 5D as an example) but also now that I will be working full-time I will be shooting more in the evening when the light is really great. Up to now I could only shoot in the morning and midday when the light is much less forgiving.

This is the Marc jacobs black corduroy jacket I’m buying for the shows.
Since he already cuts his jackets pretty short and slim very little alterations will need to be done – just sleeves, nip in the waist and the back-collar roll adjustment.

The pants in the shot are my new APC slim cut cotton jeans, hopefully the dark denim jeans will stretch out to fit like these cotton jeans.

I’m really excited about the black jacket – I think it will be a great investment. It will work with my dark denim jeans, black cotton jeans, grey flannels, proper black wool pants and or even my beat-up Levis. Of course I will wear the jacket with the Lidfort shoes, I think they are really important to the jacket because they don’t look like Jil Sander shoes or Prada or even Marc shoes really, so I think it will keep me from having too literal a “Marc Jacobs look.” That kind of mix really sums up my own personal look – mixing old-school Italian like Lidfort or Borrelli with much more modern labels like Dries or Marc.

Every season I try to buy one unreasonable accessory.

This season it is this Dries Van Noten sequined scarf. I know, crazy- but It is short enough that I can wear it loosely tied around my neck and inside my shirt for an updated ascot kinda thing.

I mean really, who ever heard of a sequined ascot/scarf – like I said, it is completely unreasonable but I love it!

I’m having a problem loading photos this morning but it should be corrected by tonight.

In the meantime, I would love to hear which collections you are most excited about for the upcoming Spring 2007 round of shows.

It has been raining for the last several days in New York. Great for shopping but tough for shooting outside.

Downtown to APC for some new jeans.
I took a pair of New Cure slim cut, unwashed denim into the dressing room – size 31.

The waist was perfect but the legs were a little tight.
I came out and asked the salesperson what he thought. He asked if I had any problem buttoning the waist, “no” I said “the waist is perfect but the legs are a bit tight.”
Again he says “you had no problem button the waist? “, “no” I repeated. ” oh, then those are too big!” He looked very serious.

I tried on the size 30.
I could barely button them closed and I could not bend my legs once I was in them!
This time I literally HOPPED out of the dressing room!
The salesperson rushes over and says “PERFECT!!!”

I will have to wear them around the house for a day to stretch them out a bit before I can get them hemmed.

I read my readers comments and emails and a lot of you also said to size down because the APC jeans stretch out – I’m trusting you!

If I lose circulation in my lower half or lose the ability to reproduce because of these jeans I gonna be super pissed – except they also mentioned I should not get my jeans wet either.

Friday I spent the day doing a test video project – this was my film crew – Ethan and Emily. It is still in the early stages but I will edit on Thursday so I’m really excited for the next step. If it doesn’t go well you will never hear me mention it again but I know what we have in the camera and it is pretty cool so I will update as I get closer to a finished product.

Next stop – Ralph Lauren Mansion at 72nd St.

I really love the new Black Label suits.
I found a perfect 3-button blue suit with a faint white stripe, classic Ralph style but very slim cut. Since I have broad shoulders and a slim waist ,as you can see in the photo, we were faced with an arsenal of alterations but I was prepared with a gameplan.

First – Have the suit fit while wearing the shoes that I had just bought at Barneys (both the black and brown will look great). Getting a suit fitted wearing tennis shoes is just asking for trouble.

Second – The shirt (white spread collar with French cuffs) and we pinned the sleeves to the correct length (right at my wrist bone – I hate when they ride low on my hand). Then we pinned in the body of the shirt, I was a little surprised that the shirt was not more slim cut to begin with.

Third – The pants, we had to take the waist in a bit and taper the leg a bit. Once the legs have been tapered we will decide on the final length at the second fitting.
What i really love about the pants is that they are cut with side-taps and not belt loops! Just like the suit Cary Grant had on in North by Northwest.

Fourth – The jacket. Since the jacket has to work in harmony with the pants and shirt we waited until they were pinned in place at the correct measurements. Of course we had to remove the roll at the back neck of the jacket, then we pinned in the sides and shortened the sleeves (being very careful to get at least a 1/2 inch of cuff). The final alteration was to shorten the length of the jacket about a half inch. They will also re-steam the lapel so it rolls to the middle button.

I will be holding my breath hoping that all this works out correctly but I have had work done at Ralph Lauren before and it was superb.

My only rookie mistake I made while buying the suit. I had actually picked it out a few days before but when I went back for the alterations the salesperson was not there. Of course no other salesman wants to help you during the alterations for no commission so the Mens store manager was very kind to spend some time with me and he made sure I got what I needed, thanks Todd.

Now the real fun begins – buying ties and pocket squares for the suit.

With Fashion Week quickly approaching I thought it might be fun to take you with me as I prepare my wardrobe for about 30 days of fashion shows.

One of the most important elements in a successful shopping trip is timing.
If you are shopping for Fall, a quiet weekend in August is a great time to go. Everyone else is at the beach and new Fall collections have just hit the stores – and sizes are still available! This Saturday the city was empty and uptown was extra quiet so it was a perfect time to head up to Barneys!

Like any women would tell you “start at the bottom” – SHOES!

Lidfort ,which is exclusive to Barneys New York, is one of my favorite shoe brands.
Just classic enough but also just stylized enough, not to heavy-soled and clunky like a lot of Italian shoes and not too narrow and sole-less like a lot of English shoes.
I bought two pairs of Lidforts about ten years ago and they still look great!
Actually, that could be the basis for another post – is it smart to make shoes so well constructed that I only buy them every ten years? Even though I consider myself a loyal Lidfort customer the salespeople are a bit cold to me for the nine years in between purchases.

I love this single lace style and they are a perfect color. It goes without saying that I will not even consider wearing these until I get the proper shoes trees. I love the solid toe variety that doesn’t split in the middle.
To me the most important aspect of a good shoe tree is the spring. The stronger the spring, the flatter your shoe will stay and not get the creases across the middle.
Does anyone have a recommendation for a website that sells good, I mean really good. shoe tress?

I never buy black shoes and I don’t think I have ever bought loafers but these are just fantastic. For me it is the extended vamp in the front and the fact that they feel more like a “slip on shoe” than a loafer.

For the quality of Lidfort shoes I think they are a steal at around $500 each.

Tonight- buying my Ralph Lauren Black Label suit at The Mansion and tomorrow my adventures in buying APC jeans – it was pretty funny!

I want to send a big thanks out to Dave Allen.

Dave has been a supporter (and close friend) of The Sartorialist in every possible way – emotional, financial and entrepreneurial.

If you enjoy The Sartorialist over the next few months it will be due , in no small part, to Dave Allen

Thanks Dave!

Another example of the New York working womens wardrobe.

The “Gianni Agnelli look” is still extremely pervasive on Italian Sartorialists.
I have always had a hard time finding many photos of Gianni on the internet but I found this the other day and thought it would be fun to post.
Has anyone every seen a good book on Agnelli Style….oops…maybe I shouldn’t say that and just do one myself!

Thanks to Claudio for emailing me this photo!

This is Samantha Sung, designer of Tocca, I love her personal style and the collection that was in the stores this Spring was very good. Her prints were amazing, so amazing that I even bought a Tocca dress for a friend of mine at a store I really don’t like but just couldn’t help myself.

I really liked her necklace – she made it herself, I guess creative is as creative does – does that make sense?

I’m not much for jewelry on men – I don’t even wear a watch – but for some guys it just seems to work. I certainly think it is a nice contrast to the slim cut Thom Browne shirt.

I can’t stop looking at her earrings – there is an interesting 80′s sweetie kinda thing, I’m feeling all Molly Ringwald about this.

I tried on the APC unwashed denim “New Cure” jean – Wow
That jean is definitely on my “must have” list for Fall

So a new speciality store opened last Saturday in Soho called Space Mercer.
It is on Mercer between Price and Spring just South of APC.

I popped in today and was pretty impressed – all womens collections with labels like Junya Watanabe, Clu and a lot more.

I asked for a press release so I can post an update with more specific info tomotrrow but I just thought the store looked so cool I wanted to post it tonight.

She looks like a walking, talking Ralph Lauren Safari ad.

The hat, the bag, the shoes – the accessories are all so quirky that I don’t know if it all works together but you can’t help but notice it. Again, it is one of those looks that don’t quite “work” in the traditional sense but that get you thinking about how you would do it – that is called inspiration.

Sorry I have not been able to post the last two evenings but I have been finalizing situations that will make The Sartorialist my full-time gig!
I have also been doing a little shopping for my Fashion Week gear – I’m sure it will be the basis of a few upcoming posts becasue it has truly been an experience ,most of which, not so good.

I am no where close to to really looking at the new September Vogue the way I want. So what do you think are the best articles? Overall the issue looks good on a flip through.
What about the “Fight Club” article by Sarah Mower on Japanese designers? The Irving Penn photos look incredible

I don’t know why but the whole look to me is about that little button detail on the sleeve. For the people that email me about a “working wardrobe” for women I would say that this look is pretty typical in Manhattan offices today…well, just a little better executed.

- Great color coordination between the jacket, pants, and shoes. The white shirt gives a crisp effect but blue could have been a very nice choice also.

- The only thing hampering this look is that the jacket is just too long and the sleeves are just too long.
The good news is that both of these issues are easily fixable. Even taking a half inch off the length of the jacket would help and the pocket placement is high enough that it should not throw off the overall balance. The sleeves could use a little cuff peeking out, GQ says 1/4 inch but that doesn’t sound like enough to me, I’m thinking a half inch at least.

What I liked about this look was that most girls would go with a solid color tee when working with a print skirt. This young lady ,though, has has mixed an angular graphic print tee under her cami/tank but used the color tonality to work back to her dainty floral print skirt. The way she has done it is really very subtle but I love that .

I am very excited to announce that this Sept/Oct I will be covering the women’s fashion shows for Spring 2007 in New York, Milan and Paris for Style.com!

This assignment will be very similar to what I did for Style,com during the recent Men’s shows last June/July

The next few weeks of build-up to the shows should be really great here at The Sartorialist ( I have a lot of good ideas of how to capture the chaos) and as you can imagine covering the women’s show will be just fantastic!

I will follow up with more info as it is set.

As you can see from the announcement above, I am about to embark on two months of full-on fashion. Before I fall into the super-fab world of high fashion I wanted to take a little trip to a world which it super-fab in it’s own little ways – Coney Island.
Coney Island is a world of extremes – the most seedy, the most potential, the most excitement, and the most forgotten.
I bet in twenty years we will look back at these images and barely recognize Coney Island, it will soon be remade much like the recent revitalization of 42nd street. Is that a good thing or bad? I don’t know, but every time I go it just becomes more fascinating.
Playa Every emotion is in this little girls face – fear, excitement, pure joy
Coney Island has a seediness that openly rubs elbows with family entertainment – this hotel is in the shadow of the boardwalk amusement rides.
Special events and new sports complexs are some of the first sign of revitalization of the boardwalk
This guy was seriously rocking the boardwalk karaoke
The best $2 taco I have ever eaten from one of the worse looking places I have ever dared to order food from.
Well, I think this sign speaks for itself

This post is not so specifically fashion related but New York’s parks are so alive in the summer that it is hard not to spend a day just shooting the energy of life. This guy walks around Washington Square Park wearing not much more than a pair of very tiny, ripped jean shorts. He tells anyone that will listen that he is a “Naturalist” – he rejects anything from the modern world. He then offers to give you his website address so you can learn more – website?….ok Mr. Anti-Modern

I love flowers but I love it even more when my apartment smells like a fresh summer mix of basil, parsley, and cilantro.

I look and I cannot find them – Old Man Sneakers!
This gentleman has been on my blog before – he has a great natural style.
I guess he has earned the right to go to Union Square Park each day and enjoy the parade of life.

I have seen so many “little brown dresses” this summer. Did I miss the memo that said brown dresses make a tan looki better?

I was going to stop him and ask to take his photo but I was afraid I would be “sleepin’ with da fishes” by morning.

I was walking in Chinatown yesterday and ran into a full blown fashion shoot with Koto Bolofo behind the camera (thats him in the green shirt). He really is one of my favorite fashion photographers – his use of color is incredible.

He captures his subjects in a very heroic manner – I have used a lot of his tears for inspiration. His recent book Racing Style is a must have.

Here is a link to his page at the Jed Root agency Koto Bolofo @ Jed Root

I love the windowpane pattern of this suit – I think it shows that even a guy under 6 foot can wear it as long as the suit fits properly. The only thing I would do is shorten the shirt sleeve length but that is just one of my pet peeves.

Obviously all the drama of this dress is in the back

I just bought the North by Northwest DVD and I have become obsessed with Cary Grant’s grey suit. – partly because it looks so good on him and partly because it is so easily adaptable to a modern wardrobe.

I used the remote noted the exact scenes and times that reveal the little details that make such a big difference.
Notice how all the following elements help create the long, lean silhouette.

Chapter 2 02:17
The Jacket
- With one dramatic but subtle sartorial gesture CG set himself apart from all the other men in the scene. What is that important single element? look at that shirt cuffs/jacket sleeve proportion!
Not one other guy in that scene is showing ANY shirt cuff and Cary is showing ,like, 3/4 of an inch. So much white that I didn’t even notice until half-way through the film that he was not even wearing a pocket square.

Chapter 7 21:28
The Socks/Shoe
- The most compelling argument I have seen yet that socks should match your pants. It creates such a long lean body line.
- Freeze the frame and look at the shoes – Not Black! but deep cognac brown and no chunky, thick sole clodhoppers here – long, lean and very English

Chapter 9 31:18
The Pants – These are key!
- Notice CG’s pants are worn on the natural waist not the hips like jeans are.
- No belt – when coordinated with the tonal socks this gives his lower half a very long visual line and no belt removes the “matching shoes” problems obsolete
- Inverted pleats – gives fullness to the pant leg but keeps the hips looking narrow
- No sloppy big American break in his pant hem

Chapter 22 1:03:00
The Shirt
- Look at the large amount of shirring at the yoke of the shirtback. This shirt is actually quite full through the torso but because he wears his pants at his natural waist this de-emphasizes the fullness while still giving him plenty of room for movement. If he wore the same shirt with his pants at his hips his torso would look much wider and chunky.

The seaming detail in the bodice really makes this whole dress

Usually I’m not a big fan of looks that are too vintage but this look is just modern enough. I guess the only super vintage element is the color but even that is a nice break from downtown black and charcoal.

This is one of those women that is just so…..unique.
You can’t help but look and see what you can pull from het look -the little socks, the cardigan half on, the hat, the giant bag.

You can just tell she is one of those people that just sees clothes differently – she has a different connotation of what certain pieces mean and what they say about her and what they say to others.

Like a great wine I bet she will only get better and more eccentric with time, or at least I hope.

Women talk a lot about looks that are “too young” for them. This is definitely a young look but it looks really good on this guy that was at least mid-60′s. I love the bold, athletic colors of the shoes and hat working against the more “traditional” madras jacket. Didn’t I hear recently that 60 is the new 40!

This dress is all about the stitched-in collar detail

I love the unexpected mix of the mens madras shirt and the long dress. I wish her eyes were more open but it was the only shot I got that really showed the length of the dress and shoes. The dress looks heavy but it almost floated down the street.

This is one of those looks that you might see in a store display and think it would never work in real life but here it is and it looks great.

The stripe combo is just subtle enough that it would be easy to miss on the street unless you really looked, I love that kind of detail. I also really like the loose folds or “crumple” of his pocket square – I think we often over-press and over-fold our little buddies.

On a lot of girls this dress would be way over-the-top, too “look at my …”

On this girl though, specifically because of the darling haircut and demure smile it makes for a really great contrast. The sexy girl-next-door or “the librarian takes a vacation” kind of feel.

One of the comments about this dress was that it looked “slovenly.”
Again I think we have to remember that these are real people in real life situations. I think we should look at these photos in more of an inspirational and not so literal manner. I think it miss a lot if we just make each look a “Yes !” or “No ! “.

I think we also have to be more open-minded about the situations that these people may be wearing a particular look. Everyone I shoot is not just going to/from work or for an evening out on the town.

In this look ,for example, I see red bathing suit straps around her neck and she was near to and walking in the direction of Central Park. I think of this as a very chic way to use a dress as a cover-up for a girl on her way to a day of sun and fun in Central Park. On her way to the park she can pop into a few shops (dry cleaners, newstand, nail salon) and on her way back pick up some groceries all the while looking cute as can be. New Yorkers do a lot of multitasking, we don’t usually have a car parked nearby to drop off or pickup the gear for our next task. I have seen the way most people dress for a day at the beach and by comparison this is a pretty good look.

I would caution to say that most New Yorkers know of or have literally heard this guy. For years he has been riding around the city blasting Frank Sinatra music from the stereo taped on the back of his bike.

I took the photo just because he is such a New York character but look at those mismatched plaids!

Ok. we all know she looks amazing!
I love the tie detail at the neck of the blouse.
Since you all know I have a scarf fetish this should get me through to October!

What I was really pleasantly surprised by was how well the gentleman’s suit fit.
Perfect sleeve-to-shirt cuff ratio, the length of the jacket is spot-on, and the pant length perfect.

Often people that wear more fashion-forward designers ,in an effort to be different, break all the wrong rules about how clothes should fit. This gentleman has perfected all those “traditional” rules and yet has been able to maintain the modern, sleek sensibility that is a Jil Sander suit. I would think Raf would be happy to see his clothes worn this way in the real world

I love the waist detail on this skirt (?), jumper(?), shorts (?) overalls(?) I don’t know what to classify this except for cool

Really, what needs to be said.

She was a big part of two sitcoms that help define thier era.

I could watch The Mary Tyler Moore Show everyday, I grew up listening to my family laugh with that show. Does it get any better than Ted Baxter and Mr. Grant?

Mr: Grant to Mary ” You’ve got spunk kid”
Mary: “Thanks, Mr. Grant”
Mr. Grant “I hate spunk”

I guess Felix and Oscar are pretty close but they didn’t have a Mary to highlght the humanity/stupidity of oridinary men.

Is there a modern Mary Tyler Moore on TV or movies?

Natalie Portman?

I love the unexpected green shoes with this pretty straight forward summer look
I have talked before about matching a pocket square to a shirt, or a tie or sportcoat but I don’t think I have ever considered having it complement your hat-band. Well played sir!

I really loved this young woman’s look.

The muted dark teal/brown color combo is very sophisticated – I know it may not show-up in the photograph very well but her bra strap was a great shade of lavender which worked with the top wonderfully. The shorts are not too long or too short and yet they really highlight her legs.

It is hard to see but she also has a Miu Miu pin on her top just under her hand – all of this together gave her a very Marni-esque look, and who doesn’t want that! Again, I don’t think she spent a ton of money on this outfit but the right accessories really pull it all together.

Finally, I have to admit that she scored a few extra points because she knew all about The Sartorialist and loves the blog – I have some pretty cool readers!

I love this shirt dress, the color really stood out on a crowded Soho street but it didn’t scream “look at me”

So what did we think about the Vanity Fair Best Dressed List. It seemed all the people listed were famous or rich or royalty or all three.

Does it matter to you that the people listed have to already be celebrities?

I would rather see 5 images of some unknown person with truly great style than another bunch of tired George Clooney images of him in a tux or boring grey suit.

Except for a few like Sofia and Kate to me the list is about “bought style”. Even Kate and Sofia are given a ton of free clothes but at least with them they do seem to bring something personal to it.

While we are at it, what did you think about the Kate Moss love letter. She is an icon and very beautiful, but she is such a tragic figure I have a hard time looking at her in ads or editorials now and not feeling sad. Am I wrong?

I could not be more excited to announce that starting this October I will have a recurring page in GQ (American) !!

I just finished the first page and I really love it. It is crazy when a magazine as good as GQ says that you can do what you want and then actually lets you do it!

What does this mean for the blog?
-More access to an even wider and better range of designers and brands
-More travel to cities other than just Paris and Milan
-More time to work on The Sartorialist specific projects

i think this will only make the blog stronger

By next Monday I should have another pretty big announcement on a separate project that will also help take The Sartorialist to the next level

I could not have done this without the support of my growing loyal readership – I’m really happy to share this with you.

Scott

I shot something like this a few weeks ago. Again notice the jeans are rolled, not the 2 inch wide folded cuff we have seen on unwashed denim but more like how you roll a shirt sleeve.

This girl use to work out at my gym, even her workout clothes were cool.
I always loved her hair, a kind of modified mohawk

The Sartorialist is officially back from vacation today and will be shooting in the city all day.

I have a major announcement for later today (around 6pm)

During vacation I did a lot of reading (mostly about cooking and sports), practiced Italian, did a lot a running and spent most of my time “fash-off” instead of “fash-on”. It is great to spend a little time lost in a different world.

I made a little joke the other week about Detroit not being the most chic city in…..well, anywhere. I guess Detroit gets the last laugh because it could not look better than in the HUGE Bruce Weber editorial in the Sept W. This is just the type of long-form editorial that Bruce is so good at and that has made him my favorite photographer.

I really like the bottom half of this look – the shoes look good on her and i like the attitude of the belt but she loses a little with the top.

I will chalk up the lack a many good shots in Chicago to the fact I was there on a Friday in the Summer.

Overall though it was a bit disappointing. I grew up going to chicago for my first real taste of chic so I wanted to capture some of that but I guess you can’t go home again.

I was especially disappointed in the service or lack thereof in most of the stores, Barneys women’s designer floor being the worse. I must have walked that floor for 5 or 6 minutes and not a single “hello” or “Can I help you?”. There were about 6 salespeople on the floor and they all saw me but I guess I didn’t rate any service – too bad because I did end up buying a Hussein Chalayan dress for my wife that day at Blake.

Blake was a bright spot- Shopping Note To New Yorkers – if you are a size 2 or 4 or 6 and you can’t find anything good on sale at Barneys or Bergdorf or If Boutique then call Blake I have never seen so much Dries on sale in so many small sizes! It is like the exact opposite of New York -I bet it has to do with an older customer base that needs larger sizes. Blake probably still has quite a bit of good Rochas, Dries, Marni, Chloe etc on triple markdown! i only saw one of each style on the floor but maybe they have more stock in back. Again we did not get very good sales help but they were the only store that was actually busy on a lazy Friday.

Ikram was the other store that lived up to expectations but the mens stores were less than exciting. Selection, display, inspirational salespeople were all in short supply. Again maybe it was because of the transition into Fall – but I don’t really think so.

Come on Chicago! I know you are better than this! I will be back soon, in your best season – Winter!, so I hope to have a more inspiring trip then.

Other than the shopping, the rest of my vacation was great and I’m full of ideas and plans on how to make The Sartorialist even better! over the next six months.

I keep finding good shots that I missed posting from Europe, Is this the alternative to the legging?

Old Man Style is hard to beat. Gentlemen of a certain generation learned how to wear their clothes not let their clothes wear them.

This is one of my all-time favorite posts
His name is Harry.
He has been cutting hair for 65 years!
The first time I went to his shop I asked “Do you cut with clippers?”
“Yes” he said.
“Do you like to cut with clippers?” I asked.
“No, cutting with clippers is for animals” he replied.
I knew I found my new barber.

I’ve had my hair cut by several very good barbers in NYC but none have used the little service details like Harry. Harry is all about technique. Just before shaving the back of my neck with a straight blade he wipes the shaving cream off with the handle of the blade so he can really see what he is cutting. He places the talc on a little hand towel before patting it on your neck,
He also hums indescribable tunes while cutting your hair. I don’t know if he is the best barber but you don’t run across characters like him very often.

I don’t know how i missed this before but here it is- better a little late than never

After almost a year of posting almost everyday, this week I’m on a vacation/roadtrip.
I have my camera and laptop so I hope to be posting as I go but wireless connection is sometimes tricky. (but it is working right now!)

Please be patience with me for the next week, I have a bag full of great books and magazines to give me new inspiration (a great new book on Cartier-Bresson portraits) and I had a very nice long drive today which gave me time to think about the next year and how i want to grow the blog.

Just a little heads up! If you live in Chicago and you see a guy ,that looks like me, holding a camera please say hi!

Finally
When i first started The Sartorialist I used some of my favorite images that I had taken over the previous few years. I posted them but at that time I didn’t have much traffic. To fill some of the void over the next week I will repost a few of my favorites from archive – I’d love to hear what you think of the shots

Thanks
Scott

This was one of the best looks I saw at The Collective