Suited

Every season since I first started paying attention to fashion, some oddball would come out of the woodwork to insist that this would finally be the season that men got into suiting. But sort of like a doomsday cult that keeps living past the most recent prophecy, we would all forget about it and move on… until a few months later when some new weird guy would say it all over again.

I’m not sure that men (let’s just say people) will ever get into suiting. I don’t even really know what they mean when they say that. People who are into suits are really into suits… like really into suits. Do they mean people will start going to tailors (where?) and start having custom suits made? Because I can’t really see that happening… I can’t even find anyone decent near me to take in the sleeve on a blazer. Do they mean men will start wearing a cheeky little blazer with their jeans and boots? If that’s what they mean, sure!

We’ve all been scarred by bad suits. Maybe it was something you had to wear to whatever religious functions your family took you to as a child. Maybe it was a last minute buy for a friend’s wedding. I think for most people, suits feel like an obligation rather than a means of expression.

The folks who are really into suits are pretty alienating in their own way. They’re either really into mediocre ready-to-wear suiting that’s too slim and not very cool (think Andrew Tate or hustle-core Rolex salesmen) or they’re extremely invested in archaic sartorial rules of yesteryear and play what amounts to a very silly and outdated sort of dress-up (think Disney Dapper Day - shots fired Blam blam).

Finding good suiting is easier than you realize, especially if you apply yourself to the task at hand and start small. Let’s not try to find the perfect vintage designer suit right out the gate, let’s focus on one thing at a time…Starting with …

Vintage Blazers

I would recommend searching for “Mani” on Ebay. Mani was a diffusion line by Armani that was sold in department stores and has since been discontinued. Mani was made in Italy and in the U.S.A. and is fairly easy to find for a low price. Though you can find suits and trousers, it’s easier to locate a blazer or suit jacket. Look for checks, houndstooths, browns, and greens! Embrace large shoulders, boxy silhouettes, and double-breasted details! As long as it’s not too slim or black or navy, no one will mistake this vintage piece for some Men’s Wearhouse crap.

Suit jacket sizing is pretty easy at least in American sizing… the number is whatever the chest measurement is - so a 44R should measure roughly 22 inches from one armpit to the other (when the blazer is laid flat). The letter behind the number is the length of the jacket. S is short, R is Regular, and L is long. Easy. If you think you may be between sizes, always go up. You can have them tailored down, or the blazer may have shrunk at some point along the way, so it may come out just right anyway.

Wear em with favorite jeans and boots for that 90s celeb in the airport feel or withhh…

Vintage suit pants

I’ve been just nuts about vintage suit pants. They’re one of the most ubiquitous items in Goodwills and Thrift stores, but it can admittedly be difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Start by feel, like by physical touch. Suit pants are most often wool or some kind of wool blend. If a wool fabric feels very smooth and luxurious, pull it off the rack and take a peek. Wool garments of a certain age have been subjected to all manner of indignities over the years and if they feel gross or scratchy, you can probably give them a pass.

Next, look for tags. There is always a chance you may have found some Pierre Cardin trousers or some other designer label, but when it comes to these kind of trousers, I don’t much care. Look for Woolmark tags and country of origin —- or better yet the name of some tailor shop long since vanished. Many of these suit pants date to a period where people did get custom pieces made and they’re actually 1 of 1.

It’s not the most exact science, but try and suss out how old the tag is. If it’s more ornate and embroidered and doesn’t feature care tags (i.e. washing instructions on labels), it’s probably old! A printed, mass-produced-feeling tag with care instructions will certainly be new.

So assuming the fabric feels nice and the tags inside feel appropriately old that you can be sure they’re not Boohoo men trousers, it’s time for fit!

Assuming these trousers have any size information at all, don’t be shy in sizing up one or two or three sizes from your usual new tag size. As with much vintage, a lot of this stuff has shrunk over the years. Don’t let your pride get in the way and avoid the size 36 rack — you may find something that fits like a 33!

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The best part about the fit is there’s really no wrong way for them to fit you. Wear ‘em oversized  and low on your hips, wear them snug on your seat and at your natural waist — I really don’t care! I personally prefer them to fit well in the waist, but be pretty loose everywhere else. They’re a nice antidote to work pants and jeans because they are very flow-y and comfy when sized correctly. Perfect for dates and nice dinners with friends.

Booted

It feels like big chunky European hiking boots are having a moment. There was a lot of hype last fall around hiking boots, but they seemed to be more of the American Danner variety — I believe there was even a jjjound collab?

This year we have gone back even further into the Gorp-y past and the hikers (with some exceptions) look like something you’d see on a 1930s Alpinist (or a character in The Eiger Sanction).

Though not “techinical” by today’s standards, they tend to feature big, lugged soles (great grip and less pressure on your feet when you walk) and lovely arch support. That, annnnnd, elaborate lacing systems that keep you locked in.

The Paraboot Avoriaz is the pair I have and I wore them all over Scandinavia these past few weeks. They don’t have a traditional tongue and instead sort of wrap together as you lace them to make them pretty much waterproof. Even on pretty slick ice, the heavy lugged soles kept their grip and they are by far the most ergonomic Paraboot model I’ve encountered, and really cup my feet nicely. They are, however; very expensive and I’m rarely in a climate that is conducive to wearing them.

My friends at Knickerbocker did a collab with Italian brand, Fracap, that I’m also fond of. They actually did a low-top hiking boot, which is way more wearable - at least in California. Now, to be clear, if you’re going on an actual serious hiking trip, I’d recommend you go to REI and talk to a professional, but if you’re on long walks in the city, these would also do the trick. Andrew Livingston, who runs KMFG wears them exceedingly well, I ran into him in New York and he wore them with a worn-in pair of Lee jeans (slightly cropped) and a big cable-knit sweater. They were perfect.

These chunky lace-ups just have a great way of hugging your foot and look good with pretty much any straight leg jean/ work pant and even play nice with wool trousers…. should the need arise.