Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Follow suit

There's a haberdasher not far from here, both old fashioned and posh. The fact that it's surprised into the present has to be counted as some kind of accomplishment.

Aside from noting its continued presence, though, I had never taken much notice of it. But in passing recently I've observed a change in their stock. The suits on the headless mannequins are dandyish beyond belief. Brightly colored jackets with patterned lining and baroque neckties.

A reaction, perhaps, to uniform COVID-era sterility. Maybe and maybe not. This style isn't something I expect to see on every corner, but it might be a harbinger in its way.

2 comments:

susan said...

I haven't noticed the new trend on the street here. In fact, it's generally not easy to see any men wearing suits, but I just did a search and see what you mean. It looks like a number of men's suits, or just the pants, are made of spandex or something similar - they're very tight.

A few years ago I bookmarked a website called 'The Sartorialist' - an apparently well off photographer who took candid pictures of people in European cities as well as NYC (there may have been other US cities that I never noticed). I see he's still doing it - some of the pictures scare me.

Ah well, Brooks Brothers just declared bankruptcy so perhaps your local haberdasher decided it was time to put Providence on the international fashion map.

Ben said...

Tight pants are something I've never gotten into, regardless of what's fashionable or who likes them. I like to look good but comfort is always a priority. Of course I know it's one of those things that's just kind of expected of women.

The Sartorialist is a pretty cool site and I can also see what you mean by some of the pictures being scary. Some people look like they're not self conscious, although the opposite tends to be true. Without dates on the entries it's hard to tell if he's updating the main site. He's definitely updating on Instagram.

Wonder what's going to happen to Brooks Brothers. News reports talk about Italian investors eyeing it. In the short run that might save some jobs, but it's not a good sign for its independence.