Try as I might, I'll never be truly elegant. Elegance requires restraint, and the Mediterranean man in me can only be held back for so long before he rears his luxurious locks and attempts to smolder. As close as I got to restraint today was to trade my spectator shoes for brown slip-ones.
Is it the influence of advertising? Ralph Lauren and Phineas Cole are both showing these sorts of looks. Or is it simple peacockery, the birthright of Mediterranean men the world over?
Whatever the case may be, for those of us who aspire to elegance, remember it's hard to overstate the case for understated dress.
Posted with Blogsy
Dear Chris,
Love the three-piece suit with the silk tie, pochette and shirt but in my opinion those shoes are too dark… Why is it mostly that only in Europe we can find the perfect cognac colored leather shoes? Those would match just perfect.
Happy summer to you!
Mariette
Oh pshaw. I mean, think of it this way, even Nature (the Mother of all elegance) can’t resist showing her exuberance from time to time! Have a happy day, xo, N.G.
A really superb outfit. It must be linen. Otherwise the three pieces would be tough in a Southern summer…
I suffer from the exact opposite. I feel like I have a soul ready for some peacockery, hidden under the facade of a Scottish/German/Swiss restraint. My wife recently told someone at a wedding this weekend that “that is his so-happy-he-could-cry face.” I buy Italian appliances, pin every picture I see of Italian autos and scooters, I tape every show imaginable that’s associated with the Mediterranean, and then get dressed for work selecting from a wardrobe consisting of mainly white, grey, brown, and blue. Owen Edwards described it as “Uomo envy” in an article he wrote for GQ (May 1999), and I have it bad.
Yet I’m also disheveled and careless enough I manage to avoid being elegant as well! However, as your site makes perfectly clear, for most of us elegance is a goal to strive towards, and every day I try to make sure I enjoy the trip.
“Uomo envy.” Wish I written that! I’ve got it bad, too.
Enjoying the trip is what it is all about. Thanks for reminding me of that.
Lovely shoes. Domestic, perchance?
Hi George, Allen Edmonds!