I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. Just as the advent of the motor car began the demise of the umbrella and hat, and the wristwatches of WWI replaced the pocket watches of the Victorians, the cell phone may spell the demise of the wrist watch. And when it does we will be denied one of the most elegant accessories which a man may still wear.

I’ve noticed several people lately flip open phones to check the time. On a hunch I looked around at my fellow pedestrians and confirmed that the vast majority (they were mostly students and a few younger professionals) were chronographically nude. At least to the eye. Not a wristwatch amongst ‘em. But each had a pocket bulging with cell phone and keys or keys dangling from a belt loop (N.B. not a good look.) All carried backpacks or messenger bags and I wonder why they didn’t use those to hold the extra things they carried?

When I was a kid growing up in Europe, I remember seeing a lot of men carrying purses. Not “manbags” or bags in general, handbags. They had little wrist straps on them and a zippered opening. My father’s bag was black leather and had a zippered pocket on the outside as well.

Yes, he too fell in to the habit during off hours when we were traveling. But only after my mother convinced him to buy a New Man denim jacket and jeans “suit.”

It was the 70’s and I don’t know what was going on in the States, but European men were wearing tight jeans. Jeans that frankly couldn’t accommodate the large breast pocket wallets that everyone hauled around to carry the huge European banknotes that were much larger than the American dollar. So the handbag became de rigeur.

After reading another wonderful post by Mrs. Blandings, I decided to come clean. If the contents of a pocketbook can tell you a lot about the owner, just imagine what going through their pockets might reveal.

Men today carry all manner of things with them in all manner of bags. I have a shoulder bag big enough to carry my laptop and a portfolio that I used to carry before the laptop became my portable desk and filing cabinet. But I don’t carry them day-to-day.

No, most of the time I have to carry all the things you see above in my pockets — without bulging at the seams.

This is really when made-to-measure and bespoke clothing shines. You can have pockets built in to conceal all of your gear. A watch pocket carries my pocketknife. A coin pocket can hold my pocketknife or keys or phone (when not wearing a jacket.) The cigarette pack pocket on the left inside of my coat holds the phone, while the inside pockets hold my cigarette case (I keep my cards in it) and my pen. The breast pocket of the coat holds my glasses or sunglasses behind my pocketsquare. The car key and/or house keys can be stashed in the inner coin pocket of the pocket on my coat. The handkerchief and card case/wallet are in the back pockets of my trousers and my money clip resides in my left hand pocket.

If you are buying off the rack, the best brand in my opinion that caters to those of us who carry things on our persons, is Oxxford. The tailors there build their suit coats with pockets that work with the lining, expanding inward. I don’t know how they do it, but it works. There is hardly a ripple visible.

I still wear a wristwatch, though. And I have a landline. I suppose I am beginning to show my age.

In general, I would rather be overdressed than underdressed. Or as my business partner used to say: “I’d rather overwhelm you than underwhelm you.” But in the case of your image, that isn’t always a good thing.

I think that one of the basic tenets of elegance should be to make others feel comfortable around you — to dress for your environment. Don’t get me wrong, I still mean “dress much better”, but not incongruously for your surroundings.

Take the rags above. I am in all sorts of stripes and spots. Further examination by Mrs. E. would reveal a pair of natty Thurston braces, too. I tried to lighten up the look for class today by adding a bit of whimsy.

Just dandy, sure. But, too much. Although I felt great. Everything was a bit new, a bit … too.

I was reminded of that while watching an episode of The Avengers (”A Sense of History”, 1966 in which an economist postulates the end of poverty in Europe by uniting all the continent within a common economy by introducing a single currency. He is murdered as dangerously revolutionary.) Steed, posing as an old boy and researcher, rips the bottom of his gown so as not to make the “freshman” mistake of wearing one too new. A bit extreme for our purposes, but nevertheless…

The best exemplar of quiet understatement is Beau Brummel who strove for simple perfection in all things sartorial. And in the process changed Regency court dress, and modern menswear forever after.

But, to be truly elegant one must be of one’s time. One fact hasn’t changed since Brummel’s day: relatively sober clothing, incredibly well-cut, will do the trick every time.

The trick is to cultivate your sense of occasion. What to wear when. But how do you know?

Looking into the latest GQ won’t help much if you’re over 25. (Although you will find the Lamino Chair by Swedese so my subscription is saved once again… at least for the remainder of its life.)

At the risk of beating a dead horse, a few rules by which we can all live more elegantly.

1) If the invitation says black tie: wear your tuxedo. With a black bowtie and a cummerbund or a vest, a white soft collar (turn down style), and highly polished black oxford shoes. (Pocket square.) If the event is before six o’clock in the evening, please don’t unless it is insisted upon. Wear a dark suit or a morning suit instead.

2) Wear a suit to an interview. A dark blue or grey suit. No black suits. No funny ties. In fact, wear a dark suit without a funny tie often. And match your over-the-calf, merino wool socks to your trousers, until you get your feet under you, sartorially speaking.

3) Invest in and wear the most expensive pair of shoes you can afford. Do not go to fashion extremes. You want them to look as good next season. Polish them often. Dark brown and suede are very elegant. Black is never wrong.

4) All clothing, regardless of its formality, needs to be altered. Find a good tailor and patronize him or happen upon a wonderful seamstress and visit often.

5) Refrain from wearing clothing that is too perfect. Too starched is too starched. Sprezaturra is achieved through looking as if you haven’t tried too hard. Whether you have or not is irrelevant. Just make sure it’s spotless.

6) A dark blue, double-breasted suit (or navy 3 piece) with a white french cuff, spread collar shirt, woven tie and highly polished shoes is incredibly elegant.

7) A navy blazer, spread collar shirt with grey flannel trousers and highly polished shoes is incredibly elegant. Double breasted blazers worn with neat ties, more so.

8 )A well-fitted sportcoat (pocket square in place) will dress up any casual clothing from jeans to khakis.

9) One piece of dressier clothing + one piece of casual clothing = casually elegant. (That silver-maned multi-millionaire dressed in linen drawstring trousers, a Charvet awning stripe white collar shirt and Belgian slippers, I encountered on the Riviera springs to mind.)

10) In general, fitted top, fuller cut trouser and vice versa.

And finally:

11) When in doubt, dress better than you have to.

I’d like to do one of these for women, but I’m not sure I’m qualified. I know what I like but…. any volunteers to act as tastemaker for my half dozen readers?

I know, I know, I’m the last one to try and pull this off. But after this week’s rant against the casual corporate world, I am determined to try and offer alternatives to the all-too-prevalent untaliored Dockers® and golf shirt/untucked shirt and $100 jeans look favoured in the workplace. This is made even more difficult as it is beginning to be uncomfortably warm — in spring, winter and fall I have a fighting chance layering for effect and using luxury fabrics like leather and cashmere.

This is my first attempt. Above you will see a riff on the flat front/polo shirt look. I’m wearing flat front, cuffed, slate coloured wool trousers (in a lightweight super 120’s fabric), a black belt, silk heavy ribbed tennis collar shirt and chiseled toe venetian loafers (with socks.) I would prefer a sportcoat and a neckerchief, but I’m trying to be as mainstream as I can without sacrificing the smart part of smart casual.

You can see the problem with flat front trousers — they crease a lot when you stay seated for any length of time. I also have trouble hiding the phone, money clip, card case, pocketknife and handkerchief that are usually kept in my pockets. Since wearing anything at my waist other than a belt is out of the question, this look requires that I carry a bag. In cooler weather I could wear a car coat, safari jacket or other light jacket and take advantage of the extra pockets that that affords.

The polo is older and somehow I managed to wash it so it’s a bit worse for wear. An even trimmer cut would be preferable. Silk, mercerized cotton or other hard finished material might wear better but the ribbing hides some of my middle aged weight gain (10 lbs, now — it’s always 5-10 lbs…)