Part Three

Shirts, Ties, Shoes.

Shirts
“White linen, country washing, and plenty of it!” So said George Bryan Brummell, better known as ‘Beau’. He was talking about neckties, but could just as easily been referring to shirts. (A quick word about GB, as I call him. A hero of mine, the epithet ‘Dandy’ has become somewhat corrupted from its original usage. A Dandy, as invented by GB, was not a strutting, bewigged peacock, that was a ‘Fop’ ( See Beau 'Sort out some Fops' in the video! ) If the Fop was a ‘new romantic’ type, then the Dandy was defiantly a Mod! The look was a ‘Less is more’ style, with a palette consisting of mainly black, white and dark blue. The accent was on superb tailoring and fit, to reveal a masculine look. See Ian Kelly’s excellent biography, and the BBC film “This charming man’. You will not be disappointed)

Now we hopefully have our suit, or suits, as a black, dark blue, and a grey is the minimum, then the shirt is the foundation upon which everything else is literally built upon. Your shirt, (not mentioning underwear yet!) Is the first thing on, and then the rest goes on top, so a good foundation is essential. In my humble opinion, one cannot go wrong with White, which is where GB’s quote comes in. I never wear anything but white with a suit.(Apart from the occaisional Blue!) I goes with all colors, and a brilliant, crisp, white shirt is the business, believe me! As for style, a classic English collar i.e. semi-cutaway, with a double cuff, for links, and removable collar stiffeners is the way to go. Find a style and maker that suits you, and go with it. Of course, bespoke shirts are best, but I recommend Thomas Pink of Jermyn Street, for very fine shirts. His are the only ones I will wear! When ironing, spray on a little starch to the front, and cuffs, for a superb crisp look. 100% pure Cotton, made in the UK. of course, is best.(Remember, a half-inch of cuff below your jacket sleeve!)



Ties
Never, wear a comical, novelty, or anything loud in a tie! Subtle and classy, pure silk. No exceptions. I can’t resist ties! Like a lady with shoes, I can’t have too many ties. Of course, I have my favourites, and none come better than Hermés. They do make some cute, silly ones, but the classic Hermés ‘signature’ ties, the ones with the subtle H woven into them are sublime. Learn to tie a Windsor knot and you will always be sartorially complete!





Shoes
Whatever you may wear for work, never go ‘out’ in anything other than leather soles, and never, ever, skimp on shoes. I have to be firm here. You can tell a lot about a person from their shoes, may be an old saying, but its true. Cheap, scruffy shoes say…. Well it’s obvious, isn’t it? Really, anything under £100 is out of the question. (not including bargains etc) Loake, Church, Barker, Lobb, the choice is yours, but make sure they are English made. The exception is for loafers, which are far better by the Americans like Bass and Sebago. Aim for at least one pair of Black brogues, one pair brown brogues, some loafers and my particular favourite, the traditional English Chelsea Boot.
Oh, and lest I forget, Socks. Like ties, no comedy or novelty socks, like those horrible things one gets at Christmas. Black shoes-black socks. Brown shoes-brown socks. That’s it, simple. Make sure they are at least over the calf length as well. Nothing worse than a band of pasty leg-flesh between sock and trouser when one crosses ones legs. Uuurgh!
The other thing that drives me mad is the silk sock. Expensive they may be, but they look like ladies stockings. Cotton. No man-made.
As George Bryan said, "I feel a trip to the tailors coming on!"