If.......You Must Ponytail

....then this is the way to do it.

Old Man Style...Williamsburg, New York

Window Shopping.......Domenico Vacca, Mad. Ave.

Nolita Street Vendor

Style At The Former Fulton Street Fish Market

On The Street......#10 Jacket, Midtown

Young Fencers....New York City

On The Street.......Girl In A Yellow Scarf

On The Street....Flea Market, West 39th Street

Old Man Style...Williamsburg, New York

Why I Love This Look - Ralph Lauren Fall 2005

I loved this look from the first moment I saw it, Thom Browne Fall 2004

Inside Domenico Vacca, Soho, New York

On The Street.......Nolita, New York

On The Street.......Cream Coat

If you can afford the cleaning bills , then why not a cream coat.

Why I Love This Look - Ralph Lauren

Some looks I can imagine walking right off the runway and right into my closet.

The Living Definition Of "Cute Girl"

Merry Christmas!

I'm pouring a 40 for all my elf homies still deliverin'

Soho Sailor

Peascoats should always fit this way.

Another Orange Scarf

.....but damn, it still looks good!

A Good Pair Of Shoes Is Hard To Throw Out

Why I Love This Look - Burberry

What a sophisticated use of color: Olive Green, Burgundy, Burnt Orange, Pale Blue.

On The Street.... Soho, New York

More red pants in Soho.

On The Street.......Gold Tooth

Love the coat and the Ralph Lauren boots
Love the gold tooth even more

On The Street.... Fur Hat, Soho, NYC

Why I Love This Look - Dries Van Noten

Modern Vintage. Even if you can't afford any of his clothes, Dries can deeply affect your style by the inspiration his shows can offer for use of color, overall silhouette, and his unique ability to mix themes and periods.

Christmas Wish List...Racing Style, Koto Bolofo

Koto Bolofo is one of my favorite fashion photographers ,but he is really so much more, including documentary filmmaker. For this book Koto has recreated a automobile race circa 1940's England with drivers, cars, pit-crew, fans and signage all true to the period. Imagine L'Uomo Vogue meets Car & Driver. Really fantastic.

The New Skater Style

slim, slim jeans

French James Dean

In a vague way this photo reminds me on that famous photo of James Dean walking in Times Square while wearing an overcoat.

Lapo Elkann. Nephew Of Gianni Agnelli

I found these while surfing the net. Notice the Italian flag "monogram" on the sleeve cuff in the top photo.

On The Street....The Parisian Way, Soho, New York

Sartorialiste In A Great Coat

Why I Love This Look - YSL

The gloves,
The scarf,
The shoes,
The pocket square,
The accessories take an unremarkable suit to a whole new level.

"A Favorite English Sentence" by G.Bruce Boyer

A Favorite English Sentence
By
G. Bruce Boyer

“If you will kindly step through, sir?”

The first time I heard those words was on my second trip to London. I’d been there once before, when I was a student and had no money to speak of. None to even whisper about. There was a chain of shops called Burton’s selling good English-quality ready-made clothes, and I’d bought a wonderful checked Harris Tweed sports jacket off-the-rack. It was almost bullet-proof, and served me well for years.
But this time I was determined to have a real Savile Row suit, handmade with all the trimmings: working buttonholes on the sleeve, step-lapelled waistcoat, silk-lined trousers, boutonnière loop behind the lapel, the works!
So, on a wonderfully crisp Spring morning, a resolute young man briskly walked across Piccadilly and through the Burlington Arcade, marched down the Row and, bringing his courage to the sticking point, pushed through the heavy Victorian oak and beveled glass front door of one of the most reputable bespoke tailoring firms in the world -- all the while thinking of the kings and presidents, film stars and international diplomats, Greek shipping magnates, English dukes, Texas oil millionaires, and Continental boulevardiers who had preceded him.
I was also wondering what I should do once the door silently but firmly closed behind me and left me standing inside the entrance of this august, intimidating establishment.
Not to worry, as the English say. Standing outwardly calm, but inwardly shaking like a wet dog, I was quietly approached by an elderly gentleman in impeccably-cut pin-stripes, who very properly and politely asked me if he might be of assistance. “Oh, I want a suit,” I brightly said. Trust me to say the right thing.
“Of course, sir,” he calmly replied, taking me gently by the elbow and ushering me down the worn and faded Persian carpet, between the long oak refectory tables groaning under rolled bolts of worsted and tweed. And did I prefer town or country suiting, he inquired.
I spent the next forty-five minutes or so going through the cloth swatch books, dozens and dozens of them – there must have been a hundred different patterns of district checks in tweed alone – some containing squares of cloth I thought I’d seen twenty minutes before in another book. My elderly guide stood demurely at my side, offering a word or two of encouragement or advice if I turned to him with a swatch between my fingers.
“Very serviceable piece of worsted, that is, sir. Perhaps a bit too heavy, though, for your climate at home, would you think, sir?
In one book I spied a handsome plaid of rusty brown with a lavender and Kelly green over pane. Did he think it was a bit loud?
“Well, I wouldn’t necessarily say loud, sir. But perhaps it does tend to mutter a bit.” Scratch that one.
Finally, I settled on a mid-weight, grey cheviot cloth in a miniature herringbone pattern.
“An excellent choice, sir, if I may say so,” my well-upholstered counselor intoned. “You may be interested to know that this particularly cloth has been woven for us for almost a hundred years now. Had a suit of it myself when I was younger.” And then the magic request.
“And now, sir, if you will kindly step through?”. His outstretched arm directed me toward the muted elegance of that burnished wood cubicle with the beveled triplex full-length mirror and malt-colored flannel curtain: THE FITTING ROOM.
I’ll save the operations of the fitting room for another time. Suffice it to say here that it is a place of both magic and mystery, as well as considerable consolation and gratification denied even to prayer. And so the words, “And now, sir, if you will kindly step through,” have always had a spiritually transforming effect on me, as well as the slightly more prosaic literal one.

So-Ho-Ho-Ho, Christmas Shopping In Soho, NYC

Santa's red velvet pants? No, Paul Smith

Window Shopping.......Ralph Lauren Holiday Season

Christmas Time In The West Village

I'm counting at least 14 Marc Jacobs bags.

Sartorialist On Ice

Street Vendor....The English Eccentric

This guy sells vegetable slicers on the street in NYC. After listening to his pitch over and over again in about a 10 minute span I believe he started out as a bit of a character but has turned into a full-blown super stylin' eccentric.

Duffle Coat....Union Square, Manhattan

There is something very Parisian about this look.

A Few Questions For Domenico Vacca

Domenico Vacca was kind enough to answer a few questions for The Sartorialist about the future growth of his company.

Q: Do you have a design background?

A: My grandmother was one of the best tailors in the South of Italy. I grew up looking at her designs and patterns, and that was the best experience I could have ever had.

Q: As a percentage, what is the volume split between the men’s and women’s collections?

A: 60% Men, 40% Women

Q: You have grown your business very quickly in the U.S.; any plans for Europe or Asia?

A: Milan in September 2006, Hong Kong after that, with London and Paris and Moscow following.

Q: Do you see offering the DV label through specialty or department stores?

A: I have many requests from the department stores, but quality and exclusivity do not match with the department store concept. We are working on a new formula that may work!

Q: Any new product categories in the works?

A: We just launched the formal wear and evening wear collections, and we are working on perfumes, jewelry and watches.

Q: Fashion shows?

A: September 2006 New York City. All Sartorialists are invited!

Q: Are you going to Hollywood?

A: We are already in Hollywood with a store on Rodeo Drive, and three movies for which we designed and manufactured the entire wardrobes in 2005.

“Stranger than Fiction”, the new movie of director Marc Forster (“Finding Neverland”), where I designed the wardrobes for Dustin Hoffman, Will Farrell, and Queen Latifah.

"The Inside Man”, the new movie of director Spike Lee, for which we designed the wardrobes of Denzel Washington, Christopher Plummer and Jodie Foster.

"Mission Impossible 3" for Tom Cruise.

Also, we dress on a regular basis Scarlett Johansson, Melanie Griffith, Jodie Foster, Nicollette Sheridan, Usher, Diddy, Kanye West, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas, and many designers such as Valentino Garavani and Tommy Hilfiger.

Window Shopping.......Domenico Vacca Display

G. Bruce Boyer To Contribute To The Sartorialist!

I am thrilled to announce that well known style writer G. Bruce Boyer has written a small piece exclusively for The Sartorialist.

Mr. Boyer ,who recently released a great book on Fred Astaire which can be found at B & N.com, has written a small remembrance entitled "A Favorite English Sentence" about his first experience buying a suit on Savile Row.

It is really quite wonderful, I will post it Monday, December 19th.

Inside Domenico Vacca....Sal Cipriano, Madison Ave. Manager

One of the points that I found most interesting during my conversation with Domenico Vacca, was that by basing his company in the U.S., it actually allowed him to make it more Italian in look, quality, and tradition than if he had opened it in today's Italy. He cited the current Italian economic conditions (fewer affluent Italians), and cultural climate (a growing casualness in dressing), combined with the fact that the American customer has become less label conscious and more quality driven, as the elements that helped affirm his decision.

A lawyer before moving into fashion full-time, Domenico, unlike most of his high-end, but very old school, Italian and English counterparts, has a very clear strategic plan for the growth of his business, the look of his products, and the promotion and marketing of his brand. He takes great pride in explaining how he has carefully crafted a business based on an Italian spirit of fashion and an American attitude towards marketing and customer service.

Domenico has succeeded in quickly carving a niche for his luxe look. In a very short span of time he has opened six boutiques: 3 in Manhattan, plus locations in Palm Beach, Bal Harbour, and Beverly Hills on Rodeo Drive.

Window Shopping.......Domenico Vacca Display

Style Profile...Giuseppe de Corato - CEO, Luigi Borrelli

Giuseppe de Corato is all of 32 years old and already President and CEO of Luigi Borrelli U.S.

I began by asking him how he began ,at such a young age, at such an old school company?
He replied by saying that both his father and grandfather had always worn Kiton and Battistoni and that as he grew up.....ok, stop right there, I already hate him.

Thats like a woman telling another woman that she use to play dress-up in her mom's old Chanel hand-me-downs, it's just not fair.

Borrelli is currently in a serious expansion mode having just opened a new boutique in San Francisco and is currently finalizing plans for several new locations in other major cities across America.

The Sartorialist, stifling his growing envy, asked Giuseppe about sartorial advise given and received, and about his own personal style.

Best sartorial advice from your Dad?
Don't follow trends. Classic dressing is timeless and always in fashion.


Best sartorial advice to pass down to your son?
Listen to your grandfather.

Hardest thing for American customers to understand about the “Italian fit”.
Americans believe that more fabric is more comfortable. The Italian fit emphasizes a fit that is closer to the body. It gives the wearer a leaner, more fit look.

The first thing I look at in another Sartorialist’s outfit
I always notice fit first, but a sense of style always makes the impression.

I always break this fashion rule.
I never polish my shoes.

I never break this fashion rule.
I always wear a jacket in the evening.

Favorite store?
Peck (food) Milano

Worst fashion mistake?
Underdressing.

Favorite “fashiony” movie?
Thomas Crown Affair

Describe personal style:
Neapolitan elegance

You feel best wearing?
Something hand-made.

Most overrated item in menswear?
Designer labels.

Most underrated item in menswear?
Quality.

Most stylish city?
Milano

Never caught wearing?
Sweats

Favorite fashion magazine?
L'uomo Vogue

Flea Market Find.....A Very Fine Man