Ask the MB -- White Cotton Suit Timing

Q: When is it too late to wear a white cotton suit? What if it is still warm at the end of September?
--Ben

We've previously set rules on white jeans (which were then copied by GQ's Style Guy in the July 2008 issue). The window for a white cotton suit is quite a bit smaller. Unless you're south of 26 degrees North latitude (about Ft. Lauderdale, FL), a strict Memorial Day-Labor Day rule is enforced.

posted:

9.30.08

filed under:

• ask the MB
• suits

Todd Palin Provides Definitive Proof Against MB-ness of 3-Button Suit

Another hearty MB "thank you" to the politicians and their families who just keep on giving. The latest is Todd Palin, Sarah Palin's husband and potential First Toolbag, for validating our stance on 2 vs. 3-button suits. A winning slogan in 2008: Don't look like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Todd Palin.

posted:

9.3.08

filed under:

• suits
• 2008

Mad Men, Indeed

Advertising Age says AMC's hit show Mad Men has brought back the skinny tie and slim suits. Hello? We've been suffering through this thing for going on three years already. Consider it a trend you can safely avoid, now more than ever.

posted:

8.7.08

filed under:

• ties
• suits

Ask the MB -- White Linen Suit in Puerto Rican Wedding

Q: So I just reviewed your article (and your time-lapse photos) on linen. While I agree that there is a potential for a train wreck, I also feel that if worn with care, the white linen suit can produce stunning results. I have my wedding ceremony in August in Puerto Rico. I bought a Hugo Boss 3-button white linen suit for the occasion. I plan on wearing it only for the ceremony, pictures and cocktail hour (changing for the dancing portion). I have two questions: 1) Is it true that white underwear will really stand out and do I have to find the elusive nude color brief? And 2) I'm wearing dark brown, leather sandals and belt, can you recommend an appropriate color and fabric for my shirt?
--Gabe

A: Gabe, remember when you were a little boy and your mom told you not to touch the hot stove because you'd get burned? And then you touched the stove and got burned? Remember the pain you felt, and all the tears and bandages and shit, and how you wish you listened to your mom?

Does this ring a bell at all?

The beach and the August Puerto Rican dew point will help, but we're not just talking a hot stovetop here. We're talking open flame, like a Bunsen burner. If you still insist on playing with fire: 1) Yes, white will show through. Nude isn't necessary. Grey works. Anything closer to your skin tone. 2) Cotton with a touch of elastane. For color, go with a neutral, light blue at the outside.

posted:

7.30.08

filed under:

• ask the MB
• wedding
• boss
• suits

Ask the MB -- Tie Extinction

Q: I am saddened to think that I will see two great things become extinct in my lifetime: the internal combustion engine and neckties. Richard Whitbread, marketing manager of Tie Rack, said: "Since the doom and gloom (bad economy) set in, sales of ties have picked up. We have seen a 10 percent increase in sales over the last quarter. When people start to be more concerned about their jobs, they start to smarten up. Also a lot of people are looking for jobs at the moment." What he forgets to mention is that necktie sales are 15% of what they were 15 years ago. That's such a huge decline, it leads me to believe that hasty Father's Day gifts and funerals make up the bulk of necktie purchases. In your opinion. will neckties go the way of knickers?
--Eric

A: We'd expect the increase in tie sales to continue. Also incoming for Fall 2008: flannel suits, long topcoats, hats of all shapes and sizes, and general black-and-whiteness.

Top: Run on bank then.
Bottom: Run on bank now.

posted:

7.16.08

filed under:

• ask the MB
• cold weather
• suits
• ties
• outerwear

Macy's Confirms Improper Tie Width

Since this site launched just over a year ago there have been doubts about our stance on skinny ties. Now that Macy's says "We love the skinny tie," it's a metaphysical certainty they're out.

Also of note: 3-button suit jacket, preferred by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other less-magnificent men.

We won't lead you astray.

(Thanks to reader William Schroeder for the photo submission. Thanks to Macy's for the informative and clarifying store display.)

posted:

7.15.08

filed under:

• suits
• ties

Ask the MB -- White Linen Suit

Q: I follow your blog religiously and I love the amount of fashion knowledge I gain. However I have a couple of questions, I have a very classy white linen suit that I am planning on wearing in a couple of weeks. I would like to wear it with some tennis shoes to complete my "laid back" look rather than some hard shoes. First, is this appropriate? Secondly, if so, what shoes do you suggest to piece along with an all white linen suit? Do you suggest some all white tennis shoes or something with color in it? I was looking for some shoes along the lines of some Vans or something similar like the Lacoste L34 tennis shoes. Please advise. Thanks!
--Noop

A: You sure you follow this site religiously? You've clearly missed our missive on linen. Noop, your proposed suit is a ticking time bomb. Within seconds you can go from artfully disheveled to looking like some homeless guy who got dressed outside the dumpster at Goodwill. Regardless, you will explode at some point.

At least minimize the bomb's collateral damage by not wearing Vans. Too '90s LA. Plain white tennis shoes can work, as demonstrated by Paul Smith (top). Your best bet though is a pair of sandals, like this option from John Varvatos, and a pedicure. June is pedicure awareness month, after all.

posted:

6.23.08

filed under:

• ask the MB
• suits
• john varvatos
• sandals
• tennis

Ask the MB -- Number of Suit Jacket Buttons

Q: Simple question: how many buttons should their be on the front of your suit?
--Ray

A: We've weighed in on this before when analyzing Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's three-button David Byrne look-alike "Psycho Killer" suit.

We officially endorse two buttons. We're not adamantly against the three-button, like we are against skulls or tapered soccer-dad jeans or wearing an electronic device on your belt like some cable-access version of Batman. It's just that we know for certain that four-buttons are out because Charles Barkley wears them. And 3 is closer to 4 than 2, so that's bad.

posted:

4.30.08

filed under:

• suits
• celebrities
• ask the MB

Ask the MB -- Bespoke Suit

Q: I am thinking about getting a new suit from this custom shoppe in NYC. Please let me know if you approve of it: www.freemanssportingclub.com
--Graham

A: Graham, if you can afford a bespoke suit from Freemans Sporting Club, you have definitely arrived. Of course we approve of it. Where else can you find this mental "shacket" (pictured), and a badger-hair shaving brush in an extra-sturdy chrome handle ($230)?

Plus, any joint with this history is automatically inducted into the Magnificent Bastard Hall of Fame:

Freemans Sporting Club was borne out of a gathering of close friends playing pool, carousing, and drinking whisky above Freemans Restaurant in New York City. The regular meetings led the group to organize trips to camp, shoot, fish, and enjoy time in nature outside the concrete canyons of New York. When Taavo Somer, the defacto leader of the troupe, created his menswear line in 2004 it was only natural that the garments be named, F.S.C., after the club, ideals, and activities that inspired them.

posted:

4.17.08

filed under:

• ask the MB
• suits

Ask the MB -- Vents

Q: NO VENT, DOUBLE VENT, SINGLE VENT? It seems double vents are still really popular. I am tall and like no vent with three button, flat front or two button, flat front with single vent. I like a clean, smooth line like Armani or Boss. Some friends say I am out of it. They feel the only thing that is current is double vent. I disagree and will wear what I think I look best in and I still believe I am current. What do you think?
—Larry

A: Single vents are safe and never out of style; let's start there. We're definitely not a fan of the no-vent, though it's hard to argue with Cary Grant in North By Northwest (top) as he's about as stylish as a man can get. So if you think you're hitting it like Cary then carry on, Larry. The problem with no-vent is it's really easy to start looking like Guido the Killer Pimp from Risky Business (bottom).

Your friends are correct about double vents, and not just because they think they're current. We like them for two big reasons:


1. Double vents are an Anglophilic gesture -- they were invented there -- and moderate-to-heavy Anglophilia is very MB.

2. Double vents create a "flap" which, when activated, creates the illusion of a man of action, intrigue, and dramatic flair, even if you just sit on your ass in a cube most of the day.

posted:

3.13.08

filed under:

• ask the MB
• suits

Roger Clemens -- Toolbag Icon

Last week the Rocket threw a strike with his banded collar shirt presentation. This week he's throwing heat again with a double-breasted suit, a la American Beauty's Brad Dupree. This guy is solid toolbag gold. Whatever he does, do the opposite.

(Cap tip: Ryan H.)

posted:

2.14.08

filed under:

• suits
• celebrities

Ask the MB

Q: Where can I get a suit for a reasonable price? And what would the MB consider a reasonable price?
—Casey

A: In their November 2007 issue GQ said you needed $1,000 to get into a good suit. MB sees GQ's $1,000 and lowers it $500. Finding nice, inexpensive suits is fairly easy because they're always on sale, and especially now that fall is beginning to get closed out (see our retailer links on our home page). For example, our favorite retailer YOOX just slashed prices on fall, allowing thrifty and stylish MBs to acquire this Costume National Homme (currently our favorite designer) suit for just $498.

posted:

12.17.07

filed under:

• suits
• ask the MB
• costume national

Two Things That Will Never Happen

1. Ricky winning Season 4 of Project Runway.
2. Two hot chicks turning to look at a guy in a suit from Men's Warehouse. (Still pic taken from an ad last night on Monday Night Football.)

posted:

12.11.07

filed under:

• project runway
• suits

Ask the MB

Q: Hey MB, I was at a cocktail party the other night sporting a very nice double-breasted suit. I was enjoying myself, when, out of nowhere, a stock broker crashed my group. Soon after he commented on my style - in a negative manner! According to him, double-breasted is out. Have I lost my magnificence? I think DB suits can still be very cool!
—Matty

A: He might've been wrong about buying Lucent at $80, but the broker is right about double-breasted suits. They feel affected, overly dressy, and just generally TTH (Trying Too Hard).

Let's look to film for evidence. In the 1999 classic American Beauty, Brad Dupree was the prick "efficiency expert" and they dressed him up with a bad name, a bad haircut, bad pocket square, and guess what else: a double-breasted suit.

posted:

12.10.07

filed under:

• suits
• ask the MB

Psycho Killer

We reckon Iranian president Ahmadinejad has loads more style than the adverb-challenged dude holding the sign. After all, he's got a jacket named after him and, like Hugh Grant, recognizes the simple sophistication of a crisp white dress shirt. However, he's not without flaws. Besides an odd understanding of world history, his coat looks shoddily made and way too big; clearly better suited for David Byrne in Stop Making Sense. Furthermore, we're not real big fans of the 3-buttons. Even though some top shops still make them, they look dated to us, like something we saw on the sale rack at Banana Republic about 2 years ago. 3-buttons look best on the guys sitting at the end of an NBA bench, and all 7 analysts on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown.

posted:

9.25.07

filed under:

• celebrities
• suits