Magnificent Bastard

Tuesday, March 19, 2024



dolce & gabbana

Ask the MB: What to Wear When Trying to Overthrow the Philippine Government

Ask the MB: What to Wear When Trying to Overthrow the Philippine Government

Q: As a young activist/Marxist revolutionary in the Philippines, what's the best way to look good on the streets while still ready to take down an oppressive government?
—James

A: We suspect even a hint of New People's Army garb — a Mao cap with a red star, or green shirt — will get you jailed, or worse.

Our first thought was an updated Mao suit jacket — something like this — that Duterte's goons wouldn't pick up on, but would wink to the intellectual class that you're on the same team, and allow you to literally wear on your sleeve the Four Virtues its four pockets represent: propriety, justice, honesty, and a sense of shame.

But that thought didn't last long, once we remembered the Philippines is tropical. While we fully support your cause, if uniting the workers of the world means having to wear a buttoned-up wool suit jacket in 75°F dew points, we're out, and cannot recommend it for you.

Here's what we came up with instead, along with our rationale:

Shirt: CP Company
Shorts: Dolce & Gabbana
Shoes: Adidas

(We checked. YOOX ships to the Philippines.)

The shirt is climate-appropriate, foremost, with faint echoes of the Mao suit's utilitarianism and militarism. The shorts support the top, sharing the same elastane content and slim cut. And the shoes, while maybe not strictly proletarian, is an application of our high-low approach to outfits (and more importantly, they're comfortable on the streets). Finally, everything is black, which not only fulfills on the Maoist monochromatism maxim, is also practical when trying to slip out, undetected, to the nearest NPA camp.

Be smart, James. Stay safe. We wish you the best of luck.

Ask the MB: Grey Dress Shirts

Protects against Angostura and sub-zero temps
Protects against Angostura and sub-zero temps
Here's a question for the MB: Where does one get good, grey, long-sleeve dress shirts? In my current bartending job the dress code is black slacks, grey dress shirt. The darker the better so as not to show those pesky Angostura stains that sometimes accumulate during a shift, machine washable, will be worn with sleeves rolled up to around the elbow for functionality. Beyond that the restaurant's pretty open to stylistic touches, so I don't have to look like a total service industry drone. Any ideas?
--Jacob


A: Jacob, this question begs YOOX as the answer: 798 grey shirts from Acne to Zegna, including this 100% polyester D&G version. Not only does it easily repel Angostura, it will keep you warm on any impromptu wilderness treks after a few too many shots at closing time.

The other option, of course, is custom. We're big fans.

* Alexander West has a solid grey poplin for $120. His shirts aren't cheap but they're worth it.

* Deo Veritas has a grey jacquard for just $78. DV made our favorite shirt for the feature.

* If you're pouring for some big tippers, Gitman Bros. has a 140's herringbone twill. When you put it on, you'll know why it's $178.

Good luck, and make ours a double.

Earlier: Dolce & Gabbana take inspiration from Woody Allen's Sleeper.

D&G Ski Jacket Sets High Bar for Fall/Winter 2009's Ugliest Thing

Colorblock Ski Jacket via Neiman Marcus, $1215.00
Colorblock Ski Jacket via Neiman Marcus. $1215.00.
For the super Type-A toolbag who's not satisfied with merely wearing one ugly jacket at a time, here's D&G's Colorblock Ski Jacket. It's like they took three really ugly ski jackets, added a really ugly couch, and threw them into a blender. Then, they took the resulting garment and shot it up with collagen and Botox until it achieved the grotesque puffiness of Joan Rivers' cheeks. Voila, a jacket so hideous even Helen Keller would hate it.

Ask the MB -- Fall Wedding

Dolce & Gabbana Reversible Cardigan via Saks Fifth Avenue, $475.00
Dolce & Gabbana Reversible Cardigan via Saks Fifth Avenue. $475.00.
Q: My boyfriend, (who is 30, I am 29) and I are attending a wedding on November 1st. The wedding is around noon, and what to wear then is not an issue. The reception however, is 6 hours later, in the early evening, at local micro brewery's event hall. Boyfriend is a sous chef, and his clothes are either casual, or formal, but we aren't sure what's best in this situation. And what about me? Cocktail dress? Satin slacks and a pretty top? We humbly seek your expertise and guidance. Thank you!
-Dana


A: Dana, you don't need much help. Your hosts are signaling casual with the noon wedding and the brewpub. We like the satin slacks and pretty top idea. Hot. For your hash-slinging beau: casual to go with your un-cocktail dress look. November 1 is officially fall and darn close to holiday, so velvet works. Otherwise corduroy and something nubby, either the tie or the cardigan or the v-neck.

Ask the MB -- Tucking In Shirts

Ask the MB -- Tucking In Shirts
Q: I like belts, but the only way to show one off is to tuck your shirt in. That works with some shirts, but not all. What shirts do you think can be tucked without looking bad? What thoughts do you have specifically on tucking polo shirts?
--Dustin


A: We have addressed this issue before to some degree with a post entitled "The Tyranny of the Untucked Sport Shirt," and demonstrated different ways of making "tucked-in" work in an MB way.

Regarding polos, sport shirt rules apply: use the shirt's length as a tuck-in guide. For example, the poor fella in the Tommy Bahama polo (top) needs to either tuck it or move down two sizes. Or better yet, change brands. On the other hand, the fitted D&G pique polo (bottom) demands to be untucked.

Make sense?

Ask the MB -- Dress Shirts and Muffin-Tops

Dolce & Gabbana Slim-Fit Dress Shirt via Bluefly, $220.00
Dolce & Gabbana Slim-Fit Dress Shirt via Bluefly. $220.00.
Q: Today I decided to wear a button up dress shirt with my jeans. I'm tall, and typically need to buy shirts that properly fit my height and arm length, but I often end up with a shirt that is much larger in the torso than I. Aside from looking at getting my shirts tailored, are there any recommended means for tucking in my shirt so that it doesn't look like I'm sporting a cotton muffin-top around the waistline?
--Jim


A: Three things:

1. You know how many aspiring MBs would give their left nut -- and maybe even their right one -- to have your problem? At least you've currently got a cotton muffin-top and not a blubber muffin-top. Blubber muffin-tops far less MB. Trust us.

2. You ought to look into the tailoring option to turn your regular-fit shirts into slim-fit shirts. Find a good tailor -- preferably a tiny Asian man who doesn't speak English -- and you also might be surprised at how affordable it is.

3. Explore the world of slim-fit shirts. We've mentioned them before, and it's a little weird talking about $220 dress shirts when there are food riots in Port-au-Prince, but these Dolce & Gabbana slim-fit dress shirts are some of the best we've ever seen and worth every penny. Get one and you won't want to wear anything else.

MB Endorses: Dolce & Gabbana Dress Shirts

Dolce & Gabbana light blue stretch poplin slim-fit dress shirt via Bluefly, $220.00
Dolce & Gabbana light blue stretch poplin slim-fit dress shirt via Bluefly. $220.00.
Yeah, Dolce & Gabbana sometimes missteps badly, like this pair of pink & silver logo mesh sneakers (inset). But they get it way right with their dress shirts. Modern and flattering cuts, top-quality fabrics and buttons, and traditional-with-a-twist collars make for a very MB shirt-wearing and shirt-owning experience. Expensive, but worth it. Especially for you.

Ask the MB

Ask the MB
Q: I want to express my concern regarding the use of neo-cowboy belt buckles, more specifically the D&G logo belt buckle worn prominently by quasi-fashionistas with a suit, as shown in this office group photograph. In my opinion, this trend is Miami meets Monterey - you get the picture? Magnificent Bastard-worthy or not?
—Cam


A: It's generous to refer to this buckle as "neo-cowboy," and perhaps even more charitable to describe it as "Miami meets Monterey;" it's more just plain old "Miami." We're just not that down with logos, especially on something as prominent as a belt buckle. Unless your office-mate has a sponsorship deal with Dolce & Gabbana, this is definitely not Magnificent Bastard-worthy.

The Search Continues

The Search Continues
An update on those sunglasses Jamie Foxx wore in The Kingdom: We finally got a hold of Armies of the World (the company that did the props for The Kingdom) and they did everything except Mr. Foxx's sunglasses. Which makes sense since we have visual confirmation from several MB.com readers that an extreme closeup reveals "Dolce & Gabbana" on the temple. The only "Armies of the World" we can imagine being fitted with D&G sunglasses are a.) the Italian army, and b.) the Spartans from 300.

Anyhow, the model Mr. Foxx's sunglasses look most like are the 2022s (top), but it's not an exact match. Our guess is it's a bespoke pair, but we're in touch with Dolce & Gabbana for confirmation. If you have any other info, please let us know.

Shearling and Fur and Animal Carcass

Dolce & Gabbana Plaid Coat via Neiman Marcus, $3760.00
Dolce & Gabbana Plaid Coat via Neiman Marcus. $3760.00.
In the world according to Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, you're out this fall if you don't have either shearling or fur or some other animal carcass snuggling your neck. Magnificent Bastards the world 'round heartily agree. They've both gone completely mad for fall 2007 with some ridiculously good-looking (and ridiculously expensive) coats; our favorite being the grey plaid coat with shearling collar. Worth embezzling from your employer for.

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Whiskey Manhattan

  • 3 oz rye whiskey
  • 1 oz sweet vermouth, preferably Dolin
  • 3 dashes Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel-Aged bitters

Stir over ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with a pearl onion.


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