The best dressed movie I have seen in a long time is Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen as Frank Bullitt. I watched it last night and I was so impressed. The other day I talked abut finding the right collar for your face, referencing A Suitable Wardrobe. In Bullitt Steve McQueens clothes fit perfectly, in fact everyone in this film is well dressed.

It is 1968 in SanFran and the suits are clean, the cars are hot. This is a must see for everyone and the ties are not really skinny, so there I have varied taste.

-TSG

Movie Poster Image from: http://www.cinema-posters.net/vintage-movie-poster-2051-bullitt.htm
Steve McQueen Image from: http://bradbarnett.net/mustangs/timeline/67-68/68/bullitt/

Shirt Collars

On A Suitable Wardrobe Will talks about shirt fit. This is a topic I have addressed before and I feel it is an important topic, so I will keep addressing it. Will says:

Only a bit of a shirt shows at your wrists and below your neck, which is why the collar is the most important part of a shirt. Consider poor Stanley Tucci here, unbecomingly costumed for his role in The Devil Wears Prada. The fit of his collar is classic, with what appears to be just enough room to insert a couple of fingers between shirt and neck and about a half inch of shirt above the back of his jacket. But the proportion is off - the points of his collar are too long for his head.

So... what kind of collar should you wear? You should wear one that fits your face and body type. First of all - In my opinion button-downs are only ok if you are going for that lower-middle-management zombie wage slave look, but other than that there is a world of collars waiting for you.

My collar of choice is the french collar, 1.5" back and 2.75" to the tips (See KJ Beckett bespoke for a great set of images and measurements) This style fits my face and is classy looking yet when the top button is left open I just look like a nice relaxed "clean cut" guy. This style also has a wide enough spread for me to tie a windsor knot or a four-in-hand.

Find your collar style and you will be well on your way.

Image of Stanley Tucci from out.com

-TSG

Time and TSG

Ok, so I don't have the amount of time I thought I had. In trying to keep this site and my personal site up-to-date I feel like I am struggling. I enjoy posting information for you discerning gentlepeople, yet I feel as if I am letting you down.

The week in movies was spent watching them more than writing about them. If you are interested in mod culture then I am sure you have seen the film inspired by The Who, Quadrophenia. Mod style is one which I really like and in fact I feel like I am a cross between a mod and a rocker. I prefer rock'n'roll tunes but the Vespa and skinny tie seem to suit me a bit more.

As you have seen I am a big fan of the suit and skinny tie look and if you are interested in this style then Quadrophenia will not let you down.

Image from: http://www.quadrophenia.net/

TSG at the Movies, part II

One can not discuss recent stylish films without mentioning the name Quentin Tarantino. Two films in particular rank at the op of the "style" list, Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.

Reservoir Dogs most memorable scene is of the guys walking down the ally (seen on the right). The matching suits adds a punch to this wonderful film.


Suits are once again the focus of style in Pulp Fiction. The black suits and skinny ties of Pulp Fiction gave a serious yet fun flare to the film and by highlighting the dress of Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, with the costume change 3/4 of the way through the film, the viewers attention is focused directly on their fine fitting suits.

Interestingly enough the key seems to be black suits with skinny black ties. A timeless classic, you just might wish to try. Or not.

-TSG

http://www.pulpfiction.com/
Quentin Tarantino
Pulp Fiction photo from: Grow a Brain

Movies and Style

So many of us get our style and fashion sense from the wonderful world of film. I have noted that on many fashion blogs right now people are talking about Oceans 13, like A Suitable Wardrobe. I saw Oceans 11 back in 2001 when it was released and it was fun and stylish, a great combo in my opinion. But what about other stylish films? Which films does TSG like?

Well, first and foremost I am a huge fan of Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick, though not a stylish man himself, brought to the screen the most stylish films. A Clockwork Orange being the highlight. Kubrick's other stylish films include Barry Lyndon, about an eighteenth century dandy. It is long and not too exciting, yet it is brilliant and stylish. The Killing and Killers Kiss are two films which are often forgotten. Noir at its best, these films will keep you on the edge of your seat, and look at those suits!

For the next week, I will post about stylish films. Please join in the conversation and post your thoughts on these stylish film classics, and possibly a couple not-so-classics (but, I doubt it)

-TSG

To find out more info about Stanley Kubrick and his films check out the non-profit site Kubrick.com

The movie poster image is from thebmrant.com

Image from Killers Kiss from DVD Times


-TSG's wife, Style Wife, wants to point out that she does not like the way Kubrick portrays women, TSG on the other hand thinks that he just had a particular attraction for really skinny women and that he was portraying them respectfully and in fine taste, please see Eyes Wide Shut as Kiddman's character has an equal role in the relationship, blahh la de dah.

TSG has now done his job and may stay off the couch yet another night, success!

The Sartorialist

I love The Satorialist. If I could be half as brilliant as Scott Schuman I would be a happy blogger.

On June third he posted the image on the left. All he said about the image was:

I love the crinkly summer elegance of a linen suit.

I think that is so wonderful about Scott's blog. He understates almost everything and is brilliant at it.

What I would say about this image is that this is a man who knows how to wear a summer suit. He knows that he looks good, and it shows. The suit fits well and has that soft summer feel. Perfect look.

-TSG

Tranz Looks

I took a survey today about Trans people and our thoughts on racism and prejudice (National Center for Transgender Equality). One of the questions struck me as interesting and I wanted to write about it. The question was about being embarrassed in public with trans people who don't pass. You might think, of course TSG would be embarrassed cause usually "not passing" is a synonym for "poorly dressed". But, that is the interesting thing. I am not embarrassed at all, in fact I think that meshing into boring hum drum society is doing, and has done, our community a disservice. BUT... I think that even if you don't pass you can dress well.

Dressing well and passing are two very different things. Just look at the history of dandyism. From Mel's blog Footpath Zeitgeist:

The dandy's clothes are based around a semiotic building block that Barthes calls the "detail". For the dandy continually strives not only to be "other" but also to be alone in his otherness (unlike a subculture, which aims for collective otherness). It is this "detail" that enables such pure distinction. And it is in the (at least theoretical) infinity of singularity that dandies can identify each other. They are recognising (sic) each other's thoughtful originality: the precision and subtlety of each other's sartorial signatures. They are not identifying with the other's stylistic similarities, but with the other's stylistic differences.

The dandy stands out, does not fit in, yet is at the height of style. This is partly what my goal is as TranzStyleGuy. You do not have to fit in, but I think you should be at the height of style. I want to help empower our community to be stylish, to be ourselves, not to "pass".

-TSG

For more info on dandy's go to this GREAT site: Dandyism.net
Picture of Beau Brummell from dandyism.net

Ties

Ties... have I mentioned ties before? ... should be properly tied, hit your belt line and have a dimple. If you can't do these three things, keep practicing till you can. A tie is not a necklace. It can be loose but not dangling. Look like you really tied it. If you want it loose then tie it, make it snug add your dimple then loosen it a bit.

Since I work in a casual environment, and am one of the few guys who wears a tie, I unbutton my top button and loosen the tie. But it still does not hang.

Follow these rules and you can fit in most anywhere with a tie. You will look calm and confident, cool and collected.

-TSG

Short Men

On a e-list that I am on someone was asking about styles and images of short men. This was a great question and got me thinking about those who have an inseam shorter than 30".

The first key is to know your inseam. Knowing your style will help when shopping and help you tell other people how to shop for you, always handy.

For people with short inseams a tailor is a must. First realize that the term tailor sounds like it will cost you a penny, this is not true. Almost every town has a tailor who can do a simple hem for under $10. You might not ask them to tailor your new suit but they should be able to handle the little stuff. If you go to a tailor make sure to try the pants on for them and let them pin the pants up. Also, you are the customer. If where they pin is not what you want tell them - and better to get them to long then too short, once the pants are cut that is that.

MSNBC has a great article about shopping for short men, I highly recommend you read that. MSNBC article.

If you are looking for support as a short person. I found the short person support gorup
they have info about average height by country as well as other useful information.

One of my faveorite people/artists is Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. He was 5 feet tall as an adult and, I think, one of the most stylish people in history. To find out more about Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec go to a wonderful blog by Princeton students of modern art. The picture on the right is from that site. <click here>

Mohamed Makkawy is a 5'4" bodybuilder. Though I am unsure if he is stylish he has won many bodybuilding contests and is quite a sight to see.
(summarized from the IFBB website)
At age 43, Makkawy smelled the posing oil and applied it six more times, breaking into the top 10 only once during the next two years. His pleasing symmetrical physique showcased by great posing had given way to mass monsters, so he retired with an overall IFBB record of six wins in 29 contest, spread over 21 years.

Prince, as the artist is currently known, is only 5'2 1/2" tall. This picture notwithstanding, his claim to style is not one that I personally like. I do think that he is a modern dandy and thus someone to pay attention to, also I hate to admit but, I like his music a bit. Read more about Prince here at fashion.org.au (also site of picture).

So, in summary, there is hope for you short men. Just be yourself and be proud of who you are. When you like yourself you look 6 feet tall.

-TSG

Barbershop follow up...

Last night I was reading a forum about barbershops and they suggested going to a hotel barbershop. I thought this was a great idea!

I recommend finding a good 5star hotel though (of course anything less would probably not have a barber on staff).

If you are concerned about how you look at such a swank hotel, remember... act like you own the place and they will give you the respect you deserve.

-TSG