VintageGent’s Menswear Daily

Wife Dressing

Looking back through the archives, I stumbled across a Wall Street Journal Article. In it, Tom Ford tells men to not have their wives dress them. He says “in doing that they are denying their ability to express themselves through clothes.”

There has been a long tradition of women buying or selecting clothing for their husbands. Perhaps it is because women traditionally did more shopping than men and it was a matter of convenience.

There is also a lot of press about the “woman’s touch.” In numerous films and television shows, an old run down house or a bachelor pad is the back drop and a character comments that it “could use a woman’s touch.”

There is also truth to the fact it is true that sometimes the picture in one’s head of the effect one has in a selected outfit is not always the reality. One may hang on to a comfortable hair style and “5 lbs ago” pants a little too long and could use the validation of a trusted peer rather than people walking down the street pointing and whispering.

So, do you think Tom Ford is correct, that men should prevent their wives from selecting wardrobe items, or do you think he has it all wrong and wives save their husbands from embarrassment on a daily basis?

Fashion on the Cheap!

I used to wear glasses when I was ten to twelve years old. All optical shops were the same. You got in, and for the “special” you got very unattractive frames. To get anything cool costs an arm and a leg. F orget the ads that encouraged people to buy multiple pairs so they can change “with their mood.”   Most people do not live their lives like the imaginary people the models portray in fashion magazines.  They don’t have one pair of studious looking glases, sport glasses, and sparkling ones for going out.  You either stuck out a sore thumb at the grocery store with flashy glasses, or looked like you were going to play racquet ball at the theater because you couldn’t choose both.

I just got a tip about ZenniOptical.com. I have heard the name before, as I have read about their “too good to be true” $8.00 frame deal before.  Apparently, its NOT too good to be true.   The price is not a “come on.”  Once you ad your prescription, you can reasonably expect to get a complete lens and frame package for under 20 bucks.  Check out the consumer report about Zenni on Fox

What does this mean for retro fashionistas like us? Zenni has several retro inspired styles, but for purists, you can drop big bucks into a pair of authentic 1950s Buddy Hollys or horn rims, or 80s Wayfarers, but stock up at Zenni for your everyday kick around glases. That’s a different and economical way to preserve history!

Until Next Time…

Mirror Shiny Shoes

Awhile back, I wrote an explanation of the differences between real patent leather and its various substitutes.    There is a work boots site that has a pair of poromeric oxfords.   In other words, this is the version that is not leather through and through, but it offers the high gloss mirror shine.   Often, they are used for certain dress uniforms and occasionally limo drivers.  Of course, there are many other uses, but I thought I would point them out.

At the $39.99 price point, you can afford to stock your theater company’s wardrobe with a variety of sizes.  They would be perfect for ballroom scenes, as well as for the military officers and chauffeurs that often drop in on the characters in your show.

Cufflink Mishaps

I just rediscovered this great blog about everything cufflinks. Up until reading this, I thought I knew enough to hold my own on the topic, but I stand corrected. Cufflinks are an essential item to think about when it comes to vintage fashion, but sometimes a guy just doesn’t know where to start, or a gal wants to figure out what pair she should choose for her guy without it ending up being unworn in the bottom of the drawer.

Author Adwin Ang suggest that there are 10 Common Mistakes that are made when wearing cufflinks.

Read on!

http://adwinang.com/blog/10-commonly-made-mistakes-by-first-time-cufflinks-wearer-part-12

Multi Pocket Pants

Dan, one of our faithful readers, was asking me the other day about multi-pocket pants.  Back when the whole safari/explorer look was everywhere, more than a few khakis and shirts were in the stores with the additional pockets.   Some were for looks, but some were actually functionally.   Nowadays, the only real choice if you are looking for function is the local outdoor/fishing store.

I just found that 5.11 Tactical Outdoors carries a wide selection of pants and shorts with extra pockets, both hidden and obvious. They are especially good for travel, or whenever you don’t want to wear a jacket to carry the extra things you need when you are going to be out all day.  You can spare your vintage clothing from the messy business of horse back riding, motorcycle ridng, and hiking, and can buy a few pairs of those instead.

The Wide, Wild World of Hangers

Hanger tips
A non-ode to the wire hanger.

(at left: “Automatic Drawing: Coat Hangers IV” by Ellsworth Kelly)

Vintage wooden hangers

Pros: They have great provenance, often with the name of the tailors or hotel destination imprinted in some way on them. They lend an air of authenticity to any vintage coatrack or closet.
Cons: The acid content of the wood can be very high, so has the potential to damage garments being stored for the season, collected for later, or otherwise not in high rotation.
Use Them: For items that receive heavy rotation in your wardrobe. Put them in the front hall/guest closet. Guests usually have their coats their for an evening or just a week at a time, and the extra touch might impress them!

Plastic “Crystal Hangers

Pros: Plastic is a smooth, relatively sanitary material. Storage on a plastic hanger won’t contribute to the deterioration of an item, as long as hung correctly
Cons: They do break if stepped on by accident! They are sometimes wide so not for use with children’s or some ladies clothing with very narrow shoulders.

Fabric Covered Hangers

Pros: The padding is gentle on clothing
Cons: If the fabric is not clean or has been just stored for awhile itself, it can trap
dustmites, or more so absorb/retransfer garment odors. There are scented available as well, but watch for acide content.
Use For: These are great for garment transport of delicate items such as antique garments, wedding gowns, and the like. These are also apropriate for garments that will be in rotation, or to match a decor, but to know when to clean, or replace them.

Wire Hangers:

Pros: You can retrieve your keys sitting on your car seat if you leave your car windwo cracked open but lock your keys in your car. They are lightweight. They are free from your drycleaners with a clearning.
Cons: They can puncture clothing, and can cause rust spots.
Use them: To bring your clothes home from the cleaners and then take them off. But, BEWARE - they multiply like rabbits!

Yes its true…

They arrive at least in groups of 3-5 every week from the drycleaner. There are a few that are kept with the shirts, but the rest just end up in the worst places.

I, at first, just left them hung up, empty, in the closet. Then they started taking up too much room. So I had to move them aside. I put them on the chair in the bedroom, thinking that I would think of something to do with them. They quickly spread out. Then I gathered them up and put them in a paper bag. I hate to clog up a landfill and throw them away. I kept one “just in case”. If I am ever walking down the street and drop my keys down a drain, I can take a wire hanger, bend it oragami style and suddenly, I am MacGyver. Only, he would have been able to do it with a twist tie and a gum wrapper. Since I no longer live in one of America’s major cities like I used to and have to learn to leave that mindset behind…there just is less of a possibility of something like that happening anyhow.

I cannot see myself fashioning them into hangers for wind chimes. I could stretch them out, drive out to a farm and replace a barbed wire fence with hanger wire. But that might not be a good idea either. It would certainly be dangerous. Or i could twist them into a hook and be really lazy and never reach over to pick another thing off of the ground again. And then there is the wire candelabra idea. Those the candles would slowly dip south by the flimsiness of it all. And who needs 105 candelabras of questionable fire code compliance? For the time being, I will just sit and contemplate my bag o’ hangers.

And by the way, the drycleaner won’t take them back. They will have been USED and they wouldn’t have come with those paper sleeves on them (which actually, our drycleaner doesn’t even use. They like the hangers au natural with a cumbersome cardboard insert popped between them and the garment.

You never know, they could finally make it to the garage this time, so they are out of site. Until I go out in the garage that is. But I can’t do that. Then they would be rusty. And NOBODY would want them then!

I stumbled across a site where people have a wire hanger exchange. At the moment there is someone in New York that actually WANTS them in large quantity. I don’t know if this unassuming soul knew what they were in for when they dispatched the request. They may just end up with a U-Haul’s worth from my state.

Until Next Time,

Is Patent Leather Really Leather?

by The VintageGent-ette

(Reprinted by Popular Demand)

There are a lot of terms that people tend to ascribe to slick and glossy accessories, such as: patent leather, patent vinyl, wet look vinyl, and PVC. Is it all the same? And is “patent leather” REALLY leather? And how do I know?

The VintageGent hopes to clear that up for you…

To answer the first question: No, and to answer the second question, Yes, as long as it is correctly identified. To answer the third question: we’ll discuss some techniques.

History

The process originated with the high laquering of leather, called Japanning. In more modern times, Seth Boyden is credited for perfecting the process of creating patent leather in 1818, thus called because the process once was patented. . Back then, a linseed coating was bonded to the leather to create a high gloass finish. Today, its typically a petroluem product that is bonded. This is not to be confused with poromeric imitation leather

Poromeric Imitation Leather is what a lot of folks refer to as “patent leather” when actually it isn’t. It has a high glossy finish and is a petroleum product or a vinyl. Because of the material, color can be more consistent in the manufacturing process and a greater flexibility produces every color of the rainbow and then some. The vinyl is typically backed with polyester.

The first poromeric leather was released in 1964. It was easily cleanable, but stiff and not breathable, which made it ideal for structured handbags, but not so ideal for shoes. DuPont ceased producing of it in 1971. There are other patented names of glossy substitutes such as Clarino from Japan.

PVC. Actually, PVC is polyvinyl chloride. Its an ingredient in what makes “PVC vinyl” but not the end product. As this is the common term in clothing and accessories and not a chemistry lesson, we will go with “PVC.” PVC vinyl used in handbags, belts, and other accessories. It is much more flexible than poromerics, thus making it more versatile and more practical for some uses. It is commonly used in accessories, such as belts, trim, some handbags such as tote bags, aprons, and some raingear. The material also has a following in the boudoir and fetish markets.

How to identify genuine patent leather.
There is just not “one” definitive answer…but here are some clues…

This may help whether you have an item in your hands, or are shopping online.

1) Items may be stamped “genuine leather” or “genuine patent leather.” However, there are times when the gold stamped lettering fade, labels tear, or are seperated.

2) When a genuine item gets damaged at the corners, it will behave as leather does and you will feel leather or a sueded edge depending on how serious the damage is. On poromeric it is likely to tear and you may see or feel a backing.

3) Look for higher end hardware, and higher end linings. Items with leather or sueded leather linings are always genuine. Occasionally they may have satin or faille. Vinyl linings indicate PVC. PVC can have fabric linings as well, but never leather. Poromeric typically havesatin weave fabrics, polyester, or felt, but makers sometimes get creative. But never leather.

4) Color. Traditional, genuine patent leather doesn’t come in the wide range of colors poromeric leather comes in. Look for dark and traditional colors such as black, brown, red, navy, and the occasional jewel tone with black being the most common and the others rarer. Pastels would be a rarity, or they would be poromeric as it is difficult to dye leather lighter than its natural color unless it goes through further manipulation or treatment. PVC can also come in just about any color.

5) Date. The older an item (pre mid 60s) the more likely it is to be genuine patent leather. But it doesn’t mean it is.

6) Pin test. If you absolutely have to know, you can take a hot pin and gently and evenly poke a tiny hole in the leather. If the pin melts or goes through the top layer only, its leather. If it goes all the way through…its not. Not recommended unless you must, as it will damage the item.

In the market place.

It is true that “patent leather” has entered the colloquial dialect with accepted usage covering both actual patent leather, and any glossy vinyl that mimics it. It is not merely a matter of sellers shying away from what is accurate for fear of no one finding their items; most of the educated public does not differentiate themselves. It requires both the disclosure of the seller and the inquisitiveness and education of the buyer to make sure that what you see is what you get. If you do not think your item is genuine leather, please clarify in the listing by indicating as such.

Believe it or not, there are folks who prefer to look for poromeric or PVC for the color selection, or for the qualities of the material. Buzzwords such as “patent leather-like vinyl” will help steer potential shoppers to your listings, while also giving you the opportunity to educate and to clairfy that it is poromeric. “Wet Look” vinyl is a good way to describe PVC, and it is searched too! Searching “genuine patent leather” in descriptions will help narrow down the search if its leather you seek.

Have fun, and I hope that this brief guide helped you find exactly what you are looking for, or didn’t know you needed!

Why Vintage? Reason #2

Alert Vintage lover, Viviene spotted this letter to Dear Abby. A frustrated teen speaks about her neighbor that gives her old clothing and Abby educates her about vintage. Imagine that!

Dear Abby: I go to church with a woman who is generous and means well, but she likes to give away her old hand-me-down clothing. Recently she gave me two old dresses that fit me, but I wouldn’t be caught dead in. I’m 15, and she doesn’t understand that.

I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so when she asked if they fit and if I liked them, I told her they did and they were pretty.

My mom is planning to donate the dresses to charity. But now the woman is saying she wants to give me more of her old dresses. I don’t know how to handle this. — Secondhand Teen

Click here and scroll down to see what Abby advuses for the “Secondhand Teen”!

Maybe the Secondhand Teen would stumble across our prior article: “Why Vintage. Reason #1: Originality”

We attended a party where the attire was semi-formal and three ladies showed up wearing the exact same dress! Luckily they had a good sense of humor about it. There was only really one or two stores to go to for formal dresses and they both evidentally lived near the same one.

And that also brings us to Reason #2: Vintage is Environmentally Friendly.

When you purchase a piece of vintage clothing or are gifted it from a relative, you are doing your part to recycle. It is giving an additional and new life to an item once, twice, three times or more.

Choosing vintage keeps the items out of the landfills. Some vintage is made of more natural or sustainable materials such as cotton and wool. However, over the years many synthetics were invented that have fallen out of favor due to taste, safety in manufacturing, or the invention of something better. Many won’t possibly decompose in the next few hundred years.

Also, by taking a piece of clothing that is languishing in the cellar, you are preventing it from falling prey to mold and creating a biohazard. In that case, it may not be able to be salvaged or can create medical issues.

Hobo Sapiens

Tired of being a Metrosexual and looking for a new persona? Or is every cell in your being diametrically opposite and you just couldn’t jump on that bandwagon? I have always been told that if I refuse to fall in with the latest trends, that somehow if I just waited long enough the fashion pendulum would swing back and I would suddenly and effortlessly be at the height of fashion.

Just like the “grunge” trend made people that naturally wore torn jeans or look like they didn’t shower suddenly hip, a new day of accidentally fashionable may have dawned.

According to the Urban Dictionary, a Hobosexual is:

Adjective. The opposite of metrosexual; one who cares little for one’s own appearance.

Examples: Michael Moore, Peter Jackson.
First documented hobosexual - John the Baptist.

Harriet ( TastyVintage) alerted the vintage community to this interview with Charlie Waller, Singer/Guitarist of the Rumble Stips, who happens to personify this on the VFG Public Forum. Waller states on being in a band on tour: If you are on the road, what do you pack? I don’t pack anything. I just walk out the door. Sometimes I take some underpants in my jacket pocket, but usually I just don’t bother to pack.

Will this catch on? Who knows. But I guarantee if it does, like the grunge movement did, hangers-on will get the rumpled, unshowered look by purchasing a product or spray to create it.