This pair of brogues from Tricker’s of England has the most unusual patina Izzy has ever seen. Looking as if it were made of burled walnut, it reminds Izzy of Florentine leather that is crafted to look like wood.
March 28, 2007
March 27, 2007
Corduroyalist
After searching for ages, Izzy has finally found a way to satisfy his odd hankering for a corduroy tie: New York’s Alexander Olch, purveyor of handmade neckties that are conservative but a little bit different.
Comments Off on Corduroyalist
March 26, 2007
House of Maus
Izzy just returned from a wonderful holiday in Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, where he made sure to visit the finest men’s shops Florida offers. Among those stores was Maus & Hoffman, which since 1940 has been specializing in materials and colors appropriate to tropical sun and swamp-like humidity. The sort of place that offers trousers in every shade of sherbet, they even carry dungarees made by Brioni, suitmaker to James Bond. If one must wear jeans, they might as well be this luxurious.
Comments Off on House of Maus
March 23, 2007
Refugee Chic
Perhaps Izzy is reading to much into this fashion show, but is he right to see more than a hint of children-immigrating-for-their-lives, a la The Sound of Music?
March 22, 2007
March 21, 2007
Wide Society
New York Social Diary is a useful way to gawk at Gotham’s high society. Without it, Izzy might never have seen a tie so wide it’s virtually a well-knotted scarf.
Comments Off on Wide Society
March 20, 2007
Conspicuous Consumption
The Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter, who popularized the the idea of “creative destruction,” notoriously once claimed:
Early in life I had three ambitions. I wanted to be the greatest economist in the world, the greatest horseman in Austria, and the best lover in Vienna. Well, I never became the greatest horseman in Austria.
Who knows whether Schumpeter lived up to his boasts, but the photograph on the cover of a new biography does prove that he was at least the most dapper economist in the world, and conceivably the most arrogant.
Comments Off on Conspicuous Consumption
March 19, 2007
The Law of Non-Contradiction
As a matter of principle, Izzy objects to Jude Law’s micro collar and sliver of a tie. But at the very least they should have been complemented by a shorter jacket sleeve.
March 16, 2007
A Case of the Blahs
Due to their unadorned dark suits and white shirts, Izzy finds designer duo Messrs. Badgley and Mischka guilty of inciting boredom.
Comments Off on A Case of the Blahs
March 15, 2007
An Officer and a Generalissimo
On their way to what the British call a fancy dress party, Elton John’s significant other does a fine imitation of a dutiful Marine, while Sir Elton himself conjures a tin-pot dictator. Izzy is shocked to find such a display of honesty in attire.
The Well-Traveled Weekender
Izzy finds something enticing about this bag’s juxtaposition of suede with a purple patina leather. For the adventurous only, it’s crafted by Kaufmann.Stanley Switzerland, which is of London oddly enough.
Comments Off on The Well-Traveled Weekender
March 14, 2007
Gone Batty
First it was soccer that was inspiring topiary hairdos; now it’s cricket. In so many ways, however, it’s just not cricket.
Comments Off on Gone Batty