workingclassdandy:

  Here are some shots that my friend Lynn Redmile took of me last Friday at the Farmers Cabinet in Midtown Village, Philly. They say “Dandyism” is in the details and I believe there are plenty of details here. Now for this ensemble I broke a rule or two. For instance, I wore a french cuff shirt with and odd jacket and trousers instead of a suit. But this shoot was about having fun.

  With summer all but here already except in name (it’s been in the 90s), the colors had to be vibrant. I chose the orange pants because not many colors are as vibrant as orange. The jacket is your run of the mill blue jacket with gold buttons. It’s a three button, single breasted jacket with notched lapels. A very versatile piece of my wardrobe. It is easy to dress up or down depending on the event.

  The tie and the socks match just to add a little more detail to the outfit with a bright green and blue for more of a pop. The new (to me) vintage 1920s “D” snap cufflinks are my favorite part. Well, simply because I love snap links and it’s my initial. Of course I wore a vest so I had to have a pocket watch, which is one of my most treasured gifts. (Thank you, Gin!) Also, there is the pocket square which I actually picked up that night. It is purple with yellow and green. It jumped out at me and I’m sure you can see why.

  Now I will add trinkets from time to time to make every outfit a little more dandy. My mainstay is the viking broach. Yes, I said broach. As I am of Irish descent I like that it has a Celtic feel with the knot work. It definitely adds to any jacket I wear.

  You should know that I always wear plugs, or spacers, in my ears that match what I’m wearing. In this case the blue stripes in the shirt I was wearing are a little faint so I wore blue plugs to bring out the shirt and my eyes a little more.

  Now the shoes are a different story. I was taught that spectators, especially two-tone specs, are to be warn in the summer months. That is when this is acceptable. The ones I am wearing in the photo are dance shoes but they still add a lot to the outfit. As a matter of fact, my shoes are the foundation for any ensemble I put together.

All in all I believe to be one of the best outfits I have put together. I am usually more traditional in the way I dress, a little more toned down. But this being a fun kick off to hanging in the city this summer after nights selling clothing, I thought this was appropriate.