The 1st Annual Gentlemen's Vintage Show

Alright men, it's like Christmas in November.  If you need a few select accessories to impart some new life into your wardrobe, you can't miss this event.  Good clothes cost good money, so for most of us that means having a somewhat limited wardrobe, but a few new bowties, pocket squares and a good fedora can totally elevate your style. 

Take a tape measure or if you have a friend who sews, that's even better. Make sure to look inside the garments.  Many older garments have "outlets". This extra fabric at the seams  would allow the garment to be let out as the wearer grew. This goes for pants hems too.  You only need 1/4" allowance to hem a pair of pants. This is done by using another fabric to create a facing. So keep that in mind too.  (Contact me if you need details!) Finally, remember cost per wear. A fifty-five dollar vintage bowtie, you can wear twenty times a year and look great in for the rest of your life is a good deal.  Even if you change your mind after a few years you can recover some of the expense on E-bay. Oh, and the cost-per-wear concept only works if you buy classics.  Fashionistas are forever at the mercy and whim of fickle designers, whose primary responsibility is to ensure you and your cash go seperate ways.  If their style sense is so good, why does it change year after year?

Happy Hunting and hope to see you there!

An easy, elegant daytime look using vintage pieces with a few top quality new pieces. Fedora is vintage Dobbs, I think  I paid around fifty dollars for it. My shirt is the Keswick collar custom fit from Prohibition Clothing.
The suspenders are vintage and cost around twenty five dollars. Trouser are the Ellington Drape trousers also by Prohibition Clothing.

Iconic American Denim Style

You can't talk about American style without mentioning denim.  From it's humble, utilitarian roots, it has risen to the pinnacle of fashion and has an almost cult-like international following.  So every brand has to consider how it's pieces mix in with denim.  I wanted to bring you a few pictures of our pieces mixed into a unique vintage look.  There are so many cool ways to play these looks, I'm really excited about seeing how our customers do it their way. Here's a few interpretations of mine:

 Even in denim, I like to keep it elegant, sporty, and vintage-inspired by using a lot of small flourishes. I always start with great shoes and here I'm wearing a dark wash pair of Levi's with a boot cut over cap-toes from Allen Edmonds.  My shirt is our Kent (Button-down) collar in a lavender oxford. I paired this with a navy & lavender Repeal Club tie in a nice full windsor knot. The vest is our Barrymore Classic in a navy pinstripe flannel. I dropped in a lilac gingham pocket square as an extra little flourish. The tortoise shell reading glasses are unfortunately a neccesity, but these from Classic Specs do look nice. Finally, our vintage newsboy cap in Tan Herringbone.

In the next pic you'll see I'm working off the same base.  It's great to be able to build a lot of different looks from a few key pieces. My shirt is our Chatham (Polo) collar in a cranberry vintage stripe. The jacket is our workhorse, the Period Perfect Navy Blazer.  A nice bowtie, a pocket square, and I'm elegant enough for reservations,  but still easy enough for a few whiskey cocktails at the Clover Club. Oh, and since I'm almost a gentleman, I'm rarely sans a cap. My current fave is this tan herringbone newsboy.                                       

The final outfit is a sporty, narrative outfit inspired by the Great Depression. Overalls were common attire for working men and merchants. I've stepped mine up a bit by adding a Chatham collar shirts and bowtie. I draped a pocket square in the pocket and on the left strap used a vintage pin that reads "vote dry". Finished with my cap du jour.  Don't miss the heavy brogue boots! I promise to some more specialized blogs on shoes and how to go spiffy to spectacular using small accessories to set your style apart.

Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show (Oct 21st & 22nd)

Looking for a few select pieces to elevate your style?  Make sure you check out the Manhattan Vintage Show happening on Fri and Saturday this week.
Measure a few garments you have that fit well and write down the key measurements, then make sure to take a tape measure to the show.  This will help you assess garments you can't try on.  You should also pay attention to the seam allowances and outlets that allow a garment to be altered.  As a maker, I'm always looking for interesting details and finishing touches that lend an air of authenticity to the clothes we make.
Hope to see you there.

Prohibition Clothing presents the Iconic T-Shirt

We just received a re-order of the Iconic Tee Shirts and they are now available at the pop-up shop. Front image features key elements of Prohibition cleverly interwoven into a storied Nouveau graphic.  Back has the "Repeal Club" logo.
100% Cotton, Designed in Brooklyn, and made in the USA.

Prohibition Clothing Sale on Iconic Ties

Based on our ebay pop-up store stats, quite a few people have these iconic ties on their wish list, so we're reducing the prices to $38.00 for the next 10 days.  I'm seeing (and wearing) a lot of bow ties now, but a nice full windsor still tugs at my heart strings.

More Iconic American Vintage Style Pics

Short post tonight, since I'm a bit weary after 4 hours of swing dancing classes.  As promised, I want to continue to give you visual examples of IAV style. Let's go straight to the pics.

This is typical outfit for me that incorporates a few of my favorite elements.  As always, we start with great shoes.  Your shoes set the tone for the entire outfit, so buy the best quality you can afford and maintain them meticulously.  My cap toes are Allen-Edmonds, which are made here in the USA and have a welted sole you can replace.  They also offer a reburishing program.

My trousers are a soft, wool herringbone in our Barrow Hollywood style. These are easy drape cuts and I wear them with suspenders, so the high-waist can show.  All of our trousers have button-flys to avoid unsightly bulging when one sits.

With the cool fall weather coming in, I've thrown an easy shawl collared sweater on  instead of a jacket. This is the casual kind of elegance, I refer to as il Nuovo Formale (The New Elegance). Approachable, romantic and appropriate for the man about town.





Under the sweater I'm wearing our Keswick Wing Collar in a custom fit. I love how this collar looks with a long tie, or bow tie.  This particular tie is our Tonal Stripe Iconic Tie and features a herringbone tonal background with whiskey bottles, newsboy caps and Tommy gun motifs. I added some vintage ray-bans which you can probably find on e-bay for about $100.  Remember, cost-per-wear! I've had mine for 3 years already and they are very well-made.  The green tint lenses are super cool and the frames are tortoise shell.  Finally,  our vintage newsboy seals the deal. This one is tan herringbone, but we offer lots of choices, so do check them out. That's the look du jour. Oh, if you're trying to put together a look of your own and have questions feel free to leave me a comment and I'll do my best to send you down the right path.



Swing-Out Style (Strictly for Solid Senders)

Ok, Ok, enough of the alliteration, but I want to start posting a few examples of Iconic American Vintage style every week.  Somewhere between getting our son, Nathaniel, ready for school and doing the million other things she does to take care of us, my wife's is passed the digi cam and I ask her to snap a few pics for me.  If she's had her coffee, all is right with the world, but if she hasn't then she's shooting blind. Oh, and I'm so not a model. I have two poses, Sears catalog, and Macy's sales flier. I thought if Juliette laid on the floor and shot the picture looking upward, I could go from 5'9" to 6'1". Well, it worked for Godzilla didn't it? I guess what I'm saying stay focused on the style!



So today I'm doing a Swing-Out Style, Collegiate-Inspired look. The shoes are two-tone, alligator-embossed, saddle shoes (though you can't see the contrast part in this pic). The Hollywood-waisted (no waistband) Barrow trousers are hung on vintage suspenders and drape lovely. See how they barely touch the leg and note the lack of creases, which adds to the slouchy feel (also means no ironing!). The shirt is our Depression (slim) fit and features our Kent button-down collar.  The tie is our Repeal Club Rep Stripe, with rich bands of burgundy and navy plus a sporty, RC crest at the bottom.  The jacket is our pleated, patch-pocket, Period Perfect Navy Blazer.  This grab-and-go jacket, can easily be worn 2 to 3 days a week and finishes any vintage-inspired outfit. The back is double-vented,  has a half-belt, and some great pleating details, so your style is strong on the send-out and return. And of course, the cap is our vintage newsboy. This one is a lovely, English wool herringbone.  I like to drape mine to one side for a little extra flair.  Ties, caps and tees are currently available through our E-bay pop-up shop.
http://stores.ebay.com/Prohibition-Clothing-Company?_trksid=p4340.l2563
 The tailoring website in underway, so stay tuned.



So that's today's look. I've been studying Swing and Lindy Hop at Dance Manhattan (http://www.dancemanhattan.com/) for about a year now, and an outfit like this certainly helps you look like a solid sender. Now if I could just smooth out my Texas Tommy.........

PBS Prohibition Documentary by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick aired tonight

I hope you're all tuning in to the PBS Prohibition documentary presented by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick.  It's edutainment at it's best and has human stories, gangster elements, women's rights, racism, corporate interests, religion and politics. Everything that touches on the question of American values and what it means to be American came into play in forging the passing of the 18th amendment.  I thought it was interesting to see that the revenue generated by the taxation of alcohol was so substantial that until the 16th Amendment (Income Tax) was passed, prohibition was basically not feasible from an economic point of view.  There are so many interesting angles and parallels between the contemporary struggles that we are facing as a nation, that this should be required viewing (Wall Street anyone?).

  Oh, and there's great style too, partially because these were tough times and people had less, so things were worn more.  Part of having a great signature style is having a few really unique and well made items that you wear often enough to feel very relaxed in, and that people automatically associate with you.

Check the link here to see when it airs in your zip code:  http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/tv-schedules/ 

or watch it online at:  http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/watch-video/#id=2082675582

Don't forget to double-up by catching Boardwalk Empire afterward.