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.........

Defining Iconic American Vintage Style

I've been spending a lot of time contemplating what is Iconic American Vintage Style?  It's something so natural and innate to me, but I want to define it more clearly for others.  Iconic to me, means reducing things down to the essentials and executing them in a timeless way that seems almost larger than life.  To be American is to be a part of the grand experiment.  It means the eclectic energy and storied history of amazing times like the Prohibition era.  It is belonging and being an outcast simultaneously. It is the frenzied search for identity in a place where almost anything is possible. Vintage makes me think of fine wine, of things made in this country and the pride that generates.  It is a nostalgic longing for a simpler time where good music, friends and an honest days work was enough. It is faint scent of perfume from a letter written to you by a lover, carefully saved over the years and the slight ache in your heart as you reread it.  It is Miles Davis, Kind of Blue and the melancholy sentiment that comes with acknowledging that the simpler times of the past are forever gone.


So, with all of these cherished moments in mind, I spread a soft piece of wool across the table and picked up my shears in an effort to find this same truth and simplicity in modern life.  Over the next weeks, I'll be posting some pictures to give you some sense of the results.  A little history, a bit of romance, the American experience and a sense of personal style.  I hope you find these clothes as evocative as I do.


-Corey

Introducing the return of Iconic American Vintage Style

As we round the corner into cooler weather, one can only begin to think fondly of Fall.  I remember the first day of school and the excitement of new clothes, seeing friends after a summer apart, and the anxious feeling of beginning a new journey.  And so I found this feeling familiar, as I embarked on the creation of a timeless way of dressing that is both masculine and lovely, classic and contemporary. Considered creation (and consumption) means being free from the bonds of change for it's own sake and the wake of waste that mentality brings.  These are the clothes of your father's father. Of strong and gentle men with an easy confidence and a love for simple living.  There is art and poetry in each of us. In the slight tilt of your newsboy cap and the crisp roll of your shirt sleeves. Or is the way your trousers drape, hung from your shoulders by grosgrain and leather? Maybe life and art don't imitate each other, but move together in a casual, intimate way like the ocean and the sand. Two old lovers and a bottle of Chianti in the back of a cozy, jazz club. So much communication and so little need to use words.  As the season changes and nature implores you with her fall palette of rust, browns, and warm greys, I wish you the beautiful anxiety of a grand undertaking. Whether it be a new lover, business or project of passion how lucky we are to fall in love again. Oh, and if you find yourself in need of a slouchy trouser or reliable cap to accompany you on your quest, do let us know.