-Darryl Carter interiors-
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youbroketheinternet: -Alden milkshake suede-
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What to wear for Modernism?
“Today’s artist lives in an era of dissolution without guidance. He stands alone. The old forms are in ruins, the benumbed world is shaken up, the old human spirit is invalidated and in flux towards a new form. We float in space and cannot percieive the new order”. -Walter Gropius, Berlin 1919
Recently, I came across this quote by Gropius. It made me think of a car crash I once saw. A van had missed an exit and rolled on the steep embankment right beside me. In a frozen instant, broken glass glittered the air and the driver’s body was being hurled like a limp rag doll, spewed out through the front windshield.
I’ll get back to this later; right now I’m reading through Farid Chenoune’s A History of Men’s Fashion, The book goes into great detail about men’s clothes as well as the language and social context of the 19-20th century’s sartorial trajectory. Chenoune’s book really points to something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately- and that is what the hell was the 20th century? I’ll not try and quantify it here as that’s a losing game at any rate. But much of the 20th century still propels and entangles us today. Its striking to read of debates and ideas in men’s clothing from the mid 19th century that could be grafted onto the present. Power, vanity, comfort, exoticism, tradition, accessibility and cost, they were all there before.
Well, some things didn’t make it out of the last century. The Futurists, the Dadaists- those groups and their version of aesthetics produced fervent ideas about where the 20th century should go, but enjoyed a relatively quick shelf life. As I read through books and blogs that herald the end of the necktie, I came across this Futurist suit by Giacomo Balla, c. 1920. On this suit, the somber tones of tradition have been cracked open with harsh graphics and blazing color. What if that idea had stuck around? Well it did; it re-surfaced in the 1960’s with designers like Emilio Pucci, who plastered Euro modernism across Braniff jet liners, and again in 1980’s with postmodernism. Aesthetically, the postmodern stuff hasn’t aged very well. Going through slides in a recent lecture, a colleague and I found ourselves almost apologetic. Taking an informal survey from the students, they wanted no part of it. So why not? What was it about the not so distant past that they can now so surely reject?
The Futurists loved speed, and in a matter of decades modernism had harnessed enough of it to break through the atmosphere, so they got that part right. While i don’t agree with the Futurist’s violent aspirations, they seem to have hit that one as well, but the suit didn’t catch on. Practically speaking, it’s too flashy, but not a bad idea really; if one was to go speeding into the future in a roadster in a kind of fantastic kiss off to the “old world”. What stuck was this - Balla’s suit is the 20th century in one garment. It’s not the one you’ll see in the film footage, it’s not the glamorous Hollywood icon suit, but its silhouette does have a heritage. It’s actually a little more like a hazmat suit given the color and the non-shape. This suit is that part of modernism that accelerated past us without the campaign of public scrutiny and mass marketing to beat down the sharp edges. So what happened? Well, we panicked. The 20th century started off with some optimism, but carnage ensued and on an industrial strength scale. By the time we get to the ugly stepchild of postmodernism, we see graphics akin to Balla’s Futurist suit plastered on everything from from MTV to architecture. At the time, once again, it seemed like celebration.
But for the students, a silent hostility permeates the room when we come to postmodernism. I see it now. I see it in their stares; it’s the same wincing look you give to a horrible auto accident. There’s a conflicted response; first a fascination, then a revulsion and then we slowly inch on past the calamity, propelled into the present with a lingering confusion as to what we just went through. All that is left is the wreckage, and the wreckage has its own kind of beauty. The violence of WWI found graphic verification in mangled soldiers returning from the war and chaotic Dadaist photo collages. Later in the century, author J.G. Ballard in his novel Crash, envisions a celebratory mechanized sexual apotheosis where the story’s main character Vaughn is hell bent on re-enacting car crashes of glamorous Hollywood movie stars. So, for all the utopian hooplah at the outset of the 20th century, its aesthetic legacy may well be in the crumpled forms of catastrophe.
Balla’s fellow Futurist, Marinetti, drove his roadster into a ditch and the Futurist Manifesto made its way onto the front page of the leading Paris newspaper Le Figaro. These two events seem appropriate. I think I’m looking back at the 20th century as a kind of dangerous relic. All of us are seeing how well modernism ages; how this whole project looks when its gleaming white angularity sags and molds with time. Like Balla’s suit, some things won’t last. The pessimist in me looks at the future with some concern. I’m not sure we started this century with the same optimism as they did the last one. But as technology and brutality seem to continue to accelerate, this suit may be just the thing to wear. Because, what does one wear when one breaks the confines of tradition, when we give the big kiss off to the old ways? What would be the appropriate outfit as we careen past the wreckage of the 20th century, a t-shirt? No, too comfy, too earthy, too much about being “real”. We need something that says “spectacle”! We need something that distrusts rationality and ivy -covered nostalgia, something curiously revolting, something that discards tradition and flaunts hubris, something appropriate to be seat -buckled behind the windshield of the oncoming century -we need to dress for this occaission.
Back to the accident. The van, after three revolutions, came to a stop. By this time cars had stopped along either side the highway to help. Luckily, the car behind the van was a patrol car and an ambulance was dispatched immediately. After a few minutes, we got back into our car and laughed, not because it was funny, but because it was our confused response before we started the car and drove back on to the highway in silence.
So, how about Balla’s suit with its ugly clashing shards of orange, red and yellow?!
Ok, we’ll forget the necktie- after all it’s one less thing flying around as we start up the roadster of the 21st century, slam on the accelerator and try not drive it into the ditch.
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If you follow blogs pertaining to sartorial history and aesthetics, you know of Die Workwear. I check this blog daily and find a wealth of information and visuals that cuts across a lot of clothing categories from casual /sport to bespoke. In an attempt to bring devotees further insight into matters of the sole. I am pleased to present the latest Archive of Shoes interview with Die Workwear.
AoS: At what point did your sartorial /clothing interest begin? Was there a specific event or situation? (I’m always interested to hear how people got to the point they’re at with fine clothing.)
DW: “I would say it was probably around the year 2000, after I saw In the Mood for Love by Wong Kar Wai. That’s when I can first remember incorporating sport coats and ties into my daily dress. I was already very into his films, particularly after seeing Chungking Express, but In the Mood for Love really put it over the top for me. At the time, I was also really obsessed with Italian neorealism and French New Wave cinema – stuff by directors such as Godard and De Sica. The men in these films all dressed very classically, and it affected how I dressed as well. “
AoS: Of your current shoe wardrobe - what gets the most use/ rotation? Or is it pretty even?
DW: “It’s fairly even. I choose what I wear based on my mood, the weather, and what else I plan to wear that day. Most of my shoe collection is made up of oxfords, boots, and slip-ons. I only have two pairs of bluchers – one pair of Edward Green Dovers, and one pair of shell cordovan wingtips by Ralph Lauren (the Marlow). I hope to rectify that soon, however. I think bluchers are much better for casual ensembles than oxfords, and be more appropriate than boots and slip-ons in many situations.”
AoS: Any dress boots?
DW: “I’m actually putting in an order for Edward Green Shannons this month. I’ve been told that they should arrive by December or January. If those go well, I hope to get a pair of Gaziano and Girling Canterburys sometime at the end of next year. “
AoS: Any experience with MTO or bespoke? Or planning to?
DW: “The Shannons will be my first MTO pair. If I’m fortunate enough to have the means, I hope to get something bespoke sometime in the next five years. I really admire the work I’ve seen by G. J. Cleverley and Koji Suzuki. “
AoS: Any clothing bespoke / MTM? Details
DW: “I have a few suits and sport coats that were made for me by Hong Kong and Chinese tailors. All of my shirts at this point are bespoke. I’m also in the middle of trying out a new tailor in Naples. “
AoS: Any particular influences currently? Person or era for example that seems to be generating ideas /interest?
DW: “I take inspiration from a few places. Classic films continue to be a big influence, and I still look up to men such as Jean Gabin, Vittorio De Sica, and Marcello Mastroianni. However, I also think it’s important to not take your inspiration solely from the past, otherwise, you could end up looking like you’re dressed in a costume. More contemporaneous sources of inspiration include men such as Luciano Barbera, Michael Alden, and the three gentlemen who run The Armoury (Mark Cho, Alan See, and Ethan Desu). I think all of these men dress very elegantly. There’s a difference, in my opinion, between dressing classically and dressing elegantly. More and more men these days are doing the first, but very few achieve (or are even trying to achieve) the latter. The first is great, but as I get older, the second is what I’m increasingly more interested in. “
AoS: Any shoes/ boots you would own if money/ time were not an option?
DW: “If money or time were not an issue, I’d love to have something custom made for me by GJ Cleverley, Stefano Bemer, or Koji Suzuki. I think all of them create very classic designs with subtle and elegant details.”
AoS: Cigar linen? Still in the works? Spectators?
DW: “Funny you should mention spectators. I was recently admiring a pair by Carmina, who makes two versions, one of which is a two-toned, light brown model in suede and calf. I was wondering if I should get them but, again, I’m always careful about veering into something that could be too costumey. Though some older men seem to be able to pull them off well, younger men often carry them in a way that looks either too hip or anachronistic. I don’t care to be either. “
“As for the cigar linen, I’m waiting for a sport coat to be finished by this new Neapolitan tailor I’m trying out. If it turns out well, I’ll send a few more things to them, including the plans for a cigar linen suit. I like suits that fit a bit more old-school – longer coat, more drape in the chest, and even a lower gorge. This kind of cut is perhaps even more important to me for a linen suit, which I don’t think should fit too close to the body. Unfortunately, I’m mostly based in Moscow and San Francisco, so I’m limited by which tailors are willing to visit these cities. But yes, if this current jacket turns out well, I’d love to send the cigar linen suit to them; otherwise, I’ll have to figure something else out. “
AoS: Any suggestions or preferences for casual shoes? (I have very little in this area, some severely beat up boots, and some old suede RL cap toes -my test shoes to see just how durable suede is)
DW: “The correct answer is probably a pair of bluchers, but to be honest, if I’m wearing something casual, it’s most likely a pair of boots or some kind of slip-ons, depending on the season. I also think suede is a great material to dress down almost any kind of shoes. “
AoS: What have you learned concerning clothing / sartorial matters? Any advice? Your blog is loaded with good information, so consider this question your platform to vent, advise, publish a manifesto, whatever…it’s a takeaway for the readers.
DW: “The saying ‘buy less, buy better’ is the menswear equivalent of Christianity in America. Everyone preaches it, but hardly anyone practices. Still, if I could only stress one thing, it would be that people should do just that – buy less, but buy better. Instead of buying twenty-five pairs of Allen Edmonds, consider owning just five pairs of Edward Greens. Instead of buying seven ill-fitting sport coats you found on sale, consider saving up for just one that fits you perfectly in every way (even if it means paying full retail). “
“Of course, I don’t mean that everyone should necessarily own Edward Greens or bespoke clothing. For some people – such as working-class fathers and struggling students – it can be irresponsible to spend more than $200 for a pair of shoes or $400 on a suit. I can relate to that, as I started my sartorial journey as an undergraduate student. However, I would only ask that people be very honest about how much money they already spend on clothes each year. Keep a tally; you may be surprised. Instead of trying to build the Prince’s wardrobe in a year, you would do better starting with the bare minimum - one belt, five trousers, fourteen dress shirts, one sweater, two dress shoes, and maybe a sport coat. That’s all you really need to get by anyway. Make them the absolute best you can afford, and then slowly build your way to a nicer, fuller wardrobe in seven to eight years’ time. Maybe that means only adding one pair of high end shoes and a couple of dress shirts each year, but in the end, patient building will always win out over frenetic, bargain shopping. Buy less, buy better, and learn to save up for the right things.”
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-Bones on bones on two-tones-
Herringbone linen, herringbone Pantharella socks, suede and calf / tone on tone spectators, MTO Rider Boot Co.
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Minutia:
Kent Wang MTM suit
Borrelli shirt
PRL tie
Sulka PS
Sorley socks
Martin Dingman belt
Gaziano & Girling “Westminster”
