BLACK TIE MATTERS
CONTEXT IS VITAL
CODE WITHIN A CODE
Context is a vital element of men’s style. Abandon all protocols by all means but there’s little more dangerous than a totally open ended brief. Was reminded of this by male attendees at last nights Oscars. Flaunting etiquette ill-advisedly would account for why so many blokes looked properly rubbish. Context is one of styles main validating appeals to me. A mans look really matters within a specific moment, time, place and situation. Its relevance is where the human statement and attitude is actually going down. It’s the black and white of time and space that validate a style statement an actual thing. So a black tie invite for something that matters, matters. Expressing yourself within a code with your own codes is the holy grail of personal style.
JACK YOUR BERET
NICHOLSON & HOUSTON AT OSCARS
Last night some men looked really quite stupid, whiles others like dull cop-outs. Certain men however worked looks within black tie rubric and looked suave, classic, chic or even edgy.
Call it code within a code-breaking, working creativity in restriction leads to creativity - art fact. Black tie context has seen the true stylers made their moves within the brief over the years. Even by cheekily hovering round the boarders they still acknowledge and honour the cipher, effectively dress code manners. Last night composer Jon Batiste was one of those who looked great. A classic dinner dress format, clipped and sharp with acute peak and fractionally off centre hue, but also with fat, red peony & Dior broach. Like it Jon.
SOUL MAN BATISTE
DOUBLE WINNER IN DIOR
Without some context and restriction it’s just a load of clothes in space on a human at some show biz bash. Check Jack Nicholson in a beret and aviator bins with his tuxedo at The Oscars 1975. For other subversion see Dave Bowie and John Lennon at the Grammies in bout ’72. Deft personal with resonance.
I’ve read style people heralding some of Oscars 2021 looks as a new era for men’s dressing. Laughably clueless and bang off course is the truth, like so much vaunted, aspirational style right now. Last nights parade of melts was simply another death knell for current style culture, with no one knowing what the hell everything means or what plain right and wrong looks like. Say anything, do anything, anything goes… Check the visuals fellas- it seems not.
BLACK OUT OF
.. CONTEXT- FERRY REVERSES IT KNOWINGLY
Two main problem are in play here- people have a pitiful assimilation of culture now both sub and lofty. Also so many celebs got total pillocks wrapped round them in lieu of advisors.
Gonna work out how best to document the turnout without getting cancelled in the time it takes to braise this bit of hake I got here with touch of nduja and some spring greens as a side.
ON THE SHAWLTER FRONT
BRANDO WITH OSCAR 1955
If I get canceled by fashion can I just say that style dignity is a good thing, and cheerio, its been nice? Gonna break down Sundays flexes. The good, the bad & the mugly, once got this little context notion up. See next post, Roger that?
Stubbs out.
* My boy dropped a stealth pocket square to present BAFTAs the other week.