Forum, Fall 2005

The return of the preppy look must have aging Ivy Leaguers spilling their snifters in paroxysms of laughter. The very essence of preppydom is that it is a style more or less impervious to the passing of time, and its return has been to the radar of the fashion industry and its followers, not the brandy-drinking, suede-elbow-patch set. Preppydom stands for age-old institutions and old-fashioned values — making money, for example. And when it comes to style, preppies have always eschewed the vagaries of fashion and opted for high-quality clothing in timeless, iconic styles. (more…)

Accent, Fall 2005

I don’t usually wear gold. Silver may be less precious, but I prefer its understated elegance. But recently I acquired a new brown alligator belt to wear with my brown suede brogues, and it came with a golden buckle.

Late for an appointment one morning, I laced up my shoes, wove the new belt through my trouser loops, and tucked in my French-cuffed shirt. Hastily reaching for my old leather-covered jewelry box, I sifted through the contents — odd buttons, formal-shirt studs and keys of mysterious origin — searching for my favorite pair of cufflinks: deep purple stone set in silver.

I paused. Silver? That won’t do at all. Women can get away with mixing silver and gold, I once read, but for men it’s a faux pas. And wherever jewelry is concerned, anything faux is unpardonable.

I vaguely remembered a pair of gold cufflinks I’d had for years though hardly ever worn. I renewed my rummaging efforts when, like a magic ring in a fairy tale, a gleam of gold scintillated in the morning sunlight.

There was a pair of round cufflinks I’d all but forgotten, but whose provenance came rushing briskly into my memory. (more…)

Los Angeles Times, January 19, 2005

Michael Henry Adams’ epiphany came in the quiet stillness of the Akron Public Library. Hanging on the wall were photographs of the Harlem Renaissance era by James Van Der Zee. “There were images of blacks who were every bit as polished and elegant as Clark Gable or Cary Grant,” Adams says. “That was a revelation for me, and also a justification. Before that, I would have felt that to identify with the style of Fred Astaire would have not been something that reflected blackness.”

In an age when T-shirts and jeans are the closest thing to world democracy, true style icons are rare. But in October, Esquire magazine crowned OutKast frontman Andre 3000 as the best-dressed man in the world. With urban street wear firmly lodged in the mainstream, Andre 3000’s penchant for hats, vests and Savile Row tailoring suddenly appeared less a personal idiosyncrasy than the result of a man who had found a kind of sartorial enlightenment.

An increasing number of African American men, in fact, are embracing classic gentlemen’s attire, riding the forefront of fashion’s return to luxury and timeless classics while adopting a mode of expression that subverts stereotypes of black style. In contrast to the mostly white metrosexual phenomenon — a fop-fest of manicures, grooming gewgaws and trendy designer wear — today’s renaissance of black elegance seems a striving for dignity and good taste in an era not exactly known for either. (more…)

L’Uomo Vogue
January 2004

Every generation has its destiny, and for the young men of the Atomic Age, it was nothing less than to have the world as their oyster — and wash it down with a dry martini.

Between 1954-1964 a new masculine archetype flourished. Fresh from victory in World War II and gorged on the fruits of affluence, American men developed a democratized, pop form of dandyism for the masses, a cult of style and leisure based on the carefree life of bachelorhood. With a well paying office job and the benefits of the growing sexual revolution, the “swinging bachelor” could cultivate a carefree and sybaritic lifestyle based on everything that was modern and hip.

In short, he could become a playboy. (more…)