Last Chance Home Girl

The Last Chance Thrift store in Decatur is one of the last bastions of tasteful and economic thrifting left in the Metro Atlanta area; And so, every Monday, like clockwork, I am drawn to it's dusty racks in an effort to further hone my hunter/gatherer technique in the hopes of uncovering the perfect piece of chachka that will temporarily satiate my shopping addiction.

Not only did I find a handsome leopard-print sweater, but I also ran across this little gem, steam-punking her way into my heart with her corduroy breeches and colour-coordinated bicycle. I respect the NeoVictorianism aesthetic quite a bit, and give those few, brave practitioners thereof plenty of elbow room in the crowded hall of my critical lens. For example, though I would normal detest her blouses in isolation, when brought together above such charming pantaloons, all I see is magic. And though my shoddy camera-work is blocking the view of her shboots, they are worthy of much aplomb.

The bike, however, is the crowning achievement of the entire look.

Nina in the Navy

I found this little nautical treasure outside my workplace on my lunch break today. What I noticed first were these sensational high-waisted trousers. They are authentic, navy-issue men's work uniform from the 70's, and made from ultra-thin denim. This is a prime example of an appropriate way to wear a flared pant; notice how the high waist and consistent wash of the jeans accentuate her trim waistline. COPY THIS, ladies, I implore you. God knows I love a pencil-leg jean, but how can you argue with jeans that make you look this bangin? Reflect on that.
The rest of the outfit ain't bad either. The asymmetrical leather bow highlights the high waist and adds a feminine touch to the men's dungarees. I would never normally recomend denim on denim, but this little philly up-and proved me wrong; her shirt lets us know that she's got a sense of humour... andlook how the colour brings out here eyes! Pure magic. Then, there's the matching royal blue bag and complimentary yellow cardy that, together, makes me want to stop time and mail a copy of this picture to every woman, girl, and tranny in the world, with a note that reads, "This, ladies, is the standard."

Mustache by Cocke

I'm a big fan of character dressing in general. While I don't recommend xeroxing the entire look, there are aspects of it that I fully intend to liberate. The hair, for one, is genius - I'm currently striving for something quite similar myself. Also, the comb is pure magic; I think I'm going to put one in my blazer pocket today for work. What I really enjoy is the jaunty little tie. I dig any man, painted or living, who can rock a neckerchief and still feel tough. A good mustache can amp up anyone's butchatude: This one, in particular, possesses the wearer with an air of well-groomed restraint. So often nowadays we see the trendy ironic mustaches that are so exaggerated in scale that they have become Pop Art on the wearer's face. While, I like both Pop Art and mustaches, I'm not such a fan of them in tandem. As for irony as it relates to dressing, I get it; I also think it's a cop-out. It's easy to make vintage pieces look funny; it takes a lot more nerve to make them look fresh.

Axel and the Filmmaker

I ran into these two misfits on the streets of Florence this summer. Though I'm generally focusing on state-side fashion, these two young upstarts are both Americans, so I don't feel too bad about including them. The thing I appreciate about these kids is the comfortable, wearable way they reference classic male iconography.
Axel, on the left, stomps around the cobbled streets in his vintage cropped motorcycle boots while name dropping and chain smoking like a Manhattan talent scout. You've heard me say this before, but I appreciate that if you're going to wear undersized jeans, balance it out with an over-sized shirt - Axel's in particular, was a printed silk treasure he found just around the corner at one of Firenze's few actual thrift stores.




The Filmmaker is actually my favorite in this shot. Sans the ciggarette, this is how I would want my little brother to dress; retro, casual, well-worn, and not overly-adorned. Though his shoes are fairly heinous, let's bare in mind that these two chaps are still 16, and appreciate the small details of the outfit, like the one-inch cuff on the jeans, the club collar, and obvious effort both of these guys put into finding men's jeans in a size 26 - most would have just strapped on some cheap monday's or borrow their girl friend's jeans. Thanks for fighting the good fight, guys.
The sartorial plight of the travel-sized gentleman is never ending.