The Navy Blazer - An Essential Piece in the Dandy's Wardrobe

Blue Cashmere Blazer by
Jack Victor

There is nothing more versatile in the dandy's wardrobe than his trusty blue blazer. Men have been wearing blazers for over a hundred years; although, some may dispute the origin of the jacket's beginning; however, the most likely story is that it was first worn in 1837 by the Lady Margaret Boating Club of Cambridge University. Yet, the color of the single-breasted jacket was not blue in the beginning, it was a vibrant red hue hence leading to it being called a blazer as in "scarlet blazer". Shortly, after Cambridge debuted their coat other schools took to wearing similar jackets, howbeit the colors they choose were not red. By the 1880's, the name blazer became synonymous with the jacket and the predominant color of choice for Ivy Leaguers was navy blue. One of the great things about the blazer is the many options you have with wearing it, you can dress it up as well as dress it down. View how MRPORTER's style director Dan May demonstrates in this video 5 ways you can wear a navy blazer to either work, school or play.

 

Quality Made Dress Shoes are Key to Gentlemen Style

Boyds Philadelphia

The shoes on a man’s feet say a lot about his since of style, hygiene, and attitude toward money.  According, to the celebrity author of “Never Trust a Man in Alligator loafers” Donna Sozio, “…the majority of men don't understand the power of shoes because they haven't tapped into it. They resist it by saying, "I just want to be comfortable." But they need to know that shoes are (their) ticket(s) to ride and get (them to) where they wants to go.” Although, comfort is important for the feet it doesn’t have to be the difference between wearing an inexpensive pair of shoes and well made footwear. Frankly, the more you are willing to spend on your shoes the greater the likelihood that you will buy a pair that are comfortable and made exclusively for your feet. A quality crafted pair of shoes should be made of (1) premium tanned leather; (2) on a wooden lasts; (3) and finished with a Goodyear welt. Tanning is the process of softening and dying an animal skin, shell cordovan is one of the highest qualities of animal skin you can buy because of its lasting durability. A lasts is a wooden foot form used by shoemakers to mold and form stitched pieces of leather in to a finished shoe. The final part of the process is putting on the shoe sole and one of the best ways of doing this Goodyear welt construction (named for the person that invented the process Charles Goodyear Jr.). The benefits of a Goodyear welt are it’s an attractive way of sowing together the insole and outer sole of a dress shoe and it allows the shoe to be easily refurbished with a new sole if necessary.

 Not everyone can afford shoes handmade in this process nor the quality of materials that go into the premium labeled shoes. However, a quality made pair of shoes is worth the investment, because of the construction and material that go into them they will last longer and endure severer use over time. Look at these gentlemen attending the Boyds Philadelphia's La Dolce Vita on April 11, 2013 wearing timeless classics such as Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Fratelli Rossetti, Prada, Alden, and DiBianco, brands that have a history of making fine animal hide shoes for over a hundred years.