Piazza San Marco

While I would classify just about everything in Venice as must see, one thing you definitely do not want to miss—and actually can’t miss unless you take a serious detour—is Piazza San Marco. It is Venice’s main public square and is absolutely breathtaking. In person it doesn’t even look real, though the pigeons can quickly snap you back to reality. Here’s a look I thought matched the location well that we shot during a fun late afternoon walk aroundprior to a dinner with my friend Roberta from Luxottica.

Having taken a ready for anything approach to packing for Venice, I wanted to make sure I brought along at least one suit. And preferably one that would work in a range of settings from sharp casual to formal depending on what shirt, tie, and shoes combination I paired it with. The obvious choice was my favorite custom blue suit from the Quinntessential Gentleman. Completely versatile and easily made to work in a variety of situations, which is what you want when suitcase space is at a premium.

I mentioned having brought a fairly large assortment of ties—12, to be specific—from my collection so I’d have the ability to chose one based on how I felt in Venice rather than how I felt when I was packing. I liked my rust colored knit for a late afternoon/early evening stroll. And although no event turned out to be black tie, I brought along my black cap toesand slim black bow tie just in case.

This Look: Blue suit by Quinntessential Gentleman Custom (similar) – White french cuff dress shirt by Brooks Brothers – Rust color knit tie by The Tie Bar (similar) – White pocket square by The Tie Bar (similar) – Brown leather plaque belt by J.Crew – Sterling silver cuff links by Tiffany & Co (similar) – Watch with brown leather strap by Timex – Sunglasses by Ray-Ban (Clubmaster) – Brown leather double monk strap shoes by To Boot New York (also try these and these)

Consejos a la hora de llevar una bufanda

Con el fin de llevar con elegancia una bufanda o un fular, hay dos reglas de base que se deben respetar. La primera consiste en combinar la bufanda con otras textura, y con los colores de la ropa. La segunda regla va dirigida a la manera en la que se anuda la bufanda.

Como la moda actual se centra en las bufandas y los fulares, es fundamental llevarlos con un estilo personalizado, no sólo para mantener el cuello caliente, sino para que la cara destaque. Con un turbante, se puede presentar un estilodiferente, sobre todo si este complemento es de color bronce, oro o anaranjado.

También se puede llevar un modelo amplio, dejando caer los picos sobre los hombros, recubriendo totalmente el busto. Un pull de lana, una pequeña cazadora pueden completar el look a la perfección. Para un estilo más étnico, se puede llevar un keffieh oriental.

Por otro lado, el fular se presenta como un complemento camaleón, porque se adapta a todo, y que suele ofrecer un look bohemio, salvaje, con cierto toque romántico. También ofrece un lado glamur, ideal para los amantes de la moda. El fular se combina muy bien con una camisa, unos jeans, y unas botas.

En verano, el fular debe ser de algodón, para un estilo mucho más cool. En otoño, el fular pega mucho con una chaqueta. En invierno, se lleva más largo y más fino, para que pueda anudarse bien alrededor del cuello y dar más calor.

El fular puede llevarse de dos modos diferentes: como una corbata, o enrollado alrededor del cuello y dejando caer los picos por la espalda.

Cómo llevar calcetines de colores o happy socks

Llevar calcetines de colores es algo que se ha hecho muy común entre los hombres que aspiran a lograr un estilo moderno y desenfadado, pero aunque la moda de los happy socks puede parecerte tan simple como el hecho de dejar entrever un par de calcetines coloridos, la verdad es que para obtener el mejor resultado posible debes tener en cuenta algunos detalles.

Por supuesto de los tonos llamativos son la clave a la hora de llevar calcetines de colores, pero también los estampados juegan un rol importante, y más aún el hecho de combinarlos con el resto de las prendas. 

En primer lugar, para lograr el efecto deseado no debes combinar el color de los calcetines con el del pantalón, sino con las prendas de arriba, ya sea una chaqueta o suéter, así como una camiseta o con el cuello de la camisa.

Para looks más formales, lo mejor es llevar calcetines de colores con calzados de piel, mientras que para outfitinformales lo mejor es utilizar calzado de gamuza, siendo el marrón uno de los tonos más adecuados para utilizar con los happy socks.

Mientras que si te decantas por los calcetines estampados, ya sea a rayas, franjas o cuadros, lo más indicado es que también utilices un estampado similar en la camisa, así como el mismo tono. Esta combinación le dará mucha elegancia a tu look, así como te hará quedar bien para una ocasión semi formal, como en una casual.

How to Determine Quality of Men’s Suits on Sale

With all the endless choices of mens suits on sale during every end of the current season, sometimes the problem for most men on the hunt for decent clothing is determining the true quality of mens suit.



So whether you are buying a so-called branded/house labeled suit or a tailored suits at a discounted rate, you must be able to judge by yourself if what you are getting into is a great deal or merely a high class rip-off.



It is ironic to note that the public consumer love to scout around the city for some shopping sales; however, there is likewise this accompanying mental distrust on the quality and viability of any things/materials on sale.



But in the case of mens suit on sale, you can start of with learning how to tell just from a cursory inspection if a particular suit has been impeccably or haphazardly done.



And to start with, there are at least four elements that you can study in your men’s suits.  



Upon receiving your suit, whether it was tailored fit for you or merely an expensive off the rack suit, you still need to inspect every little detail of it. This is especially recommended if you are buying for the first time from a particular shop or if this is your first order from a tailor house.



First, feel and inspect the fabric and stitching. Make sure that the pattern of the fabric line up at the joint especially at the shoulder, collar and pockets.



Check for any loose or undone threads as well as the alignment of the grain of the suit fabric. As for the stitching job of an immaculate mens suits, there should be at least 8 to 12 stitches per inch on it.



Do not forget also to check the stitching on the edge of the trousers. There should not be any curling or wrinkling on hemmed bottoms.



Next on the list to be scrutinized thoroughly is the design and style of the mens suit on sale. You need to ensure that right and left sides of your suit jacket and trousers are symmetrical and equal in size. To do so, fold them in half lengthwise and compare.



Meanwhile, the outside pockets must not hang loose and stay flat when being worn. The inner lining should not also extend below the hemline, although typically, mens trousers are lined just up to below the knee.



Test also the zipper by running it up and down a few times; it should run smoothly without encountering any snags.



The last on the agenda is a little detail called the buttons. Actually, even though it is a small detail in a suit, buttons are one of the easiest ways to determine the quality of any clothing apparel because it is likewise one of the things that is easy to scrimp on in expenses.



Some of the most expensive buttons are the mother of pearl types.



But in any case, in order for a suit to be worth its salt also, make sure that buttons and buttonholes are sewn tightly together using the finest threads.

Lastly, test the button job by buttoning up and down a few times.



All in all, it is important for you to be able to read these details in order to determine the quality of mens suits on sale. This way you would know if you had gotten a great or a rotten deal.

Plaid Suit Simple

I’m finally getting around to posting this look, featuring a simple and classic two-piece version of my grey plaid three-piece suit. If you remember, I dedicated a large portion of last month to showing several possible combinations of the suit, including the complete three-piece, pants and waistcoat together, jacket separate, waistcoat separate, and pants separate. It’s important to remember that even with a piece as distinctive as a plaid suit, it can still be versatile. Here’s the last in the series of six looks I’d planned for some inspiration on getting the most out of a plaid three piece suit.

Whether you are just beginning to develop your wardrobe and personal style or consider yourself a bit more seasoned, there is no going wrong wrong with a less is more approach. Simplicity always looks stylish, put together, and confident. For those with only solid suits in their closet, thinking about getting into a plaid suit might be somewhat intimidating. Keeping the rest of the look simple is a great rule of thumb and easy way to style any piece with a bold or distinctive pattern.

Remember, if and when you take the leap to get any kind of custom garment, don’t forget to add a little personal touch. A monogram on a shirt is simple and understated, but adds a whole lot of class.

This Look: Grey plaid suit c/o Reiss – Cream dress shirt c/o Alton Lane (similar here) –Sunglasses by Ray-Ban (Clubmaster) – Pocket round by Quinntessential Gentleman Handmade (similar here) – Watch with black leather band by Timex – Burgundy wingtip dress shoes c/o Johnston & Murphy

Express Your Style in Your Tailor Shirts

An impeccable and elegant custom suit may create that perfect silhouette and stylish cut of a gentleman, but without a doubt, the kind of tailor shirts he decides to wear with his suit could either break or make his overall appearance.

Oftentimes, there has been too much brouhaha over the so-called “The Perfect Suit”, and whether it is the lofty bespoke suit, a made to measure suit, or merely a ready to wear suit, that not much ado is rightfully given anymore to the fitted shirts that go with the suits.

More than any other accompanying piece of the suit, the gentleman’s tailor shirts especially the choice of color and fabric material play a vital part in enhancing and elevating one’s custom suit’s style flair.

To be sure, a gentleman’s color choice for his custom shirt, especially those bright and vibrant shades, reflects his strong confidence in his personal fashion tastes. A purple or a fuchsia-colored men’s dress shirt will certainly pop out in a charcoal grey colored custom suit.

A powder blue or royal blue men’s dress shirt is also an attention getter in a dark colored or black two-piece suit ensemble.

For additional fashion finesse, the gentleman can likewise opt to put a pocket square that is either lighter or darker in color value of his tailored shirts. Another way that a gentleman can play up his fashion flair is his selection of fabric material or cloth pattern on his fitted shirts.

Aside from a man’s elegant suit jacket, another point of starting conversation is the unique cloth pattern used in his dress shirt. Yes, sometimes, it is not just about the suit.

Certainly, a gentleman can be quite conservative in his suit style including in the cut and design. To be on the safe side and for practical reasons, he can even choose to fill up his wardrobe closet just with the classic and timeless two- or three-piece suit ensembles in black, navy blue or charcoal.

A timeless and classically designed custom suit is, after all, can be worn in variety of settings from the workplace to a social gathering. And of course one can never go wrong with timeless shirt pieces including the basic white fitted shirt.

However, if a gentleman has also an adventurous streak in him, he can express it through his choice of bespoke shirts by playing up the blend of colors and patterns.

Indeed, an impeccable and elegant suit may create for the gentleman that perfect silhouette by enhancing his physical assets while camouflaging his less than impressive body built. But if he wanted more style expressions, he can certainly do so with his unique tailor shirts.

Bespoke Suits as a Badge of Rank

There are suits and there are bespoke suits. But for those gentlemen, who like to express their rarefied tastes and connoisseurship with their purposeful pursuit for the finer things in life, bespoke tailoring is an ultimate badge of honor.

Owning a bespoke suit, which is really a suit crafted from scratch and designed to serve even the littlest of the whimsical taste of the owner, is oftentimes seen as a status symbol of those who have it good in life. And owning one is a badge of rank that should be display in its full regalia.

Being unique and the freedom to choose are, after all, two elusive commodities nowadays.

And apparently, even the mere act of looking and selecting fabrics for one’s custom made suits are something that is not totally beneath a gentleman to brag about given the right subtle opportunity.

Preferably though, it should be done on a nonchalant way so not as to be accused of being ill-mannered and uncivilized; but nevertheless, the higher the number of cloth swatches that they could utter of having selected their custom suit from the better.

These breed of men are definitely a class of their own. Men who aver that they are in awe of the superior quality and fit of bespoke suits which a ready wear suit could never hope to provide to a man; a man with a distinctive taste for the finer things in life.

These affluent clothing buffs of bespoke tailoring feel that they have already done their time catering to the fanciful dictates of other people, or what the so-called fashionistas think is the proper and trendy thing to wear. And this is aside from the mass producing clothing factories which churn out apparels for the masses with little regard to fit.

In this sense, having a bespoke suit is one trademark of affluence that a gentleman can carry and display in a subtle manner. Obviously, a man cannot lug around his private yacht or Lear jet while going about around town.

As a further evidence of badge of rank, some even go as far as calling up their tailors at the office just to impress their colleagues. Saying that you have a custom made suit is like name dropping; people will certainly take notice of you.

Indeed, there are suits for men, and then there are bespoke suits for men who wear them as a badge of rank that signifies freedom and uniqueness.