How often do we go outdoors anymore. No, I don’t mean going to work, or to your favorite pub. I mean to go away from habitation, into a forest, into the hills. Take a walk, smell the flowers, wrestle bears, you know. This outfit isn’t for those times. This is for when you want to look like you wrestle bears before tea in the afternoon.
Brown is a very versatile color that I have very little of in my wardrobe. This is because I like very few shades of the color and I prefer to wait until I find an item in just the right shade before I pop the tag. These brogue boots from Bellfield for example, were exactly what I was looking for, without any luck for about a year now. In chocolate, as they call this colorway, they come with a burnished toe. I’d eat ’em if I could. Do not wear bootcut jeans, you are not a cowboy. And make sure to get a good pair of boot socks to prevent chafing. Yes, it is a real problem.
Work-wear, like denim and boots will never go out of style as long as men, well go to work. We may have swapped our axes for keyboards but jobs are jobs. Getting this look isn’t just about sticking with drab colors and cuts from the prohibition era however. Small details like brogueing on your boots, or cuffing your shirts and trousers can take you from looking like an accountant to looking like Chris Pratt in the new Jurassic Park movie. Maybe.
A bright tie is a great way to jazz up what would be considered a dull outfit. Orange works very well with blue. A tie bar may not be a necessity when wearing a waistcoat but it does a great job of holding down the center of the outfit, pulling your eye to the tie.
The waistcoat or vest is an essential part of menswear and is the slimmest garment that a man can wear. Meant to sit very close to the body, they always come with odd numbered buttons, because having an even number of buttons effectively cuts the torso in half. If you are tall, go for a seven button vest.
The most important dimension of a waistcoat is it’s length. It must fully cover the waistband of your trouser without letting any shirt fabric show. And always leave the last button undone, so that you can sit without popping like microwave popcorn.
I was so overcome with emotion that I hugged this bamboo shoot right after this picture was taken. Need to get back to trekking and running trails. For now all I seem to be doing is running after money. A futile endeavor. Nature is a lot more rewarding.
Shirt from Byford
Jeans from American Bull
Waistcoat from Code
Boots from Bellfield
Images by Roshan Chikodi
