Classic scooters. The most fascinating of all two-wheeled vehicles. Why ride fast and look like a blur when you can cruise and add some lovely color to the bland roads of today. It works the same way with clothes. Why not add some color to your wardrobe. Even a little bit goes a long way.
Marsala may be Pantone’s color of the year but my colors of the year are definitely Orange and Blue. They play really well together in all kinds of shades as you can see here, Indigo jeans with a light Blue printed shirt and an Orange knit tie. And demonstrated here is the right way to sit on a park bench.
Lambrettas and Vespas are a big part of the’Mod’ culture that grew in London in the 1960’s, as a result of the youth attempting to break away from stiff post-war fashion and style by adopting slimmer French and Italian silhouettes and pop-art prints. This outfit is my take on the Mod look, tailored for the harsh Indian summer. As you can see, anyone looks good on a curvy classic Vespa.
Here’s a closer look at the print and yes, Scooters! Note the usage of the spread collar on this shirt. Spread collars are called so because the gap between the collar points is wider and it works better with thinner faces and bulkier ties or larger tie knots. Spread collars are classic. Collars define shirts. Shirts define men. So know your collars! I threw in the anchor tie bar without any thought. Some things need to be done that way, wear what you feel.
Orange socks to go with the tie and some laced up brogues complete this outfit. Some of the more astute among you may have seen that the back blade of my tie is slightly longer than the front. This was done on purpose, my attempt at a little ‘Sprezzatura’. More on this in a future post.
Pigeons are a pain to work with but I love photographs that use negative space, what I love more is photographs like this one that show movement in that space. Does that still make it negative?
PS: Roman Holiday is a great old movie starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Watch it!
Scooter Print Shirt from Mast & Harbor
Knit Tie from Jack n Jones
Anchor Tie Bar from Asos
Brogues from Clarks
Foldable Wayfarers from D-Struct
Scooters courtesy Bangalore Classic Scooter Club