Fit your Body, Fit your Face
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Kevin Godbee - Jun 11, 2014
- 15 min read
Steve Morrisette
There are three main elements that warrant close consideration in a gentleman’s or lady’s sartorial choices.
These are fit, fabric and style. Fit is overwhelmingly the most important. It actually deserves more attention than the other two combined. This is because fit has the most profound effect on our visual impression and our physical (and psychological) comfort.
Proper fit makes the most of a garment’s potential to feel good on, move well with us, draw a flattering line and enhance all other elements of a garment and an outfit.
Fit is ultimately a balance. Balance is a harmony of all the elements and fit is the foundation supporting the balanced whole of all the elements of cut, style, fabric, color pattern, touch and visual appeal.
As I have written in previous columns, it is wise to become familiar with brands, designers and their lines that tend to fit your body type best. This goes a long way in simplifying shopping and can help save money when you watch for sales of those labels that work best for you.
Several years and some fifty pounds ago, the BOSS line from Hugo Boss and the MANI line from Armani were perfect for me. They had great fabrics, designs and a silhouette that really worked for me. Fuller cut through the body with almost no waist suppression and lightly constructed shoulders, their jackets were virtually made for me. Minimum tailoring for sleeve length was occasionally needed, but that was it. I was a 44 regular, and I looked great. Now I am generally a 38 regular. The BOSS and MANI lines, even in 38 or 36 are still way too large in the upper chest and waist. They are just too full and cause me to look too thin and a bit frail. No amount of tailoring can help.
This brings up another point. If your body has significantly changed sizes up or down, wearing your old wardrobe is not going to work well.
In my case, too large shirt collars caused me to appear gaunt and sickly – not a great look for anyone, especially a graying and "mature" guy. Conversely, those that have gone up in size will be uncomfortable in tight, restrictive, too small garments, with tugging fabric seams, and the inability to button jackets. Plus, shirt collars and trousers that are so tight the pockets are useless – just makes you look " fat".
Here I can say I share a very similar sartorial challenge with my portly brothers in that off the rack clothes generally do not work well for me, at least, not with the ease of my old friends by Mssrs. Boss and Armani. I am virtually the same size I was in high school. The problem is that I look silly in the current styles made for 18-25 year old men.
I am searching for lines and designers that will work for my current shape and size. Canali is quite workable and the clothes are very nice, but far too pricey to be worth the cost because I still must have tailoring done. More than just sleeve adjustments are required on the Canali, Zegna and other of the better OTR (off-the-rack) labels.
So, what are we to do? Very tall, very short, very muscular, thin and portly gentleman are truly going to have to put in some extra effort to find clothes that have the useful basic architecture that can then be tailored to be comfortable and allow us to really look well in our clothes.
Here again, the services of a good tailor are required. First we must find the OTR garments that have the correct fit in the critical areas. I discussed these in a previous column at length. Basically in the upper body the shoulders and collar must fit well off the rack. Sleeves and torso can be altered (within reason) to give a comfortable and flattering line that is for your body.
Trousers must fit snugly, but comfortably at the waist, or where ever you will place the waist and the seat and crotch must be very close to correct. From there your tailor can adjust the thighs, length, seat and leg openings for comfort, freedom of movement and a very good looking line. I have to say, the first time I had a properly fitting pair of pants that absolutely required no belt, were comfortable walking and sitting and looked great through the thigh and seat was a revelation. BTW – if you need a belt to hold up your trousers with a wallet, car keys and your lighter in the pockets, they don’t fit!
Since using a tailor is virtually a given when purchasing OTR clothing, the cost of his/her services should be factored in to determine the overall cost of a new garment. This is a very important point. A lovely Canali suit on huge markdown at Nordstrum Rack or Saks Off 5th could become a poor bargain if it will require another $150 -$200 worth of tailoring to fit well. This goes for any garment. Thus, I tend to seek out good quality garments from less expensive labels and spend the difference on proper custom tailoring. The bottom line is this: a beautifully styled garment of fabulous fabric and color/pattern or weave from an elite fashion house, when not properly fitted, cannot ever look as well as a " lesser " label with a custom fitted silhouette and appropriate color/pattern for your body. This is the absolute: Fit trumps all.
Recently a reader Kevin Godbee encountered at the just past Chicago Pipe Expo requested information and advice on fitting a very tall man. Not knowing if he is a Dolph Lungren, NBA forward or a bean pole type, I decided to address the topic of body types and good choices and practices for the diverse range of fit challenges amongst our readership.
First of all, it is necessary to realistically assess our current body types and then learn what principles can apply to enable us to look our very best.
Here I will list a few general principles and then expand on them a bit as they apply to specific body types.
In general, fabrics with more weight, thickness or looser weave that drape well will improve the look and apparent fit of any garment. Wools that are finely woven, merinos and cashmere for example, can be cool enough for all but the hottest weather. Please don’t discount wool in warm weather. The right weight and weave can be very comfortable and have a nice drape that resists wrinkles and helps to define a good line in a well cut garment. Also in warm weather wool blended with silk, cotton or linen can look terrific and be quite comfortably breathable as well.
Coarsely woven linen jackets that are half-lined, or unlined, can be so light that you may actually get chilly as the sun goes down – especially at the beach. The marvelous new fabric Fresco is a wonderful choice for a summer suit if it’s rather dear cost doesn’t put you off.
Most folks opt for cotton or "performance" polyesters in very hot weather. Sometimes these can be a poor choice. Closely woven cotton, twills and even some light denims can be surprisingly hot in the summer. Here the weight and weave is crucial, though they are all prone to gain and hold wrinkles.
Light fabrics – poplin shirts and chinos, and seersucker are the way to go for the extra hot days and nights. And of course, linen and linen blends are the king of fabrics during the hot, humid dog days.
Performance polyesters can work very well, but styles are limited and stylish cuts are rare. Also, one tiny hot ash can destroy a shirt or pair of trousers in an instant, so if you are planning to have a pipe or fine cigar – and when are you not? – natural fabrics are a better choice and give you a fighting chance to save your investment and your dignity.
Ok, so allow me to list a few more specific principles and suggestions for some general body types.
For the tall folks:
1). Garments that are too tight tend to make you look too tall and like you are outgrowing your 8th grade wardrobe. Go too loose and you will appear skinnier than you already are – if you are slender.
2). Generally 3 button suits and jackets work best. A higher gorge is often good too, depending on the overall cut of the coat. Double breasted jackets can kick butt for you.
3). Broad or very pronounced vertical stripes are usually a poor choice for tops or bottoms. Horizontal stripes and patterns can help de-emphasize a very tall impression.
4). Hats with very broad brims or very "stingy" brims look awkward. A fuller brim on a really big man is ok- be he portly or buff.
5). Neckties, as well as all other garments, come in "Tall" lengths. Go a touch wider, but not too wide for the lapels of your jacket.
6). Vests with jackets and suits can look quite nice, again avoiding those pronounced stripes.
7). Trouser length is always critical. I would avoid the shorter lengths currently en vogue and perhaps go a touch longer with a bit more cuff.
8). Avoid short rain and overcoats also en vogue. If anything go a bit longer.
The above generally applies to taller men, regardless of girth.
For the average height/weight people:
1). Wear whatever the hell you want as long as it fits well.
2). Designers tend to create for you. Patterns and cut is not a major concern for you. And, by the way, we all hate you.
The shorter fellows:
1). One or two button jackets work best. Avoid three button suits unless you really look smashing in a particular find. Avoid wide lapels. Double breasted coats too, unless you happen upon a very sleek four button model.
2). Vertical stripes and patterns are for you guys. Avoid bold horizontal stripes as if they were a process server.
3). Bold patterns up top with subdued trousers can tend to pull an observers eye up to your face. This is good.
4). Avoid vests in general except the low cut "U" shaped gorge types. Here again, stripes are effective to lengthen your appearance.
5). The somewhat shorter pants length can work for you, just avoid looking like that they’ve shrunk in the dryer.
6). Do your best to match the color of your socks to your trousers. This will appear to lengthen your body. And wear above the calf socks with all long pants. This is universal regardless of body type.
7). Medium to moderately wide hat brims are great. Avoid pork pies with tiny brims. They can make you look like an off duty circus clown.
8). No wide ties.
9). Avoid long or tall shirt collars.
10). Avoid long over coats, rain coats and very bulky cable knit sweaters – unless your mom knitted it; and then you’re just screwed.
Let me say here that the following applies to the rotund gentleman and also to size/weight proportionate men that are just big guys.
Body builders, pro ball players and just plain king size guys can all employ these ideas. I will, however, skew these items toward what fine tailors refer to as the portly gentleman. And make no mistake, such men can, and do, cut a dashing figure when expertly fitted. To wit; Jackie Gleason, Winston Churchill and David Suchet as Hercule Poirot on the BBC are but a few of such sartorial titans.
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Properly fitting garments always enhance the appearance, regardless of the body type. Well fitting clothes are also just more comfortable. Many overly rotund gentlemen make the mistake of assuming that donning garments one or two sizes too large will serve to obscure the appearance of being overweight. This is not only an error, it actually emphasizes elements that play into the heartlessly ignorant notion that large, portly folks are " lazy, fat slobs" that have "let themselves go".
Well, don’t play into that cruel ignorance. Oversized clothing hangs off the body and draws attention to one’s size and certainly, by being a very poor fit, tends to look careless and sloppy. Can you imagine Jackie Gleason, the Fred Astaire of the large, wearing a suit that was one or two sizes too large? It’s a ridiculous notion. Never was there a more elegant and graceful portly gentleman. Those of you under a certain age will not know Mr. Gleason – one of the greatest comedic actors of all time. So, to you I say Google "Poirot" on the BBC and see David Suchet dressed in his fabulous suits and traveling outfits. He is sublime beyond compare. Bear in mind his Hercule Poirot lives in the Art Deco period of the 1920’s and 30’s; a time of superb style.
For the large and portly gentleman:
These guidelines should be combined with a height appropriate approach employed in the previously presented sections.
1). Not too tight, nor too baggy. Again, fit, fit, fit.
2). Subdued, small figured patterns are for you. Narrow vertical stripes that are not too bold look very nice and slimming. (Looking slimmer, even if you have a bangin’ bods the way to elegance. Just look at Daniel Craig dressed as 007.)
3). Vests can be very useful, again well fitted and with the right pattern/colors. Avoid narrow ties, especially with wider lapels.
4). Wider lapels really work on a big man.
5). Shirt collar proportion is very important. Too tall can exacerbate the "no neck" look. Too short and too tight is uncomfortable for you and for others to see.
6). Always avoid overly large knots in your neckties.
7). Bowties only work if you have a longer neck and proper collar dimension. They can look great though.
8). Bulky knits are usually a poor choice.
9). Always try to get dual vented suit jackets and blazers. They give a smoother line.
10). Double breasted coats and jackets with peak lapels can be a good choice.
Here are some shirt examples that may help you cement your understanding of some of the above. The column on the right show poor choices for large guys. The left side offers better alternatives from the same label. All are available from PatrickJames.com.
Well, if I haven’t offended everyone yet, perhaps this next bit will be the coups de gras.
Fit Your Face
As noted in previous columns, fashion is so often a superficial affectation. Style is self-expression of substance and so choosing a pipe can definitely be an element of style.
Many pipe smokers never think a lot about how they look smoking a pipe, never mind considering how a particular pipe or pipe shape alters their appearance to others. And that is, of course, perfectly fine. Fine even for those of us concerned with our personal style and manner of dress. I never think of a pipe as a fashion accessory.
For many years I made a living analyzing faces in the viewfinder of my Nikons. Thus, I habitually notice details that most others ignore. I always considered it my obligation to make people look their best in a shot, especially if they were the client. And I made an even greater effort if they were trusting me as a photojournalist. (Unless such presentation would materially distort the facts of the situation.)
All this is to say I think about, among other things, how the shape of a pipe can effect one’s appearance.
I think everyone, if only subconsciously, takes note of pipe shapes, especially if one is clenching the pipe. As extreme example of this; when we see someone smoking an uncommon shape, like a large traditional calabash, a churchwarden or one of the new stubby dual chamber pipes, we notice they tend to impart a whimsical look, or at least seem conspicuous.
Further, particular pipes can enhance or make for a positive augmentation to one’s overall visual presentation. Actually, any pipe at all makes an impression these days.
Please allow me to make some admittedly personal and quite subjective observations on the subject of pipe shapes and our mugs.
Generally, I would say that those with large and/or mostly round and oval faces look best with medium to larger shapes, bent or straight. Billiards, brandys, apples or even blowfish and egg shapes all seem an agreeable fit. Such folks might avoid stubby nosewarmers and short or squat bulldogs and Rhodesians. In fact, any noticeably abbreviated shape seems a bit out of place with this facial type. If you are a big guy or lady, medium to larger pipes seem "right".
Very slender or diminutive sized folks look more balanced with smaller pipes. Picture a shorter and/or smaller person with a huge freehand. Now conjure the same smoker puffing on a medium to smaller apple or bent billiard. Would you agree? Just as a portly gentleman might wish to avoid large polka dot shirt patterns, so too can it be well to apply the same care in choosing a pipe shape when thinking about one’s overall visual impression. I have included a crude graphic to help illustrate these notions:
Ok, the above not withstanding, I would never choose to purchase or smoke a particular pipe solely on how I will appear smoking it. There is a long list of qualities that, to me, take much greater precedence. Still, in all, my old photographer’s eye does exert it’s influence. Cheers and happy smoking to all, whatever choice you make.
the Gentleman Smoker’s Tip:
It is still not too late to get some great deals on clearance items from the Fall and Winter of this past season. Look for staple items like solid color slacks and sweaters. Jeans, or denims, as they are now termed, are also marked to go out the door. If you don’t have a three month blue blazer, now is a good time to try and find one, though those and white dress shirts usually go pretty fast. Try the nicer departments stores and then plan to hit the T J Maxx, Marshalls and such in the same day as Nordstrum and Dillards, Bloomingdales, etc. will likely have moved their unsold stock to the outlets and discounters. Be patient and diligent and you may well be rewarded with some great finds. Happy hunting.
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Steve Morrisette is an artisan pipe maker, relentlessly snappy dresser, and self-confessed Virginia gentleman. He makes artisan pipes for discerning collectors, and scours the internet and shops of all types seeking information and fine garments, hats, watches, shoes, and jewelry – anything related to the gentleman’s lifestyle. Steve also spent several decades as a working drummer and photographer/photojournalist. You can find his pipes at www.smpipes.com, and catch his style photos and latest pipes on Facebook and Instagram. |
Written by Kevin Godbee
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Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 636. Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with Barry Kane. Barry started smoking a pipe in 1961 when he was 14-years old. Back then it seemed like everybody smoked, and you could buy pipes and tobacco just about anywhere. Barry is a true old-school pipe smoker, sticking to just one blend. See if you can guess which one before listening. At the top of the show Brian will give his take on Scandinavian Tobacco Group’s purchase of Mac Baren and Sutliff Tobacco and their announcement that they will be shut down.
There’s a pipe in my collection that I cannot bring myself to smoke, though I’ve had it for more years than I care to recall. It’s old, or shall I say, well experienced; that experience, that oldness came to it long before it was in my possession. The pipe is an old Comoy’s Grand Slam from the 1940s. The shape (#93), a slightly canted, stack billiard (sometimes referred to as a Belgian) is right up my alley, and it’s a beautiful example of it. It came to me with some wear and tear; nothing unusual for an old pipe, but more the signs of one that has been well loved, smoked a lot, treated as a favorite tool, cherished, in a sense, by frequent use. It’s the pipe equivalent of a vintage car that’s been driven a lot, enjoyed fully and maintained adequately, rather than one kept in a spotless garage, dusted and detailed weekly, brought out only for leisurely Sunday drives, or to be ogled behind the ropes at the next Concours d’Elegance. When it arrived, those uncounted years ago, it wanted a little restoration. Nothing dramatic needed to be done to it, but the stem was oxidized, the finish a little dingy. The cake was even and fairly thin, and the airway was relatively clean, both signs that its previous owner cared for it, but the bowl’s surface was a little drab and dull. It took little effort to reveal its beauty, to show the lovely contrasted stain and interesting grain beneath the old wax. I often think I should do before and after photos of pipes that I work on, but those thoughts always come after the work’s been done. This one would have been a great illustration of how years of handling that can sometimes make a pipe more beautiful, can other times make it just look grungy. Once I’d cleaned up the externals, it was time to address the inside bits. I approach this a little bassackwards, I realize. It would be more sensible to take care of the inside before addressing the outside, but it’s how I roll. If an old pipe isn’t pretty to look at, it’s unlikely that I’ll care much about it, and cleaning is usually the hardest part, or at least the most boring part of any restoration for me. Alcohol and pipe cleaners. Lots of pipe cleaners. That’s why I leave it for last. Sometimes, I’ll even give a pipe a test smoke before a deep cleaning, just for a point of reference. I gave it a sniff to get an idea of what I was up against, and it stopped me cold. There in that bowl was an aroma that I had not smelled in decades. My head was instantly filled with memories of being in the back room of a fabled Berkeley tobacconist’s shop where I stumbled upon a few jars of long discontinued blends. One of them, a blend called Forty and Eight, had the most engaging and unusual scent of any tobacco I’d stuck my schnoz into. It was sweet, but not in a candy store way. There were none of the usual vanilla, cherry, berry or anise notes of typical aromatics, nothing that could be compared to aftershave or deodorant soap, but something almost musky, a little earthy, something exotic. The shop’s owner couldn’t tell me what was in it, how, or where it had been produced. The old blend had been retired before he’d bought the place. The printed catalogue gave no clues, either, other than being overprinted with the word “DISCONTINUED” in bold, rubber-stamp type. (And, I don’t recall it as being “highly aromatic” as the description indicates.) There was still quite a bit in the jar. Being, at that point, an intrepid explorer of all kinds of tobaccos, whether I thought I’d like them or not, I had to give it a try. It was burly based, but also comprised a good measure of virginia leaf, and maybe some other varieties; I didn’t have enough experience at the time to really pick it apart. But, that aroma was unlike anything I’d experienced before or since. It was something now completely lost to time. Until it wasn’t. Memories are powerful things, and there is no sense more tightly bound to memory than our sense of smell. One whiff was all it took to carry me back in time, conjuring a vivid recollection of something long submerged in the inky depths of a subconscious mind. Look, I know as well as anyone that pipes are meant to be smoked, and that many feel it almost sacrilegious to have a pipe and not set it to its intended task. In this case, I simply can’t. I won’t. Ever. Rationally, I am fairly certain this pipe would probably be a great smoke. It was too well loved by its previous caretaker to be anything less than that. My choice not to smoke it is an emotional one, not something rational. Of the thousands of pipes that have passed through my hands over the years, this is the only one to create such a singular and vivid, almost Proustian recollection of temps perdu, of lost time. It revivified a long dormant memory that is mine, and mine alone, and that’s enough. I keep it in a drawer with other old English pipes. In some ways, it’s nothing special, just a nice old pipe. I don’t lavish it with any particular care that arguably befits the hidden treasure that it holds. It’s not in a special box, or displayed preciously in a glass cabinet. Every once in a while, I take it out, point my nose bowlwards, and every time, those memories return just as powerfully as they did the first time. I have no idea how long it’s been since its last owner smoked it, but in the years I’ve had it, there seems to have been very little degradation of the aroma, and that’s […]
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 635. Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with James Ravenwood. James is the boutique tobacco blender of Ravenwood Blends. His blending started out as a fun hobby, and he now has professionally packaged commercially available products with some great tin art. Part of his interest in pipe smoking goes back to fond memories of a retired Navy Veteran that lived on his street while he was growing up that would sit in his driveway smoking a pipe all day. Later, in 2011 he began smoking pipes and soon after started experimenting with mixing different tobaccos. His other hobby, that he has been doing for 30 years, is photography. He takes wonderful photos of outdoor spaces, and still life pictures of pipes and tobacco. You can see them on his Instagram @thebriarfellowship. At the top of the show we’ll have an Ask the Pipemaker segment with renowned pipe artisan Jeff Gracik.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 634! Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with Warren Ertle. Warren is an extremely accomplished musician with a PhD in music. He started early as a percussionist in sixth grade. Later his grandmother got him a cheap Casio keyboard which he taught himself to play. He started playing in blues bands in high school, and has been a pianist with jazz big bands for years. Even though he was already a professional musician, he took his first real piano lesson when he enrolled in college with his studies in classical music. He is of course a pipe smoker. At the top of the show we will have an Ask the Tobacco Blender segment with Jeremy Reeves. Jeremy is the Head Blender at Cornell & Diehl, which is one of the most popular boutique pipe tobacco companies in the USA.
Soon now, supposedly, our neighborhoods will shift from grinning pumpkins, skeletons in various assortments, and zombies dashing about to pretty reindeer, angels, and flashing lights illuminating homes with sparkling stars and laughing, scurrying Santas. But, lest we forget, there is the turkey season, fancy pie aromas wafting from kitchens, and a national pardon of a big Tom Turkey. Remember, now, that only one of these holiday personalities is a pipe smoker. And that is the hefty, bearded fellow in a bright red suit sitting in a sleigh with a herd of deer hitched up and ready to streak across the globe, bringing tidings of joy and many presents. Ok, the scene is set for the next couple of months, right? So, before we get too far off the beaten path, let’s just take a deep breath of fresh autumn air, shall we? Ahh. That’s better, isn’t it? What’s got the Pundit in a snit is not all the Halloween spooks who came a-jostling for candy. Or the wild turkeys gobbling in the backwoods or all the fuss and feathers over the big one—Christmas. No, it is that we might need to take note of all the little things that mean so much to us. Like a good sunrise (seriously, Pundit has not gone all Pollyanna.) Mayhaps we need to appreciate more of what we have than what we have not. Or something like that. Like, a good pipe in the morning with coffee as the dawn brings us coolish weather now that we have flipped the calendar to autumn. But it also brings beautiful leaves that have become a spectacle of technicolor in the wind. It is the little things. The rereading of an enjoyable book and finding something you did not see or learn in the first go-round. Or a stunning phrase you commit to memory with the re-read, while smoking that favorite pipe. And you notice a superior puff that just seems to be different. It’s in the air and the seasons of meaningful little things. It’s aromatic! Or perhaps it is that sense of satisfaction knowing and appreciating you made it to another day. With the world in a kind of rinse-and-repeat history, reminiscent of a Shakespearean play, it is perhaps a good moment to remember some of Pipedom’s philosophers whose cogent thoughts brought light to clear a path in the mists of confusion and confounding opinions. Ok. No gloom and doom. Just some down-home thoughts. Think of times in the past when history was running off the rails. It took our pipe-smoking thinkers (the mind workers of the world) to speak of better pathways to more light. Think for a moment, with a pipe in hand, these wizards of the world and word: Albert Einstein, J. R.R. Tolkien, Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Edwin Hubble, Bertrand Russell, C. S. Lewis, and Jean-Paul Sartre. All learned and enlightened. They offered wisdom instead of storms of meaningless roads to nowhere. All while smoking their pipes! Maybe especially with the help of their pipes in the art of thinking and philosophy. Recall the words of Mr. E=MC2 when he said, “I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs.” Amen and amen! Dealing with world-rattling events takes a calm and objective view of things, to the Pundit’s way of summing it up. You just don’t go messing around with quantum physics without a calm and objective approach, methinks. Or as the extraordinary physicist Robert Oppenheimer said after he and a team in the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos Labs developed a way to split atoms into bombs during World War II. “I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds,” said Oppenheimer referring to the development of the first nuclear bombs dropped on Japan. It must be pointed out that Oppenheimer was more of a cigarette smoker than a pipe smoker. Nonetheless, pipes were part of his personality. Now, if you have read some of the great authors of the past and present, their pipes were always nearby. Reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle can be a three-pipe problem at times. S. Lewis and Jean-Paul Sartre require time with your pipes to reflect on the existential problems and solutions these authors provide in learned novels and other narratives. Or take Edwin Hubble and Bertrand Russell, philosophers of another world. Pipes are required for reading. The quantum lode of ideas Pundit is attempting to sort out is that our pipes are relaxing and stimulate our thoughts and creativity. Especially in these last months of the year. Many times Pundit has had that light bulb flick on while smoking my beloved pipes. And friends in Pipedom, it ain’t easy to turn on the lights in Pundit’s rock pit head. Now it’s time for a quote from a Pipe Smoker of the Past. Shelby Foote was born Nov. 17, 1916, in Greenville, Miss., and died June 27, 2005, in Memphis, Tenn. A fact is not a truth until you love it—Shelby Foote. A parting thought: It is said that famed Southern author William Faulkner carried a packed pipe in a coat pocket wherever he went. That’s one effective way to deal with workday conflicts and confusion. A calm and objective judgment in our everyday human affairs, as the quantum man said.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 633. Our featured guest tonight is Jon David Cole. JD is the Owner/Tobacconist at The Country Squire in Jackson, MS, and the accompanying online store. We’ll have JD and Brian talking about what’s new at the store and in the business in general. At the top of the show, Brian will discuss tobacco growing, what happens to the leaf, and provide updated information on where tobacco is being gown today. Tobacco production originated in the United States and we were once the #1 producer. It’s quite different now.
Not to be mean about my fellow males, but as a group, we are notoriously oblivious to how we look. Guys put a cowboy hat with a sports jersey with plaid shorts and hippie sandals and figure they’re pretty dapper. I THINK I’m sort of aware of my clothing, but then I see some fool reflected in a store window and start to laugh and realize … it’s ME. When men stood on the commuter train platform in their suits and fedoras, smoking pipes, the pipes really were a fashion accessory and carefully considered as such. Today, with smoking so restricted, it’s harder to think that way. But in a moment of honesty, I have to confess, I have never owned a pipe that I didn’t check out myself smoking in the mirror. A cob looks good with jeans and a plaid shirt or t-shirt. A briar with a metal band goes well with a sports jacket and tie. I have a Peterson ebony Killarney high gloss black B11 brand that is actually described as a dress pipe. Somehow, I have never had occasion to smoke it dressed up, though I have been know to wear a suit or my tux which would go with it admirably — just nowhere that smoking is permitted. I’m waiting for the day. Meantime, I enjoy the pipe in my bathrobe, etc. When you get it right, and appear before others with the right pipe and outfit, it’s a good image for pipe smokers everywhere. For guys who want to “put on the dog” (that means dress well) and are on a budget, you can pick up some pretty good suits at Goodwill and other thrift shops; just have them dry cleaned, then probably adjusted for a few bucks by a storefront tailor, and you can dress as well as most. Don’t neglect to consult your wife or girlfriend (or both? just kidding) to put together the suit, shirt, tie and shoes. Women do this well, most men not so much. The old joke: “I’ll wear any damned thing I want! Honey, what do I want to wear?” Solid color suits — blue, gray, or black usually — go with a lot of different shirts and ties. Steer clear of patterns if you only keep one or two suits. And keep one pair of dress shoes; black is most versatile.
When I’m out in public dressed in my best Hulk Hoagan wife beater (complete with red sauce stains), Daisy Duke shorts and bright green flip flops with knee high black socks, the X-rated meer hanging from my asymmetric mug, commands ALL the attention. I get so much respect that usually, everyone crosses the street just so I can have the sidewalk all to myself!!
Joking aside I’d have to agree with HPD. Eyeglasses can alter the appearence greatly and it’s one choice I really take my time with. Being a typical American male who hates to shop, especially for clothes and such, I do spend quite a bit of time trying different frames until I’m comfortable with at least 3 selections. At that point I let my wife assist in the final selection. Glasses can be percieved in the same vein as body language in my opinion. Some frames worn by others lead me to pass judgement on their political leanings and other persuasions. Whether or not I’m right or wrong in doing this there are signals that one can broadcast simply by the choices they make in eyeglass frames. No reason to think otherwise in pipe selection at least what’s viewed publically. If you go out on the town with a Cavalier hanging from your face, your bound to draw some snide remarks.
I definitely lack to funding necessary to dress as well as I would like, but this is an interesting read. As an optician, I totally understand the importance of balancing one’s face shape with facial accessories, which would of course include the pipe. It would be interesting to delve into this further- in eyeglass fitting, you either try to repeat or contrast facial characteristics depending on the desired effect. I would think this not only applies to pipe size and shape, but also color, texture, etc.
I like your point settersbrace- How one dresses is not only based on what looks good. I often have patients try on glasses that look great and fit great, but they don’t like them because they look too youthful, conservative, flamboyant, boring, etc. People use the way they dress to send important cultural cues. I would never wear a blue blazer around town, to me that says, “I am wealthy and fancy”- neither statement would sit well with my peer group. The mere fact that someone smokes a pipe suggests to me that they are an individualist and a bit of a character. If someone is smoking a cheap drugstore pipe, I think they are probably an ex-cigarette smoker who probably knows next to nothing about pipe smoking. If someone is smoking a churchwarden, I think they are probably a fantasy book nerd. These are my own interpretations, it would be interested what those people’s intended cues are, if any.
Wow!! That is a great article. I haven’t read an article like that is men’s fashion is a while. I bought a book on how to dress that was the only guide I had for a while. Details and GQ usually don’t have that quality of advice. Usually they just put together some outfits with some price tags and call it a day. Looking forward to reading more. It makes sense that pipes and style go together. Well, atleast I think they do.
Thank you all for the kind words and interesting comments.They are not only much appreciated, but quite valuable.
Your feedback and comments are always welcome and encouraged!
I have to say that it seems somewhat sad that wearing a blue blazer around town would cause one to be perceived as saying to the world: “I am wealthy and fancy”.
As I quoted in a previous column: “Looking good isn’t self-importance, it’s self respect.” – Charles Hix
To hiplainsdrifter I would say that you might give it a try and perhaps others will surprise you. After they quit asking when your court date is, are you looking for a job or “Going to a wedding?” The usual joshing one gets when you begin to dress a bit more elegantly – you may find that your friend accept you well.
Heck, they’re your friends right? And others a going to think what they will anyway… So, sweat it not, say I.
I can tell you for a true fact, as they say in Texas; women really love it. And that ain’t all bad.
Cheers,
Steve
Steve; another well written and informative article. As a pipe seller I concur with you whole heartedly. Sometimes I am amazed at the variety of pipes a client might purchase. While we all hope to acquire pipes that smoke great, sometimes it might be wise to also think about the size and shapes of what we buy.
Regards
Michael J. Glukler
Thanks Michael!
Folks, Michael is an asset to the pipe community and a standup guy.
Don’t let the fact that he is a musician put you off.
We musicians can’t help ourselves!! 8^)
I confess that I’m a clothes moron. It’s not that I don’t care how I look, but my consciousness is so completely otherwise occupied by matters that I find much more important, I never get close to any matters related to dress. Now I realize that we are judged by our appearance, but I simply don’t care, or care enough. More importantly dressing well costs, which to me ranks very far down in my budget, below critical matters such as pipes, pipe tobacco, pipe accessories, cigars, humidors, hygrometers, moisture-maintaining beads and cigar accessories:).
Dear 4nogginsmike,
While I do not share your approach, I CERTAINLY appreciate the sentiments,
and I doubt you are a clothes moron. Your priorities do not strike me in the least bit moronic.
I also very much appreciate that you are a reader and if you stay tuned, you’ll find many
methods to reduce the required outlay for clothes in the future.
They are consumables, after all. 8^)
BTW – I have come across unworn, still with the tags on, clothing at the GoodWill.
This is occasional, but it happens. Especially at locations frequented by the more financially
endowed communities.
Cheers,
Steve