Men clothing blog

If wearing a chalk-stripe suit can cause you look like a gangster, what should one make of the flashy attire of Andre Lugovoi, the ex-KGB spook alleged to have poisoned a former Russian spy?

With its barely padded shoulders, (casual) patch pockets, and narrow lapel, this linen Paul Smith jacket has an updated Ivy League look.  The model, on the other hand, appears to be a graduate of the Malibu Surfers League.

Today, for the first time, Izzy is wearing a pair of old-fashioned armbands.  Made by esteemed braces-maker Albert Thurston of nickel-plated spring steel, they’re worn around the upper arm to shorten a shirt’s sleeves.  (In the popular …

In his Book of the Courtier, Renaissance man Baldassare Castiglione coined the much-needed, and delightful, word “sprezzatura”:

It is an art which does not seem to be an art. One must avoid affectation and practice in all things a certain sprezzatura, disdain or carelessness, so as to conceal art, and …

Swiss garmentmaker Isabodywear is introducing underwear purported to protect a man’s nether regions from cell phone radiation.  Apparently, they are made with threads of silver.  Izzy wonders if instead of donning such a “fertility …

Stephen Colbert may not be the most serious news personality/commentator/blowhard on television, but his traditionalist wardrobe is far from satirical—as it should be, being provided entirely by the all-American folks at Brooks Brothers.

However, Izzy is unaware of exactly where the fabric in those clothes is spun.

Izzy had never seen anyone wear an unbuttoned wing-collar shirt before, but at Cannes French film star Alain Delon nearly pulls it off—but certainly not the unkempt haircut or blinged-up lapel pin.

Having retailed for $4,995, you’d think this Versace suit would have been made of real, not faux, alligator. The bidding starts at “just” $298 on eBay.

Izzy has already remarked on Valentino’s other-worldly skin tone, but he now wonders whether the designer suffers from an eating disorder, and has overdosed on carrots. 

Nicholas Antongiavanni, author of The Suit: A Machiavellian Approach to Men’s Style, has written an extremely detailed article on the the pros and cons of super high-end wool for suits.  Among other things, Izzy learned that:  

Nearly every suit sold today—certainly those at the …