What can't you wear it with
Where can't you wear it
When can't you wear it
Who can't you wear it with
Why couldn't you wear it everydaySimple and soulful. You can buy 'em here - where they call it the 'heavyweight.' If you're stuck in Ft Wayne or worse, California, where this kind of kit is as rare as meat in 1917 Russia, O'Connell's can make it easy for you. Ask for Ethan and shoot the breeze with him for a while -- He's a good soul - - Just like this shirt.
Single needle stitching sewn in America. The RN number reveals the Fall River Shirt factory. Once closed and now reopened in Fall River, Mass. Shirt pockets today can be freakishly small or saddle bag huge. This one is just right. The oxford blue is rich looking unlike a pin point and you can bet the hand will get softer with each washing for many moons to come.
If I were a tad eccentric, I'd wear the blue button down oxford with an equally important pair of khakis, everyday for the rest of my life. No pondering for an iota of a second what to wear each morning. A uniform of sorts. Where God is in the details and the assurance of wearing the very best, for me anyway, is always about being simple with soul.
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28 comments:
"If I were a tad eccentric, I'd wear the blue button down oxford with an equally important pair of khakis, everyday for the rest of my life."
Eccentic? Why?
Sounds to me like heaven or my 1985 - 2005 wardrobe.
I agree, I believe that I could wear a blue ocbd and khaki's every day along with BB shell cordovan loafers.
The eccentric kit is a nice idea but you'd need some kickass shoes and maybe that minicheck-blue for those hot, hot days.
Buy some of those O'Connells cords and tell me if they're worth the money.
Seriously. Anywhere, everywhere.
California. I'll be willing to bet the only button-down oxfords they'll allow are on the set of Mad Men. Frankly, if you were a visitor from another planet to almost any mall in this country looking at the store displays, you'd think that the only shirt men wear are those overpriced t-shirts with crappy designs on the front.
-DB
Garry- Most folks who know me might argue I'm very eccentric. I'm with you 100% on '85-05 but what you left out 05-10. You shopping at Tom Ford now?
Anon- It's a trend!
LWing- My shoes are kickass. Blue minicheck? Haven't you heard of solid blue madras?
DB- What's a mall?
The mythic solid blue madras. Still waiting for a picture of the "Indian Madras" tag.
longwing - for you - I'll see what I can cook up. By the way, you should write a book on the rules of fabric. 'Swatching with Longwing' Nice meter.
Is this the same shirtmaker as J Press? If not, anyone know the shirtmaker for Press? Either way, getting O'Connells on the line soon.
Anon- Some of my Press shirts are RN 79513 which is Fall River. I think, but don't quote me, F.A. MacCluer also made the Press shirt for a while. Don't know if they still do. Recent shirts have no RN number at all.
I hear you on the timelessness of the blue OCBD, I do have a question, what's the fit of the O'Connell's shirt compared to say Brooks Brother's traditional fit?
An apropos posting, TinTIn. I jsut purchased one myself on a recent trip through Buffalo. Very study material, great color and excellent workmanship. Nice to see a renassiance of quality American manufactured apparel.
Look forward to the forthcoming exciting new offerings from Rancourt!
Mr. Tintin,
Where do you find that O'Connells falls in the OCBD hierarchy? How do they compare to Brooks Brothers, for instance?
Standard rig for my neighbor 365 days a year. He is an old guard turtle.Son in law organized a birthday party for him with said male guests wearing this rig. Did he notice ? Nope.
Another visit to The Trad....and another few hundred bucks subsequently spent (bought a few in white and blue). Hope you're getting at least some perks from your recommendations, aside from the gratitude of your readership.
Are the collar and cuffs lined or unlined? How does this shirt compare to the Mercer? (Your photos of the Mercer shirts back in March were superb, by the way, Weberesque almost.)
Bill - O'Connells runs larger than than Brooks by about an inch.
Old School- Sturdy is fitting. Rancourt is everywhere. And I'm happy about it.
Hilton - About an inch bigger than Brooks but the tail is shorter by an inch.
Anon- They never do.
Ox Ac- Just gratitude...So far.
Of the three, Brooks, O'Connells and Mercer:
Mercer is cut largest.
O'Connells is next.
Brooks is cut the more narrow of the three (that being relative).
great post
max
Profound. My late husband wore a blue BB OCBD and khaki's every day for certainly the last few years of his rather short life. I never thought him eccentric. He was however markedly colour blind and this was his way of avoiding sartorial blunders.
You are eccentric my man.
For once, I think I agree. Apart from the 'tad eccentric' crap, obviously.
Good call.
Fatfriend.
I was the head football coach at a school who's uniform was the blue button down and khakis. The kids could not understand why "coach" was wearing their uniform when as an adult, I wasn't required.
My explanations were lost on them, I made them run laps.
on another note, you should be nice to uncle Ralph (Lauren). He is like the gateway drug of the addiction you are pushing. Since when did the heroin dealer have beef with the weed guy?
Simple with soul. And I wore the women's version of this myself, just recently. You've gotta wear short sleeves, as a woman in this outfit, just to make clear that you are in fact female.
It sounds like Troy Shirtmakers has risen from the dead.
Any recon on O'Connell's pinpoints?
-Death Bredon
Ditch the pink shirt and top this combo with the blackwatch sport coat. It may be too subtle for your tast, but everything you wear doesn't have to scream "Look at me. Aren't I clever for breaking the rules?"
Wearing a pink OCBD with a blackwatch jacket is like hanging a big ass flat screen tv over your fireplace mantle. No room can handle two focal points, especially when layered on top of each other. Let the blackwatch, like the fire, stand out. There will be plenty of other opportunities for the pink shirt to have its day.
Gospel.
As a fashion observer, I'm sure you're familiar with "The Uniform Project." If not, Google it.
Then try it! Be influential in a meaningful way. Find a charitable cause and do it for a year. Your blue OCBD and kahkis are a man's LBD. It won't make you eccentric. It could make you interesting, even respected.
Kick it off this Friday with a return to The Friday Belt series.
O'Connell's is a great store to visit if you're in the Buffalo area. I happen to be from there and can't really recommend visiting for many other reasons, but maybe if you're going to Niagara Falls and have a rental car you could swing it.
They're got a ridiculous amount of really nice clothing strewn about, as well as accessories and so on. I can't really afford much of anything in there, but I did buy a Baracuta G9, not that I could afford that either. I eyed these Oxfords and may go back for some... once I have a job (just out of grad school).
The main guy there knows everything about the clothes, knows your size just by looking at you, and knows what will look good on you, and he's really nice about everything. A very refreshing experience, considering there aren't really any other places in the area to buy good clothes (unless you're willing to dig for the one or two good things you might find in the malls).
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