Shouting!

Whenever you dress casually you clearly are not bound by many rules. In fact, you should do whatever you want to do within reason. Consider practicality and pleasure. Yet, do not forget to wear one thing that shouts!

If your like any of my non-African friends your asking me what I mean. Well, Africans are not as bound by the rules of color Westerners follow. Colors don't imply orientation or sex, they are just colors. We simply wear what we like and think nothing about color matching. We also will wear any colors together yet somehow there is a harmony there. We never really ponder the colors we just work on feeling. 'Feeling' is very important to any African art. Our artwork works on two principles that contrast each other artifice and the natural. Dressing is no different. Feeling is simply a sense of harmony that a work of art has in its entirety, taken as a whole. Things without feeling are not considered art. This idea only matters because Africans tend to use high contrast in works of art. For example, loud colors, busy patterns, and the use of realistic and abstract elements all in the same body of work. For those two cousins to get along feeling must be present. Keep this in mind as we explore shouting.

Shouting, literal translation from several East African tongues, refers to the element that contrasts the most. This shouting element can be as simple as a contrasting texture, a print, a color, or a change in formality, or informal element in a formal article. Africans naturally do this. We'll combine the traditional printed cloth with a odd coat and come up with an interesting looking odd coat. I for one, take a Kente cloth and have it sewn into a pocket square. The square's pattern shouts so loudly other Africans and the cognoscenti can spot it's origin. Shouting adds style and flare to your entire look. Italians seem to have something similar and they call it sprezzatura; from what I can gather it seems to be attached to the man doing it. It also is not exactly contrast but not doing something in the normal way. Many copy each other on purpose instead of developing out of the natural. Shouting is attached to the element, the article, or the contrasting aspect. Shouting also is never affected or forced it is developed naturally. An example of this is Ozwald Boateng. His entire line is all about shouting, ignore the cut and fabrics. His ability to style is principled in shouting. If you have a chance at looking at some of his looks you'll begin to see the common thread. Now, just like in real life shouting can be done to some one in the same room or clear across an estate; it is the same sartorially. Go light or sprinkle on the seasoning heavily. Boateng shouts until your ears bleed.

To drive in my point, let's move on to some examples of shouting and I'll guide you to a better understanding:

Funky socks shout.

These boots shout.

Purple blazers shout.

Patch pockets and turnback cuffs on a suit coat shout loudly!

Photo Credits: Hart Schaffner & Marx, Leffot blog, Perry Ellis, M Magazine, don't remember the first photos owner.

My Father's Cardholder

In the past couple of months, I've been looking for a slim breast pocket wallet. I came across several that were well out of my price range, $50+. I can't even believe that they were on sale at these prices so, I decided to wait. My thinking was, as the economy got worse they would become more desperate to move product that prices would go down. Boy was I wrong. Many luxury and handcrafted goods are still moving product. I should know, I move quite a few expensive fountain pens every so often.

Well, after my father died I suddenly inherited all his things. My brother, doesn't seem to want much so I've begun looking through the things and cherry picking what I want and what can be sent home, to East Africa. The first thing I wanted was my father's cardholder. Why, well I presented it to him about 3 years ago for Christmas. He was starting a non-profit and had massive amounts of business cards weighing down his wallet. So, I purchased it and had it engraved with his Christian name and his proper last name. He loved and used it quite a bit. What he really loved was it carried an engraving of his true family name, that of our ancestors. In honor of my father, I now use it.

So, in honor of the ancestors, live well.

The Leisure Suit is Still Alive!

Yes, you read right. The leisure suit is still worn. In East Africa and Asia, it is still worn. Some parts of Mexico and Central America wear a highly modified version as well.

Like you I was completely surprised a few years ago when my brother returned with one. The novelty of it was quite nice and refreshing. Then the reality snuck in is it really wearable as a normal item. After questioning, he revealed everyone wears them back home and they come in a few varieties. He had a short sleeved version that is typical of young men; it is designed to be worn with an open collar, untucked, and with sandals or canvas shoes. The other two versions are both long sleeved with safari suit styling but much softer and less hard wearing cloth. They are worn untucked or tucked and have 4 to six pockets. The most popular colors for the cloth are navy, pale yellow, cream, oatmeal, brown, tan, white, and a red that fades into pink. Now the way they are worn is really interesting, it is treated like casual dress. While, the American would wear chinos, a golf shirt, and some loafers the East African would wear a leisure suit, a long sleeved version of coarse, with sandals or canvas shoes.

Is this wearable outside of East Africa; yes! The safari suit version in a khaki or cream looks just like a safari suit. Something everyone is familiar with. It definitely isn't as hard to wear as an ascot. If designed with tasteful details, really nothing '70s, it isn't that different. A shirt jacket with matching pants is all it is. I believe I've made my argument; me lord's I rest.

So, there you have it. An item written off by the Western sartorialists is accepted as a staple in other parts of the world. Dandyism is truly regional and that only adds to its beauty!

The Canvas Shoe and The Dandy!

Dandies must maintain their unique sense of style and know when to break the rules, when to bend them, and when to create new rules altogether. Other times an idea from thriftiness, poverty, necessity, or accident spurs some creativity. Canvas shoes and suits is one of them.

In East Africa, canvas shoes are a staple of anyone who can afford to purchase more than a few pairs of shoes. Why; they are cheap, resole-able with some African ingenuity, easily dyed, customizable, de rigeur for school children, and easy to clean. Another one of my father's stories comes to mind, when I was growing up he always was trying to find canvas shoes and buy them for us. He finally gave up on getting them and realized American school children wear sneakers and one pair of dress shoes to school. Well, after one of his relapses I decided to ask him why he was obsessed with them.

He replied, "I remember wearing them to school. We were supposed to wear dress shoes but the British under funded education and we were too many for my father to afford proper shoes. Instead he bought us canvas shoes. After sometime it caught on how much value could be had from canvas shoes. Everyone had to have a pair. Especially when someone learned how to jerry-rig old tires in to soles. Oh black is the best color. You could do anything in them. Dirty them up and all you had to do was rinse them and occasionally use charcoal to dye the black back on."

After awhile of hearing this I still wasn't sold. Then he told me they used to wear them with suits and odd jackets. He said they were smart enough not to look out of place, cheap enough that everyone could afford them, and were multipurpose. All those reasons are why they wore them in such a manner. I also think the lightweight helped in a humid environment like, where my Dad grew up.

Summer time is the best time to pull these on and give it a try. Stick to blazer combinations, light colored suits, and stay away from formal clothes. The shoes are versatile; I'd wear them with a khaki suit or jeans and a dress shirt. Now, in regards of what colors conservative dandies should stick to the trinity of blue, red, and black. Adventurous dandies only your mind is the limit. I've just ordered a pair in peach so, I suggest you push your boundaries and explore an exotic color. After all, most pairs can be had for well under $50. These will be some of the cheapest shoes you'll ever own.

These following gentleman all could wear canvas shoes in the East African tradition:

This is the kind of suit that I would wear with a pair of navy or black canvas shoes; linen is a summer cloth that works with the casualness of the canvas shoes. Keep everything just change the shoes.

Tan suit would work well with any number of colored canvas shoes. I'd just as easily go with brown, oatmeal, or a pale orange.

This is the most prized of occasions to wear said shoes while lounging leisurely in a sport coat and odd trousers. Here I would probably go with a navy or light blue colored shoe.

Here are a few models that merit consideration:

Original Keds in Peach, this is the very pair I ordered for x<$40 shipped. I plan on wearing mine with a linen, tan, double breasted suit; a blue, striped shirt; a red, Churchill dot bow tie; and some red, checkered, Happy Socks socks.

Bright yellow Asos Pilmadrille model. Has the jute sole like espadrilles but is virtually a copy of Keds. It is quite affordable at $30.

Toms in a navy canvas. These cost $48 with tax and maybe shipping a little over the Jackson($50) benchmark. Considering the company donates shoes 1:1 for each pair sold makes it less expensive. These are perfect for the philanthropist in us and the conservative in us as well.

Toms in a madras canvas shoe for $48. This pair is lovely dandified fun for southern gents or preps.

These are true espadrilles that tie up around your legs; the Roberto model from Espadrilles Etc. For the brave dandy, pair with shorts and a French striped shirt while vacationing on the beach somewhere. They are price at $38 from Espadrilles Etc.

Warning: Like most modern mass marketed goods these usually have some logo tag on them. They are quite easy to remove and pose no serious trouble to remove. Also, do not have them resoled from old tires; it is not safe or ideal for dandies to pursue thriftiness to such an extreme manner.

UPDATE: I can no longer recommend Asos canvas shoes. They have plastic sole grips and I am concerned about quality. Since I have never owned a pair, I cannot in good faith recommend them. Plastic in shoes is generally a sign of poor quality construction; I do not know if this maxim is true for Asos. For their sake I hope not.

Photo Credit: Vintage Esquire, Keds.com, Asos.com, Espadrilles Etc., and TomsShoes.com.