Five Things

There are five things (well, there are more but we'll stick with five) that I'd really like to see come back from obscurity. These five items were commonplace a mere 60 years ago but have disappeared because of changing trends: a move toward the casual and away from anything formal or considered snobbish.

1. Suspenders
Or braces, if you will. And I don't mean the cheesy clip-on suspenders either, though those did exist back in the day. I also don't mean boring black or tan button suspenders (though they have their place when the right occasion calls for them).
I'm talking about colorful button suspenders we never see today apart from the occasional eccentric dandy. Like many of the other items on my list, these bright pant-holders appear too 'costume-ish' to the modern eye.


2. Walking Stick
Not your grandpa's cane nor that of the inner city pimp. A bamboo walking stick is great for walking downtown on a warm summer night, just as long as you are dressed accordingly. But again, society has rejected this once common article as something for the snob with his nose high in the air.
Of course, a walking stick with a sword is preferred since a gentleman needs a stylish form of personal protection. Also comes in handy if you feel like breaking into a dance number.


3. The Boater
Also known as the "42nd Street Skimmer". A difficult hat to pull off, it was a summer favorite of the common man as well as the FBI for a short time. Long stares and open mouths follow this hat wherever it is worn, so be prepared for the fanfare.
And while Jeeves disapprovingly points out that "gentlemen do not wear straw hats in the metropolis, sir", at times I can find him a bit stuffy. Wear it wherever you wish in the warm months.

4. Spats

Need I say more?

5. The Ascot

Or as our English friends like to refer to it, the Cravat. This article, above all else, is considered today to be the sure sign of a foolhardy snob with more money than brains. However, this casual look was popular with men of the middle and high classes back in vintage times, especially in the 1930s. While still a necktie, the loose and flowing ascot provided a flowing cascade of cloth that added a dash of adventurism to any safari jacket or partially open button-down shirt.

A favorite of Fred Astaire who often wore it with a scarf tied around his waist as a belt. Now that is style.

Let's hear what obscure and now scorned items you would like to see make a return.

It's All in the Armholes

I was recently asked what the difference was between high and low armholes. There is much, like the difference between day and night.

Armholes can make or break a suit jacket. Unfortunately for us today most modern jackets fail when it comes to armholes. Suits today are made with low armholes. This means the armhole is larger and goes down further on the body of the jacket. Sure, low armholes make it easier to put the jacket on and take it off but try lifting your arms above your head and you're practically smothered by the jacket. The lapels bow out, the body spreads, the shoulders rise and the cuff moves down the arm. It's not very comfortable nor useful. And it's ugly.

Just take a look at this modern suit jacket with low armholes.

Unattractive and not very useful at all. Uncomfortable, infact.

Now take a look at this suit jacket from the 1920s/early 1930s with high armholes.

Vintage suits nearly always had high armholes. High armholes are cut higher under the armpit and don't deform the jacket when the arms rise. Truly high armholes might be a tad uncomfortable (tight under the armpits) at first for anyone who normally wears jackets with low armholes but they are amazed when they lift their arms and the jacket stays in place.

But high armholes are a lost art. Today practically no off-the-rack suits and very few custom jackets are made with high armholes. Perhaps this is due to the ease that low armholed jackets slip on and off (high armholed jackets are a bit more difficult, usually one arm at a time). Yet jackets are meant to be worn and if a jacket is uncomfortable or badly made (low armholes are a bad design) I do not want to wear it. I take it off. At least that part is easy thanks to the low armholes...

Low armholes are the main reason modern jackets just don't seem to fit even when they are well cut. A jacket that is perfectly shaped to your body will still feel weird and wear wrong if it has low armholes. Hopefully the pendulum will swing back to high armholes like back before armholes went bad in the 1960s.

That's why Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire were able to dance around all day and still be comfortable in their suits. It's all in the armholes.