feeling the winter blues?
looking to menswear for winter dressing inspo
Now that we’ve gotten to the point that it’s almost too cold to wear any sort of non-bifurcated bottoms even with fleece lined tights, the variety of outfits I can put together have become quite limited. When wearing some version of a top and pants every single day, I figured it would be a good idea to take cues from those who have worn mostly just that.
I’d already started to compile images for this when I was gifted the book Black Ivy: A Revolt in Style, for Christmas. It focuses on Black men’s adoption of the Ivy look as a first step towards equal recognition, and how they elevated it further from there. The photos in it inspired me even more so some of them will be included as well.
playing with sweater silhouettes
At this point, most of you should be aware of my penchant for vintage varsity/collegiate styles so this first source of inspiration shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Depending on the era it was produced, most varsity sweaters, (which can already be quite cropped in length), have a large ribbed hem meant to be rolled up, shortening it even more. It results in a look that feels a bit more streamlined, and even provides an opportunity to show off a belt or a fun keychain-on-beltloop moment if that’s your vibe.
Seeing as I don’t currently own any sweaters with such optimum folding abilities, another great option that I’ve resorted to is just tucking the sweater in a bit. A tip so simple you may forget it, this is surprisingly easy if your sweater isn’t too chunky and your pants aren’t too slim.
I purchased a pair of vintage US navy sailor pants as a birthday gift to myself and instantly paired it with a sweater, tucked of course to show off those iconic 13 buttons!
I think I achieved what I wanted in the end.
Here is just one more look featuring a tucked sweater that I must include. This street shot captured by Derek Ridgers in the 80’s has been occupying a tiny portion of my brain since I first saw it. There are so many details to take in, including the double scarves, both solid and plaid, double belts (maybe?), leather gloves and chunky socks stuffed into flats. And of course that little bag. Wish I could see the colors of this but what we have is more than enough.
I’ve been reaching for my red shetland wool sweater at least twice a week so it’s imperative that I find ways to keep it fresh, as this drawing by Dick Carroll has been mostly my vibe. Slightly frumpy but perhaps intentionally so? A bandana and interesting bag seem to be the key to confirming the look, at least until it gets covered by my coat.
unconventional accessorization
It is only fitting that James Baldwin, my favorite author, had amazing style. I could write a dedicated piece on his various looks and probably will, but for now I’ll restrict myself to just speaking about one aspect. In a few images, he wears some sort of scarf around his neck, often underneath his collar, in place of a tie. A fun variation on the cotton bandana I mentioned previously, his printed silk scarves add a relaxed yet thoughtful touch.
As a transition from the rosette necklace fad that appeared this summer and an extension of the overall ribbon bow takeover, award ribbons worn casually as a pin seem quite logical and is something I find very cool. The idea has stayed in the back of my mind for a bit, but was re-ignited upon seeing Willem Dafoe’s GQ Italia Men of the Year shoot. They’ve attached it to his armband as an embellishment and I’m obsessed. The other examples I’ve pulled are more literal, in that the wearer won the award ribbon and are wearing it because of that, but it is still a delightful touch.
I wore one on my birthday and I think it was a nice touch! It made sense to wear on a more celebratory occasion but I’m excited to try and wear it just as a finishing touch on a regular day. Mine is from eBay and bears the name of a town I grew up by, so I love it even more.
Not at all unconventional but perhaps under-appreciated, throw on a hat! The book mentions how hats of many styles were an integral part of the black ivy wardrobe, even when the hat industry plummeted in the early 60’s. Mina Le’s recent video, in defense of wearing hats, goes into the history (and stereotypes) of most of the hats shown here, even beyond their functional duties.
other tidbits from the book
The inclusion of workwear was a main feature that set the Black Ivy style apart from more traditional iterations. Based on the idea of “honoring the outsider”, the style was still very much one of protest. Overalls are shown being worn many times throughout the book on the likes of Stokely Carmichael and Courtland Cox, inspiring me to pull out my own pair. They are thrifted of course, overalls are one of those items that you really have no business buying first hand
More overalls, but hidden. When covering everything with a giant coat it helps for 1: the coat to be something you enjoy and 2: for whatever bottom half is shown to be fairly interesting. I just really liked this photo.
More great shots, perhaps my favorite from the entire book. I’ve had the photo on the right saved on Pinterest for about a year now.
Thanks for reading!! What are some ways you all have stayed motivated and inspired this winter?
Lots of layers! Gilets and bodywarmers under and over everything
The Erdem silhouette is great! (The trousers!!) Also the eclectic two-scarf-ballet-flat-two-belt-look is fantastically weird and iconic. And Baldwin! Fantastic writer and he wore such great outfits. I really enjoy looking at authors and their sense of dress. Atm I keep thinking of and emulating what my mother wore in the early 2000s. A lot of black, stark contrasts, minimalist, loose fitting — I guess a little bit of a Jil Sander vibe.