I read this morning on a fashion blog that I’m a “renegade traditionalist.” I suppose I might have claimed that once. I like tradition because I’m not easily convinced by innovations. I find the past more reliable. Dan Quisenberry, a great relief pitcher, once said, “I’ve seen the future and it’s much like the present …

Glenn O’Brien is an open-minded man of the world who embraces what’s new. But he also takes the long view and appreciates the best of classic style. Here is a list of indispensable items (and vintage) in his wardrobe. They haven’t been improved upon because they cannot be. -My grandfather’s tail coat (1921) -My grandfather’s …

Last winter, during a warm snap, I made a survey of men’s millinery on the streets of New York. On a walk at 11 a.m. and again on my return at 8 p.m. (different times to account for morning and evening dress routines), I monitored the number and styles of hats worn by men that …

1.     Clint Eastwood’s battered straight-brimmed cowboy hat in the 1966 western The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. It remains the gold standard. 2.     Jack Nicholson’s various smooth fedoras in Roman Polanski’s 1974 masterpiece Chinatown. 3.     The late artist Dash Snow’s straw boater hat, which he decorated with the …

Some of the most interesting and appealing figures in New York’s elite fashion industry are basic craftsmen, skilled people you never hear a word about. One such individual is Fu Sen Ng, sixty-two years of age, an unassuming man from Toisan, China, who traveled to the city seven years ago and began to build a …

It began in Aspen. I was in a ski shop with my sister, looking for a new parka. But everything felt huge and boring, as if I were going to be smuggling burly Canadians in it with every run. Wasn’t there anything that fit neatly and trimly, like ski jackets did in the 1980s? Maybe …

Exercise should be simple, but inevitably it becomes complicated. You want to go out and run in the sun. What could be easier? But how much should you stretch? How much arch support do your feet need? Or do they, in fact, need any at all? Barefoot marathoners say one thing, sneaker cartels another. Theories …

In March Magazine, David Colman considers how he prefers the cut of some women’s clothes to men’s. Here are a few of his guidelines to what does and does not make sense to adopt from the bride’s side of the aisle. Women’s things that men have adopted already whether they realize it or not: – …

Just because you’re exercising doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look dashing. Traditional sportswear was very elegant and there’s no reason you should look like a ripe piece of Latex fruit when you’re getting your heart-rate up. Here are some simple options: — An old rugby shirt. Doesn’t need to have a logo plastered on it (in fact, …

There’s a subtle cultural proxy war that unfolds endlessly on our bodies and those of our friends, neighbors and countrymen. The battlefield is symbolism, and the weapons are prints.  My first inkling of the importance of imagery in textiles was as a small child in the late 1970s. I was at a playdate at the home of affluent friends when I was seized by …