Loafers are a classic staple for casual style, and in certain situations, can be worn for dressier occasions. The Donald J Pliner Vian is a loafer known for its soft inner lining providing outstanding comfort iconic to the loafer. If you’ve never had a pair of shoes that felt more comfortable than walking barefoot in warm sand, then prepare yourself for a pleasant surprise.
The interior of the shoe is a washed jean material, which provides excellent comfort for the shoeless look without fear of skin irritation. The silhouette of the Vian is lined by frayed seams, the fraying is subtle enough to enhance the contours of the shoe, yet embodies the loafer’s relaxed personality. The suede upper adds texture to the exterior, and suede material is becoming more and more popular in all types of shoes. The Vian’s suede comes in black or the tan-yellow sunwash hue with lightly colored stitching on both.
For the shoeless look, the Vian is a must have. Pair the Vian with shorts, chinos, or a light pair of khakis and you’ve got yourself a great spring and summer look. Remember to always use foot powders or pick up a few pairs of our invisible socks at Edward Baumann Clothiers.
Easter is a joyous occasion spent amongst family and friends, and the best time to bring out your seasonal attire. Suits and dress shirts take on new pastels and brightly colored hues, so ditch your winter brown and charcoal. As the climate warms up the suit material should be less weighted than the winter variety. I assure you, a thick suit is not fun when it warms up in Texas.
If you’re not used to wearing a lightweight suit with a brightly colored dress shirt, start with your favorite color and work from there. Highlight colors recommended in our previous blog entry include:
• Orange
• Light blue
• Violet
• Lime green
• Emerald
• Pale gray
• Beige
You really can’t go wrong with any of these. As for patterns, stick with those we mentioned in our Spring Style Guide such as checks, glen plaids, or windowpane. Beware mixing or stacking these patterns as that enters territory you’ll need our help navigate. Stick with a lightly color dress shirt with a patterned suit or a lightly colored suit with a patterned dress shirt underneath. The golden rule is if it looks good it’s safe to say others will agree with you, although a second opinion is always a good idea.
Remember gentlemen, Easter is traditionally a time to bring out your sharpest ensemble. This means a tie, a pocket square, possibly cufflinks, the works! From everyone at Edward Baumann Clothiers, we wish you and your family a wonderful Easter Sunday. Have fun with your look and inspire others.
I’m frequently asked why I got into this business. The answer is really simple: to teach men how to dress. I am amazed when I look at the pictures in most men’s magazines, and I always find myself asking, “Who would wear this stuff?” If you do a search on the internet under men’s fashion for Spring 2013 and click on images, it’s almost quite comical. I just don’t get it; most of what they show no real man wears. So that’s where I come in, to try and make sense of what is in style and how to wear it.
Have you noticed that the younger generation is dressing up more? They are embracing fashion with confidence. For the past 20 years everyone has been dressing casual – not anymore. More and more men are having the desire to get dressed up again. In 2012 neckwear sales were up 23 percent, and the look for 2013 is very stylish and definitely not casual. It fits right in with the return of the necktie.
Advice for Spring 2013
March 20 is the first day of spring, and this is the day that you are supposed to put away all the earth tones and pull out the pastels. It doesn’t matter what the temperature is outside, its spring and your clothing should reflect the season.
So let’s talk about what’s hot for spring 2013:
This season it’s about new styles, new colors, new fabrics and how to articulate them to create your own style. There is no shortage of color particularly with sport coats, blazers and trousers.
Orange, light blue and beige are the important highlight colors. You will also see violet, lime green, emerald and pale gray a lot this spring.
Windowpane, big plaids and checks – both in sport coats as well as suits – is the look you want. Stripes in suitings are not being seen as much this year.
Color is one of the ways you can add style and pizzazz to a familiar outfit. Try wearing some white slacks or jeans with a navy plaid sport coat, pale blue shirt and add a pocket square with contrast piping, which are very popular this season. A pocket square also adds panache to a jacket worn casually without a tie.
You are going to see a lot of textured fabrics.
The polo shirt is starting to make a comeback.
Pale gray is one of the hottest suits for spring. It is also a great choice to wear to a spring wedding. Pair it with a solid black tie or muted pastel tie, and you will be the best dressed man there! That’s right, better dressed than the groom. Unless of course, I dressed the groom! Note, you always wear a suit to a wedding; there is nothing proper about wearing a sport coat.
Bright casual shoes are very popular this season and so are bright belts. Strong blues and medium blues of all shades work great with white slacks.
Trim is in style, and it’s here to stay. How trim you might ask? Depending on your age, if you’re 50, don’t dress like your 24. Flat fronts on everything, lose the pleats.
Keep in mind, it’s not the clothes you buy, it’s how you put them together. Have a splendid spring!
Bob Baumann founded Edward Baumann Clothiers in 1991 and dresses some of the most prominent men in Dallas. His private showroom is located at 4801 Arapaho Road in Addison, Texas and is by appointment only at 972-490-9797.www.edwardbaumann.com
I ran across the question the other day: “why do so many people wear only jeans?” To this I propose another question: “why should more people wear custom jeans?” When it’s time to dress casual, everyone has a trusty pair of jeans they thrown on before hitting the town to have a good time. What makes them your pair of jeans? The personal preference is generally on the side of fit and comfort first, appearance and style second.
The next time you search for the perfect pair of jeans in a department store, take a second to consider if having a custom pair made just for you would be a better use of your time. Our custom jeans are, of course, custom measured and tailored for your measurements. If you’re worried they might feel constrained or have a different feel than you’re used to, our jeans are made with a quality denim material that is also has a slight stretch to the fabric. This combines the form fitting appearance; a sleek silhouette always makes one look better, with the unbelievable relaxed fit and comfort of a loose pair of jeans. Your legs won’t feel a single thread of pull or restriction in this pair.
Now that we’ve discussed the touch sensitive benefits of custom jeans, let’s move onto the style perks that come with having your own custom pair made. Perhaps there’s a specific type of jean you prefer, such as bootleg, which is an option for you to choose. Do you prefer a certain type of pocket on your jeans? Even the stitching can be modified to accommodate your tastes.
The end test is seeing and feeling the difference for yourself. If custom jeans sound like something you’re interested in, give us a call, we’ll schedule a fitting and design a pair made just for you
The Allen Edmonds Flatiron derives its name from the spectacular rock formations near Boulder Colorado. These majestic giants reach above the surface to bask in the sun’s rays in the cold winter surrounded with a blanket of snow-covered treetops. The Flatiron pays homage to these landmarks with an appearance of elegance without the over the top show off design from other dress shoes.
The Flatiron is a three-eyelet blucher, meaning the tongue and the vamp (front) of the shoe are crafted from the same piece of material. The material itself is fine quality calfskin, giving the shoe a softer feel with non-fine grain leather. The leather upper is made with a premium lining and the sole is single oak leather. The burnished toecap is adorned with a simple, yet refined pattern of a perforated medallion. The fit and appearance is somewhat narrow, so if you have a wider than average bridge in your foot you may require a larger size than normal. Should the style and simplicity of the Flatiron grab your attention, we highly recommend the walnut or bourbon calfskin. Although we do appreciate a finely made black blucher, in the Flatiron’s case the black leather overpowers the burnished toecap, which is a signature calling card of this distinguished shoe.
Looking for a dress shoe to complete a custom tailored navy suit? Look no further than the Flatiron. No design captures the harmonious balance between simplicity, honest elegance, and outspoken taste as well as this one does.
Before you depart for a night out, you remember that valuable accessory no suit jacket or blazer should do without, the pocket square. You fold, twist, and contort that poor piece of silk and to no avail it just doesn’t look right. You end up frustrated asking yourself “how am I supposed to look good with this crumpled fabric sticking out of my jacket pocket?” Fear no more fellow style aficionado, Edward Baumann Clothiers has the answer.
One of the quickest and easiest ways to fold a pocket square is shown in our video here.
How to fold a pocket square:
As you can see, a great trick to keep the square upright and present is to stuff a small Kleenex inside of your jacket pocket. No one likes a pocket square that plays hide and go seek.
There are other popular folds such as the straight fold. The straight fold is when the pocket square is a simple, dignified line raised above the pocket’s edge. The steps to achieve this fold are as follows:
Place the square spread out on top of a table or counter surface.
Fold the left side over on top of the right.
Fold the lower part of the fabric to the top, allow a small breach of space between the two ends.
Finally, fold the fabric over three times or as much as necessary so that it fits inside your pocket.
The definitive mark of tasteful fashion for men dwells in subtlety and nowhere else is this more apparent than a stylish accessory. One that is noticeable, yet quiet. The accessory radiates personality, but speaks softly. Most important of all, whatever you wear with it makes you look sophisticated and sharp. The cuff link is one such item that completes a gentleman’s appearance and Edward Baumann Clothiers has the right pair for you.
The need for the cuff link originates from the sixteenth century when early shirt sleeves required “cuff strings” to tie them together. As all men eventually want something more distinguished, small chains with buttons were used to enhance the appearance beyond that of a bland cuff string. More gentlemen caught on to this trend and began to develop their own styles into the industrial revolution where a wide variety of cuff links flew off the production lines.
There are several main styles of cuff links to be aware of. Here are a few brief descriptions of the types of cuff links so you will be informed before a big purchase.
Shackle
Shackle cuff links consist of two stylized ornaments connected by a chain. The advantage of this particular cufflink is how each side of the cuff shows off the ornament.
T-shape
This is the common and traditional style of cuff link, the ornament sits on one end and a swivel ‘T’ shaped bar secures the opposite end.
One-piece
As the name implies, a one-piece cuff is a singular piece of material, usually metal, that is inserted into your cuff. The one-piece stiffens the sleeve in a rigid fashion as its construction is devoid from any moving parts.
Knots
Few men don the knotted cuff link, which is simply constructed out of a cloth material and woven in the appearance of a knot. Knotted cuff links stand out as a inexpensive way to distinguish your look and it’s easy to find one to match any outfit imaginable.
Edward Baumann Clothiers houses a desirable cuff link collection and we can’t wait to show you. Give us a call so we may treat you to a clothiers experience like no other.
It is often said that a suit without a pocket square is “naked” and as Mark Twain would have us believe it, naked people have little or no influence on society. The pocket square brings color to your suit in a way no other accessory can, use it to the full potential and wear them as often as you do with a suit jacket or blazer. Even when a gentleman forgoes the tie, a pocket square remains the perfect article to draw color out from his collared shirt and truly makes the design stand out in a desirable way.
The first detail to pay attention to is color, does your shirt and tie contain the color prevalent in the square as well? The basic foundation to pull colors from a tie starts with combining a pocket square that coordinates a matching color. Ties with small, subtle inclusions of this color will become prevalent if the pocket square matches it closely enough.
Patterns are the Pièce de résistance for pairing squares and ties. Combining patterns is difficult, and may result in a fashion faux pas should the wearer attempt a radical approach. A simple piece of advice to remember is balance. For example, if the square is busy the tie should appear simpler in design. Alternatively a quiet pocket square can be matched with a busy tie pattern. As with all art forms rules are subject to occasional exemptions and Edward Baumann Clothiers handles pattern matching with experience and an intuitive sense of sophistication.
Does it look good, to you? Remember that the final judgment rests with how it looks to you. If something seems off or it doesn’t quite fit your style, find another. When you wear a look with every piece looking great, you will feel like a million bucks.
For more information and a visual demonstration of pairing, watch this video on the art of dressing.
We’ve heard the question many times “why do I need shoe trees?” and it’s time to set the record straight. There are several types of shoetrees, but only one will do for a handcrafted leather or dress shoe bought from Edward Baumann Clothiers. The cedar shoetree is truly the one to own and we’ll explain why.
Cedar shoetrees absorb sweat and moisture from your feet. The human average for foot perspiration is roughly one cup or one half pint per day. The amount of damage all this sweat causes to your distinguished footwear is alarming. Your shoes won’t hold up against the human element should you fail to compensate with a pair of cedar shoetrees. We won’t go into detail about the odor, which a shoe left on its own will develop over time. Plastic or other material shoetrees lack the absorption quality that cedar has, and won’t properly take care of your shoes.
Shoetrees ensure a shoe retains its shape after a long day of wear. The spring-like function inside of most shoetrees allows you to easily slip in the shoetree and then push it back out to maintain the shoe’s shape. Shoes living apart from any sort of shoetree protection often bear unsightly creases along the vamp or the shoe, between the toecap and the tongue.
Let’s entertain a hypothetical situation. If your shoes are soaking wet from a walk in the rain, it is not recommended to insert the shoetrees immediately. Use crumpled newspaper to soak up most of the water and place the shoe somewhere warm but not too close to a direct heating source. Insert the cedar shoetrees before the shoe completely dries but not after! If you forget to insert the shoetree long after the shoe dries it may develop a deformity. Once inserted, the cedar shoetree will absorb the rest of the water and press your footwear back into its original shape.
Edward Baumann Clothiers offers our very own line of shoetrees to keep your shoes safe and dry. The next time you stop by our establishment for a stately pair of Allen Edmonds or an impeccable Donald J Pliner, don’t step out without the shoetrees to keep them looking young and new.
For the shoeless look, the Vian is a must have. Pair the Vian with shorts, chinos, or a light pair of khakis and you’ve got yourself a great spring and summer look. Remember to always use foot powders or pick up a few pairs of our invisible socks at Edward Baumann Clothiers.
