Sleeves Magazine April 2016 | Page 39

What the Well-Dressed Man is Wearing
by George Reece
about town must wear sharp, clean leather shoes
in black, or for informal social engagements,
brown. Spats are no longer considered
contemporary due to the relative cleanliness of
the modern pavement, and two-toned shoes
which simulate the appearance of spats are
neither big nor clever. Fine for a villain in a tawdry
back-street stage revue, but not for a gentleman.
Trousers are also required, and should fit
perfectly. The hem should rest upon, but not
engulf, the top of the shoe. Turned up cuffs are
currently unsuitable in polite society. The
silhouette of the contained leg should be
suggested, but never actually visible. Pockets
Illustration: Mphp-ao
should be imperceptible – any bowing or
stretching of fabric which pulls pockets open at
In the great P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster
stories, Bertie Wooster speaks frequently and proudly of rest is evidence of a poor fit, and is, as such,
the article he once wrote for his aunt's magazine,
unacceptable. All this, however, is moot if the
Milady's Boudoir. In it he described 'What the Wellcolour of the trousering is incorrect. There are
Dressed Man is Wearing'. The full text of this article was
three allowable colours in trousers in 2016; black,
never shared by Wodehouse, but one can only assume it charcoal, or very, very dark blue. Any other colour
would have been absolute balderdash but for the subtle and you may as well wear leopard-print leggings.
influence and editorship of Jeeves (Bertie's
A beige pant, for example a chino, may be worn
"gentleman's personal gentleman"). Wooster at various
by the lackadaisical chap for a weekend in the
points in the stories wore (or desired to wear) such
country, but never by the wel
Ian thomas mcmillan schauspieler
Ian thomas mcmillan actor