Another Tartan and more Antonio Science: Function · Real Men Real Style Community

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Sep '24 (edited) • OOTD 👔

Another Tartan and more Antonio Science: Function

Last night I attended a wedding for my wife’s cousin at downtown Tulsa’s historic Mayo Hotel (recently used in Stallone’s Tulsa King Paramount TV series)

https://www.themayohotel.com/

The invitation was labeled a “black tie” affair, But having been married into this family for nearly 40 years and having attended many Tulsa events, I rightly guessed that it would be no where near the strictest sense of that request. I actually did see one man in A true tuxedo. However, even the groom and groomsmen were not wearing tuxes.

Here is the point. I am working through the Style System since accessing it by way of the General rank and here is the interesting dilemma regarding the three FFF pyramid. Fit: that’s pretty straightforward. If you have a good clothier (and or tailor) who knows what they’re doing it’s quite simple. While thrifting is a great way to save money, the risk of buying online or at a thrift store is always fit. Blow the fit and a $10,000 Italian silk or wool or blended suit is worthless. So one clearly needs to understand Fit.

Fabric: again very straight forward. After fit, one needs to understand light weight wools, cottons, linens, weaves, patterns and how to blend them as well as colors. But knowing to wear linen in the heat and heavy twills in the cool is not rocket science. And again One clearly needs to know Fabric.

Function is the hard one I believe. For many it takes a lot of effort to understand. I see a lot of guys who don’t know the difference between a suit versus a sport coat with trousers versus a blazer and when to wear them. Some don’t know what a tuxedo is and again when and where to wear them. (Not to mention a morning suit versus black tie). Many confuse dress shoes styles and their formality (formal technically is a tux or morning suit- while patten pumps are the ultimate correct shoe, that is the one place I would agree with the Oxford style shoe versus Derby and or brogue style shoe as the more formal look and in 999,999 times out of a million perfectly appropriate. With virtually every other suit those styles: derby versus oxfords or brogues versus plain or cap toes are interchangeable and the argument is silly). Part of this is simple, it’s easy to spot when it’s wrong: a nearly 30 yr old man who wears a suit like a high school sophomore that irrespective of the fit and fabric is just off wearing his tie that’s too short with a monster knot, and square toed shoes and lots of tie tacks+ collar bars+ pins etc for example is the easiest illustration of someone missing the concept of Function-when it’s just wrong it’s just wrong.

There are a bunch of guys in this community that are much better than I at casual and semi casual wear

@David Yakin

and

@Trevor Hudson

and

@Mike Payne

I would highly recommend their posts. (Look them up just posts and use their pics as inspiration you will be glad you did).

But not knowing basic Function at various well -functions we attend, is a sign of a lack of effort.-Isn’t it? We all are working through this Real Men searching Real Style so we really don’t have any excuses of not at least attempting to know how to build a wardrobe - right?

Shouldn’t we understand when and where to wear certain items.

Here is my personal illustration.

•Black Bespoke herringbone suit (actually a hand me down from pop because his illness has rendered it too large for him)

•White pique patterned French cuff shirt recent 4 for $200 deal CT

•Silk cream Robert Talbot Waist coat 30 yrs old

•RL black watch tartan bow tie (one of two most common “formal” tartans other being the royal Stewart )

•black cufflinks (part of true formal tux shirt studs kit)

•1904 Omega pocket watch gifted to me

I know this is not an exactly true black tie attire. But I am quite aware of what is and I think it worked fine. My point is -to break the rules-It’s always better to know the rules.

Hopefully this illustrates Antonio’s concept of Function to the best of my ability. PS pic of me next to Mr Mayo was a funny fluke

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